Citizen advocate works to improve calm on Lincoln bike boulevard

With its calm streets, SE Lincoln is a popular bikeway.
That is, until you get past SE 50th.
(Photos by Spencer Boomhower)

The bike boulevard on Harrison and Lincoln Streets between SE 12th and SE 60th Avenues is one the most popular in Portland, and with good reason: it offers a pleasant ride in a straight shot from Ladd’s Addition all the way up to Mount Tabor.

“It’s obvious that they are intimidated by the bus revving up the hill and would rather just wait it out then feel this mass coming up behind them.”
— Michael Shaver, SE Portland resident

Like most bike boulevards in town, the Lincoln Street route slows and minimizes automotive traffic with selective use of automotive diversions, traffic-calming devices and bicycle cut-throughs. The result is a stretch of road that makes cyclists feel safer and more welcome than they might elsewhere on the streets of Portland.

Until, that is, Lincoln crosses 50th Avenue, into the ten-block stretch that continues up to 60th. Suddenly Lincoln starts to seem less like a bike boulevard, and more like a standard Portland street. There’s faster-moving automotive traffic, and more of it.

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And that’s without the #71 TriMet bus line, which normally runs up and down this chunk of Lincoln, but which has been temporarily re-routed for the duration of some nearby water pipe repairs. (The 71 line will resume its trips on Lincoln once the repairs are done).

Michael Shaver

Local resident Michael Shaver isn’t eager to see the buses return. “I have witnessed right in front of my house many cyclists stopping to wait till the bus has passed them on the Lincoln hill,” he says. “It’s obvious that they are intimidated by the bus revving up the hill and would rather just wait it out then feel this mass coming up behind them. I’ve also witnessed many cyclists coming down the hill and having to swerve around the bus turning onto Lincoln.”

Shaver is doing what he can to calm this section of the Lincoln bike boulevard, with a special focus on moving the bus traffic – or even just half of the bus traffic, the northbound route – over to nearby Division Street. To that end, he’s started an on-line petition and has a paper petition making the rounds to various bike-friendly events.

So far, he has nearly 200 signatures in support of a calmer Lincoln Street bike boulevard.

“In general, we advocate for as much separation between bike routes and bus routes (and auto routes in general) as is practicable.”
— Michelle Poyourow, BTA

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) is backing the calming effort as well. In a letter to the Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association, the BTA’s Michelle Poyourow wrote, “In general, we advocate for as much separation between bike routes and bus routes (and auto routes in general) as is practicable. In fact, this is one of the great advantages of bicycle boulevards — they give people the option of riding away from auto traffic.”

Poyourow was clear that this is nothing against TriMet or its drivers: “We find that bus operators are highly trained and generally very considerate of the size and loudness of their vehicle when they pass bicyclists,” she said, “yet the experience of being passed by a bus is nonetheless often stressful for bicyclists, particularly people who are just getting comfortable on their bike or for families with children.”

Portland’s bike boulevards are havens for these inexperienced riders and families on wheels, and even for more experienced riders like myself who simply value the experience of riding down a street without having to have their survival instincts on high alert at all times. So it’s heartening to see the residents around Lincoln Street embracing the bike boulevard in their midst, and doing what they can to keep it calm, safe, and bike-friendly for the rest of us.

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mmann
15 years ago

This is a good idea. Readers should know, however, that if you link to the on-line petition, you’re required to make a donation to get your signature recorded.

Dave
15 years ago

I think this is a great idea. I ride through Ladd’s Addition and up Clinton every day and feel the same thing when I get stuck in front of a #10 bus – it’s not that the bus driver is inconsiderate (usually), but there is really no practicable way for the bus to pass you, and you feel the pressure of that large vehicle behind you, it puts a lot of pressure on you to ride faster.

Vance
15 years ago

I applaud this fellow for taking action, I really do. However, riddle me this: If where he lives is so bad, why not move? Or, better yet, why move there in the first place? As a native Oregonian, that was the advice I was given regarding my appeal to tax would-be Oregon residents for the privilege. In fact, “Like it or lump it”, seems to be the pervasive mantra here, why not this fellow too?

Dave
15 years ago

The donation isn’t required – it says “signature recorded” and then asks for a donation.

Adam
Adam
15 years ago

This is a cool idea. At the same time, whenever I ride on Lincoln it feels like a vacation compared to my usual route. I understand how it can be a bit uncomfortable when a bus passes you. A daily hazard I have on my route of SE Powell between 174th and 110th is a bus pulling to the shoulder to make a stop and end up blocking the bike lane. I am a pretty confident commuter and taking the lane during busy traffic in this situation sometimes makes me quite nervous. Every now and then I will be patient and wait behind the bus. Go figure that it just happens to be at a point in their route where they stop for a significant time period to keep on schedule. Every bus stop should have enough room for the bus to pull over and not be in the way of the traffic lane or the bike lane. There are some major traffic stops around town engineered this way and it makes a big difference. It’s awesome that someone is doing what they can to improve things but I personally don’t see that particular stretch of Lincoln as all that bad.

Dave
15 years ago

I definitely don’t blame you for being nervous about riding down Powell 🙂 I live on Powell, but detour out of the way so I don’t have to ride on it (especially as there are no bike lines on it west of 82nd).

Powell is a gigantic road with lots of space to work with, and it would be fantastic to see ODOT (since they manage it) put in some nice bike concessions, exactly like you mentioned. Help to blend the modes of traffic on it as well as possible.

Mike M
Mike M
15 years ago

I live right down the street from the area refered to. I generally feel fine on Lincoln itself except right at 52nd. That intersection is a mess.

Though crossing lincoln is the spot on my sons commute to school that will concern me when he is old enough. Cars go too fast. But that is true everywhere.

Vance
15 years ago

I’ve quizzed Tri-Met about this on numerous occasions. It’s their position that bike-lanes were given consideration, and that it is ultimately the duty of the operators to stay out of the lanes while pulling over. Subsequently, Tri-Met has been very responsive to my complaints. An issue where I had a particular operator on camera, not once, but twice, blocking the bike-lane on SW Broadway, resulted in that driver being moved from that route.

A full bus is an awesome, great, super thing. A bus less than full is an environmental disaster on six-wheels, a menace to pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. An empty bus is a noisy, resource hogging, eyesore unless it operates at capacity more than not. I really, would like to see some numbers.

Generating congestion to punish tens of thousands motorists is one way to help the planet, and make your own, personal, 200 person community suit you better, that’s for sure. I just wonder if there is an option a little less entitled, and ego-centric.

Spencer Boomhower
Spencer Boomhower
15 years ago

Well the crux of the problem is that Lincoln on this stretch is designated a bike boulevard, meaning riders look at that line on a map and assume that if they want to take their kids on a ride and feel safe, or if they just want to ride on a quiet street, they can be assured that the traffic on that street is below a certain threshold.

Just past 50th the traffic volume spikes up dramatically, apparently above that threshold. (Michael has a nice graph showing this spike in a flier he made, I’ll let him post it if he wants.)

Just hanging around between 50th and 52nd trying to get some pics, I was struck by how the traffic can get distinctly more frenetic in this area. Cars turn four at a time from 50th onto Lincoln, and cross traffic on 52nd lunges across the offset intersection. It’s the nexus of a couple of popular cut-throughs.

And this is without the buses! When they come back, it’ll just get that much more intense. Still not terrible compared to our busiest streets, of course, but perhaps not worthy of the designation “bike boulevard.” So what’s really at issue is how committed the city is to meeting the promise of that designation.

Rithy
Rithy
15 years ago

I lived on 60th and Lincoln and as I child I attended Mt. Tabor Middle School. Having the bus route was really helpful in getting to and from school. So I wouldn’t want the bus route to be moved.
In light of that if they redirected traffic to go up 52nd to Division then take Division to 60th, I wouldn’t be opposed.

Putting traffic calming on 52nd wouldn’t hurt either!

chrisw
chrisw
15 years ago

I haven’t noticed too much of a difference on either side of 52nd, and to be honest, I am not a huge fan of the traffic calming islands. Too many motorists decide to pass me right as I am approaching them, instead of before or after. There isn’t enough room. I’m okay with the curb extensions that prohibit motorists from entering at 39th and 52nd from certain directions, but those islands I could really do without.

Laura
Laura
15 years ago

I’m w/Mike M (#7). Drivers don’t stop when leaving 52nd, and they certainly aren’t looking for bikes or pedestrians! There’s no reason for the segment of 52nd between Division and Lincoln to be as wide of a speedway as it is. Mega-calming is needed at this intersection.

I’ve talked w/several Lincoln residents about keeping the bus on “permanent reroute” and TriMet has repeatedly said “no way”. You’ve got my signature…can my dog sign?

chris
chris
15 years ago

Props for this guy for taking action! It’s kinda ironic, though, that focus is being put on calming down the Lincoln bike boulevard, when even past 50th it’s a utipia compare to some others that get no attention. My daily commute down the Tillamook boulevard from 82nd to downtown is a virtual death-trap, and I doubt any attention will ever be given to improving that route.

kgb
kgb
15 years ago

Seems like commons sense would dictate that you don’t put a bike boulevard on a bus route or vice versa.

Malex
Malex
15 years ago

Chris, I don’t think the Tillamook boulevard is that bad! In my opinion, the only bad part is getting from 15th or so & Tillamook to the Steel Bridge. My trick there is to take Holladay and then 9th rather than using Multnomah.

bahueh
bahueh
15 years ago

What are you people talking about?

I ride Lincoln between 12th and 60th every single day and don’t notice anything in terms of heavier or faster traffic…haven’t for the three years I’ve been doing it. I also see VERY few buses at any given days…

seems like a solution in search of a problem.

McGillicutty
McGillicutty
15 years ago

Experienced or not, bike routes are safer and usually faster, even Lincoln between 50th and 60th. Too many cyclists ride on major thoroughfares and unnecessarily endanger themselves and others. Yes, it’s your right to do so, as it is your right to ride without a helmet– that doesn’t make it a smart choice.

Lenny Anderson
15 years ago

“boulevard” here is a misnomer. Portland has few of any of these where motor vehicles are restricted to very low speed local trips. Cut thru auto traffic is common most Portland bikeways…a more accurate term. None have signage that let’s drivers know they are on a different kind of street; only the hard to find “bike dots” tell the story. The timidity of PDOT on this score is astounding. Only the presence of more bikes than cars make these routes “bike routes.” Thanks, I guess, to the City for printing the maps.

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

An issue where I had a particular operator on camera, not once, but twice, blocking the bike-lane on SW Broadway, resulted in that driver being moved from that route.

Wait, are we talking parked buses? Because I see buses parking in bike lanes every single day all over town.

Vance
15 years ago

Hart #17,

Actually, I think the context is that of the route the 71 takes on this bike-boulevard. Here is a link to 811.440, the Oregon Revised Statute covering motor-vehicle usage of bike lanes. Who knows what Tri-Met has, “worked out”, with the city. As far as I know, they are not exempted from this. As far as I know, buses aren’t supposed to park for lay-overs, or breaks, either one, in a bike-lane. I do, however, know that Tri-Met discourages this rather stringently.

I know a driver who tells me most of his peers do this type of thing deliberately. A kind of passive/aggressive monkey-wrenching. The spirit of the statute is that of, “Get in, get out”, of a bike-lane. Passenger delivery is even mentioned with similar language. Due to the large number of passengers a bus has, I’m fairly certain they violate this statute each, and every time they impede a bike-lane for more than just a few moments.

My earlier comment was a little harsh by the way. Sorry for that. I just get really riled at one person working to slow traffic, while an entire city is at work trying to speed it up. I don’t care much for this quality of life angle either. That used to be a working class neighborhood. Those people were quickly priced out of that neighborhood, what about their quality of life? What about the blacks those same people then supplanted from NoPo? Certainly not this fella’s fault, and I feel out of line, it’s just a sensitive issue for me.

Ya, whip yer phone out and grab some footy. Tri-Met has been pretty accommodating to me at least. I say that ’cause I know a lot of Metro, and Tri-Metro folks. Might be an advantage, I don’t know.

chris
chris
15 years ago

Malex,
My issue with the Tillamook route is there are several areas with fast moving crossing traffic, often at intersections with no stop signs either direction. There’s also some stretches where it seems you have to stop every other block. In my opinion it certainly isn’t a route that makes it any easier for bicycles to travel.

I love the Lincoln route, and miss living over by Mt. Tabor for that reason.

bikieboy
bikieboy
15 years ago

Rithy (#10) – there already is traffic calming on 52nd (some bumps & a curb extension).

As a daily commuter on this route for the last 20 years, I’d agree that the stretch on Lincoln from 50th to 60th does seem particularly bad compared to the rest of the route – higher traffic & no traffic calming bumps so higher speeds, plus the bus.

When the original Lincoln/Clinton traffic calming project was in development 20+ years ago, a divertor at Lincoln & 60th (right in/right out, like at 20th) was originally in the mix but ultimately rejected by the Planning Committee. More’s the pity.

I’d also say that, coming down the hill heading west, I really *hate* the cross traffic from 52nd continuing north on 52nd – it’s a slight jog – this seems really dangerous to the unwary cyclist.
Bad intersection, that.

But all in all, it’s a pretty good street for riding – but could be considerably better with less & slower traffic.

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

I live on the corner of 50th and Lincoln, and whomever spray-painted party balloons on the side of my house the day before my birthday, I just gotta say thank you.

Rithy
Rithy
15 years ago

bikieboy (#22) I’m aware the the bumps and curb extensions on 52 between Lincoln and Division.

In reality, there should be something that slows traffic at the intersection of 52 and Lincoln. With the downhill and car traffic going north traffic, the traffic is moving quite fast through that intersection.
Personally I hate the traffic islands. They don’t really slow traffic (as shown by the giant signs that say SLOW). Personally I think Lincoln should be turned into a neighborhood street (smaller, tighter and more calming) since Hawthorne and Division are only a few blocks away. Move the bus to 60th, Division and 52th without turning onto Lincoln.

chris
chris
15 years ago

sure sounds like someone doesn’t like noisy buses on his street.

I wouldn’t either.

are
15 years ago

it’s hard to generalize, but I have found bus drivers here to be infinitely more considerate than bus drivers in the nameless midwestern city from which I moved here less than a year ago. at least once I was nearly killed by a bus blowing through a late yellow as I was coming to a stop for the same light, and almost every day a bus would get right up on your back and then buzz you. here it seems drivers have gotten some kind of message — and the fact that TriMet is even trying to deliver that message is itself a complete change from that other misery (Missouri?).

if you feel crowded by a bus coming up behind you, evaluate the situation to determine whether the bus could readily get by you, whether there is another stop coming up with someone waiting at it, or whether in fact you are holding things up, and if so, by all means pull aside and let the bus go by. nothing wrong with that.

if you are in one of those stripey bike lane things, apparently in Oregon the rules are different. hold your ground. make the bus driver squeeze past when she can, or not. keeping in mind that there is an exception in the safe passing distance law for passing a bike in a striped lane.

bikieboy
bikieboy
15 years ago

rithy (#24) – I agree, except i do kinda like the traffic islands for their looks, but you’re right they don’t do much to slow people down.

Spencer Boomhower
Spencer Boomhower
15 years ago

are #26

“… I have found bus drivers here to be infinitely more considerate than bus drivers in the nameless midwestern city from which I moved here less than a year ago. … here it seems drivers have gotten some kind of message — and the fact that TriMet is even trying to deliver that message is itself a complete change from that other misery”

I think you’re right, and it bears repeating that the problem on this stretch of Lincoln most definitely isn’t with TriMet drivers themselves, but rather the re-routing of the bus line back onto a stretch that – even in this brief bus-free window – is just a little too busy to qualify as a bike boulevard, a safe haven for cyclists. Especially inexperience cyclists and people with kids, for whom – as Michelle points out – even being passed safely by a bus can be intimidating.

Spencer Boomhower
Spencer Boomhower
15 years ago

Here’s Michael’s graph that vividly illustrates the difference in traffic volume you’re likely to encounter when you cross 50th going east on Lincoln.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/3347558745_6cb65a9b2e.jpg

Arty
Arty
15 years ago

Thank you, Michael! Let’s make my morning commute a little calmer.

Ron H
Ron H
15 years ago

I’m with bahueh here (I never thought I’d say that 😉 ). I commute along this route and have had no problems with the traffic at all. It is as calm a street as anyone could desire. Sure, the traffic between 50th adn 60th is a bit more dense. But, it’s still a very minor issue. Am I missing some giant influx of traffic at my usual commute time?

Ron H
Ron H
15 years ago

OK, that said, I’m all for making the route safer for cyclists. I’d really like to see vehicles made to slow down somehow. That has to be better for everyone.

Spencer Boomhower
Spencer Boomhower
15 years ago

#16 bahueh:

“I ride Lincoln between 12th and 60th every single day and don’t notice anything in terms of heavier or faster traffic…haven’t for the three years I’ve been doing it. I also see VERY few buses at any given days…”

The buses have been routed off the street during the current water pipe repairs, so there’s no buses at the moment. But they’re on their way back.

Also this is the traffic volume data:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/3347558745_6cb65a9b2e.jpg

PDOT defines bike boulevards as less than 3000 cars per day, and you can see it jags up above that in that one stretch.

It appears to be a popular rush-hour cut-through, and it’s probably that rush-hour traffic that drives up the daily volume.

I frequently ride that stretch from 52nd west, but not often on peak hours. When I was there during peak hours, I could see a distinct difference between on the east and west sides of 50th, a frenetic edge that kicked in on the east side with all the cut-throughs.

Again, not the worst traffic in Portland, but not really fitting the description of “bike boulevard.”

bahueh
bahueh
15 years ago

oh Ron, I’m actually quite likable. 🙂

this story simply reminds me of those people who live on N. Brooklyn complaining about all the train noise…when the tracks and trains and horns were there long before they ever bought the house.

life has risks. riding a bike in an urban area has risks. there are bigger problems on PDX streets besides this little stretch of SE…what ever happened to “share the road”? or is that just one sided?

Blah Blah Blah
Blah Blah Blah
15 years ago

I’ve never ridden this route, but if it’s a real issue (sometimes it’s just a few blow hards whining really loud). Why not just move the bike route over another street?

Dan Hawk
Dan Hawk
15 years ago

I too ride this route both ways every day. I cruise through this area in the early morning before 7 when it is early enough that there are rarely any cars on Lincoln.

The afternoon is a whole different story. At about 5-6, there is a constant stream of obnoxious cars that are obviously cutting through, either turning onto Lincoln from 50th, or onto Lincoln from 52nd. The bus thing is really difficult on this section too. When you are climbing the short hill, you have to go around a couple of those traffic circles and there are always plenty of cars parked on the side of the street. The traffic can back up a bit if you are coming into the narrowing area right before the Circle.

Once again, to me it feels misleading and poorly planned out. Misleading because it is labeled a bike boulevard and poorly planned because there is no way that a bus should be cutting through this street. Why in the world would the bus be routed that particular way?

Anyway, I’ll sign it…and hope for more traffic deterrents for folks cutting through and no return of the bus.

Dan

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

Why not just move the bike route over another street?

Because there are already numerous traffic control devices built in to Lincoln. Tearing all that up and moving it would cost tens of thousands of dollars. Moving a couple bus stop signs could be done by one person in about an hour.

Dan Hawk
Dan Hawk
15 years ago

Also, moving the bike route wouldn’t make sense as it is a continuous route from Ladd’s addition all the way up and over Mt Tabor.

The bus route doesn’t need to be on that street to complete some sort of logical route. In fact, if you look at a map, it is sort of un-intuitive for it to cut through there. Staying on 50th makes a lot more sense as 50th both:
1. is already a busy street.
2. has stop lights and appropriate traffic control for a busy bus street which 52nd does not.

Mike Shaver
Mike Shaver
15 years ago

Full discloser: I’m the Mike in the article.

All these comments are great and point to some of the issues with this stretch of the bicycle boulevard. Yes it can be said that it isn’t so bad compared to many places in the city for bicycling. But as far as a bicycle boulevard goes, this small stretch does have a few dangerous intersections, higher volumes of cars then other boulevards, a documented speed problem, and the Trimet buses. All of these factors make it much less a bicycle boulevard.

The question really comes down to what we want our Bicycle Boulevards to really be? The only places where bicyclists have true priority is on bicycle paths, which are few and far between in our city. Otherwise cars pretty much dominate. If we want to make Bicycle Boulevards the next best thing to a bicycle path, we should strive for it. In general I think this is true of most Boulevards, so I’m just talking about improving some.

Bicycles are truly becoming a valuable transportation alternative in our city and we should do all we can to encourage this.

Joe Maddon's Rays
Joe Maddon's Rays
15 years ago

The parallel streets in either direction are Hawthorne and Division so not really “bike boulevard” eligible.

Part of the traffic problem is the swerve at 50th/Hawthorne to cut down on traffic going East on Hawthorne thinking that it would just divert them to Division. Surprise!, there’s an enticing light at Lincoln/50th to encourage commuters to cut through to 60th that way.

One other point on the bus is that on/offs on the Lincoln route between 52nd/D and 60th/L were very low. 2 on/3 off, 0 on/2 off, etc. while on Division in roughly that stretch, it’s more like 6 on/14 off, 8 on/7 off. It would only make sense to pick up some of those Division on/offs by moving the one direction off Lincoln to Division.

Dan Hawk
Dan Hawk
15 years ago

Mike, I appreciate what you are saying about the intent and questions about defining “Bike Boulevards”. As an almost full time bike commuter, I think that having specific, engineered and planned routes for bikes is fantastic. I love that drivers expect to see me on these routes and are generally pretty courteous…sometimes they can be a little too courteous and motion for me to go out of turn…which can be a little awkward. Anyway, I would like to see more markings or signs to let drivers know that this is a street where speeds and traffic need to remain bike friendly.

I think that the most useful traffic tool that is used on both this and the Clinton route is the 1-way situation at 39th. I wish that there was one of these at 50th as well…or perhaps the kind that is at 21st and Lincoln which only allows right turns. In fact that would probably clean up a ton of the action on this particular stretch. Maybe throw one of those on 60th as well! 🙂

Dan

Hart
Hart
15 years ago

There shouldn’t even be a light at 50th and Lincoln. All it does is back up traffic on 50th while the amount of East bound cars is virtually nonexistent.

Spencer Boomhower
Spencer Boomhower
15 years ago

One point I’ve heard that’s worth passing on is that a stretch like this one makes a good candiate for calming efforts precisely because it’s so near to meeting its goals. Calming our super-busy streets would be prohibitively expensive and difficult, but here on Lincoln, getting it down below the 3000 car threshold (and here’s that graph one more time http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/3347558745_6cb65a9b2e.jpg), and perhaps also keeping the buses rerouted is a realistic and achievable goal.

Also, I’ve heard that, while there’s a system in place for designating certain routes as bike boulevards through the Bicycle Master Plan, that doesn’t necessarily mean conflicts between these priority bicyle facilities and transit routes have been worked out. And apparently there’s no formal means of working out those conflicts.

Which I suppose means that it just comes down to citizen involvement and advocacy to get the job done.

Chris B
Chris B
14 years ago

I attended the Mount Tabor Neighborhood Association meeting Wednesday night and there was definitely more tension than I would have imagined over the issue. I thought this was a no brainer when Mike came door to door letting people know about the issues. Hell yeah, get the bus off of Lincoln and on to Division where it is better suited. I would have voted to move the entire line off of Lincoln. It has worked for a year during the sewer construction, just leave it as it is now (or so I say), but the neighborhood was torn.

One side claimed noise pollution, safer bike routes and a mere two block additional walk to Division (for which the change is only eight blocks long to begin with – and remember, Portland blocks… not regular city blocks so eight blocks is not 8/10 of a mile, according to Google Maps is only 3/10 of a mile).

The other side claimed buses promoted calming effects, were safer to board for their middle school children versus crossing either Division or Lincoln without crossing guards stationed there, and that people “long in tooth” can’t walk as far.

It was illuminating to say the least. And despite some of the arguments that were ridiculously devoid of logic and reason, even the MTNA board members were split.

My favorites, beside the “long in tooth” comment by the older gentleman who unfortunately had to leave before the vote took place, were…

~ “buses were here before bikes”

~ no novice (now apparently pronounced [noh-vis] versus [nov-is]) bicyclists ride on Lincoln so there is no concern for bike safety

~ additional notification or announcements of the vote in the community bulletins and newspapers/newsletters would have scored more votes for the “Nays”

~ Lincoln is an “arterial road” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arterial_road)

Oh, and there is apparently something called the Robert’s Rules of Order that everyone in the neighborhood who has never attended an association meeting must be fully aware of prior to speaking because you will have your ass handed to you if you interrupt the wrong person, whereas if it’s a free for all, F-it!

Here is a link to the MTNA newsletter with some more details (http://www.mttaborpdx.org/news.html).