This weekend is the annual closure of the roads in River View Cemetery. Whereas the bicycling and driving public is often allowed to make use of the paved thoroughfares between the Sellwood Bridge and the Collins View neighborhood, Memorial Day weekend is a time when mourners want additional house and quiet.
As we respect the closure this yr, it’s a superb time to replicate on what entry to the cemetery means, as a result of we must always by no means take it as a right.
River View is a non-public nonprofit managed by an govt director who solutions to a board of trustees. They don’t have to permit bicycle riders on their property; however for many years now they’ve gifted us entry. And it’s a superb factor they do, as a result of the roads present a significant hyperlink within the bicycle community. There isn’t a different viable route for bicycle riders between Sellwood and SW Terwilliger Blvd. SW Boones Ferry Street (to the north) is a quick and busy arterial with zero shoulder house, and the River View Pure Space (to the south) provides solely steep, filth trails that are (sadly!) closed to biking.
I’ve lined security considerations from cemetery leaders since way back to 2006. Even after threats to limit bike entry in 2009, 2012, and 2017; I’ve been impressed by their endurance and dedication to take care of entry. Final fall, the chief director and members of the River View Board of Trustees reached out to me once more; however one thing was totally different this time: They didn’t share a particular concern, they talked a few rising unease with the burden of full authorized legal responsibility if and when a foul crash or collision was to occur on their grounds.
River View additionally reached out to Lewis & Clark School, whose campus virtually borders the cemetery and whose school and employees depend on the protected path to work. Lois Leveen is one among them. She’s additionally the college’s director of public relations and has met with cemetery leaders over the previous few months.
“Not too long ago, River View Cemetery has begun to curtail entry via their property, partially as a consequence of considerations about legal responsibility,” Leveen testified at a latest Portland Metropolis Council assembly this week when a Imaginative and prescient Zero decision was being heard. “These adjustments have already had a chilling influence on bicycle commuters.” “It’s disturbing to contemplate what number of extra deaths and critical accidents may need occurred in the course of the first ten years of Portland’s dedication to Imaginative and prescient Zero, if this route weren’t accessible,” Leveen added.
Leveen and the cemetery at the moment are spreading the message that it’s time for the Metropolis of Portland to step up and share load in terms of obligation for the roads. “The Metropolis of Portland wants to acknowledge {that a} personal entity shouldn’t be anticipated to proceed to hold the complete accountability of offering protected bicycling and strolling routes to the general public,” she mentioned in her testimony.
The thought is for Lewis & Clark, the Portland Bureau of Transportation, and River View Cemetery to work extra intently on a short-term method that adjustments the authorized framework of public entry (corresponding to an official public easement), whereas the Metropolis commits to discovering a everlasting answer. On the very least, this subject must be on the native political radar.
River View Cemetery is in Council District 4, may it’s a candidate for one of many “various pathways” Councilor Olivia Clark envisioned being constructed with funds from the brand new Sidewalk Enchancment and Paving Program (SIPP)? Or maybe Portland Parks and Metro can collaborate on a paved bicycle path via River View Pure Space? It may also be value exploring a protected bike path on the SW Boones Ferry hall.
Regardless of the final options are, the Metropolis of Portland can now not afford to take a seat again and depend on this beneficiant present from a non-public entity. If we lose entry to River View and there’s no viable various, it will be an enormous setback for our transportation system and would influence hundreds of lives.
So whereas cemetery guests mourn misplaced family members this weekend, the Metropolis of Portland and bicycle riders ought to take time to replicate on what can be misplaced with out entry to the cemetery.
