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.
It could really use some bike facilities
I travel on Franklin Blvd almost every day. I wish that there were more places where individuals could cross the street with the temporary crosswalks/flashing lights.
We have biked from Agate to downtown Springfield on Franklin. Not safe, noisy
Large gaps between crossings encourages pedestrians to cross in unsafe locations – especially for UO events. No bike lanes means bikes accessing businesses on north side of Franklin have to share sidewalks with pedestrians.
Franklin is a dangerous hellscape for all users, mostly people outside of cars. It is unpleasant and scary to be around. It is stressful and dangerous to use with all modes, but mostly with active ones.
For walkers, it is completely unpleasant to use Franklin and difficult for drivers to enter and exit local businesses.
don’t use it because unsafe
People try to run across Franklin to MKA every event! Every time something is going on at MKA, people unsafely always run across Franklin!
Too wide with too many car lanes for the amount of traffic. Because it’s so wide, crosswalk cycles are long, so red lights take forever and makes the car traffic seem much worse than it is.
Traffic light at Franklin and Agate Street has way, WAY, too much green time for non-existent eastbound car traffic. I have missed so darn many EmX’s here that I have begun to treat the “don’t walk” sign more like a stop sign or a yield sign than a light while on foot and trying to catch EmX. I am sick and tired of being legally obligated to yield right of way to a bunch of thin air! So I’ve started ignoring the don’t walk sign as long as there’s no traffic and I’m only going to the Agate transit platform island.
The transportation infrastructure should be designed for the expected future land use density and travel patterns; not today’s.
It is completely car-oriented. It’s a massive barrier for Eugene residents south of the river to access the amenities on the river and the bike paths to the east and west. Most of the sidewalks are designed to encourage cars to proceed across them at high speeds at driveways without checking for pedestrians.
If you’re not in a car, you are fucked.
The number of crosswalks at intersections should be increased, I believe there’s one particular intersection where pedestrians can only cross on the east side – that’s very confusing!
I’d love a bike lane/tunnel crossing Franklin going from the river to campus so you wouldn’t have to ride on Franklin itself which is very dangerous in every way for cyclists. Turn signals are short, traffic going fast, lots of it, many lights, complex bike lanes.
People just drive too darned fast. Slow down traffic! There are plenty of alternative bike routes so it is easy to avoid Franklin on bike. Roundabouts are great IF people understand how to use them. The bike situation at the roundabout in Springfield near Riverbend Hospital is pretty bad.
It is not a comfortable street to walk down or drive down. It appears to be unsafe.
Synchronize the traffic lights. Now, cars speed to “make the light.”, endangering walkers, bicyclists etc.
Improving this major road with roundabouts. Seems like a no-brainer that should’ve been done along time ago. There are other gaps in the system such as the little connector to the bike path on the far east side, both on the north and south side they also need to be addressed. Crossing Franklin by foot is a big pain since they have the lights time to favor traffic and not walkers.
Franklin is a mess, and doesn’t work particularly well for anyone. Its especially difficult riding a bike with a child. I’ve had more than one close call crossing on a bike by the EmX stop near Walnut. Cars turn onto Franklin regardless of the pedestrian walk sign.
Would love to see it better for bikes and pedestrians
Walking across Franklin near Villard is far from optimal.
On a bicycle I avoid it as unsafe and unpleasant. Fortunately there are alternate routes that are not too bad, and when necessary I have used sidewalk from the Moon Mountain area.
(1)Greatest need is one the plan does not address: need for left-turn lane from westbound Franklin onto Agate St, to access east side of campus. (2) Generally, I like roundabouts and think they’re great — but that does not mean that “more is always better.” Current plan omits a roundabout in the one place it’s most needed (Agate), and includes at least one more toward the east than will be useful.
I cross Franklin daily and work in buildings adjacent to it but as a cyclist the vast majority of my experience on it is crossing it not traveling its length. Whenever I have had cause to drive along it, it seems fine to me. Crossing it, I have ample safe places to wait to cross, whether on bike or foot. The traffic lights seem adequate to allow for safe crossing.