PoPo
07-17-2007, 01:51 PM
Hi Everyone,
Traffic enforcement involving bicycles is always a hot topic on this site. And ped/bike interactions on Mt. Tabor could potentially be another enforcement topic and location. The meeting tomorrow (7/18) on Mt. Tabor will be an opportunity for all of us to gather with Police, Parks and neighborhood parties to have voices and ideas heard in a pro-active fashion, rather than complaining after the fact. Please come and participate! Hopefully our ideas will be carried beyond Mt. Tabor to other mixed-use areas as well.
Below is a little blurb I wrote about it.
-PoPo
------------
Concerns about High-Speeds and Close Calls on Mt. Tabor.
Let’s Work Together.
The Portland Office of Transportation has counted fifteen and eighteen percent increases in bicycles using downtown bridges over the past two years, (over 12,000 bikes cross the bridges every day now) and anticipate similar, high rates of increase in Portland’s bicycle traffic in the coming years. The general population of the Portland Metro area is expected to grow 9% between 2005 and 2010.
Portland Parks and Recreation and the Office of Transportation are receiving complaints regarding bicycle/pedestrian close-calls on our beautiful, and increasingly busy mixed-use pathways and parks, including the Eastbank Esplanade, the Hawthorne Bridge and Mt. Tabor. The Mount Tabor citizen foot patrol, which walked the park nearly 300 times last year, is particularly concerned about the possibility of crashes involving unaware pedestrians and bicyclists speeding down hills.
What can we do to address this issue before it becomes truly serious? Speed bumps? Signs? Gates? Citations? Education? Please be a community problem-solver and join members from the Portland Parks and Recreation, the Portland Office of Transportation and the Southeast Precinct Police Bicycle Patrol to discuss the issue and brainstorm possible solutions at a public meeting at Mt. Tabor Park.
Cyclists and walkers are highly encouraged to attend. Hopefully the perspectives and ideas of both groups will provide a foundation for a solution that will increase safety and enjoyment of our mixed-use areas for all of us.
Where: Mt. Tabor Park, Picnic Area A (across from the playground and restrooms)
Date: July 18,
Time: 5:30pm Snacks
6:00pm Meeting Start
(Note: July 18 is a Wednesday, when the park is closed to motorized traffic. If you are unable to walk, bike, skate or bus to the meeting, the closest parking can be found outside of the 69th Ave entrance to the park. A shuttle van will be available between SE Yamhill/69th and the picnic area for any who need assistance. Last shuttle leaves at 6pm.)
If you have questions you can call Officer Pickett at Southeast Precinct (503-823-2143) or Doug Brenner, Portland Parks and Recreation East Portland Zone Manager (503-823-5255).
Traffic enforcement involving bicycles is always a hot topic on this site. And ped/bike interactions on Mt. Tabor could potentially be another enforcement topic and location. The meeting tomorrow (7/18) on Mt. Tabor will be an opportunity for all of us to gather with Police, Parks and neighborhood parties to have voices and ideas heard in a pro-active fashion, rather than complaining after the fact. Please come and participate! Hopefully our ideas will be carried beyond Mt. Tabor to other mixed-use areas as well.
Below is a little blurb I wrote about it.
-PoPo
------------
Concerns about High-Speeds and Close Calls on Mt. Tabor.
Let’s Work Together.
The Portland Office of Transportation has counted fifteen and eighteen percent increases in bicycles using downtown bridges over the past two years, (over 12,000 bikes cross the bridges every day now) and anticipate similar, high rates of increase in Portland’s bicycle traffic in the coming years. The general population of the Portland Metro area is expected to grow 9% between 2005 and 2010.
Portland Parks and Recreation and the Office of Transportation are receiving complaints regarding bicycle/pedestrian close-calls on our beautiful, and increasingly busy mixed-use pathways and parks, including the Eastbank Esplanade, the Hawthorne Bridge and Mt. Tabor. The Mount Tabor citizen foot patrol, which walked the park nearly 300 times last year, is particularly concerned about the possibility of crashes involving unaware pedestrians and bicyclists speeding down hills.
What can we do to address this issue before it becomes truly serious? Speed bumps? Signs? Gates? Citations? Education? Please be a community problem-solver and join members from the Portland Parks and Recreation, the Portland Office of Transportation and the Southeast Precinct Police Bicycle Patrol to discuss the issue and brainstorm possible solutions at a public meeting at Mt. Tabor Park.
Cyclists and walkers are highly encouraged to attend. Hopefully the perspectives and ideas of both groups will provide a foundation for a solution that will increase safety and enjoyment of our mixed-use areas for all of us.
Where: Mt. Tabor Park, Picnic Area A (across from the playground and restrooms)
Date: July 18,
Time: 5:30pm Snacks
6:00pm Meeting Start
(Note: July 18 is a Wednesday, when the park is closed to motorized traffic. If you are unable to walk, bike, skate or bus to the meeting, the closest parking can be found outside of the 69th Ave entrance to the park. A shuttle van will be available between SE Yamhill/69th and the picnic area for any who need assistance. Last shuttle leaves at 6pm.)
If you have questions you can call Officer Pickett at Southeast Precinct (503-823-2143) or Doug Brenner, Portland Parks and Recreation East Portland Zone Manager (503-823-5255).