Alan Journet Ph.D.
Co-facilitator
Southern Oregon Climate Action Now
7113 Griffin Lane
Jacksonville, OR 97530-9342
541-301-4107
alan@socan.eco
November 23rd 2024
Mayor Sparacino and Members of the Medford City Council
Reference: The current configuration of Main Street
Colleagues:
I write on behalf of the 2000 Southern Oregonians who are Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN), many of whom live in Medford, to support retaining the current configuration on Main Street. I also write with the same message as facilitator of SOCAN’s Medford Climate Action Team.
In our effort to promote city action that is consistent with addressing climate concerns, SOCAN’s MCAT has identified as high priorities for our engagement both supporting the Medford City Planning Department in its actualization of the Medford Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan and also assisting the city in conforming plans and codes to comport with the rules embodied in the Department of Land Conservation and Development’s Climate Friendly and Equitable Community rules.
As Bridgwater et al. (2022) point out, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation: “The key is to go multi-modal: not just cars, buses, rail, bicycles or walking, but a coordinated system of various modes of transportation.” As MacNair (2024) points out in the analysis of the reconfiguration a year after its establishment, vehicle speeds along Main Street have decreased, while bicycle use has increased substantially. Both these outcomes comprise contributions to reducing the climate pollution of the Medford community.
As council members will know, the reconfiguration of Main Street to encourage multi-modal transit is entirely consistent with the designation by Medford of the downtown area as a Climate Friendly Community.
On a financial note, as MacNair (2024) also points out: “If the City removes the project prior to the expiration of the 7- year useful life of the project, then the City will need to pay back the SRTS grant money in addition to the cost of striping removal and restriping of the street.” This amounts to a not insignificant sum of $475,779.30, which would be added to the cost ($350,000) of simply returning the configuration to is original design.
Finally, it’s worth considering the safety factor. One goal of CFEC is to promote multi-modal transit. However, it is recognized that promoting multi-modal transit without protecting bicyclists is frought with risk.
A couple of examples of findings from studies of the efficacy of Parking Separated Bike Lanes reveal their general benefits such as those established along Main Street by the parking lane being inserted between the bike lane and the moving traffic:
Harris (2022), for example, reported several benefits after Philadelphia installed parking separated bike lanes:
• “Crashes –Small decrease in total crashes and decrease in number of fatalities.
• “Vehicle Speeds – Decrease of 6% in speeds across all time periods.
• “Bike Counts– 96% increase in the number of bikes where PSBL’s had been installed, particularly on JFK Boulevard and Market Street in Center City.
Meanwhile, Mohn (2022) reported: “Investing in networks of protected bicycle lanes has significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower transport costs, prevent road fatalities, and improve the quality of life for people in cities around the globe.
For these reasons, especially the very short time that the current arrangement has been in place allowing inadequate evaluation of its effectiveness and possible costs and benefits, on behalf of SOCAN and, especially, SOCAN’s MCAT members I strongly urge the city of Medford not to abandon this Parking Separated Bike Lanes configuration. Rather, we urge its expansion.
Respectfully submitted
Alan R.P. Journet Ph.D.
Southern Oregon Climate Action Now
Citations
Bridgwater L, Rajpurchit S, Kennedy K, Herbert M 2022 For Vibrant US Cities, Invest in Multi-modal Transportation. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/us-cities-multi-modal-transportation-benefits
Harris I 2022 Philadelphia Parking Separated Bike Lane Study. City of Philadelphia. https://www.phila.gov/2022-04-01-philadelphia-parking-separated-bike-lane-study/
MacNair K 2024 Main Street Multimodal Project – Before and After Evaluation Technical Memorandum. Comments in the Medford Council Study Session Agenda. https://www.medfordoregon.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/city-recorders-office/2024-agendas-amp-minutes/jul-dec/11-14-2024-ss/11-14-2024-ss-agenda-packet.pdf
Mohn T 2022. Protected Bike Lanes Increase Safety, Save Money And Protect The Planet, New Report Finds. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyamohn/2022/11/30/protected-bike-lanes-increase-safety-save-money-and-protect-the-planet-new-report-finds/
