“As he stood watching a few cars inch through a mass of bicycles and pedestrians, Zurich’s chief traffic planner, Andy Fellmann, smiled. “Driving is a stop-and-go experience,” he said. “That’s what we like! Our goal is to reconquer public space for pedestrians, not to make it easy for drivers.”

“The methods vary, but the mission is clear — to make car use expensive and just plain miserable enough to tilt drivers toward more environmentally friendly modes of transportation.”

However, what remains on the table is a very controversial pared down $18 million “basic couplet” project along with TWO NEW concepts.  The two new concepts are a result of the Mayor hearing the concerns of the Better Burnside Alliance and other stakeholders who seek a better alternative to a car-centric couplet plan for improving Burnside.

Last fall, in response to these concerns, the Mayor directed PBOT to prepare a viable alternative to the couplet proposal.  The two DRAFT plans that PBOT is currently working on are the following:

“The first, so-called “Hybrid” concept reduces West Burnside to three traffic lanes between 4th and 19th Avenues. This provides left-turn opportunities at 3rd, 4th, 5th, Broadway, 9th, 10th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th, which could be extremely helpful to business in the corridor. Removing a travel lane and portions of the existing median islands (existing trees would be moved) might also create an opportunity to add some combination of wider sidewalks, bike lanes, and parking to this section. The DRAFT Four Lane/Three Lane Hybrid Concept presentation is available online”.

ftp://ftp02.portlandoregon.gov/PBOT/DA/WBC%20Alt%201.pdf

“The second concept, referred to as the “Skinny Couch” couplet, is a variation on the original couplet design. In this concept, Burnside would carry eastbound traffic and Couch would carry westbound traffic. However, the Couch half of the couplet would be reduced to one lane between Broadway and 14th. The intent of “skinnying” Couch would be to reduce the traffic volumes moving through this section of Couch, preserving the pedestrian-friendly qualities of the street. At this time, we have one DRAFT slide of the Skinny Couch Concept online that shows the aerial view of Couch. Click the slide to zoom in and see details.”

Both the “Hybrid” and “Skinny Couch” concepts are interesting alternatives, but they are still in development. The Mayor has promised to work with all the stakeholders to review these new concepts. We appreciate the Mayor’s acknowledgment of the importance of pedestrian friendly streets and his recognition that this project should be viewed within the context of the Central City Plan and The Portland Plan, both of which are in the works and both of which look at the city in its totality.

We look forward to working with the Mayor to find the best possible solution for improving Burnside, while at the same time preserving Couch street.

Many thanks to all of you who have supported our efforts in advocating for a better Burnside.  We welcome and appreciate your comments.

Btw: check out what Jonathon Maus has to say on the Bikeportland.org website:  http://bikeportland.org/2011/06/22/mayor-adams-unveils-new-concepts-for-w-burnside-couch-project-5533

While I’m sure there are many well intentioned individuals who think the project is a positive step forward, as a community activist in East Portland who faces multiple transportation and connectivity issues, I personally cannot understand why this project has made it to this point when all of the supporting data strongly suggests it is the wrong path to follow. 

Data clearly shows that one way streets do not work.  In fact, earlier this Summer, a walkability audit was done in our Neighborhood, Powellhurst-Gilbert, with proactive support from the City of Portland, as well as two other locations in the Metro area.  National experts facilitating the audits and discussion repeatedly mentioned that installing one way streets was the absolute wrong thing to do for any urban environment.

As for the streets, NW Couch in particular would be a dream come true for any Neighborhood in this City.  A beautiful pedestrian friendly and vibrant street clearly connected to the surrounding community.  I find it particularly hard to fathom the possible destruction of such a vibrant and robust and existing facility, especially when my Neighborhood struggles with just trying to get contiguous sidewalks installed on all of our main thoroughfares. 

While many people might think East Portland and the Pearl have little in common, clearly that is not the case.  The commitment to a built environment that supports and promotes community, healthy active living, and business is a common shared value — one shared by all Portlanders. 

I strongly encourage you to critically review the data being presented.  I’m sure you will discover that there are much better and more cost effective ways to revitalize West Burnside to the level of significance it deserves as one of the most important boulevards in the City of Portland. 

Sincerely,

Mark White

President, Powellhurst-Gilbert Neighborhood Association

The pro one-way folks often exalt a variety of virtues of one-way streets but, in my experience, the bottom line is that it harms the place, no matter how well-intended it was ahead of time.  Furthermore, it costs so much to do the one-way system that it gets economically very challenging to undo it if it is allowed to happen.  Chances are, the money that would be spent on ruining the streets with the one-way system could be used to help the streets and the place become better.

Ian Lockwood, P.E.

Principal

Design + Planning

AECOM

www.aecom.com

Above: Night on the Blocks - Block Party Brewery Blocks Style - July 2010 on NW Couch Street

Above:  Portland Monthly’s Beer N Burgers Contest – July 17, 2010 on NW Couch Street

Upcoming Event on NW Couch Street – Connecting neighborhoods via Sunday Parkways….

Sunday, September 26th

10 am – 3 pm

A 2-way route of city streets open to walk, bike, roll, run, jump, and skip – without having to watch out for cars! The 4.5-mile Northwest Portland Sunday Parkways route will have two loops, connecting SW Stark Street, Old Town Chinatown, Pearl and Northwest neighborhoods. Activities, food, and entertainment will be in Couch and Wallace Parks and along the route.

These wonderful street events on NW Couch Street will cease if we allow Portland’s Bureau of Transportation and “Friends” of Burnside Couch, Inc. to funnel as many pollution emitting vehicles as possible through the most successful mixed-use pedestrian neighborhood in the city.

NINETEEN THOUSAND Cars per Day Coming to NW Couch Street? Sam, Please Say It Isn't SO!

 http://www.betterburnsidealliance.org/take-action-now/

Please click link above to email city council and/or sign the petition to keep the spirit of community alive on NW Couch Street.  There is power in numbers!

Why a Better Burnside Alliance?  With the appearance of the reduced scope, split phase West Burnside Couch Couplet Proposal by Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and Friends of Burnside/Couch, Inc. (a Portland lobbying entity), concerned citizens and business owners joined forces to form the Better Burnside Alliance (BBA). We believe that West Burnside should be improved without turning West Burnside and Couch into a couplet (pair of one-way streets). 

• Our Mission Statement
• Reasons we oppose a West Burnside Couch Couplet
• Articles, Editorials and Reports

Roberta Brandes Gratz is widely credited for coining the term “Urban Husbandry”, the notion of shaping a city’s growth and revitalization incrementally, piece by piece, slowly, organically, and with individual components.  By illustrating the advantages of low-cost, modest initiatives, Gratz demonstrates that rebuilding authentic places, reconnecting communities and stimulating innovative change are within everyone’s reach.

More about Roberta Gratz and her accomplishments: http://www.pps.org/rbgratz/

Click here to read, rather than listen to, Ms. Gratz’s response to the proposal of a Burnside Couch Couplet.

http://portlandtransport.com/archives/2010/06/asking_the_righ.html