Item B: River Avenue Improvements

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CAHILL Michelle R From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Webb Sussman [webbs@mac.com} Tuesday. November 15, 2005 6:36 AM CAHILL Michelle R KELLY David S; PAPE' Gary 0; PIERCY Kitty; Yuri Samer; Sue Walling; Webb Sussman Some concerns about aspects of the River Avenue project To the City Council and Project Staff concerning River Avenue, Thank you to the City Staff for your clear and concise presentation to the Eugene Bicycle Coalition last night. Based on that presentation the Eugene Bicycle Coalition has two concerns that we would like Staff to pass on to the City Council when you present this project to them. The first concern deals with the project itself and the second concern has to do with the process the Council imposed on Staff. Before we state these concerns fully, we want to say "Thanks" to the staff and the Stakeholders Group for addressing most of the problems with this project. Everyone worked very hard and we think the results will speak for themselves. The Bicycle Coalition has one specific issue concerning the three areas where pedestrians and bicyclists will have to cross River Avenue. Bicyclists and pedestrians will be encouraged to cross River Avenue in front of the Veterans Clinic near the LTD station at the West end of the project and the areas directly in front of where the multi-use paths come out on to the road on the South side of the project on either end of the Waste Treatment Plant. The Stakeholders Group recommended painted crosswalks in these areas. Studies and our experience has shown that motorists do not see these painted crosswalks until they are already driving over them and without additional signs and increased police patrols the crosswalks will be ignored. By providing these three refuge islands, pedestrians and cyclists will be able to safely go from the multi-use path on the South side of the project to the bicycle lanes and the VA clinic on the North side. The refuge islands will also serve to slow traffic - a stated concern of the Stakeholders Group. We ask that these refuge islands be included in the project. Our second concern is with the process the City Council has now imposed on these projects. By creating this special category for River Avenue as an exception to standards the Council had agreed to and passed ordinances to enforce, the Council has made every road project in the City an exception to these standards. This means that Council will now have to hear appeals on any road project in the City which some group disagrees and may now have subjected themselves to court challenges should they deny an exception in some future case. Staff will now have to take extra time on all projects and budget in the likelihood that some neighborhood group will petition Council for exceptions. The Eugene Bicycle Coalition fought hard for those standards because they meant that we did not have to watch every project that the city did to make sure the bicycles and bicycle facilities were included. This is no longer the case. We request that the City notify the Coalition of ALL Public Works improvements which MAY impact bicycles in writing. We request that notification be made well before any deadlines for comment and that we have sufficient time to review the project with staff before the comment period ends. City Council has brought this on themselves and us and we are not happy with fact that they are now allowing exceptions to standards which were agreed to. Sincerely, on behalf of the Coalition, Webb Sussman 1