What the public thinks of Franklin Boulevard today
BEST asked: How safe, practical, and attractive is Franklin Boulevard adjacent to the University of Oregon for everyone today?
Here is what they wrote. The comments have been categorized by some topics that were frequently raised.
Not safe for bikes or pedestrians
The merge from I5 must be fixed. Other things not so much.
I HATE TRAFFIC CIRCLES. I’ve had several near accidents at the Hayden Bridge one.
No issues
Could be prettier I suppose.
Franklin Blvd should remain the same. There are back streets available for bikers & scooters to travel safely if they feel unsafe on Franklin Blvd. I feel very safe driving and/or walking. The City of Eugene already supports & has provided enough accommodations for LTD. The busses aren’t even filled to capacity. Market of Choice and Hiron’s are family owned by long time Eugene families. The City of Eugene needs to support these families who keep their businesses in Eugene, as well as take a good look as to why many businesses in Eugene have shut down and the City of Eugene makes it nearly impossible for new businesses to come to town. The City of Eugene couldn’t even keep the hospital in Eugene, while Chick-Fil-A or In-N -Out is building in Springfield.
Safety needs to be addressed. The merging issues at the beginning of Franklin to the east are an issue. More roundabouts or other solutions that lead to smoother traffic flow, but still allow access to ALL businesses and driveways while ensuring safety for walking and biking should be the priority.
i don’t like the roundabout concept for this part of Franklin Blvd. It works OK in some places, ie: Glenwood just before the bridge to Springfield or in SPringfield past Riverbend toward Harlow and Pioneer Pkwy, because there are very few pedestrians! Placing roundabouts without traffic lights on the university section of Franklin would be terrible for traffic because of all the pedestrians!
Pavement is poor, merge onto Franklin blvd from Springfield is very dangerous
I live in this area. Franklin is critical to going pretty much anywhere for us. Don’t screw it up
There is so much potential for this space to be special for the residents of Eugene and the students of the University of Oregon! Please don’t shy away from making it TRULY pedestrian centric. We need protected bike lanes, roundabouts, quality pedestrian crossings, many more trees and green spaces, etc. Thanks for doing this work!!
Biking on Franklin is unpleasant. I bike westward in the morning and have to be on the south sidewalk so I can turn left onto 13th. Being in the bike lane heading back eastward is terrifying. I’ve almost been hit and have seen other bikes almost hit by cars. There is glass and garbage in the bike gutters. If the larger sidewalk (once you get past Walnut heading east) were just extended up Franklin, biking and walking would be more pleasant. We don’t need a bunch of roundabouts on that street to fix the issues with it.
I know many people have expressed concern about roundabouts and tree loss and closing of businesses (Hirons and MoC). I am not scared of roundabouts. They can even be nice. I would be very concerned about the other issues though. I particularly would be extremely frustrated at the loss of those two businesses and anything that would make it harder or longer for me to exit the Hendricks hill areas and go west on Franklin. That would make things significantly worse not better.
I disagree strongly with proposed changes to Franklin Blvd that inhibit/prevent direct access to Market of Choice, Hirons.
Franklin is due for a revamp. Don’t let our local neighborhood association tell you otherwise. Also the market of choice lot is a total disaster. I drive here everyday.
Please don’t do round abouts, they are a nightmare. Sky bridges are great. Too much focus on buses!
The proposed roundabouts will be a disaster for drivers and walkers. Anyone supporting them has not lived and travelled in this neighborhood; I have lived here for 30 years. The students will walk into the street while focused on anything other than traffic. Traffic will slow considerably to accommodate walkers. Franklin needs to stay a thoroughfare. Upgrade the condition of the street, make it more aesthetically pleasing, and increase safety for walkers and bike riders, but don’t put in roundabouts. The games and events at Matt Knight Arena, move in day, football game days, etc., cause total congestion and chaos. Imagine that area with no traffic lights…insanity.
As a bicycle commuter, I do not feel safe on Franklin Blvd currently. The overgrown bushes and closeness to fast-moving traffic result in Franklin being an area of anxiety for me that I really try to avoid as much as I can on my bike to and from work.
Franklin Boulevard is terribly hot in the summer, and hardly attractive. It’s time to invest in some quality shade trees where currently there are hardly any to be found.
The traffic circles are a terrible idea and will make things much worse.
Roundabouts are a terrible idea. Students are going to use it to race.
Eliminating the the Orchard left turn is foolish and harmful to Laurel Hill Valley neighborhood.
I recently took a green scooter along the south side of Franklin and it was inconsistent, inconvenient and unsafe. The other side is a little better, but both sides need better bicycle and scooter access.
Turn it into pedestrian only and move the thoroughfare somewhere else. It’s already congested and dangerous enough- don’t add delays.
I think it needs to be more bike/walk friendly. The quality of road way need improvement.