Item 4A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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sensitive design and 18-foot street widths would preserve the character while providing pedestrian and bicycle amenities and traffic calming. Don Neet , 3434 Storey Boulevard, Eugene, said he was on the design team and his property would be assessed. He said Storey Boulevard had the highest traffic speed and steepest grade of all roads in the neighborhood. He said there were limited options for traffic calming and one of them was an 18-foot street width. He said the design process examined problems related to school buses and garbage trucks and concluded there were no issues. Jill Sager , 2945 Friendly Street, Eugene, said she was an assessed property owner. She had lived in the neighborhood for 12 years and walked daily. She felt safe as a pedestrian and appreciated the rural character of the area. She said the wider roadway and sidewalks on the northern end of Friendly Street created an urban environment and that would be inconsistent with the Crest Drive neighborhood character. She urged support for narrower streets. Fred Lorish , Eugene, said his property would be assessed for the project. He reviewed the history of the context sensitive design solutions process and consensus model. He said the themes and values that emerged from that process would be enhanced by narrower roadways and asked for the council's support of 18-foot street widths. Robbin Howard , 3217 Whitten Drive, Eugene, said her property would not be assessed, but she would be affected by the changes. She agreed with previous speakers in support of 18-foot street widths, which would be safer and encouraged physical activity. She did not think that the design should cater to large vehicles when companies could use smaller ones. She preferred not to use scarce resources to promote more vehicle use. Michael Boutette , 2970 Friendly Street, Eugene, said his property would be assessed. He supported 18- foot street widths and had seen no evidence that the current streets presented problems for emergency vehicles. He said narrower streets would preserve the rural character of the neighborhood, which is what drew many residents to the area, and would also slow traffic. He did not want to see the neighborhood subjected to a "cookie cutter" design. Paul Moor , 2586 Potter Street, Eugene, stated he had previously lived on Mary Lane and had frequently biked the streets in the Crest Drive neighborhood. He distributed a drawing of the proposed street design and said that 9- and 10-foot travel lanes would not safely accommodate a car and bicycle at the same time. He also distributed a petition from neighborhood residents and non-residents opposing narrower streets. Eric Selker , 3765 University Street, Eugene, commented on the wide range of bicycle accommodations across Europe. He said that in those areas where people used bicycles extensively the primary factor was safety, not the weather. He did not believe that a nine-foot travel lane without a bicycle accommodation was a good idea and protection from cars would be provided at leave for those going uphill. Jeanne Selker , 2765 University Street, remarked that the steepness of the street was irrelevant; bicyclists needed and would use a delineated travel lane that was smooth, whether it was a bike lane or sidewalk. She said that bicycles should not have to be part of the vehicle traffic. MINUTES—Eugene City Council October 15, 2007 Page 4 Public Hearing