Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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values and needs and all members had to compromise for the good of the whole. She was convinced that slowing traffic would be an adequate accommodation for bicyclists. She urged the council to vote yes on the proposed design. Charles Quinn , 375 Mary Lane, a bicycle commuter and vice chair of the Crest Drive Citizens Organiza- tion, said he had been under the impression that by not supporting the previous approval of nine foot lanes he would be allowing more space for bicycle lanes and sidewalks. Now it appeared sidewalks would be narrowed and intended to accommodate both bicycles and pedestrians. He said it should be clear that an 80- foot bus and two-foot bicycle could not fit into a nine foot lane, much less a two-foot sidewalk. He said that context sensitive design was a way of accommodating for unique situations, and not intended to disregard all logic and safety standards to save money. Mr. Quinn acknowledged that he funding system was not perfect or fair, but it was what was in place. He maintained that bicycle lanes and sidewalks should be standard widths and be consistently placed on the same side of the street. He asked if the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, children, and pets, were worth less than the cost of installing an adequate and uniform street. There was no safe way for his child to travel to Crest School via bicycle from his house. He asked the council to keep safety in the forefront of its thinking. Robert Hutchins , 575 Fulvue Street, said the street plan was a “Trojan Horse” presented by a committee made up of property owners who were designing a street to reduce their own costs. A miniscule percentage of the people were affected by the changes on the road. He drove down Crest Drive every day and had passed numerous bicyclists traveling the road on Saturday. Crest Drive was a major thoroughfare that th served more than the residents who lived on it. People living south of 30 Avenue and east of Willamette Street used the street to reach the southwest portion of the county, and those living in the southwest portion of the county also used Crest Drive. It needed to be small and slow because it was residential, but he could not allow his small daughter to ride on Crest Drive because it was so scary. He thought at least one bicycle lane should be included for all residents who used the road. Teresa Dingman , 575 Fulvue Street, thanked the design team and staff for all their work but expressed concern the design could not provide for safe passage for bicycles and pedestrians. The current design would jeopardize her ability to use alternative modes of transportation. She asked the council to reject any proposal that did not encourage alternative transportation and which posed risk to those choosing to walk or bicycle in the area. th Fred Lorish, 907 West 36 Avenue, said the design team had to take into account many factors, including stormwater runoff. The team discussed all the topics and balanced them against five sets of values it had created. The design team could not, and should not, take one value and raise it above the rest. Because of the discussions that occurred and the research that had gone on, the result before the council was an innovative, balanced design. He asked the council to approve it as submitted because he thought the design team had done what the council asked it to do. th David Cole , 841 West 36 Avenue, chair of the Crest Drive Citizens Association, shared a measure passed by the association recommending the council approve the preliminary street design. Laura Bailey , 2932 Friendly Street, a member of the design team, said she would be assessed $20,000 for the street improvement project. She noted the long process that preceded the design. She said the design team realized it was impossible to please every user and resident, and everyone had to compromise during the process. She felt the preliminary designs met the residents’ desire to retain the neighborhood’s character and feel, and most importantly, to create safe streets for all users, which was a primary concern in the process. She said all should realize the designs were preliminary and were only about 60 percent completed; MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 19, 2008 Page 9 Public Hearing