Here’s what you missed at the SW Naito project open house

This looks to be a great project if done right. I managed to get the ear of a few people last night including the designers for the project and beyond letting them know that they should not compromise on the design as there need to be ample bike facilities I also communicated the shortcomings below.

The south end of this project area is still very weak and as much as Harrison to the Hawthorne Bridge will be nice they don’t address how people will get to the facility from the south. The paving will begin on the south end where Kelly and Naito merge but there won’t be any improvements until you get to Harrison. This represents a missed opportunity to do something, anything, about the “merge” from Naito into the bike lane that comes into the roadway from Kelly. Also anyone who has gotten on the MUP at Lincoln can attest that the opening from the bike lane is narrow unless you’re stopping your bike to get in. Without several million additional dollars and likely cooperation from ODOT this won’t be solved but it can be improved with better signage, paint, and maybe even some wands to indicate to drivers of cars/trucks that there are cyclists and they need to be allowed to get to the bike lane.

I’m really hoping they can find a way to improve those two spots (and maybe even find a way to create a buffered bike lane for the block south of Lincoln) so we don’t have to look for the SW Corridor project to fix the issue (it won’t) whenever that finally happens.

I heard several bike advocates who are more concerned about ideological stances, and attracting people who don’t ride than they are about the concerns and safety of those who currently do ride, and those they hope to convert to riders.

**Standing ovation**

Wow, this is really exciting! I feel like this will increase the credibility of cyclists in Portland as drivers will actually see how many of us there instead of “hiding” on greenways. Don’t get me wrong, I love greenways too.

Anyway, I am grateful to Better Block PDX for creating the practice “Better Naito” experience, which I’m sure went a long way in legitimizing the idea to PBOT.

Also, the video itself is pretty dang cool. My favorite part is toward the end when the flyover seems to biff a cyclist on the back of the helmet!

Thanks to everyone involved!

Thumbs up, something to be excited about, instead of mad or disappointed.

I wonder if it’d be at all possible to build the path around the Police Memorial and under the bridge, like this?

More of this PBOT. MORE OF THIS!!!

The ramp onto the outer lane of the Hawthorne bridge is a big complication in the traffic flow and looks like a major cost to the construction and maintenance. Why not close it? Look at how much cost and conflict is eliminated by sending auto traffic around the block. Yes, it would cut car throughput “capacity” i.e. traffic. Do we believe in induced demand? Do we want more car traffic?

Since I didn’t attend, living as I am 2,800 miles east, I can only read the website link to PBOT for the project.

I hate to say anything negative but please note the ominous words “the project may include”, “the project is exploring” and “… are possible”, with no cost estimates and no firm funding. Even the construction dates are nebulous.

I’ve never met a project that has explored anything yet, just people who do so.

Good luck.

I assume there are no words from the Portland Business Alliance yet? They did stage an Anti-Better Nairobi campaign last summer. I would not be surprised to see some pushback from that side, and then we’ll see how strong PBOT’s commitment is.

Very good, but Naito to the south of I-405 needs a makeover.

This is really good. It’s nice to see it being planned. I do see a couple places it can be improved though. Here’s my critique.

– Along part of it the cycling part and the walking part are at the same level and only delineated with paint. This is bad. People will just end up walking on the bike part. When people walk they need to feel something on their feet to know that they’re hitting the edge of their area. Even just having the walking part an inch or two higher would be enough. If there’s a reason it can’t the something tactile should be there. A raised curb or strip of lawn. (Also the crosswalk should be at the height of the sidewalk when it crosses the cycle path.)

– At the intersections where motor vehicles turn in, the cycling path should curve inward so that the driver can more easily look to see if someone is coming. There is enough room here to have that happen. I see that there is a bit of inward curve but it’s not enough. Ideally it should be a car length in so when someone is driving they are at 90º to people cycling.

Other than that it’s great! Hopefully the start of more in the future.

Excited to see an even better Better Naito!

Just a detail, but perhaps posts at intersections would be wise to prevent drunk, confused, or malicious drivers from turning onto the bike path and wiping out riders. Widening the bike path at each intersection would prevent the loss of riding space. We’ve had Portland cars drive onto bike paths before, and let’s not forget NYC.