Remember that pesky streetcar utility pole placed in the bike path on the Broadway Bridge? The project to move it will start next week and Portland Streetcar will close parts of the bridge during the work. See more info below:
Portland Streetcar Construction Advisory
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[Publisher's note: As an update to a story we covered several times last month, I've accepted a guest article from Chris Smith explaining his successful effort to have a streetcar pole on the Broadway Bridge moved out of the way of bike traffic. Smith is a well known (and quite busy) citizen activist who also happens to be a member of the City of Portland's Planning and Sustainability Commission, the founder of the Portland Transport blog, member of the Portland Streetcar Inc. board of directors and much more.]
Today, I'm celebrating, because it looks like we're going to be able to move a streetcar catenary pole (a pole that holds up the overhead wires) that has been impinging into the bike facility on the Broadway Bridge since this summer.
But I want to be clear about what I'm celebrating. I'm not celebrating a win for cyclists over streetcar. That would be the wrong lesson to take from this. I'm celebrating the ability of people of good will who don't always share the same perspective to work together to achieve good outcomes (Congress, take note).
"I'm not celebrating a win for cyclists over streetcar. That would be the wrong lesson to take from this."
— Chris Smith
This was not simple, and for a while I thought there might be no feasible way to move the pole, which is why, in conjunction with the BTA, I put a formal request for mitigation on the table as an alternative (download a PDF of that request here).
So how are we going to do it? The key challenge (acknowledged by a number of folks here in the BikePortland discussion who have looked at the bridge structure) is that the structural foundation for the pole is constrained by where the edge of the bridge structure is. The answer is to use the same foundation bracket, but then shift the pole horizontally from the anchor by a little bit (it will be more in 'the shadow' of the street-light pole on the sidewalk).
A number of folks noted that a similar "cantilevered" approach was used on poles on Weidler. In this case, the sidewalk is much more shallow. So instead of the large brackets used on Weidler, we'll use a 2-inch thick metal plate with welded bolts (see diagram below).
Secondary Effect # 1
The thin plate will sit on the surface of the existing the sidewalk. So we will need to increase the sidewalk height to match. This will require tapering the sidewalk gradually over a number of feet east and west of the pole. The plate itself will be flush with the new sidewalk grade and textured to keep it safe for people walking and cycling over it.
Secondary Effect #2
Because the pole will now be much closer to the curb than standards provide for, we will need to place a bollard in front of the pole. This is to protect the pole if an auto ever jumped the curb. But the bollard will also be in line with the existing light pole, so it does not reduce the usable path.
Tertiary Effect
But we're not done yet. No good deed goes unpunished. Because we're raising the grade of the sidewalk, the railing on the river side of the sidewalk will no longer be tall enough above the sidewalk surface to meet standards. So we will fabricate and attach an extension to the railing on the two sections nearest the pole.
Impacts
Because of the extensive modification of the sidewalk adjacent to the pole and bracket, we'll need to close the north sidewalk for about two weeks. The work will be funded from the Streetcar Loop project budget.
I'd like to thank my colleagues at Portland Streetcar who were willing to keep looking for solutions, ultimately threading the needle through all the constraints and regulations, and the members of the community who helped keep focus on the need to address this issue. Together we'll keeping making Portland a better place for users of all modes of active transportation.
Thank you Chris Smith for not being afraid to stand up and make this happen. Citizen activist Joe Rowe also deserves our thanks for his persistence and effort in bringing this issue to the fore. -- Jonathan Maus
After what the Oregonian called "persistent doubts from suburban taxpayers and a wealthy enclave of homeowners" the Lake Oswego streetcar project is on the rocks.
Concerns about construction and operating costs of the streetcar were the reasons for its demise, but over $2 million has already been spent on planning and impact studies.
Instead of throwing that money out the window, officials have an opportunity to build on the previous momentum for the streetcar and construct a world-class bike connection between Lake Oswego and downtown Portland.
As the story unfolds about how and why Portland Streetcar Inc. installed a utility pole on the Broadway Bridge bike/walk path, it is becoming more clear that they made a bad move.
We'll have more to share on this story in the coming days; but for now, check out what The Oregonian's "Hard Drive" columnist Joseph Rose thinks about it (taken from a news roundup he published today):
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See below for statement from city regarding two open houses to hear public feedback on "the development and analysis of the fare policy and the related benefits and impacts of future service." For background on what Portland Streetcar might have up their sleeve, see our story from April, How bike-sharing could spur revamp of transit fares in Portland...
Portland Streetcar Loop & Fare Study Community Update Open Houses
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The Cleaners at the Ace Hotel
403 SW 10th Avenue
Portland Streetcar or TriMet Bus #20Thursday, December 1, 2011
Architectural Heritage Center
701 SE Grand Avenue
TriMet Bus #6You are invited to attend either Open House. Drop by anytime between 5:00 and 7:30 PM.
The City of Portland is holding two public open houses to update the community on the Streetcar Loop. We would like to hear your thoughts on the development and analysis of the fare policy and the related benefits and impacts of future service. So please join us to discuss how the Streetcar will serve you best and to hear about plans for opening day in 2012.
If you have any questions, please contact Shoshanah Oppenheim at 503-823-7677 or send an email to shoshanah.oppenheim@portlandoregon.gov
"I got caught in there [rail tracks]. And it put the fear of death in me. And that was the last time."
— Portlandia star Fred Armisen on why he doesn't plan to ride a bike when he moves to the Pearl District
Often when I've brought up issues related to sub-par bicycling conditions that I believe pose a safety hazard, I've been met with criticism.
Whether it was bone-jarring bumps on the Esplanade, the lack of shoulders on rural roads, or the dangers posed by streetcar tracks, some people react by saying, "Toughen up! Stop whining! Learn how to ride your bike and get over it!"
However, I remain convinced that high quality, smooth streets and paths are imperative if we expect more people to give bicycling a try (and an OHSU study agrees). (more...)
The City of Portland is working with Portland Streetcar and streetcar project contractor Shiels Obletz Johnsen on a new educational video about how to ride a bicycle around streetcar tracks.
City spokesperson Dan Anderson said the idea to do a video was spurred by a "desire to increase education awareness" about how to best ride a bike around the tracks. Anderson adds that the video, expected out in mid-October, will include detailed information on how to navigate around the new tracks and roadway configurations in the Pearl District.
"Safety is our number one priority," wrote Anderson via email, "and we believe this kind of outreach will make all users safer and more predictable when it comes to navigating streetcar tracks." (more...)
As we continue to discuss the ongoing problem of streetcar tracks causing people to crash while bicycling in Portland, I thought it might be helpful to share some potential solutions.
Many of the current issues (track-straddling on the Lovejoy ramp, tracks in the curbside shoulder (former bikeway) on the MLK/Grand couplet, the craziness in the Pearl District) have to do with a new streetcar line not that's not even slated to open until fall of next year. However, much of the track is already in the street and has already claimed a lot of bike-riding victims.
The way I see it, PBOT and Portland Streetcar Inc., (the private non-profit that builds and operates the streetcar under City contract) must look to some interim fixes in the short-term and a more permanent solution in the long term. (more...)
The Eastside Streetcar project has radically altered vehicle access to the Pearl District. If you ride a bicycle, the changes have been especially acute (as I shared back in July). NW Lovejoy has been decommissioned as a bike route and the Bureau of Transportation now urges people to use Marshall as the main east-west street.
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According to a 2008 report by Alta Planning, bike crashes on streetcar tracks are a "major and underreported problem for Portland-area bicyclists." Even so, the issue struggles to gain official attention because the vast majority of crashes do not get reported.
Portland-based, grassroots transportation advocacy group Active Right of Way (AROW) hopes to change that with their new, online Streetcar Crash Reporting form. (more...)
A traffic advisory has just been released by Portland Streetcar Inc. and the City of Portland warning of traffic detours and a bike lane closure due to Streetcar Loop Project construction on Weidler, MLK, and Grand that is set to begin this Tuesday (1/4) and last for four weeks.
The work zone will be on NE Weidler from N. Ross to NE 1st Ave (see detour map below)s. For four weeks, NE Weidler will be narrowed to two vehicle lanes and, according to Portland Streetcar, "Due to the narrow roadway conditions, the bike lane on NE Weidler must be removed."
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The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports today that six people who crashed while biking across streetcar tracks are now suing the city for negligence because more was not done to make the tracks safe:
"Six cyclists who crashed while crossing the South Lake Union Streetcar tracks are suing the city of Seattle, claiming officials ignored hazards to pedal-power commuters.
All six were hurt when their tires got stuck in the flange way gap between the rail and street. They claim city officials were negligent in designing the tracks and knew of the risks but failed to post warning signs until after several people had been hurt, according to the lawsuit, filed last week in King County Superior Court."
Portland Streetcar crews are in the middle of major construction all along Broadway right now. Work zones are always of special concern for people on bikes, but this stretch of Broadway -- between NE Grand and and the Broadway Bridge -- is not a nice place for bike traffic even without construction.
Add in one of the most glaring safety gaps in Portland's entire bike network (the intersection of Broadway and Williams, which the City listed as dangerous over 2 1/2 years ago yet has done nothing to make safer) -- and you're bound to have some problems.
Portlander Aaron Reyna is the latest victim of that intersection. He got in touch with us after being hit at that intersection yesterday morning. Here are snips from his email where he describes how the confusing construction zone resulted in him taking a trip to urgent care (emphasis mine): (more...)
New bike lanes are being constructed on NW Marshall between 12th and 14th Avenues in the Pearl District -- but these aren't just any bike lanes. What's notable about this project is that the new lanes are being cut right through historic cobblestones (a move that has irked some local residents who say the cobbles are key to the area's charm) and they're part of a larger streetcar project that will make NW Marshall into a bicycle boulevard. (more...)
Streetfilms' latest video comes from our neighbors to the north in Seattle. The film takes a closer look at how the Seattle DOT is helping people who ride bicycles avoid a common problem -- falling on streetcar and rail tracks.
The film features John Mauro from Seattle's non-profit bike group Cascade (he narrates the short video below). Here's a quote from the film that stood out to me (watch the vid below the jump):
"The Seattle DOT has taken a pedal-by-pedal approach to getting people across the cross by taking sharrows and marking every couple feet of the cyclist's path."
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