meeting last night to announce the
Springwater closure.
(Click to enlarge)
At last night’s Multnomah County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting, BikePortland.org correspondent Matt Picio was surprised to hear about a decision to close the Springwater Corridor Trail at night.
According to Picio, the issue came up at the end of the meeting under an agenda item titled, “Springwater Trail and the City of Gresham – Discuss (5 minutes)”. When the item came up, Multnomah County bike and pedestrian coordinator (and staff liaison to the committee) Jennifer Dederich, passed out a flyer (PDF here) that outlined the new policy.
The flyer reads:
For everyone’s safety and enjoyment, please follow these rules: Parks, trails and greenways are closed 10:00pm to 5:00 am April 1 to September 30th and 8:00pm to 6:00 am October 1 to March 31.
The closure policy would bring the Springwater Trail in line with other Gresham park facilities. But Committee Chair and Gresham resident Greg Olson objects to the idea, and he’s already lobbying the City to make an exception.
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According to Picio, Olson (who I’ve been unable to reach for comment) objects to the new policy based on the premise that the trail should be treated like a transportation corridor and that it’s a vital link to jobs and other destinations for many citizens.
busy thoroughfare.
(Photo © J. Maus)
I spoke with Jennifer Dederich this morning and she confirmed that Mr. Olson is trying to put pressure on the city of Gresham to make an exception for the trail, but the issue remains unresolved. Olson also plans to send a letter opposing the policy to the Gresham City Council.
In addition to the question of whether Gresham will treat the trail as a park or a transportation corridor, further complicating the issue are the multiple jurisdictions that preside over the Springwater. The trail is maintained by the city of Gresham but it’s owned by the city of Portland.
It’s unclear at this point what exactly triggered the new closure policy (it’s actually more of a clarification of an existing policy, rather than a new policy), but it’s likely that issues of safety and budget concerns over maintaining the trail are at the heart of the issue. Also, at this point, we’re unclear if the closure policy applies to the entire length of the trail, or just the portions withing the city of Gresham.
It will be interesting to see how this story plays out. It could set a precedent for how cities treat greenway trails — as transportation facilities with the same regulation as roadways? Or as park facilities that are regulated as recreational areas?
The City of Portland did bike counts on the Springwater Corridor Trail over the summer and the findings showed a surprising percentage of the trips were made by commuters, and not by recreational riders (I’ll find the source for that in the next story).
Picio points out that the Gresham Parks and Recreation Subcommittee is meeting tomorrow evening and there’s a public comment period where he plans to voice his concerns. The meeting is from 6:30 – 9:30 pm at Gresham City Hall (1333 NW Eastman Parkway, Conf. Room 3A). More details here.
Stay tuned for more on this story as it develops.