Monday's rush hours commuters approaching the Hawthorne Bridge from SW Madison were greeted with the calming harp music of Halley the Harpist. This was only the first indication that something special was happening. Representatives from the BTA, Willamette Pedestrian Coalition, Portland Bureau of Transportation and other community members brought tea, music, yoga, and flowers to the Hawthorne Bridge and approaching streets and paths in a new approach to Traffic Calming.

The effort was a part of the ongoing Eye to Eye campaign which aims to reach all types of road and path users with information about how they can make our streets and paths safer for everyone.

While traffic calming efforts are generally focused on reducing the speed of cars, the path on the Hawthorne Bridge during rush hour is one of the most congested parts of Portland's bike and pedestrian infrastructure–and with some recent accidents– seemed ripe for some traffic calming.

When sharing multi-use paths, it is key that cyclists:
-Travel at a safe speed,
-Give plenty of room when passing,
-Give pedestrians or cyclists that are being overtaken an audible signal (like a friendly ring of a bike bell!)

The BTA and tonight's event partners wish everyone a safe and calm commute.

Rainbow over the Hawthorne Bridge. Photo by Catherine Ciarlo

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