Street roots
13
Feb. 1, 2013
Dear City Council: A prescription for healthy streets
BY ROB SADOWSKY
C O N T R IB U T IN G C O L U M N IS T
The following is the second in a two-part
article. This first part outlined a set o f
guiding principles for Healthy Streets and was
published_____ . This piece offers specific
implementation solutions.
N
w that the swearing in
ceremonies are over and budgets
are being written, I offer specific
implementation-
solutions to build
a balanced and
healthy
transportation
Bicycle
system. First let
Transportation
me quickly recap
Alliance
the guiding
principles offered
in the first letter:
STREETBEAT
Healthy Streetbeat is a
monthly column for
Street Roots written by
the Bicycle
Transportation Alliance
(BTA). Our contributors
are Rob Sadowsky,
executive director, and
Margaux Mennesson,
communications
director.
1. Our streets have the potential to
transform our communities.
2. Transportation is regional.
3. Collective action is stronger than
individual action.
4. Good transportation policy transcends
demographics.
5. A truly multimodal network is a
balanced system that meets many shared
goals.
6. Deliver results
7. Change behavior through
encouragement and education
8. Confront reality and let data drive
decisions.
9. Tell it straight.
10. Be bold and unique
11. Hire and recruit the best people who
can implement this vision.
With these strong guidelines rooted in
our work, let’s go out and build a great
network while maintaining our current
transportation system.
1. In keeping with campaign promises and
with the needs of our communities, let us
maintain the current system. Let’s set
standards for turnaround from when a
pothole is reported and when it is repaired
and keep our citizens informed about the
status. Maintenance is more than just filling
potholes, however; we need to keep our
markings visible, our signs up and signals
working.
2. Our network is not complete. We need
to raise money to fix what needs fixing and
build what is lacking. We should not be
satisfied until every resident of Portland can
travel on a safe sidewalk with adequate
access for wheelchairs and strollers to their
bus stop that is properly sheltered and lit.
We need streets that are “unimproved” to
be upgraded so that all travelers can safely
move around their neighborhoods.
3. Let’s make bold plans to dramatically
increase the share of biking, walking and
transit by building great networks. The city
should announce a schedule for completing
the next five years of key transportation
projects, including the creation of 100 miles
of new protected bike lanes that separate
bicyclists from motorized travel and builds a
buffer between nervous bicyclists and
nervous drivers, while simultaneously giving
pedestrians key space and right of way. At a
minimum, we should begin to plan right
now for major protected bike lanes running
east/west, north/south and diagonally
throughout Portland that carry through
downtown. Certainly if Washington, D.C.
can build a protected bike lane right down
Pennsylvania Avenue, we can find the
leadership to make this happen. Just like
other cities have found, we will also find
that it is good for business, good for safety
and good for freight.
4. Let’s slow traffic speed down,
particularly in business districts and
residential areas. We have the opportunity
to install 20 MPH signs on neighborhood
greenways and the city should join the
Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s legislative
drive to lower residential speed limits from
25 to 20 mph throughout the state.
5. We have an opportunity in areas with
unimproved streets to pilot new and exciting
designs that prioritize play space,
pedestrian and bicycle travel with low
impact construction techniques modeled
after Europe’s Home Zones. The city should
pilot two of these designs in the next two
years.
6. We should take what works well and
make it work better. Some of what the city
built ten years ago now needs updating.
Three-foot bike lanes no longer provide
adequate safety and should be expanded to
five feet with buffer zones. Some key
intersections need signalization to help us
cross safely. Finally, there are gaps that
need filling for a variety of reasons.
7. Sunday Parkways is one of the best
things going for Portland and it can be even
better. New York City closes Park Avenue,
an iconic street that runs down the middle
of Manhattan from Central Park all the way
to the Brooklyn Bridge. Portland has
wonderful opportunity to look at piloting a
large scale Sunday Parkways event on an
iconic street like Burnside from the West
Hills all the way to 82nd Street. Let’s
borrow from San Francisco’s event and have
a major concert at one of our iconic parks
and truly celebrate!
8. Launch a collaborative task force to
build a new model for funding a balanced
transportation system. Call upon leaders
from freight, downtown businesses,
suburban employment campuses, labor
leaders, transportation advocates and real
estate developers to join together. This
work will be hard but we can expect less,
not more funding from the federal
government.
I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and help
you see this prescription to reality. Thanks
for listening.
♦
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