The Lloyd District Transportation Management Association (LDTMA) has conducted a survey of cyclists to determine potential solutions to a major problem in our bikeway network; getting through the Lloyd District and Rose Quarter.
The Rose Quarter is the name given to the jumbled mix of MAX, bus, bike and motor vehicle lanes that criss-cross around the Rose Garden Arena and Memorial Coliseum just east of the Steel Bridge. It is adjacent to the Lloyd District, a densely developed area that includes a major shopping mall and many high-rise office buildings.
The Rose Quarter has been a contentious issue between TriMet, local bicycle advocates and city planners for years now and there’s an ongoing debate over who should pay for and implement a solution.
Meanwhile many cyclists just avoid these areas altogether. I’ve noticed these “Avoid the Lloyd” stickers (photo at right) popping up on bikes around town.
Despite a recent bright spot, it seems like there’s still no solution on the horizon and it feels like budgetary politics will stymie any real progress in the near future.
Hoping to gather real feedback on the problem, the LDTMA conducted a survey last Wednesday and Thursday. According to LDTMA program manager Moira Green,
“The survey was designed to tell us more about the infrastructure ideas we’re considering. Specifically, we wanted to know how many bicyclists are passing through the Rose Quarter on an average weekday, what their origination and destination points are, how many ride through the district, how many bypass it, and if they bypass it, the reason for that.”
One BikePortland.org reader took the survey and said she was happy to help with anything that might improve the situation:
“When they told me that the purpose was to help create a better route through the Lloyd district, I was only too happy to help out. I have to deal with that section of town just about every day and it’s always a pain. There’s been progress recently (striping of bike lanes on Vancouver Blvd.)…but getting through the transit center is still a pain unless you happen to be coming from Interstate. And going through the Lloyd district itself is much worse in terms of exposure to traffic. I was thrilled to hear that someone is actually working on this problem.”
Ms. Green also said that if any of you bike through the Rose Quarter and want to take the survey, you’re welcome to contact her at moira [a] lloydtma.com.
Stay tuned for the survey results.