Fw: Road design and safety in SOP

[Napack, Jan]

Hello, Google Groups.

See below for my reply to Dave R. regarding the article link he sent to the Council. (Sorry I did not "reply all" earlier...my muscle memory tells me to never do that!) 

I will be remarking on Dave's memo at the next CAMPO and CWACT meetings.

Jan Napack

Ward 1 Corvallis City Council

541-745-5335 (mobile / text)

Disclaimer: This e-mail message is a public record of the City of Corvallis. The contents may be subject to public disclosure under Oregon Public Records Law and subject to the State of Oregon Records Retention Schedules. (OAR:166.200.0200-405) 

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From: Napack, Jan <jan.n...@corvallisoregon.gov>
Sent: Saturday, January 27, 2024 3:11 PM
To: David Rabinowitz <da...@freeshell.org>
Cc: Wendy Byrne <wendy.bi...@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Road design and safety in SOP

 

Thank you, Dave.

I agree with the authors...good critical thinking on their part (but still SMH at students crossing Monroe).

The pictures attached document one facet of the broader issue raised in the article. In this case peds, rollers, and bicyclists are being pitted against the needs of a major freight corridor and regional shopping center in Ward 1. Although these pix are a few years old, I watched in horror from the UPS parking lot last summer as two young teens tried to cross over Philomath Blvd. It was obviously very frightening for the younger one as they hesitated and ran back, not once but twice. (All incidents were documented and reported during CWACT and CAMPO meetings.)

One might think all of the pictured folks were taking inordinate and unwise risks. Yes, of course they were. But the alternate crossings via Technology Loop or 53rd crosswalks are much longer, take much more time, are decidedly inconvenient, and depending on location, can require one to walk with traffic when navigating the north side of Philomath Blvd. 

So far no one's been injured at this location but I suspect the opportunities to (literally) run across Philomath Blvd will change for the worse once traffic volume increases as a result of building the CMU development at the NW corner of 53rd and Philomath Blvd (aka Creekside Center, PLD-2022-03).   

Throughout the last 2 years of CWACT and CAMPO meetings Daniel Wood, yours truly, and others (take a bow!) have been chipping away at the many roadblocks facing ODOT (competing priorities / lack of funding / 5-year plan turn-around times / unknown future private property development / jurisdictional limitations) that often prevent improvements from going forward at a pace needed to match current needs. 

On the positive side, the City and ODOT are making slow, yet measurable, progress on Hwy 20 / 34 corridor improvement plans between SW 53rd and the bypass. Active transportation is a component of that effort. Plus, the upcoming Southwest Area Plan will be  looking very closely at the entire situation. 

Finally, public opinion and the efforts of neighborhood associations to bring active transportation problems to light can be strong influencers. Everyone's engagement is much appreciated!

Thanks again and stay safe,  

Jan Napack

Ward 1 Corvallis City Council

541-745-5335 (mobile / text)

Disclaimer: This e-mail message is a public record of the City of Corvallis. The contents may be subject to public disclosure under Oregon Public Records Law and subject to the State of Oregon Records Retention Schedules. (OAR:166.200.0200-405) 

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From: David Rabinowitz <da...@freeshell.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 27, 2024 12:00 PM
To: City Recorder <City.R...@corvallisoregon.gov>; Mayor and City Council <MayorAn...@corvallisoregon.gov>; Corvallis SAFE <Corval...@googlegroups.com>; 'Corvallis Vision Zero' <corvallis...@googlegroups.com>; 'Corvallis Vision Zero' <corvallis...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Road design and safety in SOP

 

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This article is relevant to SOP P-17 and should be of interest to people who want to
increase traffic safety for everyone, drivers and others:

  https://ggwash.org/view/92239/the-new-york-times-once-again-misses-the-plot-on-traffic-safety

Thanks for reading it,
Dave Rabinowitz

[David Rabinowitz]

[Wendy Byrne]

Thank you to Dave, for the original post and comment, and to Jan for making sure we were all able to read her follow up comments. 

The pictures Jan has shared of the people wanting to cross Philomath Blvd near the Sunset Center are chilling evidence of the Very Poor Design along that busy road. With so much new housing in that area, and shopping/retail in close proximity, it is sad and embarrassing that better pedestrian infrastructure has not been built. It demonstrates where our 

priorities need to change.  

As Jan notes, and as I've watched, there are conversations happening at CAMPO (Corvallis Area Metropolitan Planning Orgainization) and other regional meetings, but I also expect change at the City level, as per Dave's original comment that was geared toward the City Strategic Operational Plan (SOP) item P-17.  ODOT is doing better. Oregon State University is doing better. Corvallis can do better, too. 

For more information about ways to reduce/eliminate driver error on our roads, see this blog post from Transportation 4 America:

https://t4america.org/2022/11/02/eliminating-driver-error-part-two/

On those notes, I'm looking forward to tonight's Transportation Action Team talk about Building a Sustainable Transportation System in Corvallis! Folks can register at this link:

https://sustainablecorvallis.org/building-a-sustainable-transportation-system-in-corvallis/

Cheers!

Wendy