A Better Williams for Everyone, if we ask for it
Originally posted on:
http://www.activerightofway.org/Posted by Steve on April 15th, 2011
It is critical that everyone email their preference for the best biking and walking conditions on Williams to PBOT Project Manager Ellen Vanderslice: Ellen.Vanderslice@portlandoregon.gov
PBOT is currently conducting a public design process for improving conditions on N Williams Avenue between Weidler and Killingsworth. There are welcome improvements proposed for the corridor, but there are some problems with the approach that all active transportation advocates should pay close attention to. Here’s a run down of the situation.
EXISTING CONDITIONS ON WILLIAMS AVENUE
- About 35% of all trips on Williams are made by bicycle, making it the second busiest bikeway in the city.
- Williams serves about 100 less daily trips than its one-lane southbound counterpart, Vancouver Avenue (see graph)
- Williams is designated a neighborhood collector, meaning traffic destined for points outside of the neighborhood is not the type of trips the street should accommodate (i.e. bypassing I-5 or MLK traffic)
- Despite the existing mode-share split, cyclists are only given 15% of the available roadway space. The other 4 lanes including vehicle parking, make up the other 85% of the roadway.
- Williams is home to the city’s first bicycle-oriented development, featuring dozens of bike-based and bike-friendly businesses.
- Because of a thriving retail corridor, parking demand on Williams is high, especially on weekend evenings. As a result, parking removal seems to be a non-starter.
The Barrier to a Better Williams - 2 hours of evening commute SOV traffic.
This also is the most congested time for cyclists too, but this is not as
strong of a consideration in the re-visioning process.
WHAT THE PROJECT AIMS TO FIX
Based on PBOT’s survey of local residents and businesses, some priorities were developed and here is what can be culled from the first 3 Stakeholder Advisory Meetings:
- Eliminating the Bus/Bike “leap frogging” interaction
- Increasing Crosswalk compliance
- Reducing traffic speeds
- Handling bike congestion
- Getting bikes out of the “door zone’
BIKE & PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES
The City and its consultants are still working with the SAC and neighborhood to decide on
1.) number of car lanes,
2.) presence/absence of on-street parking,
3.) type of bike facility (i.e., cycle track, regular bike lane, etc.), and
4.) placement of bike facility relative to car and on-street parking lanes.
2.) presence/absence of on-street parking,
3.) type of bike facility (i.e., cycle track, regular bike lane, etc.), and
4.) placement of bike facility relative to car and on-street parking lanes.
The SAC already voted to have the bike lane on the right side rather than the left. I believe the Open House this weekend is intended to get the general public’s input on which floorplan to use, with the specifics of crosswalks, transit stops, and turning lanes to be resolved after they make that decision. If you want that connected cycletrack, it’s not too late to fight for it.
The City folks and the designer/planners are going to be giving a presentation to the Pedestrian Advisory Committee next month (May 17), when presumably they’ll have their floorplan established. It will be an opportunity to comment on the pedestrian aspects of the design, including transit stop placement which may affect the “leapfrogging” issue along this corridor.
