Council Delays Action on Bike Plan; Continues Hearing

There was one unambiguously terrific development at Council last night: Councilor Thomas revealed she had asked for and received a bike for her birthday on Friday!

But outside of this, good news was sparse, and Council delayed action.

Councilor Dickey offered a motion to ask staff to include skateboarding in the plan and Council voted to continue the hearing with a view towards clarifying rules, roles, and infrastructure for skateboarding.

Councilor Tesler and the Mayor both opposed the delay, saying that so much testimony had been received, the process had gone on so long, that it was unwise to delay further. Mayor Peterson also observed that the plan could be adopted and staff still directed to pursue provisions and clarification for skateboarding. Addressing skateboarding didn't require putting the bike and walk portions on hold.

But sentiment for delay prevailed, and it was not difficult to see the penumbral shadow of the cemetery in the decision to continue to delay.

After Councilor Thomas' news about the new bike, one other element was, if not cheering, at least straightforward and clarifying. A retired veteran finally uttered some of the words that are behind the cemetery problem: "Shopping carts." He didn't want to see shopping carts in the cemetery, just as they were not allowed in Arlington.  It was a classic unsolicited denial that revealed important truth.

Some part of the resistance to a connection between Hoyt and Rural through one or the other of the cemeteries, and part of the fears of vandalism, is a species of "stranger danger." It is not so much that people who walk and bike are feared, but that opening the cemetery, it is feared, will create additional traffic by transients. The fear of hobos, the homeless, and their shopping carts drives a significant part of the resistance to a cemetery connection. Unfortunately this fear is not being faced head-on, but instead is expressed through the code of resistance to walkers and cyclists in the cemetery. (That is not all of the fear, to be sure, but it is a largely unacknowledged component of it.)

Dave Moss recapitulated the claim that the "cloud" on the map would put a cloud of uncertainty on property and property owners. But two owners of houses with backyards abutting the cemetery said that they biked and they welcomed a connection, and said they thought more eyeballs and ears would improve, not harm, cemetery security.

Other testimony helpfully pointed out that infrastructure for people who walk and bike is like lightbulbs and insulation: Cheap transportation efficiency. If 5% of people biked downtown, that's like a free parking garage. The analogy was shrewd.

Replying to Councilor Dickey's questions about bike salmon and enforcement, Salem Police Department noted that so far this year they have issued 57 citations to people on bike, 1 violation, and 8 people have been charged with crimes (or it might be that 8 crimes have been charged). They have also issued 65 warnings. 

In total 4 people spoke in opposition to a cemetery connection - though they did not oppose the plan in general. 9 people spoke in favor of the plan. No one opposed the plan.  In the latest round of written comment, no one opposed the plan and several letters supported the plan.

RR Crossing at Chemeketa Revised for Bike Traffic - Updated x2

At Breakfast a week and a half ago, construction was just starting on the one-way conversion at Chemeketa and 12th.

Over the weekend, details of the new bulb-out and bike channel were newly poured and visible, and some of them were concerning.

Though I was not able to get a reply from the City, it appears that the plan now is to route people on bike up onto the sidewalk and then back into the traffic lane. Instead of a channel, there are ramps, curb cuts, and ADA bump pads.

Sharrows would no longer guide you through the intersection on a straight line.

Here's the view along the new ramps - straight into the angle parking!

I know it's busy; click to bigify

Hopefully the City can confirm and comment on the design change - or verify that there's a mix-up.

In the event the ramps are an intended change, they would represent a small but meaningful degradation of the bikeway. At the Capitol Mall, at the RR tracks, and at 14th, people on bike are forced to swerve and get onto sidewalks with obstacles.  The bikeway should be getting straighter, with bike traffic prioritized, not more meandering!

Update Tuesday evening (1 of 2, I hope!)

I'm still trying to get comment and explanation from the City, but here are revised plans that show the revised ramp treatment.

I have a hard time believing this meets design standards for bikeways. The deflection from the lane centerline seems really strange and even unsafe. (The dotted line under "Chemeketa St. NE" shows the road centerline.)  It's a weird and I'm sure non-standard hybrid between crosswalk and traffic lane, and I just don't see it meeting accepted practices. Hopefully there will be more to say.  The plan's primary goal, it should be noted, is to contribute to the rail quiet zone, not to create a better crossing for bike traffic.  But this may make the bike crossing too much an after-thought.

Update, Friday 9/14 midday

A better process might still have led to the same outcome, but it is disturbing that City staff who have led the Bike and Walk Salem effort, and are most familiar with the design of bicycle facilities, appear not to have been consulted in the design changes.

Assistant City Engineer Brian Martin said that during a field meeting:

both Tony Martin, Assistant City Traffic Engineer and I were present and we made the call on the design revision after meaningful discussions with the Union Pacific Railroad and ODOT Rail. Rest assured, City staff makes all of the project decisions that affect project scope, schedule, and budget, such as the one identified at Chemeketa Street. The Project Delivery Group has been working as our consultant project manager to take care of the project coordination issues. WH Pacific [in Bend] was the actual firm that performed the design plans.

This has been a challenging project to date due with respect to meeting the needs of our citizens, the Union Pacific Railroad, ODOT Rail, and ultimately the Federal Railroad Administration.

About this field meeting, Project Manager Keith Whisenhunt said:

when the City, the UPRR, and ODOT Rail did a final plans-in-hand field review it was determined that the entire gate structure would require replacement and reconfiguration at a significant cost. In addition, the UPRR was concerned that if the crossing arm remained in place, vehicle drivers might be confused regarding the closure of the crossing to west bound traffic. As a result, it was decided to move the bicyclists slightly to the north, remove the crossing gate, place a flashing light signal at the same location, and construct an uninterrupted closure island between the curb and centerline of Chemeketa. We felt that this change was only a slight revision to the original design concept and was needed to get the Railroad Orders approved.

Taking more time with City Staff who are more familiar with standards for bike facility design, and even outreach to actual users of the intersection, might have led to design solutions that met both the railroad's needs and better met road users' needs. Bond projects as a whole have been coming in under budget, and here was surely a strong candidate for an upgraded facility rather than to continue to try to do it on the cheap. Maybe the more expensive four-Quadrant gate system would have been possible because of budget surpluses.

My notes in blue and red; blue islands added for clarity

As Keith noted, project engineers felt that confusion for those in cars was a more pressing problem than confusion for people on bike or on foot.

But the facility is a hybrid, neither fish nor fowl, and asks people on bike to use some new thing that is not in the roadway, is not a crosswalk, and isn't really an MUP. It may exploit in a bad way ambiguities in pedestrian and vehicular movements. Consequently, as Curt suggested in a comment below, it may exacerbate the "urban deer" phenomenon of people on bike acting unpredictably for people in cars, for people on foot, and for other people on bike. If it were integrated into a cycle track or other separated facility for the length of Chemeketa, its context would give it more sense. Here it's just a contextless fragment.

Assistant City Traffic Engineer Tony Martin was kind enough to answer some additional questions:

1) How do west-bound people on bikes get a light? What is the detection scheme?
The traffic signals on 12th Street are pre-timed. The signal will cycle through its phases, just like it does today, whether vehicles are present or not. There is no vehicle (or bicycle) detection at any of the signals in this area.

2) Will there still be a bicycle light over the intersection? Or will a ped crossing light now govern the crossing?
Yes, the traffic signal for westbound traffic will be replaced with a bicycle signal head. A bicyclist may look at the pedestrian signal (walk/don't walk), but there will be a bicycle signal lined up at this bicycle crossing.

3) When east-west traffic has the light, how to manage potential conflict with people on foot waiting to go south at the crosswalk? It looks to me like there's a conflict zone on the queuing areas on the promenade.
When east-west traffic "has the light" the north-south pedestrians (and bicycles) on the promenade will have a "do not walk" sign. I hope that bicycles and pedestrians will be able to co-exist in that "conflict zone". They seem to do a pretty good job today along the promenade at all of the intersections in the area.

4) When north-south traffic and crosswalk has the light, where do people on bike stop? Where's the stop bar?
The plans show truncated domes and a bike symbol on the ground just prior to the railroad tracks. The bikes will need to stop before the railroad tracks. Do you believe the cyclists do not know where to stop and actually need a stop bar? If you do we could probably add one into the project. Let us know if you believe this is necessary and we can see about adding one.

A stop bar, it seemed to me, might be necessary not to stop people from the tracks, but to keep bikes from stacking up on the promenade. As long as people on foot and on bike are coming to the intersection one at a time there may not be a problem, but as soon as multiple people on foot and on bike arrive, I see obstacles in that mixing zone in red.

In the end, I have real concerns about this, although I am not certain that it is a "lousy" design.  We'll see how it gets used when it is complete. 

Parking Task Force Meets Tuesday - And has a Person who Bikes on it!

The Downtown Parking Task Force meets Tuesday, for the first time I believe.

It made the front page, and the discussion was great to see.

What should be done with parking in downtown Salem? Are visitors, employees and downtown residents entitled to unlimited free parking? Where is the money to pay for maintenance on aging parking structures?

...

Councilor Chuck Bennett, who will act as chairman of the group, said the problem with parking is financial not a supply problem.

“Nobody really gets free parking,” Bennett said. “Somehow it all has to be paid for.”

Salem collected more than $420,000 in parking taxes last year from downtown business owners. Another $552,000 was raised from parking permits.

But the city’s parking-related expenses during that time were more than $2 million, of which $839,000 came the Salem Urban Renewal Agency.

That’s money that could have been used for other downtown projects.

The first step towards a better, more efficient allocation of public space for car storage and other transportation needs is transparency.

Tyler Jackson,
Pacific Pedaling 2009

As Councilor Bennett says, "nobody really gets free parking." Exactly! Free parking is a costly subsidy for drive-alone trips, and we may decide that that's still important, but it's equally important that we lose the notion that it is somehow magically free. The subsidy is a policy and political choice that has real world consequences not just for downtown merchants but for the viability and character of downtown generally.

One of the members of the Task Force is Tyler Jackson of Salem institution Jackson Jewelers. But he's not just behind the counter.  You might also have seen Tyler racing! For several seasons he has also been the MC for the Buy Local Short Track series at the Fairgrounds.

It's great to see an important downtown business owner who also bikes involved in the task force!

City Council, September 10th - Bike Plan; Pretty Words, Pedestrian Deeds

The hearing on The bike plan is continued from August 13th. The current staff recommendation is not to approve the plan, but to ask Council whether to move forward. This new tentativeness should be alarming.

Not sure there's more to say than this:

Other Stuff

Minto Bridge and Path

A couple of updates on Minto Bridge and Path, an update on funding (or the lack thereof), and a note about a new grant opportunity from Oregon Parks and Recreation.

Via City of Salem and Greenworks

More Oregon Electric Tracks Uncovered Downtown

Did you miss the Oregon Electric tracks the first time around?

You can see another segment!

The construction work on the intersection of Court and High Streets has uncovered another section.

They run straight up the center of High - presumably all the way to just past Madison, where they would join the other Oregon Electric tracks, which go up Front Street.

The current road covered them in about 6 inches of hard surface.

Though the rubble conceals them at present, there appear to be cobbles rather than bricks here. (Bricks were at State and High.)

(During a five minute window, two car drivers seemed to have "difficulty" understanding the detour and one way grid.)

ODOT Hosts Open House for Building Renovation Saturday

For about two years, Department of Transportation employees have been exiled from the 1951 T-Building while it undergoes some much needed renovation.

Their exile sent them out to generic big box warehouse/office buildings out near the airport in the Fairview Industrial Park.

Happily the renovation is complete, many (but not all) employees have moved back, and ODOT is hosting an Open House tomorrow from 10am to noon!

I'm looking forward to seeing the new bike parking and the implied level of commitment to active transportation - both outside for the public, and inside for employees. I have dreams of seeing not just a few bikes locked up, but a tens, even hundreds of bikes in and around the Transportation Building! But I worry more thought will have been given to low-flush toilets than bike parking and showers.  (It will be a sad irony if the Department of Transportation gives more thought to storm and waste water than to employee transportation.)

I'm also looking foward to the public art. Earlier in the year Bonnie Hull had a preview of it as her husband, retired Art Professor Roger Hull, was part of the group working on the 1% for art. Michael Brophy, whose work you may remember from the the Environmental Art show at Hallie Ford from a few years ago, has placed several works in the new building.

Glowing Elevator Pod
at the T-Building

There's also decoration or art for more structural elements, as well.

I'm very curious about the glowing elevator pod!

I hope also to duck into the library. At the beginning of the move, I spent the afternoon with Sheila Lyons looking at some historical materials.

This progress report from 1972 was fascinating!

Sadly, it does not seem to have been funded for on-going compilation. Review and assessment for bike facilities has not developed in a meaningful way, and too often we don't know how well things are or are not working.

In any event, the Open House will be interesting. So check out the new building!

Salem Weekly Features Transportation Issues

The latest Salem Weekly has a very nice overview of transportation in Salem.

As our city debates building a new bridge to carry autos across the Willamette at a price tag of up to $700 million, we thought we’d ask Allan Pollock, General Manager of Salem-Keizer Transit, how that same $700 million investment would transform the work his agency does.

“If the transit district had access to $700 million you would see a community that allows for full mobility for everyone,” he said.

“Picture a community with reduced congestion because more people are using the bus, because it is frequent enough they don’t have to think about the schedule. Picture a community that is more environmentally sound because more people are using the bus so there are fewer cars on the road emitting pollution. Picture a community that anyone can compete for a job or continue their education because transportation is no longer a barrier. That is what Salem might be like.”...

Walking is the first way human beings got around, and the benefits to our bodies and to the planet are indisputable. Bicycles, around for 200 years, provide numerous gains as well; no ongoing carbon footprint, increase mobility for those who don’t qualify to drive and overwhelming health advantages to those who bike to work. Cities who engineer walking and biking into their plans show good economic sense, too, says Gary Obery, a local pedestrian and bicycle traffic engineer.

Check it out!