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.