Weekend Fun: State Fair and the Novice Ride at Ankeny

The Fair starts today, and riding a bike's always a fun way to go. Even though parking a car is free, usually it's easier to get there by bike, and there's much less parking hassle.

Like the last couple of years, they aren't obviously marketing the bike parking with a discount or anything. That's too bad. But biking's still easier than messing with the car traffic and parking!

It'll be interesting to see what the new corporation does with things in the future.

Here's a map with the bike parking on 17th street. Be sure to bring your own lock!

Here's One Idea for Pringle Square Access - What's Your Idea? - updated

The "all or nothing" rhetoric that has seemed to coalesce around the Boise Redevelopment right now is a little alarming.

Are we really at that point? Or is this just positioning and talk?

One idea for the access problem

Anyway, here's one idea for a solution.  It accepts the basic deployment of the building units.

(A different site plan is almost certainly necessary for an optimal access solution.  As one commenter pointed out on the paper's article yesterday, the development lacks a waterfront restaurant.  It really seems like a better, more vibrant mixed-use scheme can be envisioned, and with that would come a different circulation pattern.  It's likely in the community's interest to go slow and get it right; the developer, on the other hand, probably wants to build now.  Somewhere in the middle hopefully there's a sweet spot of compromise.)

The idea here uses an already-planned driveway that goes underneath the trestle.  It then requires a footbridge across the creek for access to the apartments.  It would be preferable to have a public footbridge and for the apartment complex to be less of a gated enclave, but if necessary, the parking lot and footbridge could be private.  The footbridge concept is - perhaps naively - premised on the notion that spanning pringle creek is much shorter and would be easier and cheaper than spanning the slough.  The connection to the Carousel lot would be retained, but only for non-motorized travel (and emergency response).  This would give people on bike and on foot a direct shot to State Street and downtown.

Also since the Carousel parking lot is also unused at night, it seems like it ought to be possible for the City to sell to the development some nighttime-only parking permits to better utilize existing parking capacity there.  It seems like creating a tiered parking system with variable pricing - some free, and some "premium" parking for a fee - might better allocate stalls and reduce the net parking requirements for a successful development.

The First Idea was Bad

For comparison here's the first iteration proposal.  It involved closing the State Street crossing at the Carousel and adding a new driveway to Front Street southbound (with no access from Ferry Street and no crosswalk).  

Former access plan with new rail crossing, long drive, and State St. closure

Imagine a visitor walking down State Street to the Carousel.  The gates would be closed!  This plan created lots of out-of-direction travel, and created barriers at the intuitive connection down State Street to the Carousel and Minto Bridge.  It was a bad idea.

Fortunately, that concept had an expiration date, which has passed.

So what's your idea?  We're at a point where we should all just be spitballing ideas to see if anything sticks!

See Crater Lake Car-Free in September

The focus here in on commuting and the urban form, but this is really something.

After a trial run earlier this year that was a smashing success, Crater Lake is having a car-free weekend every year!

From the announcement:

Crater Lake National Park Superintendent Craig Ackerman announced today the inaugural Vehicle-Free Weekend at Crater Lake to be held this year Sept. 21-22. The park plans to preserve every third weekend in September as an annual opportunity to highlight non-motorized use of the park.

“In June, Crater Lake National Park, Travel Oregon and Cycle Oregon collaborated to open Crater Lake’s East Rim Drive to non-motorized traffic for a first-time trial,” said Ackerman. “After an outpouring of positive feedback from the many people who participated in this rare opportunity, we decided to make it an annual occurrence.”

Under the plan, East Rim Drive will be open to non-motorized vehicles only (except for administrative and emergency vehicles) from North Junction around the East Rim of Crater Lake all the way to the intersection at Crater Lake National Park Headquarters and the Steel Visitors Center. Hwy 62 through the south end of the park, West Rim Drive and the North Entrance Road will be open to vehicles. Regular parking areas will be open, but generally fill up quickly. Normal park entrance fees apply.

How great is this!

Join the Salem Area Bike Commute Challenge League!

If you're doing the Bike Commute Challenge in September, be sure to join the Salem-area League!

There's only 8 teams in it right now, but there should be more!

What's a bike commute challenge, you say? Here's the official description:

Join the friendly competition - workplace against workplace - to see who can bike to work more during the month of September. The workplaces with the highest percentage of commutes by bicycle during the month win!

Whether you're a rider or an employer, whether you're thinking about trying bike commuting for the first time, or you're an experienced rider, the Challenge is for you.

Ice Cream, Water, Beer, and Fall Hints: More Summer Newsbits

While it's certainly not the most lucrative bike business, it has seemed like the summeriest bike business might be ice cream bikes.  What's a more quintessential expression of summer delights than bicycling and ice cream?

Ice Cream Bike!

Have you bought ice cream from an Ice Cream Bike?

Lots of bikes at the waterfront this weekend.

Underneath the Union Street Railroad Bridge there many bikes scattered on the gravel beach. Some had clearly been brought by car on the bike rack, others had been obviously ridden there, and a number of others didn't speak clearly to the question.

Bikes and People under Union St Railroad Bridge

It was a remarkably lively scene.  Maybe it didn't exactly spring up only after bridge was opened, but the bridge, and its easy connections at least to the parking lots on both sides, has certainly nurtured and grown the recreational possibilities here.  (People on the gravel beach stretch a ways upstream and downstream from the photo's edges!  One group had tents on the inner bar for shade and were clearly making a long afternoon of it.  Another had beached kayaks.)

Don't let the nay-sayers suggest the Minto Bridge won't also be loved and used!

Beer

Beer's pretty summery, too, and Salem Ale Works opened up this weekend. It is interesting that code apparently doesn't require bike parking when you open a brewery or a tasting room attached to a brewery.

2010 Census Map, Bike Tourism, New Library Sidewalk, Fish and Wildlife Office: Newsbits

In Bikes Mean Business, a sweet Canadian couple were seen recently disembarking from Amtrak at the railroad station.  They had just finished biking the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway from Champoeg to Eugene, and took the train from Eugene to Salem before riding through French Prairie again.  The northern segment was their favorite, unsurprisingly!

These cheery Canadians rode
the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway

More interesting is the way they settled on the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway:  There was more than a little bit of "dart-throwing" in the decision!

They didn't have any specific interest in Salem or in the Willamette Valley.  This was an area new to them, easily served by I-5 and rail.  If many of the scenic bikeways are in more remote parts of Oregon, here in the most populated corridor, the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway offers convenient access for short trips. 

So imagine what could happen if TravelSalem and the City really aggressively marketed bike tourism here! 

Additionally, at the train station there isn't any kind of mini bike station or kiosk that would direct travelers to other places to visit, restaurants to eat at, bike shops - any of the kinds of things in which bike tourists might have interest.  Taking another day to tour Eola Hills wineries by bike, for example.  A tire pump and tool kit could also be useful.

With the Greyhound depot renovation, we should really think about the ways we miss opportunities and under-serve visitors like this couple.

Library Sidewalk Skirts Awful Stairs

There's new construction at the library.  A new sidewalk will make it possible to avoid the awful, awful stairs on the Liberty side between the Civic Center and the Library. 

New path makes it possible to avoid the awful stairs

The dimensions of these stairs are almost certainly the worst in the city: Far too deep, they take more than one step to traverse; far too low, their rise is miniscule. They are spectacularly awkward.  It's like they were designed for an alien being with limbs in some other configuration and length!

So, many people avoid them. That has meant walking through the parking lot.  Not much additional distance, but annoying.

No more!  Now there's a way to walk right past them.

(Maybe the stairs can be filled in to create a level platform and some other more interesting and active use could be installed on the new slab!)

Census Map shows Diversity and Clustering in Salem

A crazy map compiled from 2010 census data has been zinging round the internets the last few days.

Each dot represents one person in 2010 census!
(The color saturation on this clip is juiced for clarity)

The map compiled by University of Virginia geographers, the "Racial Dot Map," shows the entire US, but you can zoom in on individual cities. Each dot represents one person in a household and their self-selected racial identity. Most demographic data on Salem has been reproduced at a much coarser level, by census block, so this is really something. And it shows a lot about our city.  In the detail here you can see squares at Willamette University and the Union Gospel Mission, and scattered dots along the waterfront and in Bush Park, presumably homeless people.  Most of downtown is empty.  Yellow dots show those who selected "Hispanic." 

The full Salem clip is a bit large, so look for it after the jump at the end...

City Releases Official Sunday Streets Announcement - Coming September 8th

A couple of days ago the City sent out the official notice for Sunday Streets!

Salem Sunday Streets Coming Sept 8th!

From the release:

On Sunday, September 8, the City of Salem will hold its first open streets event. Salem Sunday Streets will open up an approximately two-mile traffic-free route in the heart of the city for the public to enjoy.

Salem Sunday Streets is a free community event, open to everyone from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

The event, organized by the City of Salem's Community Development, Urban Development, and Public Works, community partners, and volunteers, is expecting over 2,000 participants.

There will be three activity centers anchoring the route (Wallace Marine Park, Riverfront Park, and the Capitol Mall), which will be spaces that feature fun, family-oriented activities like zumba, yoga, dancing, disc golf, bocce ball, soccer, bike safety skills and repair workshops, art, and music. There will also be a farmers market located in Wilson Park.

Salem Sunday Streets will be an opportunity to discover active transportation, safely engage in physical activity, and build community. Ultimately, the event will be an opportunity for temporarily transforming our community and streets into vibrant, people-centered spaces.

The route connects Wallace Marine Park, the Union St Bridge, Riverfront Park, Willamette University's campus, and the Capitol building.

From Wallace to the Capitol - No Cars on State Street!

Street closures include:
* State Street between Front Street and 12th Street
* Court Street NE between Cottage Street NE and 12th Street NE
* Cottage Street NE between State Street and Court Street NE
* Waverly Street NE between State Street and Court Street NE

Two additional street segments will be local access only:
* Water Street NE
* Church Street between Ferry Street SE and Court Street NE

These closures and access restrictions will be in place from approximately 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Motorized vehicles are allowed to pass through the route at designated crossings and allowed on the route for emergency access.

In order to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of event participants, the event will be tobacco-free and zero-waste.

Salem Sunday Streets is made possible by community sponsors Salem Health, Oregon Department of Transportation, Kaiser Permanente, and Cherriots Rideshare.

For more information, including volunteer opportunities, please contact Corinne Fletcher, cfletcher@cityofsalem.net, or visit www.salemsundaystreets.org.

If you want to table or have an idea for an activity along the route, here's the link to the "Activity Booth Registration" form. Registrations right now are open through August 23rd.