PBOT says ‘Bikes in Roadway’ signs
aren’t the right approach for Sandy.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Remember our story last week about NE Sandy Blvd? We shared the experience of riding on that large arterial street through the eyes of Esther Harlow.

Despite a lack of comfortable bike access, many people like Harlow prefer riding on Sandy Blvd because it’s a straight shot into the central city. While more significant bike access improvements on Sandy aren’t in the near-term pipeline, Harlow had an idea to improve bike access she felt would help the situation immediately.

To make the bike/car interactions a bit more pleasant, Harlow wants to have “Bikes on Roadway” signs installed. She made an official request to PBOT with her idea. Harlow heard back from a PBOT civil engineer and she shared the response with us. PBOT declined the request, but the engineer makes a reasonable case for his decision. The reply (below) might help others understand the thinking PBOT does before deciding whether or not to install signage (it’s also cool to see a government agency take someone’s request so seriously)…
[Read more…]

Signs of life abound for the
controversial project.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Rolling with momentum in recent weeks from national and statewide elected officials, the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project will be the focus of a public forum in Northeast Portland tonight.

The event is being hosted by the Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods, an umbrella non-profit that represents 12 neighborhoods in North and Northeast Portland. At tonight’s forum, residents will be able to share their opinion about the project with local leaders including Metro President Tom Hughes, Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder, and state representatives Tina Kotek, Lew Frederick and Chip Shields.[Read more…]

Stakeholder Advisory Committee member
Justin Zeulner explains the NE Holladay
project to an open house attendee.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Last night was the first public open house for the City of Portland’s Lloyd District Bikeway Development Projects. Within this planning process, PBOT is taking a close look at three projects that could dramatically improve the bicycling experience in and around the Lloyd District. The projects include improved bikeways on N. Vancouver/Wheeler between Broadway and Multnomah (near Rose Garden), NE Holladay, and the NE 12th Ave overcrossing.

Working with a Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC), PBOT has come up with some initial options for how to move forward on these projects.[Read more…]

See below for before/after shots.

This morning I shared how PBOT’s neighborhood greenways could have a dramatic impact on how it feels to move around our city’s residential streets. A perfect case in point is the NE Holman Street project.

Back in May, I took a closer look at the project, with a focus on a “pocket park” idea that was being thrown around. The concept was to take the existing, small and ordinary park at NE Holman and 13th and make it something special. Envisioned as a gathering place for the community, the revamped Holman City Park would be extended all the way across Holman, with through-access for biking and walking only.[Read more…]

Detail of concept for new shared-use path, buffered bike lanes, and other bikeway elements being proposed for NE 12th Avenue south of the Lloyd District.
– Download larger version (PDF) –

[Read more…]

This area is in dire need of help. (Looking west onto the Broadway/Weidler couplet from the Leftbank Building. The Rose Quarter is to the left.)
(Photos © J. Maus)

[Read more…]

New bike parking at Doubletree Hotel in Lloyd District.
(Photos: Heather McCarey)

[Read more…]

One of the many bike sightings I came across on NE Alberta Street on Saturday.
– Slideshow below/Photos © J. Maus)

[Read more…]

PBOT’s latest plans for a new, traffic calming park on NE Holman at 13th.

[Read more…]

Positives outweigh negatives.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Last night, at a community meeting to hear feedback on the Last Thursday on Alberta event (read my analysis here), Commissioner Amanda Fritz and Mayor Sam Adams heard loud and clear that many people love the event just the way it is.

According to sources at the meeting and reports in the local media, upwards of 400 people crammed into the Acadian Ballroom on Alberta last night. There were many opinions expressed, but it seems the dominant opinion was that despite the growing pains, expense, and crowd control issues, the carfree environment of Last Thursday is something people feel is worth supporting.[Read more…]