SE Spokane Bike Boulevard gets thumbs up from City Council
Posted by: MargauxAug 04 2009, 5:28 pm
Last week, Portland City Council unanimously voted in favor of implementing the first of 15 new miles of bicycle boulevards on SE Spokane Street in Sellwood. The BTA joined Sellwood residents and Bureau of Transportation staff at the Council hearing to support the plan, which will improve bicycle access and neighborhood safety along one of Sellwood's main streets.
It's exciting to see so much momentum and support among elected officials and Portland residents for more and better low-traffic bicycling streets. The Mayor's office even made a video about it:
From Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.
The plan for SE Spokane contains all of the elements that make a street fully optimized as a bike route.
- Stop signs will be turned toward traffic crossing Spokane so that cyclists can maintain momentum
- To prevent drivers from using the street for that same reason, the City will put a median barrier at 13th Ave and a semi-diverter on Spokane west of 13th, plus pinch points east of 7th and 15th Avenues.
- Speed bumps, along with large bike boulevard pavement markings and signs, will clearly mark the street as a low-speed bikeway.
- Cyclists will be able to cross busy streets with the aid of bike crossing signs and refuge islands at 13th and 17th Avenues.
Download the plan for specific bike boulevard treatments coming to SE Spokane St.
With Wednesday's "yes" vote Council also gave their approval to the project development and public outreach process for the seven other streets chosen for new bike boulevards. The project team will return to each neighborhood for a second round of open houses this month, where they'll review the feedback from the pre-design phase and present the final plan. See the schedule and a sneak preview of the plans.
North-Northeast Going:
When: Tuesday, August 4th, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: Bethany Lutheran Church, 4330 NE 37th Avenue, Portland
North Bryant:
When: Thursday, August 6th, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: Columbia Cottage, 4339 N Lombard Street, Portland
North Concord:
When: Tuesday, August 11th, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N Interstate Avenue, Portland
Southeast Mill:
When: Thursday, August 13th, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: East-Southeast Precinct, 737 SE 106th Avenue, Portland
Southeast Center:
When: Tuesday, August 18th, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: Mt. Scott Community Center (Poolside Room), 5530 SE 72nd Avenue, Portland
SW Terwilliger-Westwood:
When: Thursday, August 20th, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: Multnomah Arts Center, Room 30, 7688 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland
We encourage everyone to attend the open houses and show support for the City and all the hard work from the project team!
The BTA will continue to work with City staff to ensure each new boulevard is optimized for bicycling while staying within the budget. The entire 15 miles should be completed as early as next summer – and then we can see results from this investment in low-traffic bikeways and active transportation!
