Hillsdale abuzz with shoppers, despite outcry over bus lanes

The prediction that the bus lanes will cause business closures “in a matter of months” apparently has not yet come to pass.

I just got back from Paris late Tuesday evening, and yesterday I headed over to the Hillsdale mall to restock our empty shelves with enough provisions to last a long, cold weekend.

Luckily I was able to find a parking spot, the place was hopping!

Readers might remember the petition campaign against the new Capitol Highway rose lanes launched by the Hillsdale Business and Professional Association, the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association and other civic groups. One of the concerns was that the new Bus and Turn (BAT) lane would hurt small businesses in the strip malls. (To be clear and fair, not all of the mall businesses participated in the petition campaign.)

The rose lanes went in last September and the petition’s prediction that the “negative impact” will cause business closures “in a matter of months” apparently has not yet come to pass.

Nevertheless, last month the Portland Tribune published a piece, Transit project hurting businesses, which amplified the complaints of a few owners.

Bus heading east in the newly installed rose lane on Capitol Highway in Southwest Portland.

Well, it’s been three months since the rose lanes went in, and the parking lot is full. That doesn’t mean that balance sheets are where an owner wants them to be, but it does mean that the rose lanes are not preventing customers from reaching the mall.

I’m a frequent customer of several mall businesses. I bank at OnPoint, I’m a regular at Gigi’s, I buy enough at Paloma’s that I get the handwritten thank you letter. I ship my packages at the UPS store, buy groceries at Basics, I own eight succulents from Gurton’s and I like to top off my shopping sprees with an ice cream cone at Dairy Hill. (I even bought one of their cute ice cream cone t-shirts for my niece.)

Hey big spender!

I drive to the mall from the west and my experience is that the BAT lanes make it less stressful to enter and exit the parking lot. Drivers seem to be respecting the new rose lane—it was empty yesterday except for cars making the turn into parking lots—and a line of cars in the leftmost lane was moving calmly. In other words, things seemed to me to be working as intended.

I wish everyone well, and I hope all those shoppers I saw yesterday spent a lot of money. And if you need a thoughtful, last minute gift, the succulents at Gurton’s Plant Shop might do the trick.

Lisa Caballero (Assistant Editor)

Lisa Caballero (Assistant Editor)

Lisa Caballero is on the board of SWTrails PDX, and was the chair of her neighborhood association's transportation committee. A proud graduate of the PBOT/PSU transportation class, she got interested in local transportation issues because of service cuts to her bus, the 51. Lisa has lived in Portland for 23 years and can be reached at lisacaballero853@gmail.com.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

8 Comments
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Mauri Rocco
Mauri Rocco
1 year ago

Lisa,
Is one of the the biggest shopping days of the year the time to say a project had no impact on retail businesses?

joey Campbell
joey Campbell
1 year ago

I’m sure pdx tribune will write something soon based on interviews of previously unsupportive business owners who now have new information through experience, and have changed there.mind and will totally offer quotes about how wrong they were. That’s my bike Xmas wish. As likely as Santa coming tonight (sorry jon if that wrecked the magic for.you)

Fred
Fred
1 year ago

That’s some good, on-the-ground reporting, Lisa.

Our family are regular Trimet users and we have all noticed how efficiently the buses now zip thru Hillsdale. Well, they do slow down regularly behind cars that are turning into the parking lots on both sides of the street, so it’s not all zipping, but my experience jibes with yours: the whole experience in Hillsdale is now a lot more relaxed b/c cars are finally taking their turn and not gumming up both lanes.

Yes, Virginia, it is possible to limit the places cars are allowed to go and the world won’t end – in fact it can be a whole lot more pleasant for everyone.

Merry Christmas to all.

Chris
Chris
1 year ago

It sounds like the complaint in the Portland Tribune article was that business is down during rush hour when traffic is backed up. Capitol Highway looks empty in the photos.

FDUP
FDUP
1 year ago

Never let reality get in the way of a good dig at non-SOV transportation options!