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.
Pave the roads!
No problems
Really busy and car dominated. People constantly weaving so not super comfortable as a driver either
The paving is terrible and there are so many bumps
We need to dicincentive travel by car, and encourage walking, have a protected bike lane, and have businesses that people actually want to go to. More trees and shady, nice areas for people to walk and rest.
Guarded rails or medians for bikers. More shrubs and street art to enjoy and encourage walking and biking.
Make it safer
Franklin Blvd is a major arterial street so I understand its necessity to allow for maximum car flow, however the consideration to vehicle traffic flow has and will likely continue to be prioritized at the determent of other modes of transportation. Planning for maximum flow for just a couple of peak hours is discriminatory to not only the commuters driving outside of those peak hours (if I drive at 7am on Franklin, I don’t need massive lanes with light priority), but considerably discriminatory to all other non-car commuters because current design deters quality passageway by non-car users.
It’s mostly unattractive and a little bit complex to navigate
As the artery cutting through the UofO campus and connecting Eugene and Springfield Franklin is in need of safety, comfort and convenience upgrades.
I often see cars run red lights while crossing Franklin Blvd to get to UO campus on my bike. The length of the lights and width of the street seem to encourage people to gun it in their cars.
Franklin Boulevard, in my opinion, needs to make a choice – either connect the pedestrian walkways to the road, or separate them fully. I lean towards the latter. The current walkways feel unsafe and ignored.
I would love to see Franklin completely removed from a car-centric style. It would be best-suited as a rapid transit hub with EmX and LTD lines being the most prominent and most important, then tree-lined bikeways being the most important individual transpotation, and then protected, shady walking areas. Cars should have 1 lane in each direction and be the least-prioritized, or, ideally, completely non-existent in exchange for faster, safer methods like EmX or possibly a future eTram line.
I’ll be living on Franklin and really am worried about the noise and safety, so those are what I am most concerned about. It always seems so dangerous with everything moving so fast so close to the sidewalks, and I really don’t trust the barely-existent bike lanes. The EmX is creepy, too, so I don’t take it a lot.
The construction of campus apartments is not only unnecessary but has ruined Franklin Boulevard for the entire year.
i honestly don’t see a problem with it
They should add more crosswalks and also add an off ramp from I-5 north bound to save time.
I avoid Franklin Boulevard today because I get around town mostly by bike and on foot and the area’s current configuration feels inaccessible and unsafe. I’m excited about the planned multimodal transformation and how much more accessible, safe, pleasant, and all around better the area will become for everyone. I live 2-3 miles away and might actually consider visiting businesses and other destinations around here after the transformation. I support more efforts to facilitate safer multimodal transportation with roundabouts, BRT (and dedicated lanes), bike lanes, bump outs, wider connected sidewalks, protected multiuse paths, street trees, and more across town. Thanks for your work!
The new planned bike lanes seem like there’s a lot of 90 degree angles, which is hard to do at speed. That said, anything is an improvement over the current biking situation.
People drive too fast. Intersection near Hirons and Matthew Arena is funky. Better signage is needed.
So far no, I think it’s good that we have a free access bus to all students so it’s more convenient and no need for us broke students to pay
Prioritize Bikes and Pedestrians; this section doesn’t really help folks get anywhere fast in cars (there are better approaches to the University and to i5); road diet needed – reduce lanes of traffic; create separated bike ways; tunnels for crossing of bikes/peds; connect exisitng bike infrastructure and enhance on Franklin (bike lane on w 11th/alder; shared path near Walnut);
I want it to be safer for biking and walking!
This university-adjacent street ought to be welcoming to campus users who predominantly get around by foot or bike, yet Franklin is actually hostile to them! The city’s current redesign ideas continue to prioritize speed of cars (via 2-lane roundabouts) at the expense of actual safety and comfort of non-car users. Volumes of cars, and more importantly, quantity of people moving about via cars, do not necessitate so much car-based infrastructure, yet if that’s the way Franklin remains, it will continue to induce single occupancy, car-based travel in direct contrast to adopted existing plans on climate change, social equity, household affordability, taxpayer efficiency, and land use, and will be a major missed opportunity to get into compliance with new CFEC rules.
I have noticed via walking, driving, and bus that there are many potholes along Franklin Boulevard that make it unsafe for drivers and pedestrians due to uneven pavement.