What the public thinks of Franklin Boulevard today

The bike lanes are inadequate and make it difficult to commute from Autzen area to campus. The crosswalk countdowns are too quick considering how wide the street is. Speed limit is relatively high for the bike and foot traffic in the area. Potholes are pretty bad.

Comprehensive planning changes needed for Franklin Blvd. crossings, protected bike lanes, traffic slowing is needed.

Even driving on Franklin is unpleasant and chaotic. Outside of a vehicle, any of the myriad passing cars could turn into a business at 45 mph without looking and kill me. It is a loud, stressful place to be a pedestrian, and I avoid spending time near it.

Today, Franklin Blvd is defined almost entirely by its value to car drivers. Drivers come from downtown or 11th St and are trying to get to Springfield or the highway as fast as possible; or they are going to other way and trying to get past the University as fast as possible. this leads to congestion and people going drastically different speeds. In addition, parking for the University or the Matt Knight is generally on the north side of the road but people are trying to get to the south side of the road, and there aren’t many crossings. I find myself often trying to get onto the river path behind the Dutch Bros riding my bike, but the pavement is broken up, cars are driving crazy in the west-bound lanes and into the Dutch Bros line, and there generally are tents or yelling people blocking access. Finally, there was a pedestrian path that came off of 15th near Fairmount that is the logical place to walk or run if you are coming from Hendricks Park and going onto the river path, but there is no pedestrian crossing there, so frequently people run across the car lanes where folks are driving 40+ mph. There’s some good things, too. I like the landscaping around the Emx, and the area down towards Onyx St is really starting to look cool. The mural at Agate & Franklin is fabulous, and I have hope for Agate St north of Franklin when the construction is done.

People drive too fast on it.

I find roundabouts difficult to understand/navigate and anxiety provoking, particularly when to enter, exit, and yield. Fast impatient drivers push me to go faster than feels safe.

Currently very difficult to navigate by bike or walking, increasingly worse over last few decades. Would love to see modifications to make it more pedestrian friendly & to slow traffic. Seems like making new pedestrian bridge connected to UO science buildings should be accessible to public use – this would be great place to start. Also safer access between campus & river bank bike paths.

Bike access is for the most avid/daring cyclists, but is sometimes necessary to connect travel points. It is a key gateway to river path access at Patterson, Onyx, and Walnut but you would not know it from a design/user experience. Multiple lanes encourage speeding and make driving stressful for maneuvering into lanes for upcoming turns and allowing for business access. It is terrible for pedestrians. I provided input on the “Walnut Station” intersection improvements over a decade ago and am dismayed at the delay in action. That intersection needs to prioritize peds/bikes/transit users and set the tone for drivers entering from the east that Franklin is a street for everybody and is not a freeway. The UO needs to adopt a student education program to de-California-ize their driving habits and learn to “chill out, share the road, destress, and breathe.” Happy/positive signage along Franklin to that effect would help too.

I wish there were actual protected bike lanes the entire length of Franklin. When driving, people go way too fast and swerve in and out of lane changes. It’s scary.

People walking need clear priority on this street! Please slow drivers down! Mae them have to pay attention to driving! Install speed cameras; increase in-person enforcement; implement infrastructure design changes!

In its current form, Franklin Boulevard is fundamentally not conducive to being a safe, truly multimodal street. It’s too wide, cars drive too fast, with pedestrian unfriendly sidewalks. Getting from point A to point B along Franklin presumes you are driving.

I’m supportive of the changes proposed for Franklin. I live 4 blocks from Franklin and there is incessant traffic noise. It’s a ‘track meet’ when I’m not driving on it, and it’s ‘too annoying with all the lights’ when I am driving on it. Classic George Carlin bit, but true for me. I think the changes will slow down speeds, yet maintain steady throughput. I want all of our city streets to be narrow and treed. Frankly, I want all cars to go away as soon as possible.

Need to lower speed limit and enforce the change.

So much opportunity for safety and access improvements, which would make the road more enjoyable for all users, including cars and busses. In the current configuration, Franklin is loud, fast, and unpleasant for those not in a car. When I drive it, it’s unpleasant because I worry that I can’t see pedestrians or cyclists. I would prefer if the driving surface were fewer lanes, there was dedicated infrastructure for peds and cyclists, and clearly marked crosswalks with responsive lights.

Too much traffic. Cars going too fast. Drivers don’t pay attention to pedestrians and bikers. Drivers cruise through red lights when making right turns. Crosswalks are too far apart, especially with respect to the EmX stations.

Some drivers don’t know (or seem to know) there is a speed limit and how to safely turn left on Franklin.

Adding roundabouts would help to slow traffic down.

As the Franklin area expands more, there are changes that need to be made that need made. I agree with Mr. Hiron in speaking out of “no roundabouts!! People are definitely not programed in Oregon for roundabouts Too many businesses & UofO events going on in such a short span of road. Speed is a factor in most often incidents, people hurry & don’t pay enough attention as it is!!!

I believe the planned changes are a financial waste of money and a monumental disaster. Reducing the travel lanes make no sense whatsoever unless your agenda is to make it difficult for drivers in effort to get them out of their cars, which will not work. I have been personally driving this route since 1967 and know it as well as anyone and what I see is a series of things designed to slow traffic. The idea or reversing one of the west bound lanes from I-5 will result in head-on collisions unless a guard rail is installed to separate the lanes and the lane is totally unwarranted especially given the plan for the round about at Orchard. Contrary to stated plans, this is not a neighborhood and never will be. Outside of I-105, Franklin Blvd is the primary route of travel between Eugene and Springfield and is a State highway and all of your wishing will not change that. Eugene sadly has a long history of making grossly bad decisions in traffic flow, i.e. the downtown mall, 18th and Willamette, Crest Drive, E. 19th with the bump-outs, E 13th, etc. A suggestion of the strongest kind, before you solidify any plans that involve changing roadways in any manner, including speed bumps, talk with and listen to emergency services personnel including police, fire and ambulance to find out how your plans will effect their ability to serve the public. We have many streets that need repair and the money being planned for something that is not needed once again shows the City’s propensity to put preference of agenda over what is best for the public.

Honestly there are a lot of other streets that have more safety issues. They have done a lot to improve that area. I personally think roundabouts are efficient and would also be willing to comply with a reduced rate of speed. Ive never tried to walk around that area so I’m uncertain how that is for walkers

Needs two bus lanes, separate bike facilities and more protection between sidewalk and high speed traffic

I deliver the mail for USPS most days at the UO and the 959 Franklin apartment complex. To deliver to 959 Franklin, I must walk from an auxiliary parking lot a few hundred feet north of 959. The short walk south along that sidewalk is genuinely terrifying each day. Overgrown bushes block half the sidewalk, so i am forced to walk right next to the curb, as cars fly past me at 50+ mph literally 18-24 inches away. Zero barrier or space separating me from instant death if one of those cars hopped the curb. The ground is uneven and I am usually pushing a handcart stacked high with packages. All it would take is one misstep, a slip or slight fall to my right, and I could be dead. I call it “the scariest part of my day”.

Speeding is the biggest issue. Making if more friendly for walking, biking, etc for students would be beneficial . Maybe more sky crossings for pedestrians… wider bike lanes. I think the bus lane is good.

No roundabouts!!! They will make it worse for everyone. Impose a lower speed limit, make safer bike lanes, install actual traffic lights at crosswalks instead of the flashing red light, but no roundabouts!!!

Needs things to bring people there. Needs shade, slower traffic. dicey turn at Patterson and Franklin.