Holes in the pavement where a Road Closed sign once stood. (Photos: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)
Vandals have destroyed a neighborhood traffic safety project in Rose City Park. Apparently angry about a plan to limit driving access to one direction on NE 72nd Drive through Rose City Golf Course, someone sawed off two metal poles that held up a large “Road Closed” sign and discarded them a few yards away near the trunk of a redwood tree.
Based on what I saw from a visit to the park this morning, it’s clear someone used a high-powered saw to cut the poles and bolts. They were also in a hurry because I found bolts and washers hastily strewn about the area.
According to posts on Nextdoor and photographs sent to BikePortland, the suspects took multiple trips to the intersection to complete their job. They also sawed off bolts that held up a “Left Turn Only” sign and a sign that was posted nearby that reads, “72nd Drive Closed at Tillamook, Use 82nd.” The signs were thrown down a ravine and discovered yesterday.
Looking north at the new sidewalk from NE Tillamook.
A family bikes southbound on NE 72nd through the park.
The sawed-off edge of the pipe.
The sawed-off edge of the pipe.
Signs discarded a few yards from the intersection.
Sawed-off bolt.
Looking north on 72nd Drive. The lane closure signage was just beyond the marked crosswalk.
Signage being kept at the Rose City Park maintenance shop.
Where the sidewalk meets the road. That grey car is the traffic PBOT tried to prevent with the closure.BikePortland has asked the Portland Bureau of Transportation for comment, but has yet to hear back. Someone who posted on Nextdoor shared an email from a PBOT staffer who confirmed the vandalism on January 23rd. “We are aware of the issue and are looking into mitigation options,” the staffer wrote.
This is just the latest twist in a project that has been hobbled by irate neighbors who worry about changes to their driving routes and missteps by PBOT.
This installation was part of the 70s Neighborhood Greenway project which aims to create a safe street for walking and bicycling from SE Flavel to NE Sacramento. PBOT’s plan through the park is to prohibit driving northbound in order to create a “shared car-free path” (according to PBOT planning documents). But some neighbors don’t like the idea because they feel it’s not needed (the road is already safe, they say), only helps a small number of people, and that drivers will suffer too much inconvenience. As PBOT tried to finalize plans back in September, some neighbors tried to sabotage the city’s traffic counting equipment in hopes of shutting down the project.
What we expected.
What we got. (Photo: Reader Joseph E.)12 days after BikePortland reported on that scheme, PBOT Director Millicent Williams relented and announced — after the city had already notified residents the project would move forward — that it would be paused. “We are currently on hold to do that work… After hearing concerns from the neighboring community,” PBOT communicated to residents. Two days later, Director Williams — facing intense criticism over her handling of the SW Broadway bike lane scandal — announced the project would be un-paused.
When the project was finally installed earlier this month, I was shocked at how bad it looked. A standard “Road Closed” sign drilled into the pavement with orange traffic cones surrounding it. Given the anemic and unserious design, I wasn’t surprised to hear that many drivers disobeyed the new rules. “I was walking there today and 10 cars deliberately drove around the signage and cones to illegally drive north on this restricted road,” someone posted on Nextdoor on Friday. “Someone is going to get hit…”
Sometime between Thursday and today, all the signs were removed. As of today, there’s no infrastructure to prevent people from driving northbound on the street.
One person on Nextdoor has repeatedly supported peoples’ opposition to this project — even in the face of illegal vandalism. “It’s no wonder people get frustrated at PBOT,” one person wrote. “I’m not excusing vandalism, but when you shove things down peoples’ throats that they don’t want… something is bound to give sooner or later.”
Back in November, PBOT completed a sidewalk project to connect to the new carfree path. There’s currently a nice new sidewalk between Tillamook and where the road is supposed to be closed. A sharrow marking in the southbound lane also points bike riders left (eastbound) across the intersection, to connect to the new sidewalk. Unfortunately that arrow assumed the closure of the northbound lane would be in place — so now it directs bike traffic into oncoming car traffic.
Taming auto traffic in the park and creating a safer space for walking and biking is part of a larger plan that includes not just this PBOT project. In June, Metro announced a $2 million project grant (from their parks and nature bond measure) to Portland Parks & Recreation to improve existing off-road trails in and around the golf course. “The project will provide low-income communities and others near the golf course a place to walk, jog and connect with nature within a short walking distance from home,” reads Metro’s website. And according to the Portland Parks website, the project will come with new crossings of 72nd Dr .
Whoever destroyed this infrastructure has cost taxpayers more money, has increased safety risks on a major bike route, and is making a mockery of Portland city government. If you have any tips about this case, please get in touch.
UPDATE, 4:15 pm: PBOT Communications Director Hannah Schafer tells BikePortland they are aware of the problem and are “discussing a variety of solutions.” She also said the traffic-cone-and-and-sign treatment that was here before someone ripped it out isn’t the final treatment. Stay tuned.
