Time to repair SW sixth Avenue hole into downtown, says veteran advocate – BikePortland

Keith Liden just isn’t your common bike advocate. As we shared in our profile final fall, he’s been a thorn within the facet of Portland Bureau of Transportation staffers for 30 years — lots of them as a member of the town’s Bicycle Advisory Committee.

A number of weeks in the past I met up with Liden to take a more in-depth have a look at one in every of his many private advocacy quests: closing gaps on Southwest Terwilliger Boulevard. Terwilliger is essential avenue. It’s one of many two principal veins that join southwest Portlanders to downtown and different locations. It’s additionally a lot decrease stress than its parallel, state-owned cousin, SW Barbur. Terwilliger is assessed as a “main metropolis bikeway” in Portland’s Transportation System Plan and gives a direct connection to the VA Hospital and different medical buildings. Past its utility, it’s a wonderful parkway with views of the Willamette River (and much past) that was just lately listed on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations.

In comparison with many different necessary bike route streets in Portland, Terwilliger is in high quality form. Liden is aware of that. He simply has a couple of quibbles that, if addressed correctly, might take Terwilliger from good to nice. And he’s bought a great level. Portland has a whole lot of good bikeways, however only a few nice ones (which may be one cause why our ridership numbers have fallen).

In November 2022 Liden despatched a 9-page memo to PBOT planners titled, “Terwilliger gaps – time to repair them!” “Terwilliger is without doubt one of the most closely used bike routes in SW Portland,” he wrote. “The present  gaps have been recognized as a excessive precedence in just about each transportation-related plan because the mid-90s, however oddly, correcting the gaps has obtained comparatively little consideration over the previous quarter century.”

Liden’s memo detailed the present situations and his proposed answer to 4 gaps. Right this moment l’ll focus solely on the one at SW Broadway (Terwilliger turns into SW sixth simply south of this intersection).

“This one’s private for me,” Liden shared as we waited in a inexperienced bike field at a pink sign headed northbound on SW sixth at Broadway. As drivers roared by, it felt like we have been standing on a tiny island atop a tumultuous sea. “I bought hit by anyone taking an unlawful proper hand flip proper right here [where no right turns are allowed]. The man took me abruptly. I did a cartwheel proper out in the midst of the intersection. Fortunately I had a helmet on.”

After I shared a video about this intersection final week (above), a whole lot of people chimed in to say how horrible it’s. Set on a diagonal, and with four-to-five broad strains in all instructions, the widest part of SW sixth and Broadway is about 165 toes from curb-to-curb. Including to the stress is that it’s adjoining to I-405 freeway onramps. And if you happen to make it the 104-feet throughout Broadway, you enter a slim, unprotected bike lane on the freeway overpass. Then, simply as you start to enter downtown and start to breathe straightforward, the bike lane ends simply earlier than SW Jackson. Then, as you attempt to resolve what to do, you notice there’s a freeway off-ramp lane in your proper and also you’re dumped in the midst of the road sharing lanes with drivers. And people drivers in your proper? Lots of them wish to merge throughout two lanes (together with the one you’re in) to go left at SW School. It’s a whole “F-you” to bike riders.

Critically? This is how we welcome folks into our nice metropolis?

To their credit score, PBOT is aware of about the issue. They recognized it within the Southwest in Movement plan (High Tier BP-02) and the Transportation System Plan (tasks #20168 and #20167). One of many proposals would lengthen the bike lane to Jackson by eradicating some on-street automobile parking areas on the west facet of sixth.

For an estimated $15,000, PBOT says they might do that (from SW in Movement plan):

Liden says that change could be welcome, and is lengthy overdue, however right here’s what else he’d prefer to see:

1. On the south finish of the sixth Ave. bridge, unlawful proper turns at Broadway [where he was hit] must be addressed. I imagine a part of the issue pertains to drivers who aren’t acquainted with this space (OHSU guests). As soon as they see they’re about to get sucked into downtown, they flip proper to flee. They could possibly be helped with a directional signal earlier than Sheridan saying one thing like “To Ross Is. Br. /26 East & Barbur Subsequent Proper.” Directional arrows on the sixth Ave. pavement simply south of the bike field might additionally assist, and/or the overhead signage could possibly be made extra apparent

2. Present inexperienced dashed markings connecting the south bike field with the striped bike lane on the bridge (Determine 2).

3. To enrich #2 above, remove the curved journey lane striping instantly south of the bridge that guides NB motorists to float proper into the bicyclists’ path when it’s not needed.

4. Shift car lanes west and improve and lengthen the present bike lane (as proposed in SWIM venture BP-02).

5. Prohibit the left merge from the sixth ramp between Jackson and School. Motorists intending to show left at School sometimes have a look at site visitors on their left somewhat than pedestrians crossing in entrance of them. This site visitors solely would want to go yet another block to Corridor to show left, and it could assist mitigate the loopy merging that happens between Jackson and School.

6. Visually lengthen the bike lane ending at Jackson with inexperienced skip striping to School.

PBOT has completed a number of the preliminary planning work on this hole, however funding challenges imply it possible gained’t get consideration any time quickly. At a finances work session right this moment, Interim PBOT Director Tara Wasiak instructed Mayor Ted Wheeler and the opposite commissioners that her company is in a “income disaster” with a 5-year forecast that calls for a $60 million minimize in discretionary sources and a plan to chop $6.3 million and 16 workers positions from their 2023-2024 finances.

Liden says his solutions aren’t costly as a result of they’re largely simply pavement markings, striping, and indicators (and he acknowledges it could take a a lot bigger funding to carry the crossing as much as ADA requirements). He understands the perilous finances state of affairs and has heard PBOT speak about it for a few years. However for advocates like Liden hope and persistence is a part of the job and he feels the place there’s a will, there’s a means.

“This situation has continued for means too lengthy,” he says, “however let’s begin someplace.”

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