NOTE: This publish was considerably up to date at 5:01 pm.
To start with, this memo wouldn’t exist if not for BikePortland. This plan to take away the diverters and re-establish NW Johnson at fifteenth and NW twentieth at Everett as two-way streets for drivers (they’re presently a technique for drivers and two-way for bicycle riders) was slated for implementation with none public discover. Since I intercepted an inside electronic mail on August 1st, the group’s resistance to those plans has pressured the Metropolis of Portland to delay and assume twice.
The memo, which was launched publicly at the moment at 12:00 midday, was written by Metropolis Administrator Michael Jordan (at proper). I hoped it might add extra readability, nevertheless it has solely created extra questions. CA Jordan primarily doubles-down on the town’s positions and plans.
With that, listed here are my ideas now that I’ve had extra time to soak up the memo, adopted by a number of questions the group nonetheless deserves solutions to…
Origin of issues nonetheless unclear
CA Jordan didn’t present any verifiable proof about the place the “group issues” they heard concerning the diverters initially got here from. It is a drawback as a result of if we are able to’t confirm the origin of those issues, what’s to forestall the Portland Police Bureau, Portland Options (the town workplace that’s main this plan), the Public Setting Administration Workplace (PEMO, a program below Portland Options), or some other metropolis workplace or company from merely claiming issues about one thing so as to create a story that forces a sure final result?
PEMO conferences in violation of public assembly legal guidelines?
One purpose CA Jordan may not be capable to present this info is as a result of PEMO (the workplace that hosts “Downside Solver” conferences the place enterprise homeowners, police officers, and residents reportedly shared issues concerning the diverters) doesn’t maintain public conferences.
Regardless of being a metropolis workplace that has affect on Metropolis coverage and implements its suggestions, PEMO doesn’t make their conferences public. I’ve confirmed with the Metropolis of Portland that PEMO doesn’t preserve assembly minutes, assembly agendas, or an inventory of attendees. I’m presently conscious of Portlanders who’re contemplating authorized motion as a consequence of this potential violation of public assembly legal guidelines.
Emerson Faculty, actually?
The memo lists a number of enterprise and organizations they declare have been negatively impacted by “public security” within the hall round NW twentieth and Everett. Certainly one of them is the Emerson Faculty, which the memo states, “relocated as a consequence of security issues.” However the Emerson Faculty didn’t transfer primarily as a consequence of security issues. They have been renting a short lived house and so they moved into a bigger house. This is only one instance of how Portland Options and CA Jordan are attempting to construct a case with squishy proof.
(Security issues at Sofa Park are one other acknowledged rationale, however as I reported Saturday, the President of nonprofit Mates of Sofa Park is towards the diverter removing.)
PBOT didn’t help the plans initially
Probably the most attention-grabbing issues within the memo is how CA Jordan describes PBOT’s preliminary response to their issues. The memo says that PBOT was approached with the plans and their first response was to do nothing and preserve the diverters in place. “Nonetheless, given the elevated entry wants and the broader consciousness of the extent of the general public safety-related points,” the memo reads, “PBOT in the end advisable the second possibility [to remove the diverters].”
Town’s plans make the street extra harmful for bicycle riders and pedestrians
Regardless of the memo’s declare that the plans, “protect protected bike and pedestrian entry,” it’s a incontrovertible fact that altering a road from a carfree lane to a sharrow-marked lane will make it much less protected for bicycling and strolling. Portland doesn’t have any adopted metropolis coverage or targets that help a change that may make a road extra harmful for bicycling and strolling.
What’s perverse about all that is the memo acknowledges that the diverter has diminished crashes. Within the 5 12 months interval previous to its set up there have been 9 crashes. Within the 4 and-a-half years since they went in there have been three crashes.
About these new cease indicators on NW Everett
The plan requires a brand new set of cease indicators on NW Everett at twentieth. This would be the solely cease on this stretch of Everett between NW twenty third and NW nineteenth. And on condition that Everett is a high-volume neighborhood collector and NW twentieth a really minor, residential road, any visitors engineer will let you know there’s more likely to be very low compliance for these cease indicators. In that context, the addition of cease indicators and the false sense of safety they may present some street customers, might really add to security issues on the intersection.
PEMO’s mission assertion
PEMO is presently hiring three new staffers to implement plans like these. In that job itemizing, they state their mission as, “activating public areas” and, “public house activation to advertise financial vitality, group security, and group use.” There is no such thing as a precedent for making an attempt to attain these targets by including extra drivers and vehicles to a road. In truth, rising automotive visitors quantity has the other impression — which is why all of Portland’s adopted planning paperwork inform metropolis planners to cut back automotive use as a lot as potential.
A few of my remaining questions:
Will these adjustments be framed as short-term or a “pilot” from the get-go? If that’s the case, what’s going to the metrics for fulfillment or failure be?
Why are PEMO Downside Solver conferences not public? Are any adjustments deliberate to verify they observe public assembly legal guidelines?
In the event that they’ve been engaged on this plan for 2-3 years, why did they by no means assume to run the concept by Metropolis Council, PBOT, or the Bicycle Advisory Committee till now (which keep in mind, is simply taking place due to public scrutiny)?
Does CA Jordan and Portland Options assume these adjustments will make the road safer for bicycle riders and walkers? If that’s the case, can they clarify how?
Did PEMO ever take into account simply protecting the one-way for drivers and coaching officers to go round it if/when mandatory?
Are there different neighborhood greenways round Portland which have come up at these Downside Solver conferences? If that’s the case, which of them and are they slated for adjustments too?
I’m off to the Bicycle Advisory Committee assembly. For extra on this memo, I extremely suggest perusing the superb and insightful feedback over on my earlier story.
