Bend neighborhood reps pick eight street safety projects
(Update: Adding details, video)
Include traffic-calming devices, safe crossings to parks, schools
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend's Neighborhood Leadership Alliance met this week and decided unanimously to recommend eight top-priority projects for funding as part of the Neighborhood Street Safety Program.
The top projects, which are now ready for design and construction, can be viewed on an interactive map by clicking on the right-hand tab here. The map can also be found by going to www.bendoregon.gov/streetsafety.
Projects include traffic-calming devices and safe crossings to parks and schools all over town, the city noted in Friday's announcement.
In the 2019-2021 biennial budget, the City Council approved $800,000 to fund the program.
Last fall, the city received more than 360 applications for projects all across Bend. These projects were then reviewed and prioritized by the Neighborhood Associations in which they were located. Each NA submitted its top one or two projects for advancement to the NLA, which resulted in a list of 25 priority projects.
City staff packaged these 25 projects with additional details such as demographic data, crash data and cost information and provided this to the NLA in December.
NLA representatives ranked their top 15 projects, considering safety and geographic equity. The results of the rankings highlighted eight top-priority projects – all from different neighborhoods - that addressed traffic flow and safety in neighborhoods.
City Transportation Engineer Robin Lewis said, "The neighborhoods then looked and tried to figure out which of the projects would affect the most people in their neighborhood and would have the greatest substantial benefit, in terms of crash reduction, and making it safer to walk or even feel more comfortable walking or biking out of their neighborhood, or within their neighborhood."
Eligible projects had to meet certain requirements, like being used by more than 400 cars a day, and at least three blocks in length.
Some of the chosen projects included adding a safe crossing of Southeast 15th Street to Ponderosa Park, a safe crossing of Wells Acres Road to Mountain View High School and speed humps in front of Harmon Park.
These eight projects will now move into design and outreach. In May, the NLA will revisit the projects for a final stamp of approval. Construction is expected to take about a year.
“The neighborhood associations appreciate Council’s support for this program,” said Hans Jorgensen, the chair of the Neighborhood Leadership Alliance. “Councilors asked neighborhoods, ‘What do you want done in your neighborhood to address safety at a neighborhood level?’ and there was tremendous community response. The program has started so successfully, Council saw merit in increasing funding for these types of projects by putting them in the bond package.”
Council prioritized neighborhood safety in its 2019-21 goals, and there is $6 million slated for these types of projects in the proposed bond that voters are expected to consider in May.
