(All photos by A.J. Zelada)
Better Broadway opens today. It’s the latest temporary street transformation brought to you by an exciting partnership between Better Block PDX and the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
The new pilot lane configuration will run from today through Sunday (5/15) and it includes a significant change to traffic patterns on NE Broadway from 7th to 24th.
What does it take to create something like this? Lots of volunteers, super smart traffic engineers, dedicated activists, supportive local business owners and neighborhood groups, just to name a few of the people and organizations involved. Last night they all got together to deploy hundreds of traffic cones, temporary signs, new crosswalks, and even DIY median islands. We’ll have photos and more coverage of the project this week; but we wanted to show you the set-up so you can appreciate the work that goes into these projects.
The photos are by longtime Oregon bike advocate, BikePortland supporter, and Better Broadway volunteer A.J. “Jerry” Zelada:
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Stay tuned! We’ll be back with a report from the launch event today at noon and will have more coverage this week.
— Jonathan Maus, (503) 706-8804 – jonathan@bikeportland.org
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Glorious!!!
I’ve been enjoying the Better Block Naito changes this past week a lot – as a dog walker, and bike commuter. Excited to see this too on Broadway!
Now if only it could be extended all the way down yo the Broadway Bridge, where it’s REALLY needed. 🙂
If you would like to see this extended, visit the businesses on NE Broadway and vote with your dollars. Tell them how you like a Better Broadway and want to see more!
I love the Better Block projects, but wish that the city would take more urgent action to make their installations permanent. For example, they are still silent on the sidewalk/plaza bump-outs at Clinton and 26th that Better Block demoed back in 2014. Our glacial public process is seriously holding us back as a progressive city.
That being said, the expansion of Better Block this year is a welcome addition to our local advocacy and should hopefully put more pressure on elected officials to act quicker.
I recall you did not attend the open houses (correct or incorrect?).
It was explained that phase 2 of Clinton would look at the more difficult middle section from 21st to 26th.
Three concepts for what you describe have already been drafted.
What do the drafts look like?
I did attend the open houses, where it was stated that nothing could be done at 26th because of the “necessary” car access to the businesses. I left a few comments disagreeing with this. It sounds like this situation has changed, which sounds promising, however Phase 1 still is not complete (speed bumps east of Chavez are not in, nor has the highway sign at Powell and 17th been removed).
When can we expect phase 2 to begin? Will there be another year of public outreach before work can start? What kind of treatments are proposed for 26th? Additionally, the exit diverter at 12th was dropped, but I am seeing now that is is necessary to prevent people from using 16th to get to 12th via Clinton. Will that be implemented in phase 2 as well?
Adam, City commissioners have cut funding for active transportation by more than 70% since 2007. If you are fed up with the glacial pace of progress then blame the commissioners and mayor who made those funding decisions, not traffic engineers and planners at PBOT. I personally believe bicycle advocates share some of the blame. When PBOT’s meager active transportation budget was repeatedly slashed where were the city-hall-storming protests? Where was the outrage?
I do blame the city commissioners and mayor. However, PBOT still does the design and engineering, so I feel it’s appropriate to call out bad design where applicable. However, there are a ton of talented engineers and leaders at PBOT and I fully believe that if they were given more money and more autonomy, could do great things. We urgently need to our city leadership to step up before we experience a brain drain to other cities with more progressive transportation policy.
a scary thought.
Indeed, and this is my fear if we elect another status quo mayor.
What will change with the next election?
Wheeler will easily win and it seems to me the cycling community never got on board so will have little sway or clout with the new mayor.
Possibly. Terry Dublinski-Milton and other BikeWalkVote advocates have engaged in intense lobbying efforts. The words coming out of candidate’s mouths certainly sound good but we will have to wait and see if this translates into funding.
Were those cars there previously, or are they being used to unload supplies? If the former, I would be disappointed in the city for not restricting parking the night before.
Also, when I went by there today (on the bus), it looked like some of the cones had been hit by a car. Did that happen, or was it just the weird angle that I was looking at it from?
Sorry if my comment sounds as a complaint. Maybe the installation wasn’t complete when I saw it. It just looked very confusing for the ~5 seconds that I saw it this mornign.
I work near 15th and Broadway, and cars have been parked in the wrong place (next to the sidewalk) all day–at one point there were vehicles parked on both sides of the bike lane! There were no signs directing traffic, just the orange cones…
I just rode a few blocks but detoured back to Tilamook because there were several drivers weaving in and out of the cones for parking along the curb.
There was a cone that I saw knocked over at the beginning on 24th. Today at 6 there is another volunteer crew going out to make adjustments.
What do the drafts look like?
Just rode the whole length of it during my lunch hour. Great job for a temporary install and kudos for all the hard work. Hard to believe that the forces of happy motoring will be able to tolerate that big juicy empty turn lane with-out tons of future scrap metal hurtling down it.
Looking forward to giving it a ride this afternoon and stopping by some of the adjacent businesses to let them know that I am more likely to visit them in the future if there is a safer, calmer Broadway.
Great strategy, thanks Bob!
I crossed B’way at NE 19th this morning, as I do several times a week, and was delighted with how much easier it was with only two lanes to cross. I would love to see this made permanent.
I ride Broadway from NE 24th to the Pearl on my morning commute. It was fantastic to not have high speed traffic buzzing 3 ft away from me this morning. Big thanks to Better Block and all of the volunteers.
I wish I had put off shopping at Kitchen Kaboodle last week and saved my custom for this week. Must be something else I have to have…
Time for xurros!
As a resident, one block N of 16th and Broadway, this project is a very annoying, difficult to negotiate and confusing. Broadway is a busy street and to try to pare it down to two lanes with cones, unclear direction and intention, has made driving on Broadway somewhat unsafe. If this were to become permanent obviously cones would not be used, however the end goal — making Broadway more walk able and similar to Hawethorne and Division, is ridiculous because there are no, or very few, good places to eat or shop on Broadway. I am not a fan in any way.
East of 24th, Broadway is 2 lanes. How is keeping it at 2 lanes unsafe?
I’m currently a resident one block N of 9th and Broadway and have lived in NE Portland most of my life. This has been the most confusing and poorly executed project. Additionally, it is very badly timed with the MAX work beginning at the same time which has created even more traffic. What you are left with are upset people ripping into side streets, burning rubber at the intersections, and trying to by pass all of the traffic backed up. There are a lot of elderly and children around in the neighborhood and someone is going to get hit on the sidelines. I’m not convinced it’s worth it. I shop our neighborhood all of the time and have for years and years. I don’t mind waiting until it’s clear to cross Broadway, which it does get clear enough to cross in a reasonable time. For example, I walk down and cross at 18th to shop at Furever Pets (who are awesome!!) and yes, wait a bit until the light at 21st changes, but it does and I’m able to cross . It’s reasonable. The difference with my view and some above is that I live here, you are commuting through. This is still a neighborhood, not just a shopping mall.
This was confusing and a saftey hazard. I could not see the cyclists between the parked cars and the road. Almost hit one twice because of all the crap in the road you cant see the cyclists. It would also help if cyclists remember they are vehicles too and shiould obey the traffic laws. Dont run through stop signs and use turn signals and be seen or you will get killed.
KEEP BROADWAY LIKE IT WAS. IT WAS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE THE CYCLISTS WITH ALL OF THE PYLONS AND CRAP AND PARKED CARS. THIS CRATED MORE OF A SAFETY HAZARD THAN THE WAY IT WAS. GEEEZ
Horrible idea!!!! Traffic in Portland has done nothing but increase beyond its streets capabilities to handle it. Sizing down Broadway is only going to make the problem worse.
*If you want to improve safety for bicyclists try painting the bike lane green so it’s clearly labeled.