This is actually a long-overdue change. Lovejoy and Northrup used to be a one-way couplet when the bridge ramp touched down at 10th Avenue. When the bridge ramp was taken out and the streetcar put in, the city converted Lovejoy and Northrup to two-way operation, possibly on the theory that a stopped streetcar should block all the traffic in one direction, instead of only half the traffic. I think the city has at last realized that it's a silly idea to have a streetcar that blocks the only lane of traffic.

But isn't that real purpose of rails, swales, and bicycle trails? (Ok, bike lanes are useful for a fraction of the population during the 3 or so months of non-miserable weather and useful for a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of diehards the rest of the year).

"...at least until the bankruptcy gets here."

Sounds a little like "at least until the Rapture gets here", which according to a good source starts tomorrow. Quick, Jack, if you hurry you can get there by streetcar!

For only one block?

Am I missing something? If not, it is the most amazing mess ever. I go different for one block, then have to go back?

Just think, in 10-15 years, we'll be hearing all of the sustainabilitybabble about how two-way streets are more conducive towards community interaction, promotes more business, and slows traffic more than one-way streets which give a sense of "space" to drivers which encourages them to drive faster.

And the city will be on a mission to eliminate one-way streets, since back in the early 1900s when Streetcars "ruled" Portland streets, all of the streets were two-way back then...

Erik,
Didn't we already go through all that 15 or so years ago when the city went through and eliminated many of one-way couplets that were already in abundance?

It seems we're always redoing what we just finished doing, for instance, moving 3 year old streetcar tracks. You would have to have just recently moved here to not start seeing a pattern.

Yes and that pattern of redoing and redoing is continuing until they have redone every inch whether it needs to be redone or not.

A certain amount of change is expected as time marches on, but being used and shortchanged or having change for changes sake is what we have going here.