“I witnessed two vehicles in a span of on minute bypass the new treatments. Way too easy for drivers to bypass still when they’re this willfully bold.”
That comment was posted by a reader on Monday, March 11th about what’s happening on a new carfree path through Rose City Golf Course. Despite a redoubled effort from the Portland Bureau of Transportation to establish a path on one lane of Northeast 72nd Drive through the golf course, some drivers continue to flout the law. Now PBOT is considering installation of a gate to physically prevent drivers from giving into these selfish and dangerous impulses — while they weigh removal of three existing Jersey barriers in order make the path more welcoming and allow easier access for golf course service vehicles.
After our post about this project last week, we heard back from PBOT Public Information Officer Dylan Rivera who clarified their stance on the project and what we can expect going forward.
Rivera called the destruction and vandalism of the initial traffic calming infrastructure “unfortunate.” “Vandalism destroyed the improvements and forced us to install a hardened facility,” Rivera said. “That is not what we would have intended. It’s hard to think of a multi-use path in Portland that has a Jersey barrier at the entrance.” Rivera’s comments make it clear PBOT finds it challenging to create an open and accessible path for bike riders and walkers, while also preventing miscreant drivers from using it.
Rivera said PBOT is working closely with Portland Police to make sure the project they installed last month remains in place and that they will, “Prosecute anyone engaged in criminal activity against our infrastructure.”
Notably, Rivera said the Jersey barriers and concrete curbs in place today are temporary and that the entire project (which is part of the much larger 70s Neighborhood Greenway project) is still considered an experiment:
“PBOT leadership is firm in our belief that the project is promising and worthy of testing. Traffic volumes of less than 800 vehicles a day and substantial pedestrian use strongly suggest a multi-use path in this location could be the right solution. We will gather data, as said we would, and will share that with the community when we have it.”
In the meantime, Rivera added, they’re making tweaks so that Portland Parks & Recreation maintenance vehicles have easy access to a facility to the northeast of the golf course parking lot. Rivera also confirmed PBOT might install a gate:
“We’re exploring options for a gate to install across the northbound lane, just north of the pedestrian crossing north of the golf course driveway onto NE 72nd Drive. The gate would prohibit motor vehicle access to the multi-use path in the northbound lane. But it would allow Parks & Recreation to use the northbound lane for equipment access that very occasionally needs to come from the south to access the driveway for their maintenance yard. More often, their vehicles can access the yard via NE Sacramento to southbound 72nd Drive north of the pedestrian crossing, and a small cut in the concrete traffic separator can accommodate them. Parks vehicles using the multi-use path in the northbound lane would be operated by professionals, in marked vehicles, looking out for pedestrians and people biking.”
Rivera said installation of traffic separators for about 150-feet north of the gate should deter drivers from going northbound as they leave the golf shop and pub exit onto NE 72nd Dr.
In the southern section of the project, from the striped crosswalk near the golf shop to NE Tillamook, PBOT plans to remove the Jersey barriers. Here’s more from Rivera:
“From the pedestrian crossing to the intersection with NE Tillamook, we would keep the newly installed concrete separators in place. This would restrict vehicle movement. But we would remove all Jersey barriers — the ones at the intersection with Tillamook, at the golf course driveway on NE 72nd and north of the pedestrian crossing. This would allow biking, pedestrian and we believe an extremely limited amount of vehicle traffic (mostly Parks & Recreation service vehicles) sharing the northbound lane in this small stretch. Many people biking and walking in that 100-foot stretch would choose to use the wide, adjacent sidewalk but some would be comfortable sharing the lane with Parks & Recreation vehicles.”
So the saga of this path continues. And as PBOT assesses its impacts on local traffic patterns, remember that it could all be removed if they determine the impacts to have “adverse impacts with traffic diversion on area streets” or if it, “fails to demonstrate the need for biking and pedestrian use on the multi-use path.”
In the meantime, hopefully PBOT and Parks can work together to find a good solution. We’ve previously reported on Parks’ difficulties keeping drivers off their paths on the Columbia Slough, the Peninsula Crossing Trail, and the Springwater — so at least they have some experience with the issues.