Plan for Tabor Detour Traffic?

[Chris Larson]

Hi Susan,

I recently heard the good news that you are placing reader boards on
55, 56, and 57th to hopefully reduce the speeders cutting through our
residential streets. Thank you!

Could you share your thoughts as to why that will not push the
speeding problem down to the streets between 55th and 50th?

In the bigger picture, I, and many of my neighbors, are very
interested to hear your proactive plans to limit traffic impacts on
51st - 58th Ave during construction. Do you plan to steer all non-
local traffic down Division (not Lincoln) and across on 50th (not
51st-58th)? To the best of my knowledge, we have not heard the plan.

Of particular concern to me is 52nd Ave between Division and
Hawthorn. Currently part of 52nd is closed to thru traffic due to
some sewer repair. However, as you are probably aware, 52nd is the
next stoplight after 60th. It is reasonable to assume that many
folks will use 52nd as a cut thru once the repair is complete and
60th is closed. I have not heard your plan for 52nd Ave.

It is my sincere hope that you have devised a proactive plan to help
mitigate issues created by extra traffic coming down our streets. It
is my sincere hope that you are not relying on a reactive plan that
forces residents, threatened by safety concerns, to lobby the BWS for
change.

I very much want to avoid another situation like the current TriMet
problem.

In my opinion, neither the residents nor the drivers cutting through
our neighborhoods are well served by thru traffic wandering around
our residential streets.

I look forward to your thoughts

-Chris Larson

Resident on 52nd Ave.

[Maria Wong]

I'm very interested to hear about a plan and I would like to know why the signs the signs don't more clearly tell drivers what streets to detour on.  I live here and I'm going around in circles following your detour signs.  I've seen better demarkation telling drivers stuff like "Detour to Hawthorne - Use 50th" or "Detour to 60th - Use Division".  I definitely would be more interested in seeing a "plan" and better signage both for directions and SPEED for ALL areas 50th - 60th. 

 

I've been home intermittently today I saw frustrated drivers speeding down our street even with construction.  I WANT A SPEED SIGN ON 52nd!

 

- Lou Wong, another resident of 52nd Ave.

Chris Larson <larson...@hotmail.com> wrote:

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[Chris Larson]

Randy,

Thank you for your quick and personal response. I appreciate your engagement and it is a very positive demonstration of your commitment to public service. 

I completely understand and accept that our neighborhood will be impacted by the water bureau project.  I appreciate that you have tried to balance the neighborhood concerns with the need to install a new water pipe.  

My concern is that we have heard nothing about your plan to mitigate those impacts on our neighborhood.

From our perspective the plan looks like this:  put up a couple somewhat generic signs warning of construction on 60th and on Lincoln.  Hope that local residents don't complain.  When they do complain, address those complaints specifically, not holistically.  To illustrate this point, the BWS is placing readers boards on 55th - 57th Ave in a response to resident complaints.  Definitely a welcome remedy, but why won't that remedy push the problem down to 51st - 54th?

If this is not the plan, I would very much like to hear the specific details.  

Of primary interest, is how the BWS plans to proactively address safety threats created by cars speeding down our streets.  Of course, I would like to see the bulk of thru traffic routed down the nearby larger streets.  I realize that we have a neighborhood-focused perspective, but I don't see how local residents or drivers are well served by cutting through our neighborhood.  Do you feel that the current signage is effectively re-routing traffic accustomed to traveling down 60th or Lincoln down Division or 50th?  

It would be refreshing, if the BWS was proactively managing the traffic impacts, reaching out to residents, not passively waiting for complaints to arise.  Perhaps you are, but it is not evident to local residents.

I understand our neighborhood will have impacts from the construction.  I do not understand why we have not heard an action plan detailing the specific actions to help reduce those impacts.

Best regards

-Chris Larson

Resident on 52nd Ave

On Sep 26, 2007, at 5:43 PM, Leonard, Randy wrote:

Chris-

Thank you for copying me.

I hope you appreciate that we have tried very hard to minimize any

inconvenience to you or your neighbors.  However, the water bureau project

is vitally important and will serve the entire community with a reliable

source of water.  

I hope you can have some patience due to the inevitable impact this project

will have on your normal traffic flow.  I am also hoping you will be able to

tolerate some inconvenience understanding the pipe work will disrupt

whatever neighborhood it would be installed in.

As much as we would like, I don't believe we can completely eliminate all of

the negative impacts of the project.  I hope you appreciate we have tried as

much as possible to accommodate your concerns while balancing the need to

install the new water pipe.

If you have any further concerns, please contact me directly and I will do

whatever is reasonable to address your issue.

Thank you....Randy

[Chris Larson]

Randy,

Your messages indicate that you believe that the plan for minimizing collateral impacts such as increased traffic on our neighborhood streets is adequate.  Your messages also imply that you believe that your team has sufficiently communicated that plan in sufficient detail to the local residents on 51st thru 58th.

I respect your opinion, but I do not share it.

For years, drivers have used 52nd as a cut-thru, which is the reason we had speed bumps installed.  I believe that it is reasonable to assume that once the current construction signs are removed from 52nd Ave, those of us on 52nd will have a significant increase in traffic and speeding by the closure of 60th Ave.  You do not appear to share this belief.

I hope that I am wrong.  If so, I apologize in advance for whining about an "illegitimate" problem. 

I will stop requesting more action and information from your department, hope for the best, trusting, as you do, that your team is taking all "reasonable" steps to minimize the collateral impacts of the water project on our entire neighborhood (not just the streets with construction).

As before, I greatly appreciate your involvement in this matter.

Respectfully,

Chris Larson

On Sep 27, 2007, at 4:58 PM, Leonard, Randy wrote:

Thank you, Chris, for your response.

 

We have worked to get the Tri-Met buses from impacting the neighborhood any more than necessary.  We have worked to locate construction materials in areas that least impact residential streets. 

 

If you have actual evidence of people breaking the law by speeding or driving recklessly, I will ask the police bureau to step up their patrols.

 

However, there still will be inconveniences for the neighborhood and the workers in order to try and minimize the impact on either side.  I hope you appreciate that your request of the staff would create a lot of work load in order to address issues we have not found to exist. 

 

I am sorry you are not happy with the measures that water bureau has taken up to this point but I believe they have been responsive to all of the legitimate concerns they have received.

 

Thank you again for writing....Randy

[Mike Shaver]

Hi Chris,

Has anything new come of the detour issues that you've raised to the
Water Bureau? I was a little perplexed by the "encouraged" detour as
well. When the original detour route was established, I thought it
would force vehicles in these directions. They way it's designed now,
it pushes vehicles on to the other side streets around Mt Tabor. As
neighbors on Lincoln have often argued, there is a lot of cut through
traffic that could easily be forced to use 60th, 50th, and Division.

Has their been any suggestion of signs that indicate local access
only, even in the street similar to what is on 52nd now? That would
make the detour a little more established and eliminate some of the
confusion? They should be installed at 50th and Lincoln, 60th and
Lincoln, and 52nd and Division.

Thanks,
Mike Shaver

[Chris Larson]

Hi Mike,

I have not seen or heard anything new. Overall, I got the impression
from Randy Leonard's emails that the Water Bureau is not terribly
interested in taking further proactive steps such as the very good
ones you are suggesting.

Tim Hall of the Water Bureau did tell me two weeks ago that he would
update me on any additional actions they were taking to minimize
traffic impact. I have not heard from him. I will forward any
information, he sends me.

-Chris