Diverter defenders take to the street
Topic will be discussed at advisory committee meeting Tuesday night
Bicycle advocates led a seven-hour demonstration around a traffic diverter at Northwest 20th and Everett street Thursday, a diverter they say should remain for safety reasons against the recommendation of Mayor Keith Wilson, who also cites public safety.
The issue comes before the Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee on Tuesday, Aug. 12, where the director of the Portland Environmental Management Office, Anne Hill, will present a recommendation between 7 and 7:30 p.m.
The meeting, which begins at 6 p.m., will be held in Portland Building, 1120 SW Fifth Ave., Room 216.
PEMO is also recommending the removal of diverters on Northwest Johnson street at 14th and 15th avenues.
The mayor’s statement called for “temporary adjustments in response to serious public safety concerns …. that include increased narcotic use and sales, reported instances of assault and harassment toward pedestrians and cyclists, and challenges faced by emergency responders navigating the area.”
Concerns have been raised that the diverters impede response by the fire and police bureaus to emergencies in the immediate vicinity and the Pearl District.
Diverter defenders, however, say safety is on their side.
“These diverters are critical safety infrastructure,” said one protester, noting that the installations protect cyclists and pedestrians, including students walking to The Metropolitan Learning Center two blocks away.
While one TV station called the demonstrators neighborhood residents, the local connection to cycling is more complex and will be explored more deeply in future NW Examiner commentary.
Kara Colley wrote the following piece in her role as president of Friends of Couch Park:
There has been a fair bit of attention on the traffic diverters on NW 20th and Everett. The diverters were put in as part of the Northwest In Motion plan. The diverters mean that only bikes can ride northwards on NW 20th/Everett; cars must turn right. I am a regular biker and I appreciate the diverters because they make the traffic calmer on NW 20th. I think calmer, slower car traffic makes our neighborhood safer and more livable.
The diverters also connect bike traffic to NW Flanders, which is our local bikeway. According to KOIN, “[Mayor] Wilson is directing the Portland Bureau of Transportation to remove the diverters at Northwest 20th Avenue and Northwest Everett Street.” He calls “the removals necessary for public safety.”
I want to be clear that I support the Portland Police Bureau and the Central Precinct Bike Patrol. I support their efforts to keep our neighborhood safe. I know that there is frequent shoplifting and other crime right outside the Stadium Fred Meyer. I just don’t think that removing the diverters will reduce crime.
All diverters must pass police/fire regulations before they are installed, and police can drive around the diverters when necessary. Members of the bike community rallied on Thursday, August 7, to protest the removal of the traffic diverters.
I heard an interesting idea from a neighbor: The city could leave the diverters in place AND remove one parking space and allocate that space to emergency vehicles only. I am in a “YES AND” moment here. I want the PPB to keep our neighborhood safe AND I want the traffic diverters to slow down traffic on NW 20th. I went on a civic-minded jog this morning. I jogged through Couch Park (of course!) and by the traffic diverters.
I don't know about initial claims that maintenance costs were the problem but would like to see such evidence. I have never heard or suspected that a money trail might suggest the true motive here. Competing constituencies and urban design theories are at play, and I intend to learn more from the meeting Tuesday