From Portland Office of Transportation:
CLINTON STREET BICYCLE BOULEVARD ENHANCEMENT SAFETY PROJECT Open House scheduled for October 7, 2008
The City of Portland Office of Transportation’s Clinton Street Bicycle Boulevard Enhancement Project is holding a public Open House on Tuesday, October 7, 2008.
What: Open House – Clinton Street Bicycle Boulevard Enhancement Safety
Project
When: 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Where: St. Philip Neri Parish Church – Carvlin Hall
2408 SE 16th Avenue (near SE 18th & Division, opposite New Seasons Market)
The Clinton Street Bicycle Boulevard Enhancement Project is a recently launched pilot project that will seek to test a range of new bold on-street markings, signage, and other elements along the Clinton Street bicycle boulevard. The project aims to communicate the street’s designation as a bicycle boulevard to all users of the street. A bicycle boulevard is defined under Portland City Code Title 16 as a “low traffic route prioritized for the use of bicycles.”
According to project coordinator Kirsty Hall, many new cyclists do not know where the safe, low-traffic bicycle routes in Portland exist for them to ride on. They may unwittingly ride on more major arterials that lack good bicycle facilities. Conversely, too many motorists currently drive on Portland’s bicycle boulevard network because bold, visible bicycle signage is not there to inform them of the likely presence of bicyclists. Such signage would indicate to motorists that they should consider either finding a more suitable alternative through-route, or adjusting their speed and behavior given the presence of large numbers of bicyclists along the bicycle boulevard.
Clinton Street was selected for the pilot project because it is the city’s most well-established and popular bicycle boulevard, seeing bike usage of around 2,300 bikes per day in 2007. Little signage currently exists along the street to clearly communicate its bicycle designation – particularly to motorists, who frequently drive it.
PDOT has been working with two project artists to come up with some potential bold markings and signage elements, as well as additional bicycle parking for the street.
The Open House will provide community members with an opportunity to learn more about the project, meet staff and project artists, and view and comment on potential project designs. For more project information, please contact Kirsty Hall at 503-823-6981 or email Kirsty.Hall@trans.ci.portland.or.us.