State Street Bike Lanes Proposal Follow Up

[Scsmedia]

The Portland Bike Ped Advisory Committee had a discussion on the today at our meeting at the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Association offices.

I noted that we should have a site walk to see the lay of the land on State Street together.  My idea of a site walk was not to traverse the entire length but rather look at the sidewalks, etc. from the top of State Street.  This should take us no more than an hour.  I would love to do this in the evening and we could finish up at El Corizon or LFK to talk about the details.  State Street should be bright enough to see what we need to see.

Options  Wednesday, November 19, 2025 (my preference)

District 2 Neighborhood CDBG Meeting

Hosted by Councilor Wesley Pelletier 

Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at 6:00 PM 
Reiche Community School (166 Brackett Street)

We could meet at 4:00 pm with dinner at 5:00 pm and then go to the District meeting.

Thursday, November 20, 2025

Meet at 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm 

Friday, November 21, 2025

Meet at 5:00 pm or 6:00 pm 

Saturday Morning, November 22, 2025

Meet at 9:00 am (there is no place I know of to have breakfast, etc. -- that could host a group of us)

Sunday Morning, November 21, 2025

Meet at 9:00 am (there is no place I know of to have breakfast, etc. -- that could host a group of us)

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

[Scsmedia]

I have gotten no feedback on meeting.  I will be out at the Longfellow Statute this afternoon at 4:00 pm if folks want to meet and look at the action on the street.

Also the new pedestrian light on State Street has been installed to check out.

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

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[Scsmedia]

Well one joined me at 4:00 pm, but there was a surprise development.  The city installed a new big ass pedestrian light at the intersection, but provided no instructions for how to use it.  They turned the light on on Wednesday and this is some of the chaos I witnessed.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WefzlvOBCRwhlhOMiZtD4z7yDDTV4hQg/view?usp=drive_link

It took the light 40 seconds to change to red during which time the person who pressed the button was long gone and another person waltzed across the crosswalk without even looking for traffic.

In my opinion, no where near safer than the previous system.

Jeremiah Bartlett was not at the District 2 Neighborhood meeting, so we had to listen to doufus Michael Murray tell us that yes, they forgot to provide instruction signs, but that they would be going up very soon (if he remembers to tell someone that they need to do it).

Mr. Murray called it a modified HAWK, but it is not, a HAWK has a specific set of lights that are not here.

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

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[Zack Barowitz]

Thanks Steve. 

I go through there every (week)day and I was confused. 

I guess you push a button and after some unspecified amount of time the light turns red? And maybe it also turns red at some other times?

One possible advantage of the location of the new stantion is that maybe we won’t have to climb over a snow bank to reach the button. 

Zack 

207-838-6120

917-696-5649
ZacharyBarowitz.com

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[Gordon Platt]

Hi Steven 

  I don’t think that it’s appropriate to be calling city staff disrespectful names in a semi-public forum. 

I know that there are many people who read this list, including councilors and staff members, and criticizing the intelligence of staff members harms the credibility of this group and our efforts. 

 I would encourage you to approach the situation with curiosity, and be careful to direct discontent to specific actions or designs, and not people. 

Thanks, 

Gordon Platt

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[Winston Lumpkins]

I think it's hooked up to the red lights at Congress and State, and is red at the same time, or in conjunction with or part of a pattern with them.  Jeremiah said something to that effect at the state Street meeting, and when I was there last night it kinda seemed like that.  A alot of people where just crossing willy nilly as if it's a regular crosswalk, with massive green lights over their heads, which is probably less same than it was before. 

We should figure out what precisely it is, and make our own interim signage I think. It's important that people know what's going on.

Winston Lumpkins IV (he/him/his)

Past Chair, Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
https://www.portlandbikeped.org/

winston....@gmail.com
207-408-1508

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[Winston Lumpkins]

Gordon is right and it's important to remember the public nature of the way this Google groups is set up, and that there are city staff members who are part of it: we should apply the same decorum to city staff as we do each other.  

It can be very frustrating when we are not given complete information, and are ourselves unsure how to use new infrastructure; certainly when I was there last night, it didn't seems safer than the blinky thing, which was I agree not safe enough.  This might be safer if people understood that it's not a blinky thing though, so, yeah: if we can figure out what it is, anyone down to help make signage? 

Winston Lumpkins IV (he/him/his)

Past Chair, Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
https://www.portlandbikeped.org/

winston....@gmail.com
207-408-1508

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[Rosemarie De Angelis]

This is a voice from the other side of the bridge but I would say the same thing to someone in South Portland. I write this because I share the bicycle pedestrian committee in South Portland and I think just calling people names does not help us to get to any solution. I would agree with Gordon and I always suggest asking the question, “ I wonder what the thinking is of the other person?”

Rosemarie De Angelis

Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 21, 2025, at 8:27 AM, Winston Lumpkins <winston....@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Scsmedia]

Lucy, you responded to the wrong thread.  I copied your note here for continuity.

Jeremiah Bartlett noted that the reason they installed this "modified" HAWK is because of the conflict with the Congress Street light.  Installing a HAWK would have continued the same issue that a ped crossing light does at the intersection.  I do not have a problem with coordinating the light.  I have a problem with a. The lack of permanent signage and sign boards to explain the change and b. changing the plan without any public consultation.

Steven Scharf

207-415-4662

SCSM...@aol.com

On Saturday, November 22, 2025 at 01:07:48 PM EST, Lucy Climer-Kennedy <lucy...@gmail.com> wrote:

Has anyone noticed if the new signal is preventing vehicle queues extending across congress? 

Often with the ped crossing as is, State has a green but peds at Pine prevent flow and the queue extends. This results in the next green cycle on congress further getting backed up. Is this a problem to anyone but vehicles? I don’t think so, and the crossing before prioritized ped flow(!) 

Do we think this could be Portland demonstrating its modal hierarchy? 

Lucy Climer-Kennedy ENV SP (she/her)

Northeastern University | 2025

Business Administration – Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship

climerk...@northeastern.edu

(206) 313-1958

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[winston.lumpkins]

It can be very tricky to follow all the simultaneous threads via email- and sometimes I feel like my responses get sent to the wrong thread by google...   when it gets busy I like to just use the forum view, as I'm doing right now: https://groups.google.com/g/pbpac/c/pHsiA6YHCr8

Certainly, it feels that way; the blinking lights gave pedestrians the right of way (not that that guarantees legal rights or safety), and now we have to wait... A raised crosswalk was tried in conjunction with the flashing beacons, but it wasn't raised enough (due apparently to drainage concerns) and the multiple threat issue persists even with a raised crosswalk, though, if raised enough it might slow cars to the point where fatalities would be unlikely. (Multiple threat crossing: when one car yields, but another can't see the person crossing and keeps going in a 2 lane one way, or 4 lane 2 way street). For the money spent on this signal, those drainage concerns could have been solved, and a serious raised crosswalk, maybe with a speed bump or 2 leading up to it, could have helped.  Narrowing to one lane at this section would have made the backed up traffic on congress worse, but... 

Though, it might be hard to make those changes inclusive of the 2 way future of State Street.  

 It can be very hard to untangle whom the decision maker is re-modal hierarchy- State Street is a state route after all so the DOT could have had something to do with this, and regrettably, the DOT seems to sometimes confuse it's mission, which is : "To support economic opportunity and quality of life by responsibly providing our customers the safest and most reliable transportation system possible, given available resources."  with prioritizing motorist speed over safety... Saying "possible" and then saying "given available resources" seems like an unnecessary double qualifier.  Hopefully that's shifting, but there have been setbacks to that shift. 

 I have an email out to Jeremiah and Director Murray asking how it works and what it is, but I didn't ask how the decision was made.  

The opaque nature of these decisions is an issue, one which perhaps a rigorous Complete streets board ordinance like we called for in last years goals could solve...  Currently I think the lack of signage is a crisis level issue.  Hopefully no one gets hurt. 

-Winston 

[Winston Lumpkins]

A few observations: 

It takes as much as 1:20 to get a walk signal when you press the button. If you press it at just the right time it goes walk immediately. 

The walk cycle is 12 seconds long.  Not long enough for one older gent pushing a grocery cart (like a nice fold up one that doubles as a walker). 

I don't think it ever goes walk if no on presses the button. 

Some people just press the button without looking up and immediately cross, checking for traffic, but acting like it's a flashing beacon.  Cars are relatively good about stopping when people do this.  

Some cars will stop if you just stand there waiting for the walk sign but not all, so really the multi threat issue is still there.

A dad pressed the button this way with his kids, who then explained to him as they crossed that it had changed, he was surprised, hadn't noticed the lights. Fortunately cars stopped for him. 

Those who noticed something was up and whom I talked with are frustrated with the delay. I was not there long, it was cold.  Only spoke with 2 or 3 people. 

-Winston 

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[Zack Barowitz]

Sounds about right. 

207-838-6120

917-696-5649
ZacharyBarowitz.com

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