Changes aimed
at making Stevens Avenue more pedestrian friendly are appearing to cause
more problems rather than alleviate the difficulty in crossing the busy,
school-filled area.
Temporary asphalt curbing placed in the center of the road and at each side designed to decrease a pedestrian's crossing distance have shown thus far to be a hazard for emergency vehicles and bicyclists. Reports of fire trucks unable to circumvent stopped cars, or slowed by having to ride over the curbing, have prompted a temporary stop order on the project.
Angry residents, who claim they were not properly informed about the scope of the project, demanded a meeting with city officials to stop it. The several-year development process of the city's bicycle and pedestrian plan created an information lag, and the project appeared to come out of nowhere to area residents.
However, with only a day's notice, over 100 concerned citizens turned out for the informal meeting to discuss the project, held in a parking lot at 808 Stevens Ave. At that meeting it was requested that a more formal gathering be held in an appropriate public building.
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Public Works director Bill Bray, engineer Thomas Gorrill of DeLuca Hoffman Associates Inc., and Police Chief Michael Chitwood respond to citizens at the July 17th parking lot meeting. (photo © J. Robert Gallant) |
Over 200 concerned citizens attended the second meeting held on Wednesday, at Catherine McAuley High School on Stevens Avenue. The obvious majority was opposed to the project as it has been presented thus far. Portland City Council will examine the issue further, and a temporary stop order on the project has been granted.
Jason Wentworth, director of the Alliance for Transportation Choice, explains that the project is undergoing a trial run, and he hopes residents will give it time to work. "If changes need to be made, they will be," he feels.
Wentworth, whose alternative transportation advocacy group rents space from - but is not part of - the Greater Portland Council of Governments, says the only way to reduce driving and encourage people to use other means of travel is by frustrating drivers to the point where they'd rather do something else. Traffic calming techniques, among them the "speed bump" and narrowed lanes, are one way of doing this, he says.
Alliance for Transportation Choice
Get involved with a group that's working to improve the city's transportation
environment.
Greater Portland Council of
Governments
Contact this public nonprofit agency to share your input on transportation
issues.
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