What the public thinks of Franklin Boulevard today

I feel like Franklin (specifically by the UO campus) primarily has problems with pedestrian traffic. Cars will run red lights at the Agate intersection even after the crosswalk light has turned on, or cars will turn onto Franklin without paying attention to pedestrians crossing the street. In contrast, I also see a lot of pedestrians jay-walking when there are cars or even busses coming. I think the timing of the lights on Franklin is generally very fair; it’s just that not everyone seems to care about them. Perhaps better signage would help? Or the presence of campus police with the intent to give tickets to those who do not adhere to lights.

Franklin boulevard does not feel safe crossing as a pedestrian, the width of the street combined with the time allotted for crossing and cars waiting to turn through cross walks. The road is very load, when waiting to cross the street having a conversation is difficult. Cars travel too fast and run the red light at Onyx frequently. Traveling west on franklin as a biker or pedestrian is challenging because the sidewalk width narrows at several locations which doesn’t accommodate both modes of transit.

It is good that Franklin Blvd has its own bus lane, as well as designated crosswalks. However, the street is still very unsafe for pedestrians and bicyclists, and for those wanting to use the bus, oftentimes it is difficult because the bus stop is in the middle of the road and sometimes the bus leaves before the crosswalk allows pedestrians to cross and reach the bus stop. I have just missed the bus many times because of this, or have had to run across the street to avoid being hit by a car in order to make the bus. I have also witnessed these things happen to others also trying to take the bus. Franklin Blvd overall has good and bad aspects, but my main concerns are that it needs to be safer for non-drivers and possibly more nature could be integrated into the street in order to beautify it and make it more eco friendly, although the main priority should be making Franklin Blvd safer.

the biggest issue i think is that it’s not very walkable which sucks because so many huge apartment complexes are off of Franklin and you have to cross it to get to the river from campus.

I wish Franklin had easier access from the university to the river, as well as no access to strip malls (like the market of choice) straight from the road by cars, it is super scary to walk or bike on.

It is not made for pedestrians. There are not enough ways to cross the road in locations that are regularly used, forcing people to jaywalk across a busy road. The sidewalks are poorly paved, and I cannot imagine what it would be like to have mobility issues.

Current issue is drivers ignoring active crosswalks either pushing through pedestrian or hitting them to turn. Currently for traveling by foot or scooter I avoid Franklin because of drivers ignoring pedestrian crosswalk signs to make right turns or occasionally making U-turns at intersections through crosswalks with pedestrian using crosswalks. I would support and like to hear proposed changes and news of the process as it continues.

I think that they need to make an area for cyclist, people on scooters, and people crossing the street. Maybe even take a lane away. two lanes i think would be good enough. also take traffic lights out and put in roundabouts to make it better for cars

While my route to campus only takes me about 10-15 minutes, I have personally encountered several close calls of nearly being hit by cars and seen others nearly injured on foot or bike on countless occasions. For pedestrians, having to cross Franklin is stressful due to the high levels of traffic. While some crosswalks are in place and well used, there is a desperate need for more infrastructure to support those on foot as well as cyclists. I would suggest clearly marked bike lanes and an increased number of crosswalks, specifically across Patterson next to the 7/11 convenience store and Chula’s restaurant as this area is well-traveled at all times of the day. Eugene’s comprehensive plan and city planning committees often discuss striving to meet equity, sustainability, accessibility, and climate change goals. However, there is a serious lack of basic infrastructure to support pedestrians and cyclists, as Franklin Boulevard and surrounding streets are designed nearly solely for automobiles shown by the lack of crosswalks, bike lanes, and safety measures in place for those not in cars. With these issues that currently face pedestrians and cyclists, it is hugely unsafe for all parties as it puts pedestrians and cyclists in direct danger and causes greater obstacles for automobiles. Within the city planning class I am taking this term, we have studied several communities and explored alternative solutions and modes of transportation other than automobiles. Communities with higher rates of walking and biking have seen drastic benefits for public health, safety, community growth and placemaking, and more. Additionally, creating this sustainable infrastructure to support and encourage people to walk or bike will help minimize greenhouse gas emissions, helping the city reach its climate goals. As there is currently construction and will be even more housing available on the north side of Franklin in the near future, there will be an even greater need for visible and safe crossing paths and the addition of clearly marked bike lanes in order to create a civil, healthier, and safer space and society.

Never feels safe. walkway too close to busy, loud and fast cars. cars speed and one even ran a red light, in front of people crossing the street. takes forever to cross the street. so loud.

They should add more crosswalks and also add an off ramp from I-5 north bound to save time.

The distance to get from one crosswalk to another is absurdly far. Pedestrians jaywalk all the time to get to the place they need to go across the street as fast as possible. If there could be a crosswalk in the middle of the long stretch of Franklin Blvd things would be much safer. Also the stoplights between Hirons and Starbucks are confusing while driving and that is where I’ve seen 3 crashes happen.

The pedestrian crossing next to the 7-11, with the way it’s currently structured, does more harm than good

Walk signs are often broken, particularly the middle one

It is extremely noisy for people walking or rolling and difficult to navigate. Not all the sidewalks connect and pedestrian signals are long. The bike infrastructure here is terrible. I often see people biking on the sidewalks which’s rent big enough. And I avoid Franklin at all costs when I’m on my bike. For such a heavy foot traffic area this needs a huge upgrade. Also cars do not always stop for pedestrians.

PLEASE make Franklin Boulevard more walkable and bikeable. I want to feel safe crossing Franklin!

Franklin boulevard is unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians, it has far too many lanes to cross safely and the road is designed for way beyond peak car volumes rather than average car volumes. The beltway already allows a high speed bypass so this road should be narrower and slower

People drive way to fast on Franklin, it would be nice if you guys made it harder to do so. Additionally the bike line are awful and unsafe, I have personally almost been hit in the Franklin bike lane. The sidewalks also don’t exist in many areas along the Franklin. There needs to be more bike/pedestrian infrastructure and also more places to cross on Franklin

Franklin, especially the part that connects to Broadway can be dangerous for walkers. I drive a lot on Franklin for my job, and it can be scary when bikers are nearby, also a lot of people will send it and try to cross, especially during Matt Knight Arena events, and this can be scary/stressful as a driver.

the crosswalk light going to 515 apartment building is broken which is super unsafe & is endangering students every day

Biking and walking is extremely inconvenient in this area and it is loud and super ugly with unsafe high speeds and very large intersections and ped crossings

Franklin is wayyyyy to high capacity for a city like Eugene. As someone who comes from the Bay Area, Eugene NEVER has traffic problems. The main issue I have with driving in Eugene is the one ways and complicated road systems make it super comfusing to get around in. Going downtown from campus requires some very weird lane changes and the gps apps don’t seem to understand how it works. Going down Franklin east of campus runs you into a weird double round about that is very confusing and it shows because people keep stopping and it’s kind of terrifying to merge into the second one unless there is zero traffic there. Biking Franklin feels like a non option unless you go to the beautiful river trail or walk along the mill race which still requires some scary Franklin-ing. Walking Franklin is best avoided, I mostly stay on the inside of campus, but would love to have more of an excuse to walk along the tree canopied millrace path… unfortunately it’s usually not worth the discomfort associated with getting to that path. Crossing franklin sucks period. If you want to makes Franklin work, crossing franklin needs to be addressed. The one flashing red light for the cross walk to the 7/11 is an accident waiting to happen. I’ve had to break hard more than once because no one can see if the walker is done crossing or if they should stop yielding. Just make it a firm red light when people are crossing. The EmX system is probably the best part of Franklin. I wish it was easier to cross to that middle platform because it sucks to miss a bus because the walk sign hadn’t gone on yet.