Lenny Anderson | Oct 18, 2005 10:28:58 AM:
Why doesn't PDOT just slow the traffic down...set the signals for 12 MPH, just like Downtown..., add a few curb extensions where possible, and have new construction set back a couple of feet for a bit more sidewalk (see 34th & Hawthorne for what a couple of feet will do!). This would cost a lot less money, preserve the dense, congested character of the corridor
JK:
Yeah, that’s it. Lets Preserve congestion and keep driving jobs out of town!! How about adding a lane in each direction to reduce cognation and lower costs for business and citizens alike.

(Note for the congestion coalition: wasted time is wasted money. This also applies to people who waste time in traffic that they could otherwise spend being paid at work, or doing something beneficial like spending more time with their families. Time wasted in traffic is time taken from family, friends or job. Please try to understand this, it is an important concept.)

Lenny Anderson | Oct 18, 2005 10:28:58 AM:
and make life easier for those of us on foot.
JK:
Burnside is NOT A LITTLE NEIGHBORHOOD street - it is a major, important East-West corridor that carries over 40,000 people to their jobs and businesses every day. To infringe upon that many people for a tiny few people who are slightly inconvenienced by crossing a wide street will only hurt Portland. This policy of favoring a few at the expense of everyone else will continue to drive even more jobs out of town. It is this type of short sighted thinking that is making Portland the most politically correct city in the country that just happens to be bankrupt, but so far, few (except Sam) notice it.

Burnside needs MORE not LESS lanes. It does not need parking (that will make it more dangerous and will slow traffic.) So, lets do the couplet: Three lanes each (save room for expansion to four if needed) and set the signals for 35mph. Like Powell boulevard. Lets get Portland moving again! Pedestrians can cross at the signalized intersections with adequate walk times on the crossing lights. Put bike lanes on adjacent, parallel streets for safety.

Lets also add capacity to the Sunset to relieve some traffic from Burnside. Get the freeways moving and they will draw traffic from lesser streets like Burnside, Sandy, 82nd and MLK. (Contrary to the car haters rhetoric, adding road capacity does not induce many new trips. It does, however, (like light rail claims, but doesn’t) allow development further out where people can live at lower cost.)

Thanks
JK