I live near Barbur and I think this is a great idea. It's just people who are, for instance, living on the east side and commuting to Lewis and Clark in a hurry who are the problem.

Well, yours truly went to one of these workshops and met Mr. Smith and Mr. Baum
(BPS commissioners). Both are affable, but dogmatic. At one point, when I told Mr. Baum that BPS was going into "nanny state" territory, he said that I was supporting the nanny state if I put restrictions on a developer, because I was telling the developer what to do. Mr. Smith kept talking about the needs of developers.

The workshops are travelling road shows selling the comprehensive plan.

We need to put transportation and density issues on the ballot. After talking to BPS in person I remain convinced that they will not listen to ordinary citizens and not recognize recent mis-steps.

All that's missing is "linchpin." plus the ever popular re-purpose. As in we're going to re-purpose Barbur Blvd. from the major escape route in case of a citywide emergency into a stop-n-shop strip for you to buy any needed supplies while you're tied up in non-moving traffic, so thoughtful of them and good luck getting out of town.

I use the existing bike lanes along Barbur, as do more than a few of my fellow Lewis & Clark students. It's pretty darn hairy getting over those viaducts when the bike lane suddenly ends and you have to merge into traffic, which is indeed pretty fast through the "Woods" section. I see no need for the cars to slow down in this stretch (there aren't intersections or many driveways, so it's a nice route downtown), but it would be good to be able to stay out of their way.

I live near Barbur and I think this is a great idea. It's just people who are, for instance, living on the east side and commuting to Lewis and Clark in a hurry who are the problem.

You know, that's really cute, sweetheart. I don't commute on Barbur. But I did live in the Lair Hill neighborhood for several years. Barbur is not set up for pedestrians, and it never will be. You need to let that dream go, because Portland can't afford any more bike and train toys. And if you want good jobs in Portland, you have to stop strangling car traffic here. Most successful people aren't ever going to ride bicycles on city streets, or crime trains.

I use the existing bike lanes along Barbur

You are crazy.

As a pedestrian, I have to disagree about the sidewalks. It is disgraceful that a major city thoroughfare like Barbur has such poor pedestrian facilities.

As for bikes and oversized trolley cars (=MAX), I really don't care.

a major city thoroughfare like Barbur

It's a highway. It's for cars. If you want to walk or ride your two-wheeler, take Terwilliger, which is pedestrian/biker paradise. Or Corbett.

The saddest part about the bozos in planning is the protection they get from elected officials.

"...a noisy, traffic-clogged, anonymous stretch of road into a vibrant urban corridor where pedestrians and cyclists could shop and stroll."

Journalists love this stuff. It's a big part of the problem. It sounds so nice and planners get them starry eyed about the vision and the planner-ese goes straight into the article.

"High capacity transit is the catalyst for change along Barbur," said Tracy. It is needed to stimulate private investment.

Actually Barbur is surrounded by private development and has been for a century. This myth of transportation projects being key to private development behavior has to go. It isn't just wrong, it is very expensive.

For the past ten years, city policy has mostly been geared towards real estate development as far as I can tell. From planning, to transportation, to the PDC, to Randy's water and sewer abuses. I am still holding out hope that Hales understands that local govt is here to provide many core bread-and-butter services first and foremost, none of which are real estate development.

Barbur is only the tip of the iceberg and it's all in the Portland Climate Action Plan unanimously approved by the Portland City Council in 2009...

-You WILL stop using motor vehicles.
-You WILL travel from your home to other destinations exclusively by bike, government provided transit services, or on foot.
You WILL relinquish your single family home and relocate to high-density "worker's housing".

Oh, and you get to help pay for it.

Now you know what progressive liberals mean by "change".

"The group had not been able to engage the Somali community as much as it would have liked."
Those people know to steer clear of Pirates.

That's a finesse shot, Tom. You could have gotten in trouble in so many ways, but you drained it. Well played.

You know another group that's done a tremendous job discouraging pirates? Carnival Cruise.

"High capacity transit is the catalyst for change along Barbur," said Tracy. It is needed to stimulate private investment."

Excuse me Mr. planner or public official, but shut your pie hole.
That farce is so bad now it has become nothing but offensive public deceit bordering on cold blooded fraud.

One only needs to drive the length of North Interstate Blvd to see exactly how "high capacity" it is NOT, now little "private investment" is stimulated and how few people are walking, biking or strolling about in the magical community bliss.

Metro and their partners are deep into the process of spending some $10 million, mostly gas taxes, planning the ruination of Barbur and 99W.

Watch out now, here comes a Barbur Blvd Urban Renewal District to enable more make work planning and the local match for another boondoggle.

Although not from there originally, I've lived in the Barbur corridor 'hood for the last 40 years, so I may as well be from there. One reason why is because I've liked it the way it's been. I shudder at the proposed "improvements." But, then, I guess I'm a fossil and curmudgeon, and can be written off on that basis.

All ranting aside (mine), hasn't Barbur already been designated a route for light rail? And unless I'm mistaken, doesn't that designation automatically rezone the surrounding area for URDs and "high-density mixed-used" development?

As usual, I don't think they're announcing what being planned, they're announcing what's already in progress, you just haven't seen the cranes go up in the clearcuts yet. Expect more condo barracks with height waivers (a hillside view is worth more), more first floor upscale chain boutiques, hipster bars every 10 feet, expensive cafés, expensive bike shops, and higher taxes to keep feeding the process so it can keep metastasizing and spreading.

Sarah, if you want to improve bike/ped access along Barbur just simply cantilever the existing handrail/sidewalk out another 3 ft, making for 6 feet on both sides of the two bridges. The existing bike lanes on each side are now 5 ft wide. The existing cast concrete handrails are in disrepair as is. Why do we have to spend a fortune for your dream and make Barbur one lane in each direction? Are you crazy?

GJ, none of this is for current taxpaying city residents.

It is our role to sacrifice what we have now at the alter of The Million Who Will Come. Proceed into the inner sanctum, and bow before their golden statue, my brother! The Million.... The Million... They are at hand!

The mission statement can be translated into this:
"We think Tigard is a pit and no self-respecting Portlander should go there. We also don't think Tigard residents should have jobs in Portland, so we're going to make it slower and harder to get between Tigard and Portland."

Tom:

There are few outside of SW PDX that are aware of the the 100% Somali and Ethiopian population "affordable" public housing townhouse complex (street parking only) at SW 63rd & Palatine.

While "Those people know to steer clear of Pirates", the rest of us want to know, WHERE DO WE FLEE to steer clear of the Portland Planner kind of pirates?

Both PDC and Planning and Sustainability need to feel the cold steel of Charlie's cleaver. Let major groups of the personnel from those groups go elsewhere and waste other people's money.

When I-5 bottlenecks, Barbur Boulevard is an excellent alternative route. Don't turn it into a mess like N. Interstate Avenue.

Seems to me that we should maintain Barbur Blvd.'s road surface and drainage properly.

Now, if the neighborhood or the students request a specific pedestrian safety fix,
that should be seriously considered. All neighborhoods deserve the occasional pedestrian cross walk. Bike lanes- unsafe.

I think of Barbur as rather pleasant for a thoroughfare. It is what it is.

Portland's traffic calming, vibrancy creating, social and demographic engineering projects have already forced a large amount of surface street traffic onto the freeways - it's almost the only way left to get around.

I've asked myself what the ultimate goal may be and I've come with the following possibilities...
- Empty Portland's streets and falsely claim urban planning "successful".
- Shift congestion elsewhere and become eligible for federal transportation dollars.
- Some sort of symbiotic cooperation of any of the above.

Barbur is a highway. Agreed. Terwilliger is a better route for bikes. Also agreed, at least north of the Barbur/Terwilliger intersection. But Barbur has a 45 mph speed limit. There is no reason it could not or should not be enforced. Even the Tri-Met buses are doing 60 mph through the "Woods Segment".

Mr. Grumpy, in all seriousness, I think the motivations are:

a) Encourage new development so that the city can get development fees followed by increased property tax revenue. (Simple self-perpetuation of the bureaucracy.)

b) Increase property values in the inner neighborhoods (roughly from East 60th to the West Hills) because that is where a majority of decision makers and the "new urbanists" live. (i.e. increase their PERSONAL property values.)

To some extent these motivations are subconscious for many involved. Though I think the real decision makers understand "A" very well.

"B" I think is subconscious for most, but still very real. How much of Portland's efforts/spending is focused on these inner neighborhoods? As commutes get more and more unbearable and harder to get around, who benefits? Those living close enough to make biking and transit a "convenient, progressive, responsible" choice instead of a costly, time- and soul-sucking daily chore. People who own homes in the close-in neighborhoods continue to personally financially benefit the worse it gets for those farther out.

Also,

c) Campaign contributions from everyone involved in the development industry from labor unions to the money people.

I'm not sure it is "officially" a highway anymore. It's certainly not a US Route anymore, and I don't think that portion is even a state highway. It may have been ceded to Portland to do as it pleases.

" If you want to walk or ride your two-wheeler, take Terwilliger, which is pedestrian/biker paradise. Or Corbett."

>>>> Let me clarify what I meant: Sidewalks may not be necessary on Barbur through the 'woods.' However, the section below the woods down to Tigard is commercial and residential. Sidewalks here are non-existent or inadequate in many places. This stretch should have sidewalks, just like Sandy Blvd. or 82nd Ave.

"I think of Barbur as rather pleasant for a thoroughfare. It is what it is."

" I've lived in the Barbur corridor 'hood for the last 40 years, so I may as well be from there. One reason why is because I've liked it the way it's been."

>>>> Get out of your cars once in a while and try walking along Barbur in the stretch south of the woods. Then you'll see how "pleasant" it is.

Nick, we already have pleasant places to walk when we are able to. But a lot of us work and rely on our means of transportation for our jobs and for commerce. Barbur is a major thoroughfare. It does have an identity. It's known as a major thoroughfare, not a park. Hat's why there are businesses along the entire stretch you refer to. Maybe they know something you don't know? How about, "it's a major thoroughfare." Just like I can't picnic in your back yard, maybe you'll have to move a block or two over for your nice walks.

Is this why the Fulton Community Center was closed? Great place for development?
Don't depend on Charlie.
He is a "smart growther."

Take a nice ride along the Boulevard with the greenery for old times sake, and then visualize it eventually gone, chopped and redone.
I swear every inch of this city needs to be taken over until we don't recognize it anymore, and a cookie cutter blazed through what once was the character of our City of Roses. That Rose Garden too will go or simply be reduced if they have their way. They will figure out a way to push the plans.
Prime condo land there.

Snards has it down. We are to sacrifice our city and quality of life we have had here for the "millions" more that are coming in!! It is disgusting that people fell for this mantra in the first place. One way they sell these plans is with their fancy illustrations and "vibrant" words and any avenues for discussion of options quite closed with tightly controlled meetings.

A city needs to have some measure of stability and stewardship, and that is totally lacking thanks to Katz/Hales/Adams and those sitting in the perches at city hall. We are in a downward spiral, financially and healthwise.

To Mr. Grumpy: According to ODOT's highway maps, Barbur Boulevard is state highway 1W (i.e., state property, not city) from where Front Avenue joins it, south through all of Portland and Tigard and beyond. Some roads that have state highway route numbers are actually city streets or county roads instead of state highways (e.g., Highway 10 from 217 west to 170th Avenue, and Highway 210 from Raleigh Hills southwest, except for the portion between Hall and 217). Some unmarked roads are actually state highways (e.g., N. Marine Drive from I-5 west to North Portland Road).

PDXLifer,

I don't see how installing sidewalks along Barbur is going to interfere with traffic flow.
The space is already there for at least a 6 ft.narrow sidewalk. It's not like taking a travel lane out of circulation for bikes.

And most times some people have to walk along Barbur out necessity. It's not a question of taking a 'nice walk.'

Lifer:

You don't understand. Merely adding sidewalks, MIGHT satisfy many of the local residents' "pedestrian" concerns. But that would never employ the many, MANY recent graduates with various "urban planning" degrees that have student loans to pay off, coffee to fetch and political errands to run.

And sidewalks would not make any money for those that have been buying up vacant (or recently torn down Burger King) properties with expectations of publicly funded, 4 story, 700 sq ft Barack Barracks.

This project is not even about the apparent quest to turn Barbur into the same crime failure as Interstate. It's about transferring public funds into private hands.

I mean, who would fund upcoming political campaigns then?

Nick, I agree. Sidewalks should be the number one consideration on Barbur and all other streets that do not have them, but certainly could use them. My response to you is based on your indictment, "Get out of your cars once in a while and try walking along Barbur in the stretch .." A bit sanctimonious I'd say. And the idea of turning Barbur into a picture postcard promenade is as absurd as it is wasteful of our resources at a time when families are struggling to maintain their lifestyles at all.

So my suggestion to all the dreamers out there who spend their copious amounts of free time visualizing how great the world would be if only it was done their way: quit being so self-centered and narcissistic. If you want a dose of reality, consider the many, many tens of thousands of dollars wasted on groups like the Hillsdale Neighborhood Association and those they've hired, pissed away all these years on pretty pictures from the local *visionaries'* idea of utopia. Pure waste of money. And these same groups prevent Chase Bank from turning an empty eyesore of a lot into a branch that would have brought revenue in to the local community. But no, still an empty non-productive lot after all these long years.

Real leaders, these.

How about I come up to visit Portland and do something really bad to this Morgan Tracy character; explaining while I'm doing it that this is what happens to planner idiots that want to mess with Barbur Blvd.

But that would never employ the many, MANY recent graduates with various "urban planning" degrees that have student loans to pay off, coffee to fetch and political errands to run.

In my view, too close a relationship between our city agenda and PSU.
I am sorry for those students who have enormous loans to pay off, please understand this city has had too much instability and cost for all the "redo."
A moratorium is needed. A house cleaning is needed as well in that planning department. Hales can keep some of the planners still busy with work in there but NOW to put some of the good codes we used to have back in place. In the east coast neighborhoods are working to go into "downzoning" as they also want to save the character of their neighborhoods. (an excerpt about "the downzoning uprising" below)

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/10/nyregion/10density.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

In a Still-Growing City, Some Neighborhoods Say Slow Down
By JANNY SCOTT
Published: October 10, 2005

In what some housing experts are calling "the downzoning uprising," communities throughout the city want to see an end to an influx of apartments, additional people, and what they consider McMansions - and to preserve neighborhoods of limestone town houses, 1950's ranch houses, even humble wood-frame houses wrapped in aluminum siding.

Note the date, I would say we are behind the times here. I am sure Charlie and the developers wouldn't like this, but haven't they had it their way long enough?

Dave A,
The problem with your suggestion is that Morgan Tracey will instantly be replaced by another planning idiot, and another and another and another. Those people are like fleas on a mangy dog.
I don't know how we got so many, but they must breed like...fleas!
I sure wish some one would come along with a good dose of old fashioned DDT to eradicate the bastards!

tURDs - genius Mr. Grumpy!

Portland Native,
Interesting, I always hope for a good freeze
so that we won't have so many fleas.
That is what we need here,
a good freeze on the plans and the spending and debt.

. . .genius Mr. Grumpy!

How about a new planning bureau after house is cleaned headed by Mr. Grumpy?
Good one on staff would be Lee and others who have commented on here.
I happen to have remembered some Title 34 information I could contribute, that was our good Land Division Code. In my view, that good code too was in the way of development so just had to be changed.

Speaking of Mr. Smith (top of the posts): He is a Sammyboy crony appointment to the Planning and non-Sustainability Commission and one of several on the commission that Charlie really needs to replace. He is also your classic car hater bicycle/streetcar activist who even feels guilty when he occasionally does drive. Just maybe that guilty feeling is in part because when driving he actually has fork out a few pennies and help pay for the public infrastructure he is utilizing as opposed to being virtually subsidized by other taxpayers. One of the comments he made at a commission meeting went something like this: “We tax people for what we don’t want them to do and don’t tax people for what we do want them to do.” This demented attitude is self-righteous socialism. Is this the long term direction Portland City Bureaucracy – an arrogant hierarchy of we? The one thing the majority of taxpayers can count from such a mindset is full blown lip service and more dept which begs the question: When are freeloading bicyclists going to actually be forced to pay for the costs of providing the specialized bicycle specific infrastructure they rant for instead of just spinning more bicycle babble and expecting others to foot their bill? The same holds true with snail rail streetcar supporters.

I'm not sure it is "officially" a highway anymore. It's certainly not a US Route anymore, and I don't think that portion is even a state highway. It may have been ceded to Portland to do as it pleases.

Mr. Grumpy - Barbur Boulevard is still very much a part of Oregon Highway 91 (also known as the Pacific Highway West, and designated as Oregon route 99W) from roughly I-405 and Naito Parkway, south on Naito to where it joins Barbur, then Barbur all the way as it becomes 99W in Tigard, south to McMinnville, making that left turn and continuing on 99W through Corvallis and to Junction City, and then on Oregon 99 to the south side of Eugene. The only portion that was turned over to the City of Portland is north of I-405 to the Steel Bridge (but not atop the Steel Bridge itself, due to a lease with Union Pacific), and the Interstate Avenue segment.

ODOT has also made it clear it does not have much interest in ceding Barbur Boulevard to the city of Portland because it is a reliever for I-5. Whereas, ODOT would love to wash its hands of Oregon 43...and I'm sure Portland is more than welcome to take over the North Portland Highway (a.k.a. U.S. 30 Bypass) and the Cascade Highway North (a.k.a. Oregon 213, a.k.a. 82nd Avenue).

Also, the "U.S. Route" designation is meaningless. Having the "U.S." route does not grant the highway any special status - in fact, U.S. 95 in Oregon is actually deemed a state secondary highway; but Oregon 99W and Oregon 18 are both on the "National Highway System" which allows those highways access to federal highway funding.

I have a win-win solution here:

Any capacity or speed reduction on Barbur Boulevard between downtown Portland and Tigard must be matched by a capacity increase on I-5.

Take a lane off Barbur, add a lane to the freeway.

I think it's hilarious that the city is all over Barbur but conveniently ignores 82nd Avenue.

Is there ANY WAY we can stop this stupidity?

NW Portlander,
All about condos, not much of a market for spendy ones on 82nd Avenue.
Watch out as the planners may be very busy planning wherever there are hills. . . .
“There’s gold in them thar hills!”

True about the condos. I'd simply like to see them try to put in a streetcar on "auto row." I think "reforming" 82nd is beyond the power of mortal man unless, perhaps, that man is Guiliani.

The City has ongoing plans to screw up 82nd Avenue too - at least for cars. A public information agenda is in the works.