As promised, the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation has taken the first step in re-claiming SE Clinton Street for walking and bicycling.
In advance of the median islands to divert auto traffic and speed bumps that are coming to the street in January, this morning they installed 22 new signs. It’s a marketing campaign aimed at educating road users that Clinton is a neighborhood greenway and the city expects a specific behavior when using it.
According to PBOT spokesman John Brady, the signs have been placed on traffic poles at SE 12th, 17th, 18th, and 19th, traffic circles at 23rd, 31st, and 36th, and in the planting strip at SE Cesar Chavez Blvd. There are four designs total. Here are the other three:
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Joe Rowe, an activist with BikeLoudPDX, the group that has helped make Clinton’s traffic problems a high priority for City Hall, posted this Tweet about the signs this morning:
https://twitter.com/buildwithjoe/status/674680579233701888
As for that action, a PBOT staffer met with BikeLoudPDX on December 3rd to give them an update. The two test diverters at 17th and 32nd are still on schedule for early next month. PBOT will also work with the Portland Police Bureau to do targeted enforcement on Clinton once the medians go in. In addition to writing citations for unsafe driving, the PPB will pass out educational brochures. To analyze and keep informed about the project, PBOT will set up a citizen’s advisory committee that will start meeting in February.
Once this project is complete, PBOT will start to look at other neighborhood greenways to make sure auto traffic volumes are within a tolerable range. Future greenways that could get similar diverters and an education campaign include SE Ankeny and SE Lincoln.
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org