Jefferson Street Traffic Calming
Consultation has concluded
Why this project?
In response to neighborhood concerns about speeding traffic on Jefferson between 13th and 28th avenues and a history of traffic, the City of Eugene constructed a traffic calming project.
The intent of the traffic calming project is to address speeding traffic and improve the comfort and safety of the people using the street. Jefferson Street has been identified as a Vision Zero corridor where efforts are focused to reduce crashes and improve safety for all people using the street.
We held a community meeting on February 26 where we shared more about the project (thanks to all those who came to the meeting). You can download the community presentation here. We also have an image of the approximate locations of the speed cushions.
Construction of this project was completed in 2022 and the City of Eugene is currently monitoring performance of the traffic calming devices.
What are speed cushions?
Speed cushions slow traffic like speed humps while also allowing emergency vehicles to move through the area. We have installed speed humps in many different areas around the city including nearby Lincoln and Friendly streets.
More information about traffic calming is available at: eugene-or.gov/1729/Traffic-Calming.
Presentation Materials
Who's listening
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Assistant Transportation Planner
Email LTelles@eugene-or.gov
Add a two way protected bike lane that is protected from cars , with plants planted on top the barrier.
I can't articulate how disappointing this is. As a long term resident of Eugene, I have come to expect incompetence from the city on infrastructure, but this project takes the cake.
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I live on Friendly Street. While the speed cushions might slow some people, MANY others fly over them and crash down on the other side, not reducing speed at all. To me, it does not make our street more safe to have these in place, or at the very least more is needed. Possibly new speed signs?
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Thank you so much for this! My sister lives near the Washington/Jefferson express onto the bridge and it is particularly dangerous because people coming down from the bridge do speed and act as if they are still on the highway.
I strongly support this project and attention to Jefferson Street. As co-chair of the Friendly Area Neighbors Transportation Team and nearly 20-year resident of Jefferson Street, I have repeatedly heard from neighbors and personally witnessed way too many speeding incidents and disregard of pedestrian and bicyclist safety on this key neighborhood major collector street. Periodic speed monitoring and recent Vision Zero analysis confirms that the street invites unsafe speeds. Through our past efforts reaching out to the City, we have made baby steps towards street safety, such as striping the median with a double yellow line (thereby reducing, but not eliminating, speeding drivers from passing at-speed vehicles) and marked and protected crosswalks at 19th and 22nd Avenues. I personally have had my car totalled while parked on Jefferson Street; others regularly experience major damage, scrapes, and lost mirrors - causing well-meaning residents to park past the curb and onto the planting strip, inadvertently causing soil compaction, damage to street tree roots, and loss of stormwater infiltration - resulting in more sidewalk ponding and street runoff. Bicyclists afraid to bike on Jefferson take to the sidewalk, conflicting with and endangering pedestrians. I would like to see this project be the first step towards a more user-friendly Jefferson Street, eventually addressing safe biking, parking, and pedestrian use.
I support traffic calming on Jefferson Street. I'd also like to see marked and protected pedestrian crossing at 15th Avenue, where the Amazon Creek bicycle and pedestrian routes cross Jefferson, as you have at Broadway. I suspect that this too would contribute to slowing traffic.
I bike Jefferson every day and people drive way way too fast on this street. There aren't enough speed limit signs to remind people to slow down. Speed cushions might help, but we're concerned that traffic then will spill over into other neighborhood streets. We're wondering why there isn't a stop light at Jefferson and W 28th Ave. Seems like that would take some of the stress out of using such a major arterial, and it would improve intersection safety. Drivers might accept the speed cushions more readily if they knew they had a light up ahead at 28th.
I oppose this measure. Street is a major arterial. Instead add one or two protected crosswalks, like at 24th (I think).
Dear Jefferson Traffic Calming Team
The city's efforts to calm traffic on Jefferson are extremely appreciated!
We live on Jefferson and have 2 school aged children, one attending Adams, one attending Roosevelt. They both had more than one close call, crossing Jefferson, and even just crossing 23rd along Jefferson. The current combination of volume of traffic and tolerated speeds is just not safe, and it's only a question of time for something terrible to happen.
I would encourage you to consider whatever it takes to bring speeds down close the posted 25mph. At this speed the common driver may loose 30 seconds of their precious time, but it seems a reasonably small price in light of the benefits to all users and residents of Jefferson St. alike.
I understand that budget is an issue, and speed cushions are the measure of choice in the current plans. I would, however, strongly encourage you to consider other, cheap, accompanying measures (i.e. tactical urbanism) to complement and/or substitute some of the speed cushions.
A main issue is that Jefferson is a wide, straight street, which in sections where street parking is rare invites/enables speeding. There are cheap options like "curb extensions" with reflective plastic poles and street markings, which will narrow the line of sight, and place pedestrians that want to cross in a visible yet protected position. These would be even more effective in combination with marked crosswalks. And even more effective, if they would be combined with interrupting straight line of traffic, by forcing it to meander from side to side (most effectively in combination with street parking arrangements).
Regarding street parking, I know it's a controversial issue. But people are afraid that street parking would be taken away from them entirely. This would not at all be necessary, as meandering traffic flow would only have to remove halve of the street parking. This would leave ample parking space in most sections of Jefferson, and the feasible sections could easily be identified by some parking surveys (and allocating 1 or 2 street parking slots per property). It would be fair for residents to raise their concerns based on concrete project plans, rather than just dismiss this option based on anecdotal resistance.
Lastly, an uphill bike lane from 18th to 24th would be an efficient way to narrow Jefferson, which would slow down traffic as well (I have shared a detailed proposal via email). This bike lane would provide an important connection for the Friendly neighborhood in direction down town - and serve the goal of calming traffic.
All these measure require minimal infrastructure investments and should therefore be within reach of the available budget. I would encourage you to consider a broader range of measures than speed cushions, hopefully in close collaboration/communication with residents, and share your assessments of the various options. It would be particularly helpful to learn about the reasons why some measures may not be considered (i.e. due to cost, code or other issues).
Thanks again for all your efforts. I would be happy to respond to any questions you may have regarding my suggestions.
Thomas Gotschi
Transportation and Health Consultant
Researcher at PPPM, University of Oregon
gotom22@gmail.com