Item A: South Willamette Street Improvement Plan

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I wrote several weeks back with comments regarding proposed changes to Willamette between 24th and 32nd. I have been heartened and intrigued by some of the background information I have read about the efficacy of changing to one lane each direction with a center turn lane and pedestrian/bike accomodations. My prior comments suggested leaving it be, but I am open to the potential of this idea given what I have read since. I still advise caution with regard to the needs of the businesses along that stretch, however. I have a comment on a stretch of Willamette not included in the above study. About 10 years ago the City changed Willamette from one-way to two way between 13th and 18th. Beforehand, you guys solicitated comments from citizens about the perceived pros and cons of this idea, and I commented then that I was concerned that the change was going to make Willamette a more dangerous street for users to cross or turn onto from side streets, and that the new northbound lane would be underused. Well, 10 years later my opinion has been validated by reality on the street. We live two blocks west of this stretch of Willamette, and my partner, kids and I walk and bike eastward multiple times daily (quite literally, as we are very active, and walk and bike as our primary modes of transportation). The crossing of Willamette is always a challenge, and is downright dangerous on bike and on foot. The reason is that a lot of traffic travels south on Willamette from downtown throughout the day. When Willamette was two lanes of one-way traffic, it was easy to find gaps in traffic to cross safely. Traffic came in waves, with breaks in between. With the current design, the traffic from downtown (which has only increased) is now all funneled into one lane, so that south bound traffic is nearly constant. It is very hard to find the safe gaps that existed before. To further compound the problem, northbound traffic is minimal (I would say one in every 10-20 cars on that stretch of Willamette is travelling northbound), making the change seem unwarranted. Invariably, however, when there is a small gap in southbound traffic, it seems common to have that one in 10 or 20 cars on the road that is heading north come just when there is the southbound gap. In short, the change has brought with it the very problems that I predicted 10 years ago, and has resulted in a much less safe environment for crossing Willamette between 13th and 18th. The change also seems unnecessary, as even 10 years later, very little of the traffic on this stretch is northbound. In light of the facts (and I would venture to state that I probably cross that stretch of Willamette more than anybody else in any given week), I think that you guys ought to change this section of Willamette back to one-way. Whatever gains were made for bikes travelling ON Willamette are greatly outweighed by the hazards created for cross street users. I would add that sometimes the "experts" on such matters are folks like me who actually use the streets multiple times daily. Thanks for consideration of my comments. If you would like to talk further, feel free to call me at 541-344-8968. Thanks, too, for the work you do on behalf of all Eugene residents. I, for one, greatly appreciate it, and I don't think that City staff always gets the appreciation or acknowledgment that you deserve. Look at how Albuquerque handled Central Ave around Nob Hill and the University of New Mexico:They took Silver Avenue ( comparable to Portland or Oak) and made it the one way,walk and bike friendly alternative.Same thing for the other street to the north (who's name escapes me). Nice bike lanes, less traffic, people USE them.Plus, I have never seen a plan that might re-pave the ALLEY along Willamette and make ita bike friendly alternative to Willamette St itself.I used to bike commute in Seattle - personally I'm against having car traffic squishedinto 2 lanes, sharing with bikes and the multiple multiple drivewaysthe people who say they'd shop soooo much more if it was bike accessible - I thinkthat's a vocal minority. I can also say as someone who lives in the nearby neighborhood, I regularly use Portland/Oak to get aroundWillamette and I have not yet seen this addressed either - turning Willamette into 2 car lanes WILL pushmore traffic onto side streets and make those neighborhoods more unsafe.This isn't just a bikes vs cars issue as the bike contingent would have us believe. It's more complicated.