What the public thinks of Franklin Boulevard today

Traffic, speed, lack of crosswalks, disregard for pedestrian bike safety, difficulty in crossing traffic/turning when driving

Too many crosswalks for student housing. No traffic or bus flow at all. Nearly impossible to turn onto campus if traveling west bound.

The lanes are narrow. More crosswalks and lights would be needed to make it safer for pedestrians and bikes

It needs more signs for drivers and safer ways for people to cross the street.

I do anything to avoid this roadway, but I live in Fairmount so I have to interact with it. It’s not well planned – just cobbled together with lots of lane changes required for drivers, dysfunctional intersections, too many lanes of traffic, traffic is too fast. I like to walk or bike from Fairmount neighborhood to the river and just despise the Franklin crossings as a pedestrian or biker. Even with the stop lights, I’m very wary because there are generally over six lanes of traffic traveling very fast and you only need one of those lanes to have an inattentive driver. There are a couple places closer to town with two roads coming together in a Y shape that are obvious retrofits and dangerous. It’s also ugly and uninviting. No wonder so many restaurants on Franklin fail. It’s just the worst road in Eugene and realistically needs a complete overhaul.

There’s no bike lanes! Moving from one side of the road to the other is scary and unsafe! The sidewalks are too narrow to safely have a cyclist pass a walker! The cars parked on the side of the road block the view of cars driving of pedestrians! The parked cars block the view of pedestrians and cyclists who will want to cross crosswalks! The businesses along the road are difficult and unenjoyable to access! There’s a sign outside the 959 thats pointed at the sidewalk and says something to the effect of ‘Pedestrians – watch for cars exiting the parking lot’. Which is BullShit. I have a right to be on that damn sidewalk. It’s the CARS that need to watch for ME. Franklin is a road made by carbrains, for carbrains. In the year of our lord 2023, surely the city of Eugene, acclaimed as a bike and pedestrian accessible city, can do better. As far as on engagement, I’m not entirely sure how? Where is this being discussed?

Traffic is inhibited by many stop lights for individual to cross street. Overhead crossing would be nice.

Traffic volume/congestion during event days is a big deal. Throngs of people crossing to and from parking is unsafe due to not obeying the pedestrian signals and 6+ lanes. It is unclear how are these issues going to be addressed by the mission statement.

I feel Franklin Blvd functions perfectly fine. There are multiple lanes which keeps congestion down. Plenty of pedestrian paths and safe crossing locations. Bus island for those who commute by bus to safely and efficiently travel. My engagement with planned changes for Franklin has been that I attended a city event where I learned about the proposed design changes that are coming. I must say, whoever designed this doesn’t spend much time in the area. The amount of round-a-bouts is asinine. The round-a-bout that is furthest east is completely unnecessary. I believe this design is only going to create a less safe, more congested Franklin Blvd.. ESPECIALLY during events at Matt Knight Arena. I genuinely believe the City needs to revisit the design of Franklin because what is proposed is bad for the area and is going to be loathed by residents of the city.

The pavement on the East end of Franklin Blv. has very uneven surfaces. The crossing distance is *very* long making it hard to cross the street in a timely and safe manner. There are currently few trees on the East end of the street making it very hot to walk alongside the street. Due to the width of the street many people speed while driving.

What a mess! Given how close it is to the University and the amount of student housing that is on the north side of Franklin, as well as the lack of parking at the University and the Matt Knight forcing people to park across Franklin and then play “Frogger” to walk where they are going, it is surprising there aren’t more car-on-human deaths along it. Getting across on a bike to the River Path is also challenging and dangerous. Finally, if you are driving westbound, you will be doing at least 50 mph before going onto Franklin by Walnut, and there is no engineering to change people’s mindsets to the new speed environment – so they try to go 45 or more through to Agate. It would be great if there were a separated bike lane that went at least from 11th to Augusta. It shouldn’t be like the current 13th St bikeway – it needs to actually be a useful and pleasant way for bicyclists and scooterpeople to get through this area (no stopping at every intersection!), and it needs to allow easy and safe ways to for people to get across Franklin Street so they can access either the River Path or the University.

needs safety passages for pedestrians — who at times run across in front of traffic

The pedestrian crosswalk near Patterson seems to be a recipe for disaster. I don’t know what can be done about it.

Drivers don’t respect the flashing red light crosswalk near Patterson. The intersection of Franklin & Agate is suuuper dangerous. I work at UO and cross this many times a week and there are always near-accidents with pedestrians. Specifically drivers who are on Riverfront Pkwy southbound, turning right onto Franklin. The pedestrians need more protected crossing. Now that UO is utilizing the Millrace garage as main parking lot for staff and visitors, it is very busy from 8-9 and 4-5. Lastly, the speed limit should be slower. Many times when walking eastbound near Wild Goat Restaurant area, cars fly down Franklin and I have been splashed with a huge waterfall from the car driving by.

Franklin Blvd is the really the entrance to Glenwood, so changes need to contemplate the development of that area to keep traffic moving efficiently while allowing for easy biking to Glenwood. Currently, Garden Way, 13th, 15th and North and South Bank trails provide really good bike access to everywhere you want to go on Franklin or into Glenwood/Springfield, and helps separate the traffic. Trying to combine the bike and traffic streams onto one road will just make it worse for all forms of travel, particularly if you disrupt those areas. The plan I’ve seen looks like it will create more congestion, which from experience downtown encourages bikes to weave through cars and peds, and peds to simply cross wherever they feel like it. It would be nice to have one additional crosswalk where 13th ends at Franklin (at the crossing light there).

I would love to see a way for it to be easier to cross the intersections on Franklin. the lights are just long enough for pedestrians to cross, but there is no additional time for cars to continue turning.

I wouldn’t currently bike in the Franklin Boulevard area, except maybe to cross it, although I’d like to. I’d never choose to walk there. Driving there is easy and feels safer, which is why I do it.

This is the first impression that the UO and the city gives to anyone first coming into town and it is not a good one. In fact, it is very unattractive. The lack of trees, the overly wide roads with multiple lanes of traffic encourages fast driving…the city can do better. I worry about students the safety of students who have to cross this street regularly.

A few of my neighbors are adamantly against the plan. I am not. I think it looks wonderful. The Walnut intersection is not safe for bicyclists. To go straight across Franklin at Walnut, 1/3 go to the left lane (marked for going straight), 1/3 go to the right turn only and 1/3 only feel safe by going onto the sidewalk and using the crosswalk. It is a very poor design and it is surprising that more people aren’t hurt there.

I ride my bike to work almost daily in the spring, summer, and fall. I almost always move my bike up onto the sidewalk when I am crossing Franklin Boulevard, because I am concerned about being hit by the cars that are coming from behind me or turning right. I also use a great deal of caution when I am returning from work, crossing Franklin Boulevard again. I am always concerned that a driver will not see me and could hit me. As a pedestrian, I also frequently cross Franklin Boulevard. I also worry about my safety as I cross because of the fast-moving cars. I have not been hit here, but I am very cautious because I have been hit by a car and hospitalized in the past. In the winter, I now drive to work, because now that I am older, I do not wish to ride back-and-forth on my bicycle when it is dark. I have been so impressed by the change in Glenwood Franklin Boulevard. I was delighted to learn that there might be a similar traffic circle in Eugene on the Franklin Boulevard near my house. I think this would be more beautiful and would be safer, both when I ride my bicycle, and when I walk. I am disappointed by my neighbors’s strong opposition to this plan. Unfortunately, I have been unable to attend the meetings. I did respond in an email to my neighbors about my support of the plan. I also watched the strong opposition to the changes on Willamette Street in the last couple of years, and how this opposition melted after the changes were made. The changes make Willamette Street so much better. I am thinking that this might happen with the Fairmount neighborhood opposition.

The biggest issue with Franklin Boulevard today is the lack of safe pedestrian crossings. Pedestrians are often lulled into a sense of safety, due to the bus route buffer that runs down the middle, or pedestrians are desperate, since the signalized crossings are few and far between. Having roundabouts instead of intersections (and more of them) will help pedestrians feel less impatient and be more willing to wait to cross.

Intersection of Franklin and Villard is a problem especially during activities at Matt court. As well walk signal by the apartments can be a problem.

I bike across Franklin everyday and consistently see people speed and run red lights. There needs to be better pedestrian and bike crossings and overall accommodation for car alternative transportation. Also it is the Main Street of Fairmount and should aesthetically reflect the neighborhood identity.

crossing Franklin at Onyx Bridge and – to a less extent – Agate is plainly dangerous. I worry that the planned round-abouts will continue to be dangerous for pedestrians crossing Franklin at these locations.

the intersection near Dutch Bros. is unsafe for all types of transportation methods – have seen reports from students, UOPD, etc. about vehicle vs. pedestrian accidents, some resulting in major medical issues. If there is a place to prioritize or start it would be this intersection and almost all of Patterson and Hilyard Streets for pedestrians to cross.