The Transportation Committee met once in December due to the holiday schedule. In January it will resume meeting on the first and third Wednesdays at 1:00 and the 4th Thursday at 7:00pm.

Streets

We heard back from the City of Eugene Transportation Planning Department regarding the results of the October speed studies that we requested be run in our neighborhood. These results were as follows:

“Speed studies were conducted at three locations along Fox Hollow because the street is rather long, results for each section are listed below. As a reminder, to qualify for traffic calming a street must meet all three of the listed criteria.

 

Section A: Dillard – W Amazon

  1. More than 50% of vehicles are traveling at or above the speed limit (35 mph)
    1. Criteria not met: The 50th percentile speed was 27.5 mph
  2. The 85th percentile speed is at least 5 miles per hour over the speed limits (35 mph)
    1. Criteria not met: The 85th percentile speed was 33.2 mph
  3. Average daily traffic (ADT) volume is at least 600
    1. Criteria met: ADT was 4497

Section B: 46th-Larkwood St

  1. More than 50% of vehicles are traveling at or above the speed limit (35 mph)
    1. Criteria not met: The 50th percentile speed was 34.6 mph
  2. The 85th percentile speed is at least 5 miles per hour over the speed limits (35 mph)
    1. Criteria not met: The 85th percentile speed was 39.4 mph
  3. Average daily traffic (ADT) volume is at least 600
    1. Criteria met: ADT was 2681

Section C: Princess-Saratoga

  1. More than 50% of vehicles are traveling at or above the speed limit (35 mph)
    1. Criteria met: The 50th percentile speed was 37.2 mph
  2. The 85th percentile speed is at least 5 miles per hour over the speed limits (35 mph)
    1. Criteria met: The 85th percentile speed was 42.4 mph
  3. Average daily traffic (ADT) volume is at least 600
    1. Criteria met: ADT was 1665

 

Based on the speed studies, Fox Hollow between Princess and Saratoga qualifies for traffic calming and has been added to our list of qualified streets. This list is reviewed annually as we program our limited traffic calming funds. We consider speed study results, closeness to community destinations (parks and schools), as well as other factors when programming funds. I unfortunately do not have an estimate of when Fox Hollow between Princess and Saratoga will receive traffic calming. Traffic calming funds are currently programmed out through 2024.”

Member Leo Folsom is following up with the City of Eugene planning department staff Catherine Rohan regarding the “Not Met” speed study results of the 33rd Avenue corridor. Leo has pointed out that 33rd Avenue is a city-designated Greenway, which the city has recommended a speed limit of 20 mph and has designated as an important throughway for bikes, pedestrians, and cars. Leo also points out a possible flaw in the way that speed study results are analyzed, arguing that it should be legitimately the number of speeding cars in the study that proves a need for speed calming, not the percentage of total vehicles that are speeding.

Member Lucy Bambrey submitted three new requests for Spring 2023 speed studies, which were portions of East Amazon, West Amazon, and Potter St.

LTD

Our incoming LTD subdistrict director is Heather Murphy from Cottage Grove. She steps in to fill Don Nordin’s director role. SEN thanks Don Nordin for his years of volunteer service to LTD and his dedication to public transportation.

This month, January 2023, marks the beginning of LTD’s year long service analysis where the ridership on all routes will be collected and analyzed in order to determine future needs and service. SEN highly encourages all members of the neighborhood to use public transportation for any and all trips possible in order to reduce traffic and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as ensure that the area keeps its transit routes running in the future. Students and seniors ride free — and SEN has a higher than city average percentage of both seniors and students living in the neighborhood. If you need help understanding how to ride or need more information, please reach out to our committee via the “Contact” form on the SEN webpage.

LTD has announced this week the need to pare back service on several bus routes due to the ongoing severe bus driver shortage. The committee hopes and trusts that these changes are temporary and not part of a larger effort to reduce useful service and thereby slowly “kill” routes in SEN so service can be shifted to high frequency lines. We stand with the bus drivers, who have made great sacrifices during COVID and need relief from mandatory overtime and consecutive shifts. We will be asking LTD to reinstate these trips when staffing has reached fuller levels.  In South Eugene, this will affect the following trips:

Route 24 – Donald – Weekday

12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. trips were removed.

Route 28 – Hilyard – Weekday

9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., and 1:00 p.m. trips were removed.

Sidewalks 

Reed Dunbar from the Transportation Planning Department notified property owners and tenants in December about the sidewalk infill project on the east side of Hilyard Street across from Tugman Park. Construction will take place in 2023. The road project will come later when the reservoir’s heavy machinery has ceased. Project funding comes from a grant. Previously, the committee expressed concerns over how far out the sidewalk bump-outs will go into Hilyard, which could lead to drivers hitting the curb or risk hitting oncoming traffic from the opposite lane when turning right. Bump outs are one method that the city has been using to make pedestrian crossings more safe.

Spring Sidewalk cleanup is anticipated for around May.

Respectfully submitted,

Jess Roshak

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