on SE Holgate continues.
(Photo © J. Maus)
A couple that lives near SE Holgate Ave east of I-205 has launched a grassroots effort to undo the City of Portland’s buffered bike lane project on that street. Rick and Trish Bradford are behind RestoreHolgate.com, a website that includes an online petition (which only nine people have signed since July 6th), forums, and information about the project.
The header of the site includes says it’s “A place for sharing ideas and information in our quest to return SE Holgate Boulevard to it’s Pre-“Buffered Bike Lane” state.”
The Bradfords and their supporters represent a voice in opposition to the project that has been growing since KATU-TV ran their “Bike Path to Nowhere” investigation back in May. That news report characterized the lanes as being unneccessary and featured a KATU reporter sitting in chair in the bike lane waiting for people to ride by (point being that there wasn’t much bike traffic). KATU also interviewed several local business owners who were staunchly opposed to the new lane configuration.
“I have talked to many people who live on and around Holgate who are very disappointed in this entire experiment and even folks that are angry in how this whole thing came about… If the voice from SE Portland is loud enough, the city cannot ignore our wishes.”
— Rick Bradford, RestoreHolgate.com
In part because of negative attention on the project spurred by KATU’s story, PBOT held a public meeting to discuss the lanes back in June. At that meeting, there was a clear sense of anger about the project expressed by many people. As a follow-up, PBOT will hold another meeting tonight to gauge more feedback on how the lanes are working.
Rick Bradford, the man leading the “quest” to undo the bike lanes, says he has lived off SE Holgate for over twenty years. On RestoreHolgate.com he explains the impetus for his opposition:
“One day I ventured out to find the City of Portland Transportation Department crews painting some stripes on our street… Later that day, on my return, I found a striping pattern that made no sense to me. It didn’t take long to realize that they had turned over half of the street to bike lanes. Fancily called “Buffered Bike Lanes” by our city fathers.
I have talked to many people who live on and around Holgate who are very disappointed in this entire experiment and even folks that are angry in how this whole thing came about.
Please join me in becoming active and staying informed. If the voice from SE Portland is loud enough, the city cannot ignore our wishes.”
Here’s the backstory on this project…
Back in August 2009, the Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) put SE Holgate on a road diet and re-allocated its vehicle lanes to create a seven-foot wide bicycle only vehicle lane separated from the other lanes by a three-foot wide buffer. Prior to this new configuration, Holgate had five vehicle lanes to accomodate freeway access to I-205 that never materialized. A traffic analysis by PBOT showed that adding a bicycle only vehicle lane would not hamper traffic flow. The project was also identified in the Lents Neighborhood Traffic Safety Plan (adopted in 1999) and the Powellhurst-Gilbert and the Lents Neighborhood Associations supported the project.
The bike only vehicle lane stretches from SE 92nd Avenue to 122nd Avenue and was paid for by a $30,000 TriMet grant (due to its function as a connection to the I-205 multi-use path and the Green Line MAX station). According to PBOT project manager Jeff Smith, a count done one week after the bike lane went in (at SE 112th and Holgate) netted an estimated 200+ people on bikes per day.
Cora Potter, a local resident who supports the bike lanes, says the real mistake was making Holgate a five lane thoroughfare to begin with. “A truly restored Holgate would be a neighborhood street with two auto lanes. The widening was a mistake, caused by the 205 freeway project and that mistake needed to be corrected.”
Potter says $30,000 of paint and thermoplastic isn’t quite the two-lane road she’d like to see, but that, “reducing the amount of right-of-way dedicated to automobiles and increasing the amount of right of way that is safe for people in general,” is a step in the right direction. “This isn’t just about bikes. It’s about healing one of the many scars left behind when I-205 was constructed.”
PBOT has acknowledged that they could have communicated more clearly with neighbors about this project. It remains to be seen whether or not their attempts to clean up this situation will suceed.
Mr. Bradford has not responded immediately to a request for an interview. If/when he does, I’ll update this story.
If you want to share your perspective on the Holgate buffered bike lanes, attend tonight’s meeting (details below). For more background on this project, view my SE Holgate Bike Lanes story tag.
- Holgate Blvd Bike Lane Open Meeting (hosted by PBOT)
Holgate Baptist Church (11242 SE Holgate)
Thursday, July 22nd at 7:00 pm
More info: Greg Raisman – greg.raisman@portlandoregon.gov
Thanks for reading.
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Good journalism, Jonathan. 🙂
I don’t live near Holgate, but did get to ride the buffered lane on my way to Sunday Parkways last weekend, and thought it was perfect. Personally, I’d love to see this on 122nd someday as well; I’ve had many people tell me they’d like to ride more, but feel it’s unsafe to ride on 122nd, even with the bike lanes. 122nd could easily be adapted for real cycle tracks, with car parking between auto traffic and bike lanes. I know that’s a ways off, though – too many people are not willing to give up driving there (and I have to admit to still driving on 122nd at least once or twice a week myself).
The petition is pretty invalid. Anyone can sign it with a generic email address. It doesn’t even ask to confirm Portland residency.
I wonder how lone before the anti-bike blogs turn the petition to troll fodder?
Buffer should be on the other side where the “door zone” is.
I changed my plans tonight so that I can attend this meeting. I do live on Holgate and was a bit shocked by the addition of the bike lanes and amused/frustrated afterwards on how dealt with the changes (myself included). It was good to see them come back and repaint some of the intersections to help direct bikes and vehicles.
I sold my bike when I originally moved to Holgate as I couldn’t see riding along a ‘highway’ as very safe. Nightly we would hear drivers at the stoplight at 122nd rev their engines and race each other down Holgate. Now that the bike lanes have gone in, there are still speeders but not much racing or broken glass/mirrors from cars parked along the road being hit by other vehicles.
I think it will take awhile for people to start using the lanes in large numbers. It has taken me some time to realize that I can now safely ride from my house to the 205 MUP and to work via bike lanes. I bought a bike last month and have ridden to work at least 2-4 times a week now, 7.7 miles each way. I hope to keep it up and use the Springwater when it reopens again. I will still be using the Holgate bike lane to get home.
We still go to the neighborhood businesses that we went to before the lanes came in, in fact, now it’s easier because the street parking is safer. Gotta love Takahashi on a busy night!
SkidMark, I was thinking the same thing. The danger is from getting doored, not from vehicles in the traffic lane.
That was good reporting indeed. Me and my wife were always bemused as to why just the part of Holgate betweeen I205 and SE 122nd got the big-time boulevard treatment when the rest of it was just a two-lane neighborhood collector, but now I remember that there was supposed to be this enourmous spaghetti bowl connecting Holgate to I205 and allowing access to Division as well – via the grades that are now occupied by the MAX Green Line.
I was unsure that this was a good place for such a facility, but this article caused the whole thing to make sense for me.
I emailed this comment to Jeff Smith at PBOT:
I regret that I may not be able to attend the Open House re: the Holgate bike lanes Thursday night. I think it’s important for those of us who bike in East Portland to make our voices heard. Frankly, I live nearby but rarely bike to the area east of 92nd because there are not enough safe streets for cycling. The recent Sunday Parkways offered a rare opportunity to see what could happen if the streets in this area were calmer, and I loved every minute of it.
This Holgate bike lane is just the START of what should be happening in East Portland. We need MORE streets with bike lanes and calmer traffic, not fewer.
We need MORE pressure from PBOT to make streets safer and more appropriate for all users, not PBOT caving in to a few car drivers who were used to treating a neighborhood street like a freeway.
We need STRONGER protections for cyclists, pedestrians, and other vulnerable road users, not weaker ones.
My husband drives this part of Holgate every day on his work commute, and said he’s seen no difference in congestion or travel times for cars since the bike lane was added.
The major problem he’s seen: car drivers crashing the bike lane when they feel like making an extra lane or speeding past others. This sort of behavior has to be challenged, and keeping the Holgate bike lane is one way to send the message that ALL users need to show respect for everyone else on our East Portland roads.
Well, there’s always the “Depave” movement
http://sca21.wikia.com/wiki/Depave
of which my family has participated in already. THAT would “restore” Holgate.
Think I’ll start a petition……..
SkidMark/Paulie, do you live off holgate? because the cars in motion are a way bigger concern than the occasional opening door on this stretch of road…
I’ll be at the meeting tonight in my bright yellow and bike helmet to show my support…
I hope the church has some bike parking…
I’ve already joined and contributed to the forum on the restoreholgate.com site… but I don’t know if my opinions will stay posted there long since it’s anti and I’m pro…
I really wish that PBOT had striped these lanes properly, with full solid stripes and full diagonal lines in the buffer zone. I think the lack of this striping contributes to the impression some people (including Rick Bradford) have that this project was poorly thought-out.
The lanes on Stark and Oak aren’t perfect but they look much more like real buffered bike lanes.
“Later that day, on my return, I found a striping pattern that made no sense to me.”
Nail on the head.
One of the problems with this particular bike lane is the poor connection to the I-205 bikepath. Without signage, or a clear lane, the only way I knew about this bike lane was by reading about it in the news. You have to get past the cement sidewalk built for the MAX line before you actually see the lane.
I have not personally seen much traffic on this lane, and I think it may have something to do with this connection.
I wish I could be at the meeting tonight. In spite of the naysayers, bike traffic is steadily climbing in E Portland, an area I have been riding in for over a decade. Often, a big hindrance is the kind of connection problem I cite above. Another place you will see this is the connection between the Clinton St. Bike Blvd, and Division. Very confusing!
Take a look at Google Earth street view -it shows Holgate as it was prior to the city installing the buffered bike lanes.
Not exactly true.
Municipalities are under legal obligation to comply with new State laws regarding VMT reductions and Climate Change emissions – and the associated plans. Additionally there are strict new federal limits on pollutants including Ozone which we have to comply with (and are potentially already in violation of).
One of the strategies to do this is to fill in “gaps” in the bicycle network, and to calm and reduce vehicle traffic. This reconfiguration fits in with those strategies.
Simply because a neighborhood wants something does not mean that the city *has* to cave. There are situations where the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and in this particular situation I feel that the neighborhood would have a VERY hard time providing ANY evidence that harm has been done to their neighborhood in any fashion.
The Brooklyn neighborhood has had a loud and consistent voice about many issues in inner SE for decades, all relating to 99E, Mclaughlin and Powell. The city nor the State has responded other than basic lip service. For decades… However their concerns are the opposite – they want _more_ bike lanes and traffic calming and pedestrian access…
Spiffy, rest assured your comments will remain on the website. They were insightful and respectul. I couldn’t ask for more than that. Thanks.
There is a lot I could say, but I think that I will try to make but one point. Of all of the people I have talked to concerning the situtation on Holgate, I have not encountered one person that is against bikes or their riders. Most want to offer suggestions on how to make this street work best for everyone. There is no mistake that vehicular traffic on Holgate has been impacted in a negative way. We have to question, at what price? A 7 foot bike lane seems a little absurd to most non riders. Given the lack of ridership on this street coupled with the fact that it is a short span with no real destinations, many local residents see it as not necessary in it’s current form.
My question is how one judges whether vehicular traffic has been impacted in a negative way. What is the speed limit there? What was the compliance with that speed limit, before and after the installation of the bike lane? How easy was it to park before/after? How many crashes before/after? How much foot traffic before/after? What is the actual (not perceived) change to the retail businesses since the change? Maybe I’m crazy, but it could be (and it’ll have to be proven based on the answers to above) that the changes improved Holgate even if no bikes use the lane.
As for connectedness, you have to start somewhere. Do we know what future plans PBOT has to build more lanes that connect to the greater bike infrastructure?
One more thing: PBOT should do a better job, perhaps, of selling businesses the benefits of this type of infrastructure. They need to show off a picture book of success stories, like Mississippi, Belmont, etc, with 20 bikes parked in the space that one car took up, with packed cafes, and with happy, relaxed shoppers sauntering through the neighborhood, not dodging speeding cars to cross the street.
PLEASE show up tonight.
Express your wishes. Sould we keep connecting infrastructure that helps folks choose to walk or bike? Or should we disassemble pieces that are starting to be put in place?
If you want to share your perspective on the Holgate buffered bike lanes, attend tonight’s meeting (details below). For more background on this project, view my SE Holgate Bike Lanes story tag.
Holgate Blvd Bike Lane Open Meeting (hosted by PBOT)
Holgate Baptist Church (11242 SE Holgate)
Thursday, July 22nd at 7:00 pm
More info: Greg Raisman – greg.raisman@portlandoregon.gov
PS Bonus points if you show up AND attended the East Portland Sunday Parkways a week and a half ago.
Rick:
“A 7 foot bike lane seems a little absurd to most non riders.”
Then those non-bike riders need to take one for a spin and see what it’s like to be mere feet from speeding vehicles that weigh anywhere from 2,000 to 20,000 lbs.
When you don’t have a rollcage, crumple-zones, or air bags, 7 feet is hardly a lot of space.
A lack of ridership may be a direct result of the previously existing unfriendly conditions… why would anyone ride on a street with 5 auto lanes and no bike lane? Let the bike lanes stay for a few years and I’m sure you’ll see an increase in ridership.
Rick,
I hope you’re reading the comments on this post from your other neighbors – the ones that use the bike lanes.
Also, I’m a driver and a cyclist. Many of the neighbors I have talked with have always found it more than a little absurd that there were 5 lanes just for automobiles on Holgate. There never has been enough traffic to make that many lanes necessary, and what traffic there is/was traveled far to fast and recklessly because of the extra lanes.
The excessive speeds were bad enough to exclude bikes from Holgate, adding a narrow bike lane, rather than doing the right thing and putting the street on a diet, just makes another situation like Foster and 122nd – a bike lane that people park in, and that only gets used by extremely confident cyclists who aren’t afraid of speeding cars right next to them.
I understand some of the frustrations that come along with Holgate being two lanes- you can pass buses as easily, and you have to wait when people are turning sometimes. I understand this because I frequently drive Holgate between 82nd and 39th. That’s just the type of street Holgate is, and that’s the way the traffic is supposed to flow on Holgate and other neighborhood streets. It isn’t a highway.
I attended the meting tonight at the church. It seems there was a large contingent who want no change – gotta keep driving that big truck back and forth to work. It should be pointed out to them that just because they don’t ride a bike, many of those moving to the area do. As the younger people find the more afordable housing in the area, more bike lanes will be needed. There was a lot of questions on why bikes needed to use Holgate, when they had the Springwater and soon – Bush. Bush ends at 104th, the Springwater is great for getting to Milwaukee and Selwood, but Holgate is the access to the many bikable roads inside 82nd !
But the minds of many of those in attendance will not be changed for any reason. It is important if you would like the bike lanes to continue to make your voice made to PBOT. Even in another design, any bike lane is better than what was there before! I’ve lived in the area for 30 years, and never rode a bike on Holgate until the lanes were put in!
Just got back from the 7/22 meeting. My observations on the meeting, in no particular order:
-Over 100 people showed up, and I’d guess that about 2/3 were against the bike lanes. I’m curious if most of the anti contingent are anti ANY bike facility on Holgate, or are OK with the idea of bikes on Holgate but concerned about the specifics of the lanes that were striped in.
-I think the biggest concern is about the affect of traffic getting on to Holgate when there is only one vehicle travel lane in each direction. I think the traffic counts on Holgate are roughly equal pre and post bike lane. The effect of having the same volume in less lanes though is that the space between groups of cars is less frequent and more fleeting, making it tougher to get on Holgate.
-There were concerns about drivers and bikers not knowing how to use the Holgate lanes. Part of that I think is attributed to drivers and bikers out here not being as practiced on how to deal with taking a right across a bike lane. Another part is due to the fact that these are a really different looking type of bike lane.
-Per PBOT, east Portland has a high rate of traffic accidents and fatalities. Despite the data showing that traffic speeds have been reduced and subjective observations by residents that Holgate feels safer, there was a vocal segment of the attendees that just want it back to the way it was before.
-This isn’t a news flash, but people don’t believe data. To break up the monotony of complaining that too much data was presented, people spiced it up by being incredulous about the data that was presented. If the bike count data (186 riders in one recent day) and average wait times at intersections didn’t jibe with their own personal experience, then city staff were accused of skewing, manipulating, or outright lying with the data.
-Points were raised about alternate side streets and the Springwater Trail, and whether those obviate the need for bike lanes on Holgate. To begin with, the City policy is that streets like Holgate should have bike facilities. Unless this basic assumption is changed, the question should not be whether Holgate should have bike facilities, but what the form of the facility should be. Second, there aren’t other streets in this area that provide a good east/west connection from 122nd across 205. The other side streets dead end (Bush) or are really unsafe for less experienced riders (Harold). The Springwater Trail is a great facility, but does not do anything to provide bike access to Holgate and surrounding streets if that is where your destination happens to be. In addition, it adds a couple of miles to trips downtown, as compared to taking Holgate straight to inner SE and Ladds.
-PBOT staff said that all options are on the table in the next 6 months, from modifying the bike lanes to scrubbing them off the pavement entirely (though the presenter did tip his hand that getting rid of them altogether would be a tough sell). My hope is that PBOT staff can work with the neighbors, bike riders, and businesses to reshape the bike lanes into something acceptable for each group. I’m agreeable to the idea of better markings, narrower bike lanes, more signs, education, etc.. To me, the idea of just putting it back to the way it was is a non-starter.
Rick, thanks for commenting on this site, and I’m curious if you see any ways that bikes facilities can exist on Holgate in a way that is acceptable in terms of traffic impacts.
I was disappointed that the 11:00 news coverage failed to mention the online petition only had TEN people sign it.
On a side note, the same news bit referenced the “second time in a month” that Trimet placed a driver on leave for blogging in reference to the “Kill this cyclist” Dan’s post. Did the announcer mispeak, or was Al M placed on leave for his sutff?
Found myself and my two daughters on Holgate the other day and was very pleasantly surprised by what would have normally been a very dangerous section of road that had been striped such that the street was safe for us. My family is in support of these sorts of city expenditures. Please help make Portland safe for kids and families. Do all you can to slow automobile traffic and promote healthier modes of transport.
I use Holgate when I am over in deep SE. The traffic has been fairly light although I suppose at rush hour time it gets busy. There are plenty of streets that are much worse,for instance MLK is like playing Frogger.
Some of you need to either get over your fear of cars or stop riding bicycles. Pay attention and sharpen your skills.
RestoreHolgate.com? I’ll take “people who need to move back where they came from” for $1000, Alex.
I don’t use Holgate very often, as it is south of where I am usually headed. I live in an adjacent neighborhood (Centennial).
But I rode Holgate on my commute home yesterday, since construction work has closed the sidewalk under I-205 at Powell that I normally use. I’ve never seen many cars on Holgate, and yesterday was no exception, so I don’t really understand why there is so much anger over the loss of lanes that don’t seem to be needed. In 7 years of living in this area, I’ve never seen traffic backed up on this section of Holgate.
Ha, I love it… “why do cyclists need Holgate when they have the Springwater!”.
I don’t know. Why do drivers need I-205 when they have I-5? Why do they need the CRC when they have the Glen Jackson?
I’m a driver too, so I really try hard to understand both sides of the coin, but really… I just can’t fathom such a bold lack of understanding for a mode of transportation.
This is what is most frustrating to me: people who don’t understand cycling and have probably never been on a bike in a city are fighting tooth and nail against it, like they know better than the cyclists themselves who actually bike on these streets.
@A.K. (#27) well said, my friend. Well said.
@Paulie (#26): Good point. I hadn’t quite thought of it that way until now. But we’ve lived in an area where taking that part of Holgate to certain areas by car makes sense occaisionally, and now that I think of it, no matter what time of day we used it it was wide open, even during the rush hour … and I always wondered why just that part of Holgate was designed for so many cars when there seemed to never be enough traffic to justify four lanes and a refuge.
As a bit of perspective, I’ve heard from some folks who live in the neighborhood that it’s harder to enter Holgate from a side street during rush hour.
That said, I think the main issue here is a basic one for all of us humans – we dislike change. Think about the year-round bike commuters who get bent out of shape because they have to slow down on their bridge of choice during the summer, blaming the “fair-weather riders.”
We’ll all have to get used to a changing traffic environment – there are more people moving to the area every year. Whether they drive cars and create traffic jams on I-5 or ride bikes and create jams on the Hawthorne, things won’t remain as they were.
Long-term residents of areas like the East Side (or North Portland) can be forgiven for their resistance to change – they’ve seen the lion’s share as Portland has evolved over the last 20+ years. It will take some patience and compassion on everyone’s part, but I think the long-term benefits of more liveable streets, more walkable neighborhoods, and greater safety for all – drivers, cyclists, transit users, parked cars included – will come to be appreciated.
Rick Bradford:
Although you haven’t encountered anyone who is against the lane also being against bikes, it kind of doesn’t matter. A driver doesn’t need to be anti-bike to hit and kill them.
Lack of ridership in the bike lane? Build it and they will come. Just give it time.
Pro-bike or not, bike boulevards save lives and IMPROVE neighborhoods. Otherwise, you’re living on a freeway, and really, who wants that? The older residents who are sick of waking up to change?
I was at the meeting last night and it had a lot more people but they were a little more civilized… maybe because the pro-bike-lane people actually spoke up more (me included) so the anti crowd wasn’t as fueled…
there were still some of the “we want our road back” people but not as many interrupting the meeting… and PBOT only had to give the mic to the mediator a couple times to control the outspoken…
many older residents (some there since 1944) voiced their support of the bike lanes and the effect they’ve had in calming the street…
I thought it was great that a self-proclaimed “Holgate drag racer” stood up and said that the bike lanes have worked in slowing down the traffic…
PBOT had a handout (but they only had 100 copies and ran out) showing lots of statistical data they’ve gathered before and after the bike lanes to show people what has changed…
as was already mentioned there were quite a few people who just flat out refused to believe what PBOT was saying… PBOT mentioned that they did a video survey last week of the bike lanes and counted nearly 200 riders… a lot of the crowd called foul… it’s a video! I’m not sure how the anti crowd thought that PBOT was faking a video but they were all invited to go to PBOT to watch the video and count the bicycles themselves… but they were still doubtful…
there was still the usual concern of people not knowing how to drive or ride bikes correctly… these people didn’t seem to realize they were outing themselves as inattentive drivers with no ability to adapt to their surroundings… there were still many complaints of cars turning incorrectly and bicycles going the wrong way… as if PBOT can control how poorly people are driving… sure they can help a little with initial confusion but once you’ve turned onto Holgate you should have learned… the person sitting next to me suggested mandatory retesting with driver’s license renewals…
the open forum presented to us worked well and they tried hard to keep it moving smoothly… they asked for observations, then improvements, then questions about their data… they never really went into the emotional area of asking people to just speak their minds about how they felt, just what they saw… that didn’t stop everybody but it kept the discussions more civilized…
it was awesome of the church to let PBOT use their building… they had a presentation on the projector and were using the sound system so they could be heard… but I don’t think they turned on the AC because it was HOT in there by 9pm…
they don’t have a bike rack… it was amusing to see all the bikes locked to the chain link fence like an art project… I walked to the meeting because of that…
and if you’ve ever walked on Holgate you could understand the joy that the person in the electric wheelchair expressed during the meeting at being able to safely navigate Holgate… due to all the sidewalk obstructions (bushes, cracks, poles) they can now use the bike lane when they have to… they seemed very happy to have their mobility in their own neighborhood and I think it was a wake-up call to a lot of people that hadn’t considered the use of bike lanes by people in electric assist mobility devices…
overall a much better meeting than last time, mostly because PBOT came prepared with numbers to back up the project and was able to answer most of the questions…
Holgate will be seeing some improvements to help keep all modes of traffic running smoothly and I think in the end we will get to keep the bike lanes because they’re already making a measurable improvement…
City is on crack. Thats the only reason I can think of.