Saturday, September 20, 2008, at 2 pm

Capitol Hill Elementary playground, 8401 SW 17th Ave

TriMet has issued the results of bicycling related surveys they conducted last August via the web, and subsequently onboard MAX trains. Here is an executive summary of their executive summary:

Background:

According to a recent national study, integrating bikes and transit:

• Extends the range of transit
• Provides greater mobility options to customers at the beginning and end of their transit trips
• Has the potential to increase transit ridership
• Encourages cycling by giving cyclists the option of avoiding unsafe streets, hills, fatigue, and poor conditions (darkness and weather) if bikes are allowed onboard
• Has the potential to decrease congestion and help reduce air pollution by providing an alternative to driving

Transportation

Transportation information goes here.

Back Story:
Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams believes that a way to fast track the addition of sidewalks and other street improvements to what are called collector streets could be through the use of Halo LIDS, a concept that would spread the cost of improving streets across a larger benefiting area versus a conventional LID (Local Improvement District), which is typically used for local streets in which most or all of the benefiting properties abut the street being improved.

In Bridlemile SW Hamilton and SW Shattuck are its two collector streets.

Read why Hamilton is so critical to pedestrian, bicycle, and auto flow in and across Bridlemile. Base map from Google maps, graphic by Victor von Salza.

Last year, Sam Adams asked neighborhood associations to suggest which of their neighborhood collector streets could most benefit from sidewalks or other pedestrian improvements. And after some discussion those attending the January 2007 BNA meeting voted to designate SW Shattuck from Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy to SW Hamilton, and SW Hamilton from SW 60th Place to SW 42nd, as the portions of Bridlemile's collector streets that are most in need of pedestrian improvements.

Hamilton is key to traveling across and in Bridlemile.

On November 16th, 2007 The BNA Halo LID core team, Erica Rooney (the Otak project manager), and Amanda Ownings Otak Civil Engineer walked both sides of SW Hamilton from SW 60th to SW39th to identify challenges, opportunities, solutions and alternatives for each section of the street. Below are a few of the many challenges, followed by one or two possible alternative pathway designs (from Table D-1.pdf, 284KB PDOT Alternative Pathway Concepts) that might be used.

These alternative pathway designs are meant to show what might be possible, and different solutions can be applied along the different sections of SW Hamilton depending on topography and other factors. The street widith between the yellow center line and the white fogline is 10', street right of way along Hamilton varies greatly from just a few feet to 15-20' outside of the white fog line. So the notes below each photo are just meant to be illustrative discussions of the types of challenges and issues with some of the improvements that might be used if there is sufficient right of way to accommodate them, neither are complete... how would you solve or balance them? Add your own solutions here (see bottom of page for how). More to come here soon.

For more than 40 years we have been promised a traffic signal at this intersection. Enough is enough. Only organized grassroots citizen activism is likely to bring enough pressure on our public officials to improve the situation at this intersection. Here’s a plan for action.

In addition to working on an improvement plan, there's 6-36" of already existing pavement available now! All that needs to be done is to clean the dirt and vegetation off it. See to see photos of sections that have already be cleared here.

To report overgrown vegetation in the public right of way, call Tim Thrienen with the Bureau of Maintenance (BOM) at 503.823.1750
To report overgrown brush or vegetation on private property call the Nuisance Hotline at 503.823.7306

If you are interested in helping clean up streets and/or working on a Hamilton and Shattuck Pedesterian Improvement Committee please subscribe to the BNA-HSPi email list .

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Impromptu work parties - carpe diem!
Send an email to fellow HSPi members by addressing it to: bna-hspi@mlist.swni.org

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Scheduled Work Party Dates remaining
Check this page frequently for additions or subscribe to the BNA-HSPi email list .

As of 10/07 thanks to PDOT and volunteers almost all of SW Hamilton is now complete. Just some final sweeping will be needed once the leaves and needles are done falling off the trees.