Foster Road safety committee takes action

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 1, 2012

As a response to another pedestrian (albeit an apparently drunk one, not in a crosswalk) being struck on the evening of June 29 on S.E. Foster Road — between 70th and 71st Avenues — a group of area residents decided to take action to improve safety for those who use this major east-west thoroughfare, on bike and on foot.

On July 5, Mt. Scott-Arleta, Foster-Powell, and Lents neighborhood residents were invited to a meeting at Bar Carlo to plan their next steps under the name “Foster Vision and Action”.

At that meeting, Foster-Powell Neighborhood Association (FoPo) Board member Tracy Gratto served as facilitator.

“I’m interested in supporting some action to make S.E. Foster road safer for people,” Gratto said before the meeting began.

“The idea is to get together to create a broader coalition to support more intense action than, for example, just writing a letter to the City regarding safety along the street.”

Dan Campbell, who said he serves as FoPo’s Transportation Chair, sat across the table from Gratto.

“When it comes to safety concerns, the City hasn’t done enough,” Campbell opined. “They created a Streetscape Plan in 2003, but because of lack of funding have not been able to fund the plan.”

But, he continued, while City officials mull over the now old plan, the number of pedestrian and bicycle related injuries and fatalities continue to climb.

Campbell referenced the January 28 hit-and-run accident that killed 26-year-old Jason Lee Grant — and the inebriated pedestrian who was stuck on June 29 — both within feet of the same spot, on Foster Road at SE 70th Avenue.

“We’re also looking to see how Foster Road can be made safer in the near term, before the construction scheduled for 2014 actually begins,” Campbell said.

The group discussed the draft of a letter that outlined their collective visions for a “Foster Road transformed into a street that is safe, pleasant, lively, fun, and appealing.”

Their vision listed four key components: Safe to be on or to travel through at any time of day; pedestrian-friendly; bicycle-friendly; and business-friendly.

Proposed measures for “The road to a better Foster Road” included:

· Road-diet — “Lane reductions to free up space for bike lanes, on-street parking, bus-stop pull-outs, turn lanes, curb extensions for safer crosswalks, etc.”

· Speed reductions — Proposing “A 25 mph maximum speed … between S.E. 62nd and S.E. 72nd Avenues; 30 mph maximum speed from 50th/Powell to SE 62nd Avenue, and from S.E. 72nd Avenue to the Lents Town Center.”

· Bike lanes — “Foster Road needs to be safe to cross and to travel along, for cars, for pedestrians, and for bicycles.”

· Business- and Pedestrian-friendly environment — Retaining on-street parking; providing safe crosswalks; including street trees and landscaping; and providing TriMet bus pull-outs.

Many of the same people who came to the Foster Vision and Action meeting went on to hold what they called a “Foster Road Safety Action” on the evening of July 17.

The group gathered at the S.E. 80th Avenue at Foster Road pedestrian crossing — where one woman was killed, and another seriously injured, on November 1, 2009.

“We’re out here tonight to put pressure on the city to address some of the pedestrian safety needs on S.E. Foster Road,” said their spokesman, FoPo resident Jeffrey Lynott.

“We’re out here trying to say that people should be able to cross the street safely in their neighborhood. The fact is, Foster Road is not safe to cross.”

Acknowledging that the most recent pedestrian victim was suspected of being intoxicated, Lynott added, “In other neighborhoods, people go to bars, but they don’t have traffic fatalities.” (However, the victim in this case was injured, but not killed.)

As Jennifer Merrill put a helmet on her 3-year-old, who was riding in a bike trailer, she said, “As one who lives in the Foster-Powell neighborhood, safety is a priority if I’m walking, biking, or even driving in the car. That’s why I decided to serve on the Board of our neighborhood association.”

Off the group went, heading west along S.E. Foster Road. The group crossed the busy street at six locations, including a signalized intersection, a marked crosswalk, and at a few un-striped intersections — considered, by law, to be crosswalks even if not marked.

Some motorists jeered, but others gave signs of support for the effort. Their peaceful “demonstration” may not sway those at City Hall — but the sight of folks wearing black, and carrying mock coffins, perhaps influenced a few drivers to drive more carefully that evening.