The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and Mayor Sam Adams’ staff met with the BTA yesterday morning at our request for a site review of the NE Couch/Burnside couplet and discussion of bicycle access through the East Burnside corridor. After opening up the reconfigured Couch/Burnside couplet last month to heavy comments and criticism from commuters and the media, PBOT responded by promptly restriping all travel lanes to add width to the bike lane and buffering the bike lane at the final curve.
The BTA requested the meeting to review current conditions and discuss long-term plans and alternatives to ensure safe, comfortable access for bikes in the area. We discussed the entire corridor, not just the S curves. Here’s a summary of what we learned at this meeting.
The S Curves
According to the City, the current design (with restriping and buffer) is considered technically safe and “up to code.” We remain interested in further study of the option to retrofit the curves with a grade- or barrier-separated cycle track. We were informed that physical separation could be a challenge due to cost and maintenance issues. The City claims separation would inhibit street sweeping through the curves.
For ongoing evaluations of safety and effectiveness of the current design, engineers are relying on their own observations and experiences as well as public comments and complaints.
Bike Boxes on NE Couch
Bike boxes protecting cyclists from dangerous right hook crashes at major intersections are on the City’s list of potential improvements.
Bike Boulevard coming to NE Davis
NE Davis is identified as a future bike boulevard and will help complete the transportation corridor with safe and desirable connections for all types of bicyclists. It will give families, seniors, and new riders a more comfortable alternative to the heavy traffic and tight conditions on NE Couch.
Access from SE Ankeny
The City said cost constraints forced them to cut plans for a traffic signal at SE Ankeny and MLK, The traffic signal would have provided unique and safe access for westbound cyclists making the new connection between the Ankeny bike boulevard, under the bridge at SE Third to connect with the S Curves. Without it, crossing 4 lanes of motor vehicle traffic and a streetcar line presents an extra challenge for bicyclists.
What You Can Do: Ride through the area and contact the city to share your comments. Speak up in support of the safety features you’d like to see in the area.
View project details here.
Contact Mayor Sam Adams here.
Contact PBOT Project Manager Chris Armes here.
The whole eastside couplet is already a debacle. Because of the way it was engineered it’s nothing but a bottle neck and confusion. The only thing slowing traffic is the traffic due to poor planning. Who drew up these plans? The lower portion of Sandy Blvd near Burnside is unbearable. Sandy Blvd. used to flow even in heavy traffic, and now it’s stand still traffic, cars in stopped in the roadway, lights not allowing enough cars through between stretches… ugh.
It’s time for the BTA to wake up and smell the couplet on the west side. In 2007 the BTA testified to City Council that they were in favor of the west side couplet. But the couplet plan the BTA favored is ancient history. It is now strictly about building a low cost operational one-way network of streets. In other words, it’s about moving vehicles and and creating parking spaces. The plan has changed drastically. PBOT is currently introducing their new “reduced scope” west Burnside Couch couplet plan to stakeholders and landowners who are part of the local improvement district (LID) tax.
Bicyclists, should be advised this new low cost plan has only one short bike lane from 4th to the Burnside Bridge, with no other accommodations for bikes on Burnside. There are also no accommodations for bikes on NW Couch. The S turns coming west off the bridge will be tight for cars, trucks and busses putting cyclists in danger as they try to make the sharp turn with all the other the traffic. The S turns at NW Couch 15th where the couplet ends pose the same danger to cyclists. Now that the east side couplet is up and running, we are discovering some serious problems with the project especially for bikes trying to navigate the S turns. It’s not too late to stop the couplet madness on the west side. Check out the Better Burnside Alliance website and join the discussion of how to improve west Burnside without a couplet. http://WWW.betterburnsidealliance.org