Update: The Herald’s information that a vote was taking place on 4-16-24 was changed or appears in error. The presentation and vote on the future of TV Highway (Oak and Baseline) will happen in April / May of this year. From the City, “The draft Concept Plan will go to City Council sometime in April or May.”
A year or more ago, a rumbling began to emanate from City Hall and various influence groups with a horse or two in the race in the downtown corridor. My ears are always perked, and many people trust me to discuss their concerns and worries. What was being discussed back then seemed almost unbelievable – closing a lane of TV Highway from 10th Street to Adams in both directions: Baseline (TV Highway West towards Cornelius/Forest Grove) and Oak Street (TV Highway towards Aloha and Beaverton) would both potentially have 1 of the three lanes closed. Now, if you close your eyes and envision yourself trying to run that gauntlet during the day, let alone rush hour, you know this is a pinch point for traffic on the west side. It is getting busier and busier every year as these sections of roads are beginning to remind me more and more of Downtown Beaverton between Cedar Hills Blvd. and 217, arguably the biggest traffic hell in Oregon.
Yet here we are, folks – in April or May, your Hillsboro City Council is slated to vote for a plan to remove/repurpose a car travel lane from the existing TV Highway in both directions. THAT IS POSSIBLY GOING TO HAPPEN.
Maybe more brilliant thinking will prevail, but that does not seem likely.
Why? I was told this is about bike safety, as there are no bike lanes on this corridor, and I support bike lanes big time. The sidewalks are adequate, but they may need to be wider. Pedestrians need better crossings, although there are a significant number of crossings at many signalized intersections now. Then, the discussions around placemaking, beautifying, and encouraging business along that corridor and downtown set off my alarm. Those sorts of goals, which are good, often lead to bad decisions for other people. On par, much of this proposal makes no sense to me, especially on a crucial State Highway like TV Highway (Highway 8).
This process was led by a task force appointed by the City. There were a couple of open houses and an online survey. Four options framed as Concept plans were presented. The consultants hired by the City, Kittleson and Associates, did a lot of work. The City of Hillsboro Staff and their hired consultants always work hard and dig in on issues. My main concern is that a decision to close lanes was a desired outcome from the start, which biased what should have been an open, unfettered process. I am also not convinced that enough citizens, especially those businesses and people working and living on and adjacent to this corridor, were notified and consulted.
Let me cut through it because I do not want to bore you all, and this stuff gets way into the weeds. For those wanting to go deep on this issue, here is a link to Kittleson’s 475-page consulting report!
Here is the impact area of the decision being made. The orange is the area where major changes are being decided upon. If the council follows the recommendation, Baseline and Oak Street will both have a car travel lane removed, and the result will be two lanes of flow, altering the three lanes we have now.
Here are the 4 Concept Plans being looked at.
Of the 4 Concept Plans, two garnered the most support. Concept 2, as seen below, will remove a lane in both directions for wider sidewalks, planter sections, and street parking along the edge of the travel lanes.
Concept Plan 3 adds a nice Bicycle Facility in both directions, preserves the existing sidewalks at 6 feet, and maintains three travel lanes in each direction which is what we have now.
Concepts 1 and 4 garnered little support. So, let’s examine those all-important survey results and community inputs for Concept 2 & 3.
Baseline Street Results
42% Liked Concept 2
46.5% Disliked Concept 2
60% Liked Concept 3
15% Disliked Concept 3
Oak Street Results
41 % Liked Concept 2
45% Disliked Concept 2
61 % Liked Concept 3
20% Disliked Concept 3
The bottom line of those figures is that 150% more people like Concept 3 than Concept 2. In terms of dislikes, 300% more people disliked Concept 2 than Concept 3. Clearly, closing a traffic lane in both directions is a huge concern.
281 people took the survey or commented about his life-altering change to our downtown traffic pattern and the lives of those there. Is that really acceptable? 2/1000ths of a % of our population participated? Wow.
The Recommended Strategy by the City Staff and Consultants is to reject Concept 3 and Accept Concept 2. This theme of asking for input and refusing to acknowledge the undeniable outcome happens in many areas of the City. What is the point of doing community engagement if the powers that be do not listen and, in fact, go against Majority input? It makes no sense other than public input is required.
So ask for input, but don’t listen – those facts are self-evident.
Here is what the Council will likely approve on Tuesday- at least a taste of it.
Concept 2
Here is Concept 3, which the People of Hillsboro liked 150 to 300% better than Concept 2, and it is easy to see why!
Other Results of The Kittleson Study
Concepts 1, 2, and 3 provide exclusive space for biking configured using ODOT design standards and
according to best design practices. Concept 4 does not provide bicycle facilities that meet ODOT
design guidance. Only Concept 2 provides pedestrian facilities that meet Highway Design Manual
(HDM) recommendations.
Based on the results from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion criterion, the public prefers three travel
lanes, dedicated bicycle facilities, and improvements for pedestrians.Crossings with less exposure to
pedestrians are an additional element identified as important. No single concept provides all the
above.
Based on the results from the Livability criterion, Concept 3 provides the least amount of diversiononto neighborhood streets and is likely to require the least amount of neighborhood traffic diversionmitigation.
Based on the results from the Environmental criterion, Concept 3 leads to the least amount ofvehicular emissions and vehicular noise, while the other concepts provide more emissions and noiseas compared to the No-Build.
Diversion Of Cars Into Established Residential Areas is
Reason Enough To Adopt Concept 3
So what happens to hundreds of cars an hour when they can no longer flow East and West through Hillsboro? After all, this is the only route in and out of Hillsboro on a State Highway. Where will everyone go? They will divert into surrounding neighborhoods. Without a doubt, Walnut Street will face staggering change regarding car trips. The Kittleson Report opines that more work needs to be done but that thousands of additional car trips can be expected on Walnut as drivers are forced to use it as a primary alternative. Washington and Main Street stand to join in the fun in the mad traffic scramble. Look for Maple at the Swim Center to get stacked up, Cedar Street and 10th, and 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th to become a sieve of cut-through cars. People drive fast and erratic in unknown territory. There are narrow streets in these neighborhoods with no bike paths. So we push dangerous cars into an area for what? And what about the children and people recreating at the swim center, Shute Park, and David Hill School site? Do we not care? Of course, we do. We all do. The council and staff care deeply too, I know that. And they are not ready to make this decision.
The Cities Traffic Consultant said it best and proposes the best solution- A pilot program that can be implemented using low-cost lane restriping is the best way to advance. Let’s say this Pilot Program shows us all factually that we can not in good conscience close a lane of traffic on Oak and on Baseline. Then, we can pull out of the idea before it is too late. Here is what Kittleson said in the 475-page report
The project management team (PMT) recognizes that Concept 1 is a more near-term implementable and
interim option to achieving Concept 2. Concept 1 can be implemented through low-cost, restriping
strategies and can serve as a pilot option in testing the lane configuration modifications along Oak Street
and Baseline Street. Implementing Concept 1 in the near-term also provides the opportunity in preserving
the necessary space needed to implement Concept 2 in the long-term.
Will the Council listen? I am unsure- they have not shown they can listen well these days.
I asked the City Staff about Walnut Street and the out-of-direction travel. They offered this:
From Dirk Knudsen to COH Staff: I have two properties that will be impacted. 4th and Walnut, and on SE 7th street near Shute Park- I see daily cut through traffic on Walnut in both directions, and now on Maple and 7th and Cedar as people flow from 10th to get out of Gridlock in both directions. It appears Kittleson predicts this too. What is staff seeing and anticipating on this matter and how is staff wanting to address this?
City Staff: It’s important to note that Walnut is designated a Collector roadway, and thus is intended to provide access and mobility. However, staff will be looking at ways to mitigate diversion off Oak/Baseline/10th Ave through neighborhood streets. Diversion to the surrounding streets has been identified as a concern by City staff. Improving connectivity to the neighborhoods south of the highway, and enhancing their livability are key. The project, given the scope limitations of the partnership with ODOT, has primarily focused on Oak/Baseline/10th because that is the State Highway. However, City staff have requested additional analysis of this very question and additional recommendations for treatments to calm traffic and reduce diversion onto Walnut are currently being considered for inclusion in the final recommendation to City Council.
Conclusion-
Folks, I come to you to get involved. You can attend the meeting when this issue comes up for a vote in April/May – you can do that online and ask for your 3 minutes. I will be. Concept 3 is a fine solution. Concept 2 is not as good in my opinion. That plan takes more from all of us and adds value to less. That is not what equity looks like. That is not good planning. Do you want to see Hillsboro crippled in terms of a downtown core? Do you want to be Beaverton?
283 people got involved. Ask yourself what is wrong with the process and the people of this town when this is all we can muster. I don’t believe that- I believe in all of you. Something is very, very wrong here – maybe deep down, we all know what it is.
The time to speak up is now.
- You can contact one or all of the City Councilors right here at this link: https://www.hillsboro-oregon.gov/our-city/departments/city-manager-s-office/hillsboro-101/contact-the-city-council
The Herald will post more information on when this will be heard as it becomes available- based on what I am hearing, the presentation was happening on April 16th but is now delayed until May. More to follow.
I think this is a bad idea anything that restricts traffic control is a bad idea it’s already takes to long to get around. I swear more backwards thinking from government when is it going to stop. I don’t care about bicycles they shouldn’t be allowed by any road. They are a driving hazard as far as I’m concerned. . Just another reason to move away from here. Stupid stupid idea.. Portland did this with foster road that sucks now takes forever to get through plus a waste of gas slowing cars down like this. When will this dumb thinking stop.
So you don’t bike and want public money only spent on you. Sounds like you only think about yourself. And FYI, cars and cities do not go together.
Should the Railroad Crossings in Downtown Hillsboro be Gone for Good on Baseline & Oak Street crossing Adams. Yes cause it’s causing Heavy Traffic Congestions all the way backed up to Dennis & 5th Street. It needs to be Grade Separated Underpass, Just like they did in Downtown Yakima, Washington back in 2012.
More people walk and bike in denser cities. Making sure those people aren’t killed by drivers is a good thing.
How many have been hit or harmed on those roads and how does that compare to say Cornell and Orenco Station Parkway which has been a dead zone the last few years. I don’t know all the answers, but I can tell you Concept three was preferred by a wide margin and accomplishes most of the goals, is quieter, and better for the environment. All based on the report.
I have been almost hit at least twice now in that area. I always, always make sure to look both directions multiple times. People drive really fast, don’t make complete stops, and don’t let people cross.
Another Idea is to keep Baseline & Oak 3 Travel Lanes & Add the Bike Green Paint on both sides of the Right Shoulder & No Parking Allowed. Washington Street to be Buses & Resistance Only.
Hillsboro is the antithesis of density.
For a mayor that is adamant about growing the population of Hillsboro, why would he and the city council think squeezing the main artery down would be beneficial? This makes no sense. I personally voted for option three. Baseline and especially Oak are already a headache, it would become a straight up migraine if they lost one lane. Their reasons aren’t enough to do this. I’m also angry that they would ask for input from the citizens and then completely ignore what they choose.
Baseline/Oak aren’t really the headache. The headache is the intersections of Baseline/Oak with 10th Ave. Counterintuitively, shrinking Baseline/Oak down to two lanes might actually improve traffic flow since you are only going to get two lanes of traffic on and off of 10th and there will no longer be an incentive to try and cut into the proper lane at the last minute, since there won’t be a third travel lane.
I like them to eliminate the parking on Oak as well. It is rarely needed and makes it more difficult for turning drivers to see cyclists.
Like most legislature in this state, this is dumb, not well thought out, and designed with the minority in mind, not the majority. You start the article by admitting that this area is already a high traffic area that is increasing with time. Why then would you go down the logic that the road should be narrowed so a few bikes can ride there? There are several routes parallel to that corridor that a perfectly suited for bikes. There is no need for there to be another bike lane on this arterial. All you are going to do is make the traffic spread to more of the surface streets and turn Hillsboro into the hell that is Tigard. Please, for once in your political lives, use some common sense and turn off the over charged liberalism that is ruining this state. Social programs are fine and necessary, but this state takes it to a Florida level of extreme and it is the reason this state is falling a part.
Same ole thing from Hillsboro – asking for Public Input and then completely disregarding the majority of the input and doing what they had planned to do all along……this is not The Hillsboro Way anymore!
I think the 3rd Travel Lane needs to be Bus Only & have a Right Away Bus Signal like they did on Division Street in Portland. In order to speed up & keep Line 57 Schedules On Time & Avoiding Traffic Congestions. Someday in the future is a New Bypass on TV Highway between Shute Park to Dairy Creek & back onto Baseline around the New Loop. Avoiding All Intersections & Railroad Crossings with Grade Separation & New Exit Ramps.
For how many streets there are running parallel to that stretch, it would make the most sense to designate one of those roads as the primary bike path. Lincoln St, Walnut, etc.
My thought exactly. And I think Walnut could more easily be a choice for that – Lincoln could be too. To be a truly great Bike city maybe we should shut Washington and make it all a transit corridor?
To be a truly great bike city? NOBODY RIDES BIKES IN THE RAINY MONTHS. You want to ride a bike, then ride it through the safer neighborhood streets and leave the cars alone.
I’m up on Evergreen. Nobody STOPS riding bikes in the rainy months, and the bike lanes up here prove it. Cry more about your car.
My family and I have lived in Hillsboro for over 25 years. For whatever reason, I did not see an opportunity to take the street survey for the traffic changes. Had I taken the survey, I would have voted as “Really Like” Concept 3 and “Really Dislike” Concept 2. I prefer Concept 3 over all other Concepts. I seriously like the idea of adding a bike lane. I greatly dislike the idea of removing a traffic lane in a congested area with increasing city and county population. Not sure how Concept 2 would be a net benefit for the people, but instead create more anger and stress to drivers as the traffic congestion would grow much more than it currently is. I drive this corridor several times a week. Thanks for the news update and reporting the proposed changes.
It’s so exciting to finally see Hillsboro addressing some of the bad infrastructure design decisions that were made during the car-is-king 1900s era. Thank you Dirk for your reporting and for bringing us this good news. I acknowledge the concerns about the survey results and the way the council engaged with the public. I for one was never asked and would have loved to give my support for going down to 2 lanes and adding trees.
When I moved to Hillsboro 26 years ago, I couldn’t believe how ugly the Baseline/Oak roads are. Hillsboro was just a place to get through without stopping, until I discovered the downtown district. I have been saying for years now that this 3-lane freeway through our town is a terrible idea. All it does is encourage high speeds, dangerous driving, lots of noise, and lots of emissions as cars drag race to get around each other. Meanwhile pedestrians are relegated to a tiny sidewalk in disrepair, with no buffer from the dangerous freeway. Adding lanes does not reduce congestion, it just increases traffic. There are ways to mitigate the cut-through traffic, which already occurs and is a problem.
Room for everyone in this discussion. Concept 2 is expected to increase the noise and pollution. I think there is a better option out there. We will see how things go and if the money ever can be found to improve these roads with better ammenities. If there was another way around town this could all be solved, but really there isn’t. Thanks for commenting and reading.
Washington Street makes the most sense to me. It connects naturally to the Council Creek trail that the County is supposed to be building soon. And all that activity would help revitalize all of the dying businesses on Washington!
Very true.
How will slower traffic be noisier? How will supporting people wanting to walk/bike places instead of driving, lead to more pollution? Will widening roads and encouraging people to drive reduce emissions? A change in how we look at transportation is absolutely needed. Stuff like this is done all the time in places abroad. It’s time to bring Hillsboro into the modern age.
All covered by the consultants. All based on facts in the reports.
Making congestion worse will not get more people to bike, but all those cars idling on the road and being stuck in traffic longer definitely makes for more pollution. Making congestion worse is bad for the environment, and people won’t give up their cars just because they have to sit in traffic for an extra 10 minutes. Making the bike route on a parallel nearby street is the best and probably cheapest solution. Also fixing the intersections at 10th and Baseline/Oak to make traffic flow better would be a nice way to decrease pollution and reduce everyone’s commute time.
I have avoided downtown Beaverton like the plague for at least 20 years due to the traffic, I imagine it has been bad for business there. Making traffic worse in Hillsboro would make myself and probably many others also avoid that area as well.
I hope Hillsboro doesn’t fall into the “make traffic super bad so people won’t drive as much” fallacy. It doesn’t work and just wastes everyone’s time, money, and pollutes more while wasting gasoline.
Everyone has the right to get from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible. How will that be accomplished by reducing lanes on a road? Reducing the lanes on Foster Rd didn’t accomplish that.
This is WONDERFUL! I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime. I really like concept 2. Love the Idea of more trees, traveling safely on my bike, and the overall attractiveness. I got hit on that road, partially due to it being 3 lanes, so I love the Idea of reducing lanes and danger to cars, cyclists, and pedestrians.
I fully expect to be able to get from point A to point B quickly and efficiently. How exactly does one accomplish that by reducing the amount of lanes on a road?
Go a different way, I don’t care.
Here’s a Good Idea to improve the Traffic Flowing in Downtown Hillsboro One Way Couplet, Line 57 to be Buses Only in the Right Lane & Skip the Hillsboro TC. They can walk up to MAX by One to Two Blocks. Westbound Bus will not go around Two Times at a Bus Stop on Baseline @ 3rd. Eastbound 57 will be moved to stay on Oak Street. It will include New Bus Stop Shelters, Sidewalk Surfaces, Bike Lanes, Street plants. It does include New Traffic Signals & Replace Railroad Crossings for Freight Trains at Adams. Freight Trains may block the crossing sometimes. Someday in the future is to Grade Separated that crossing on Oak & Baseline crossing Adams Street. It is a Very Busy Street & it’s not good to have Railroad Crossings. It Would need to go a New Underpass & keep the Right Lane At Grade to be Right Turn Only & U Turn to access Police Station & Elmers Restaurant. That Veterans will get Impacted. Exactly what they did in Downtown Yakima Washington a long time ago.
We need to make Streets Safer for Everybody
Sounds like a good plan!
It will be a good idea to make Farmington & Canyon Road a New One Way Couplet from Hocken Ave to Highway 217. So that way we can fit in 4 Travel Lanes & Leave the 5th Bat Lane for Buses & Right Turns Only. It’ll be a Major Change in Downtown Beaverton. It will also include Upgrading or Eliminate Railroad Crossings to Grade Separated Bridges or Tunnels. So that way it’ll Improve the Traffic Flowing & Easing Congestions.
It will be a good idea to make Farmington & Canyon Road a New One Way Couplet from Hocken Ave to Highway 217. So that way we can fit in 4 Travel Lanes & Leave the 5th Bat Lane for Buses & Right Turns Only. It’ll be a Major Change in Downtown Beaverton. It will also include Upgrading or Eliminate Railroad Crossings to Grade Separated Bridges or Tunnels. So that way it’ll Improve the Traffic Flowing & Easing Congestions.
Now if Hillsboro and Washington County could stop building more and wider roads outside of downtown.
They batter not be building more houses. We need to get started on Eliminating some Railroad Crossings at a Time. Big Money Lotteries by the Federal Government Tina. We need to make Safety Happen. Nobody should obey At Grade Railroad Crossings. Bridges Grade Separated is Very Important, in order to Save Life’s, Ease Congestion, Better Traffic Flowing & Improving the Environment on Emergency Vehicles.
The first one will be 185th @ Baseline, that is a Very Bad & Dangerous Intersection. A Light Rail Bridge is needed there, it’s a Very Busy Street. It’s not good to have Railroad Crossing Gate Activated Every 2 Minutes. It will keep on screwing up the Traffic Signals & Crosswalks. Very Frustrating, we need to get started on Construction as soon is Possible. High Crash Corridors.
Mark: Don’t hold your breath for elevated rail crossings anywhere in MAX land. They are beyond super expensive to make, delay traffic for years during construction, and TM doesn’t have any surplus of funds to build such crossings. They weren’t built originally, and they wont get built now no matter how much you hope for.
Dirk, I generally like your reporting on local Hillsboro issues, but this article is very one sided.
You listed the positives of option 3, and the negatives of option 2. You provide no context on crash history, and don’t inform the reader of what the reasoning for the decision is. What does the city want to look like in 30 years? Will we all still be travelling by car?
This is a very one-sided piece. I’m not sure what the intent was, other than to rile people up. I think it’s great that we’re prioritizing safety along this stretch, and that traffic impacts will be relatively minor. I used to cross these roads on my commute to work, and it was absolutely terrifying. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.
281 people deciding the future of Hillsboro is not appropriate. I am glad we have professionals weighing the input, and applying standards and their experience to help us all have a better, more livable future.
Everything you need to know is in the 475 page report attached. This approach to go with Concept #2 has dire consequences to the people and children living in the areas where out of direction travel will go, as detaoled in the report. The idea behind outreach is to get outreach and here from people. That happened on a small scale. Concept three gets great improvements without causing harm to others. It was the preferred choice. Have you read the 475 page report? I did. Have you spoke with businesses and people along Oak and Baseline? I have. Also, the people on Walnut and Cedar and Maple do not understand what is happening and those I spoke with said they were not contacted. Something this life altering requires people be informed. I spoke my opinions. You spoke yours. Maybe you can address how this would be a win win for everyone including those folks.
“Everything you need to know is in the 475 page report attached. ”
So, what’s your job? I mean, why not just publish the report without commentary?
I am free to post whatever I want. My job is to report on what is happening. If I add my Opinions that is clearly noted in the article as an Opinion piece. I provided a link for anyone to review. So maybe that would be good for you to do.
Concept 2 is a win/win because it makes everyone safer, including folks who live on neighboring streets.
The report doesn’t support your claim of dire consequences from vehicle diversion. Only medium to high level of diversion on Walnut St. and low level of diversion on Main and Washington St. are expected. No mention of expected diversions onto Maple or Cedar streets in the report. And it suggests changes to Walnut to discourage diversion and slow traffic. Also, its analysis assumes no mode share change from reduced demand or other factors, which means its diversion expectations will almost certainly be worse than reality.
Why act like Concept 2 is going to harm people without mentioning that the current infrastructure is already harming people? Why ignore that preserving existing road widths and vehicle throughput with Concept 3 would continue to harm people?
You seem to think reducing throughput from current levels at all is a terrible idea but we should have never prioritized people driving THROUGH our community over people traveling WITHIN our community in the first place. We need to treat traffic violence like the pandemic it is and react with urgency to make our transportation network safer.
Concept 2 scored best on crash reduction factors, crossing distance exposure, safety criteria, user comfort, and aesthetics. It is the only concept that meets HDM guidelines for pedestrian zone width. It is the only concept that separates and protects bicycling facilities, which should be the bare minimum for new bike infastructure. (Unprotected bike lanes adjacent to vehicle lanes are dangerous and unuseable for all but the most confident riders.)
All this and only 30 seconds added to westbound travel times. (Yes, the report does say that emissions and noise would be worse for Concept 2, but again, this analysis is flawed by assuming no mode shift.)
Concept 3 is worse on all those metrics. It’s the best only at doing one thing: preserving vehicle throughput. Maybe you can address why that’s more important than all those benefits of Concept 2?
I see merit in Concept 2. Not enough to protect the people living in the diversion areas. The City and its consultants have not studied Cedar or Maple to the West of 10th which are very snesitive areas with the Library, SHARRC, and many small apartments with Children. The streets are narrow and that area of 9th to 7th from Walnut to Maple is very sensitive. It is actually much easier to cut through at Maple then at Walnut and as a result the diversion needs to be looked at. I want to protect things and make things better. Not worse.
The Consultants and the City openly admitted there needs to be more work done and startegies in place before Concept 2, or any Concept is adopted. Why has that not happened? That is a fundamental problem with all of this. We can’t get this wrong.
Kittleson says:
Also for all the folks living along Walnut – they get to face property devaluation and loss of access and a whole host of other negative impacts. The consultats said:
“Key findings of the diversion analysis include:
• Walnut Street: Walnut Street receives the majority of the diverted traffic in each of the
scenarios, as vehicles bypass congestion and slower travel speeds along Oak Street/Baseline
Street. The largest impact to Walnut Street occurs in Scenario D, which removes turn lanes at
1st Street and reduces the speed on Oak Street/Baseline Street. This results in the potential of
up to 300 vehicles to divert from Oak Street to Walnut Street and up to 150 vehicles to divert
from Baseline Street to avoid congestion and slower speeds on OR 8.
While Walnut Street is identified as a collector in the City’s Transportation System Plan, there
are numerous driveways with direct access and Walnut Street is fronted primarily by
residential land use between 3rd Avenue and 9th Avenue. Neighborhood traffic management
mitigation would likely be needed to ensure that regional traffic remains on Oak Street and
Baseline Street ”
I don’t need to address anything further. You made some good points. I think I have too. This plan is not ready to make a deicison upon.
I see you were supportive of removing the traffic requirements as required by State Laws in 2022. I was too. You did not support me in that and I am wondering if you came out swining against the City of Hillsboro when it sued the State over having those requirements in place? I provide a forum for people to speak. You are welcome to avail yourself of it. Just make it more about the topics and less about me. I am not the problem in this town, of that I can assure you. And you live in Hillsboro or would it maybe be Beaverton? Keep commenting, you are a great mind and I can always use friends, supporters, and detractors like you!
Apologies, you may have me confused with Benjamin Fryback, to whom you originally replied. I am a Hillsboro resident. My family and I get around primarily by bike. We are very familiar with the lack of safe biking infrastructure in Hillsboro. Many bike lanes are too dangerous to use. Many streets are difficult to cross.
The report states they performed a diversion analysis using a mesoscopic traffic model of downtown Hillsboro. I don’t think it is reasonable to assume this model did not include Cedar and Maple west of 10th.
Besides, the potential for diversion onto neighborhood streets is not a reason to disqualify Concept 2; it merely means we should also apply the mitigations suggested in the report.
This is still only in the planning phase. There is much more time for figuring out the details to get this right. We have to be willing to make transformational change though: it is desperately needed.
I can tell you care about Hillsboro and its people. I do too. Why don’t you come for a bike ride with me? I don’t think we’d see things that differently.
Correct me if I’m wrong here but…isn’t Highway 8 under the jurisdiction of ODOT? As in it isn’t Hillsboro’s decision to make on it’s own? Somehow I can’t see any logic in reducing the number of travel lanes only to have to build the lost lane back 3 seconds later when everyone starts whining about congestion on all the side streets and people start avoiding Hillsboro.
It is an ODOT Highway but they seem to be working with the City- that will all have to be worked out. And that is why the concultant specfically stated thet Concept 1 would not cost much of anything and the striping would do the job of Concept 2 and sort of Test Pilot what would happen before it is finaly done.
WOW! It took all day for ODOT to be mentioned (THANKS Russell!) and that Hiway 8 is a State property! Sure the COH and State are in Cahoots (hell they’re all LIBERALS!), but I’ll bet some of the same individuals at COH, that wasted $500K on changing MainSt to “Two -Way” are in on this wacky nonsense. IDEA: Fix the crappy streets in and around downtown!
BTW: Can anyone tell me how much the Jackson School Rd project ultimately cost? How about it Callaway…..The bid price was $22 mil. Check out all the dead trees along the rd now!
Of course I read your article at 1510, with the cutoff to speak at 1500.
As someone who has given ~5,000 rideshare rides between Uber and Lyft, I can say that the streets elsewhere in the area that have lanes designated as transit only, are only a success in the minds of delusional people who only ride the bus or bike. The rest of the road users see a lane that is empty greater than 98% of the time with frustrated drivers darting into that lane with little regard for safety after being stuck, idling as traffic backs up, not just at peak times, but very often throughout the day and into the night. That is what you can expect when you remove 1/3 of the capacity without providing any alternate route for the same number of vehicles.
As a transplant (boonies of Montana to San Diego to Seattle to Portland) to the area it is mind blowing that multiple places in the Portland metro area have significant portions of communities where the best and only real option to get from one area to another is a multi lane surface street with closely placed stoplights and 30mph speed limits.
It is a wonder that more collisions do not occur, both vehicle/vehicle and vehicle/pedestrian. It is too late to put the genie back into the bottle and expect people not to live in the suburbs and work closer in.
Actual infrastructure improvements by actual civil engineers could alleviate some of the issues, but at this point, those changes that should have been done as the local population grew, rather than putting bandaid after bandaid on the problem, will be expensive and disruptive.
While some people may not like cars and trucks, forcing those vehicles to idle, whilst stuck in traffic adds to the amount of pollution created much more than allowing the traffic to efficiently flow through, or better yet, bypass the choke points.
Congratulations! I now have a headache. What about doing nothing? Isn’t that an option?
Love to see positive changes like this in the community. Cyclists and pedestrians pay taxes too. As a long time Hillsboro resident, I’d love to see Baseline taken down to two lanes.
I emailed the mayor and City Council today to provide my input, as I am unable to attend the April 16 session. Here is the quick response I received:
——————————————
Good Afternoon,
Thanks so much for reaching out and for taking the online survey. We also appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with the Hillsboro City Council.
The Oak/Baseline/10th Avenue Corridor Study is a planning project, which means there are no funds or timelines associated with the project. Instead, the City has drafted a Concept Plan that details what the roadways could look like in the future.
All concepts must follow Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) rules, as ODOT who owns the roadway and sets codes, standards and guidelines. A bike facility must be provided on Oregon 8 that meet ODOT design guidance and Concept 2 provides pedestrian facilities that meet Highway Design Manual (HDM) recommendations.
The Concept Plan was chosen based on cost, business displacement, community feedback, other direct impacts to private properties, and the ability to phase construction. The Concepts Evaluation Memo can be found here: https://www.hillsboro-oregon.gov/home/showdocument?id=30349&t=638440330828312740
Sometime in May or June, the Hillsboro City Council will review and potentially approve the Draft Concept Plan. A date to consider approval has not been set.
To find the most up-to-date and accurate information, please consider signing up for email updates from the City of Hillsboro.
Thanks,
Karla Antonini, AICP | Economic Development Project Manager
City of Hillsboro | Economic & Community Development Department
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So, it appears the vote has been delayed. Also, it is not showing on the posted agenda.
The hell with a bike lane, closing down a lane tor them will only make matters worse. Bicycles need yo be more aware of where they are on the road and understand that these roads are for cars, bikes are a after thought and need to adjust to the growing car traffic. I pay road tax for me and my car. Not for some dumb bike.
Any option that reduces the lanes down to 2 is absolutley terrible for surrounding neighborhoods and will 100% lincrease the diversion that is already happening, I know becuase it happens all the time in my neighborhood, The Birchwoods, off Grant right near Hare field. People avoid the disaster at SE 10th and all the lights by cutting up north on 6th to hit Grant, then east to Cornell, but not all of them go all the way up 6th to Grant, they head east on Lincoln or Jackson St by Lincoln Elementary, then cut through on my road, NE Birchwood Rd to come out on Grant right by Hare Field. People fly down my road all the time everyday, but it’s even worse during rush hour because they’re trying to avoid 10th and all the lights like the plague. I’ve already tried numerous times to get speed bumps or permenent flashing speed signs with no luck from ODOT, the City, or the county.
Then if they’re trying to head south on 10th they cut over from Oak to Walnut because the right turn on Oak and 10th gets backed up. People use Walnut as a cut through going east and west to bypass 10th and all the lights because most of the time it’s quicker. Traffic is already bad with 3 lanes because 80,000+ vehicles travel on these two roads each and every single day, just think what will happen with two lanes and those numbers increase with population growth. Also all the people that live and work in Forest Grove, Cornelius, etc aren’t going all the way north to hit 26 to drop back into Beaverton, I also know this because a bunch of my wife’s co-workers live in Forest Grove and they come down Baseline or TV Hwy because they say it’s quicker to get to Beaverton than going north to 26 and fighting 26 and 217 traffic.
If these two roads do go down to two I won’t be surprised to see more road rage and speeding from angry and impatient drivers, and more injuries and deaths from it.
You have lived it like me. We k ow what’s coming next. Many others have not, live in nice places like Jackson School or behind gates at Fishback or in Jones Farm and South Hillsboroand just don’t care!
This is is still in planning and it isn’t budgeted yet. At any rate, I’m glad to see to see the city working to make downtown more liveable and safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. As studies have shown, increasing foot and bike traffic is good for downtown businesses. The city can and should implement mitigations to alleviate concerns about diversion, but that can be advocated for as the process continues. We should be celebrating a return to classic urban forms which are better for people and the economic health of our beautiful, classic downtown. The roads as they exist are overbuilt, and evolving them to adhere to Complete Streets principles will result is better outcomes overall.
You’ve won me over on several topics since I started reading the last year but this is one where I think we may need to disagree again, Dirk.
I would also point out that some of the way other commenters are talking about local bicyclists and pedestrians is rather concerning
Thanks, Matthew.
I too think Concept 2 can work and I see some of the benefits. However, businesses and residents from Oak to the South are telling us they received no notices. The City will not confirm the question of if this areas residents, a diversion target, were notified. I know we weren’t. Let’s keep the dialogue going!
Thanks,
Dirk
On 1st Street is to narrow 4 Lanes to 3 Lanes between Walnut to Lincoln & widen 2 Lanes to 3 Lanes between Harewood to Lincoln. In order to make way for Center Left Turn Lanes & add Bike Lanes Right Shoulders. Rebuilding a Sidewalk Surfaces. New Streetlights & New Traffic Signals
On Main & Lincoln is to extend a One Way Couplet between Connell to Cornell Road.
Main Street Eastbound Traffic Only
Lincoln Street Westbound Traffic Only
New Traffic Signals, New Streetlights & Replace Railroad Crossings. Railroad Crossings need to be Gone Permanently. Cause we don’t want anyone getting hit by a Train. Walking on Tracks is Dangerous & Trespassing.
We want Everyone to be Safe in Downtown Hillsboro Loop Project & Downtown Beaverton Loop Projects too.
I am reading this on my phone, will need to look on a larger screen before I can fully understand the different configurations. So far the 2 and 3 lane options look identical, which confuses me size wise. I did see removing street parking was suggested which I would support. That was done on Maple and 13th residential area– apartment area so first I was concerned for residents trying to find parking, but driving it, which I often do. I could see visibility was so much better, room for bikes and much safer for all, also pedestrians
Agree with person who pointed out concerning negative bicyclist comments like they shouldn’t exist. Really unnecessary! But Also agree with the person who drives extensively that where there is transit/bike only lanes they are mostly empty. A big question I don’t see addressed and I think some people have a wrong impression of is about trees? Some are thinking there may be more, maybe because they are in the drawings. I really made a point to notice driving this recently, and saw there are many mature trees along this stretch. If the Jackson school project is any indicator where 300+ trees were removed (yes hard to believe but I just googled and saw the 300 number), likely will be a negative, not positive factor. Dirk any comment on that in the huge report? Thanks for the info, I need to study more.
I’ve looked at the full 427 page report but one thing stands out to me. The artists representation of how all four concepts will look show exactly one car in each lane of traffic. This is fully representative of an inability to deal with reality. There is a fantasy that traffic will just go away if you put in bike lanes and the pictures are a perfect exposition of that fantasy. It completely misrepresents the real picture to come and shows a lack of seriousness of the report..
I would love to see a road diet in downtown Hillsboro. This is fabulous news. Beaverton has done the same on most of SW Western Avenue.
Quite a dramatic article, very opinionated and slaps in the face of unbiased reporting. Almost as dramatic as something I’d see on FOX news. I love the idea of making the roads safer and more practical for anyone outside of a car, of course it seems anyone in a car can’t possibly have anything taken away from them or you’ll see the rage of a crying baby. We need to move away from cars. For most people it could be perfectly possible to live their lives with public transit, if it were provided of course and that’s a whole other issue. Still freight and utilities like garbage, police, fire, bus and all those things are fine. People who can’t use public transit because of a disability are fine. People who are coming from rural areas are fine. And even a few people who just can’t let go of their huge 2 ton piece of metal (if in small amounts) are fine). We can have a solution and I think it’s option 2. It still gives 2 lanes for cars (which in anywhere other than North America is pretty exorbitant) and makes it so much better for people actually in the city, not in their little bubble. It also makes it safer to cross because of it being narrower. More people walking is a much better economic stimulus than someone driving, as when they see an interesting business they can just walk up, rather then having to find parking and walk back, which is unlikely at just a glance at 35 MPH. And no, there won’t be tons of traffic on Washington or walnut street, maybe over the next few days but over time people will use other form of transit. This is what happened when they ripped out Harbor Drive back in the early 70s. Guess what? No traffic nightmare AND you get this waterfront park.
Let’s look at what happened when Baseline westbound was completely closed for a week.
Personally, it had me thinking that Dirk’s view about the negative impact on surrounding businesses like Elmer’s, Blue Jay’s, Scotties and the sushi carts has merit. That the backup on the poorly signed detour routes at Walnut and Main proved his point about congestion there.
But to a person, every ODOT worker, Hillsboro roads worker and old-crank commuter said “You know what? Not so bad.” In their estimation, Union Pacific, ODOT, the county and the city proved that there’s not enough traffic volume on that segment on 8 to argue against a complete shutdown for at-grade rail maintenance (by the way, the guy further up this thread who recommends ignoring rail crossings is going to get someone killed).
And it’s true. Even with the Tuesday and Saturday markets on Main, the closure didn’t shut down Walnut and didn’t cause horrendous backups. It isn’t beyond belief that a road-dieted Baseline and Oak with more room for bikes (and connection to the trail out to Forest Grove) as well as improved bus service would move much better than the closed road and cause minimal to no disruption.
I still think exploring Washington as a completely car-free transit corridor has tremendous merit. There’s little parking there anyway, and I can’t imagine that the cluster of businesses on 2nd would mind having a bike pipeline right to their doorstep. But once the city gets its mind set to certain items like bulldozing public softball fields for a private low-tier minor-league ballpark or turning farmland into data centers, it rarely reverses course. Ask the airport folks, who halted expansion for many years and now have Nike sending more flights out of HIO than they did in 2015.
That closing Baseline didn’t grind the city to a halt this summer is about the best news the Oak and Baseline projects could receive. We didn’t know the benefits of the Jackson School project until it was completed. Now people bike and walk that stretch like they’re in a Speilberg film. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of Hillsboro Station, the wine cellars, Ochoa’s Super Taco and some of the other businesses when the world isn’t flying by them at 60 miles per hour.