Bend animal hospital says Olney Avenue project’s median creates access issues; city outlines effort to ease problems

(update: adding info from council meeting, city manager comments)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Riverside Animal Hospital on NW Olney Avenue in downtown Bend requested and received support from its clients who attended Wednesday evening's City Council meeting to oppose one part of an ongoing city construction project.

When completed, the city bike and pedestrian project at the intersection of Olney Avenue and Wall Street is planned to include a median that the business says will block access to their hospital for those traveling from the east.

"This is great for our community. We're all for it. Except this median, which is going to block access to veterinary care," said Sarah Cummings, veterinarian and co-owner of Riverside. "We feel like this is going to have a serious impact on the well-being of the animals in our community."

They recently sent out an email asking for support in urging the City Council to reconsider the decision and change the project to remove the planned median. 

The Olney project team says the purpose of the project is create a safer street and intersection for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. KTVZ previously reported on a cyclist's death at the intersection after colliding with a Fedex truck.

The project team believes the median will be safer than the previous turn lanes. Their goal is to prevent future accidents.

Before several people spoke on the issue Wednesday evening - one accompanied by his dog, Leo - City Manager Eric King told councilors they had heard from the clinic and customers and that "we are meeting internally on how to address those concerns."

"This part of Olney is a 'pinch point' that doesn't allow a dedicated left-turn lane," King said, but the median installed there is movable for emergency purposes,

King said the city is looking at adding signage and paint to help motorists access from the south on Norton Avenue.

"We're happy to work with the clinic, improve that signage and assure we are not prohibiting access," he said, but the goal is "to create a more safe corridor" and "eliminate the conflicts when you have a lot of traffic trying to turn" there.

King also said they will with the Google and Apple mapping apps "to make sure access is very clear."