Amid growing pains, Bend seeks to improve road safety
The conflict between drivers and bicyclists in Bend is ongoing, but there may be an opportunity to improve the situation.
The city of Bend is in the process of updating its transportation plan.
The idea is to shape the future of city roads to minimize conflict between all those who use them including cars, bikes and pedestrians.
We spoke with a few Bend residents Wednesday who expressed frustration about roads growing more crowded and want to see changes to the road system.
One resident said city planners need to make sure they account for growth when making decisions.
“With this many more people moving to the area, it’s really gotten out of control, as far as I’m concerned. Just stay off the road at 5 o’clock,” he said.
There have been many ideas proposed in the planning process, such as separating bike lanes from the roadways themselves.
Right now, all options are on the table for the city, and according to Karen Swirsky, senior planner for the city, safety is a main priority, so that all can share the roads.
“Our safety record for pedestrians and cyclists is not as good as we’d like it to be, for sure,” Swirsky said. “We’ve always had a list of safety projects, but this will allow us to put them in context and figure out how to prioritize funding for them.”
Bend’s current transportation plan is 20 years old and in need of an overhaul.
The city wants to make sure that the public’s voice is heard, so they can be a part of the solution.
“We have to have a financial plan. We have to have a funding program,” Swirsky said. “And that will probably involve some asks from the public. And if they don’t feel like they have had an input into what the projects are, that’s a problem for us, so we need to make sure that everyone has a say.”
City planners are working closely with the citywide transportation advisory committee, as well as the public to create this plan.
They are hosting an open house as well on Monday, which will give the public a chance to ask questions and make suggestions.
According to Swirsky, they hope to have the new plan completed by the winter of 2020.
For more information on the Transportation System Plan, click here.
It’s also the topic of our KTVZ.COM Poll: Would you be willing to fund separate bike paths near main roads? Find our poll halfway down the right side of our home page.
