The city of Eugene is trying to improve the safety of a portion of Willamette Street. Three alternatives are being considered for the stretch between 24th and 29th avenues. The first would be to keep the busy street in its current configuration with 4 vehicle traffic lanes and no bike lanes. Another would turn the roadway into three lanes with bike lanes on each side. The center lane would be a turn lane. A third idea is to have the road be three lanes with wider sidewalks to accommodate pedestrians and bicycles. Councilors may implement a test of the re-configuration.
At their Wednesday work session, Councilor Alan Zelenka waggishly said the test is a good idea.
Zelenka: "If you're really certain and sure you are right, this test should prove you correct. Therefore, you should be in favor of it. So everybody should be in favor of the test.
Clark: "That's reasonable."
The second voice is Councilor Mike Clark who opposes the redesign that includes bike lanes. The Eugene city council will hear public comment on plans for South Willamette Street on the evening of May 19th at Harris Hall.
Rachael McDonald is KLCC’s host for All Things Considered on weekday afternoons. She also is the editor of the KLCC Extra, the daily digital newspaper. Rachael has a BA in English from the University of Oregon. She started out in public radio as a newsroom volunteer at KLCC in 2000.