that makes ample use of automated bollards to
prohibit driving during certain hours, sparked
inspiration for “Going Dutch” event.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)
By now, we’ve all seen and heard numerous examples of Dutch bike infrastructure; but specific examples of how Dutch-style treatments would look applied to Portland roads is something we need more of. That’s why I’m excited to share news of an event happening tomorrow night at VeloCult (NE 1969 42nd Ave) that will do just that.
“Going Dutch” has been put together by one of Portland’s young rising stars of road design and urban planning: Jesse Boudart. Boudart, a recent graduate of Portland State University who’s currently an transportation analyst with Kittelson & Associates, traveled to the cycling paradise of Delft in the Netherlands back in July. While there, he viewed the city with a specific eye toward how its bike-friendly road designs could be applied in an American city.
Tomorrow night, Boudart will host a gallery show and informal discussion that will look at several different Dutch street designs and how they could be applied to specific locations here in Portland. He’ll share poster boards with renderings of how Dutch road designs would look overlayed on familiar places. Some of his examples will include: Dutch style protected intersection designs on major arterials like SE 122nd and Division; center-running “parkways” on streets like NE 72nd and Ainsworth; a new vision for trams on SE Hawthorne; “people places” at SE 34th and Belmont; an “alleyway transformation”; and more.
Check out these to examples he offered as a teaser:
And here’s some verbage from the event flyer:
Portland has created unique spaces which have become widely recognized across America: Waterfront Park, Eastbank Esplanade, and an extensive bike network, to name a few. But, what’s next? The Dutch have long been innovators in creating lively places, so how can we use their best practices and improve upon them? At “Going Dutch” we examine existing places and envision their future in a gallery style. Furthermore, we vet the places’ opportunities, engineering considerations, and why we haven’t already created them.
And to up the wonk quotient even more, tomorrow’s show will also be a meeting of the new Portland chapter of the Young Professionals in Transportation. Given the subject matter and the super smart young minds that will show up, I have a feeling this will be a great event. Join them for drinks and great discussion tomorrow at VeloCult starting at 6:00 pm.