Here’s an update from Becky Taylor, Senior Transportation Planner for Lane County Public Works.
I really appreciate how many of you reached out to me and shared your safety concerns and ideas for improvement. There is incredible synergy and collaboration happening. Although plans are still in the works and funding has yet to be finalized, there has been enough discussion – including at public meetings, such as the Central Lane Metropolitan Policy Committee and the Lane Area Commission on Transportation – to share some preliminary plans.
Safety Engineering
We’re looking at a low-cost, low-impact solution that we could implement next summer. At this time, we are exploring how much room we could squeeze out of the exiting roadway to increase the space for people walking. Some ideas include changing the paint – shifting the fog lines and potentially narrowing the vehicle travel lanes – to provide as much space as possible (ideally four feet) for walking. The walking area would likely need to be buffered by some vertical post reflective delineators. There may be areas where we would need to add more gravel shoulder, but I’m not yet sure how much additional paving we could manage. We are also exploring a Rapid Flashing Pedestrian Beacon in the vicinity of Ross Lane, Echo, or Taito.
Safety Education
I’m working with the Safe Lane Coalition to develop a safety education campaign to deploy in the area. We’re reaching out to the many assisted living facilities in the area (i.e. the group care where Irene lived, Lone Oak Assisted Living, St. Vincent de Paul, Laurel Court, Oak Leaf Village, Apple Orchard Village, Sierra Oaks Senior Living, Cornerstone Housing, and Green Leaf Village) to see if they would be interested in some pedestrian safety education – and some reflective gear, such as vests and lights. We would also like to develop signs that neighbors could display in their yards. Below is a yard sign design that we are exploring printing on real-estate-sized signs with posts that would just press into the grass. Please let me know if you’d be willing to display something like this in your yard – to help me with some cost estimates as I work on fundraising.
Thanks,
Becky Taylor
Senior Transportation Planner
Lane County Public Works
3040 N. Delta Hwy
Eugene, OR 97408
Becky.Taylor@co.lane.or.us
541-682-6932
Follow us on Facebook