What the public thinks of Franklin Boulevard today

Because there aren’t much housings around, it’s not generally a safe place. Cars are high speed and it’s not safe to bike in those narrow lanes. I also wish there were more trees around, and better sidewalks.

Auto and pedestrian crashes are a serious issue. Pedestrian connectivity along corridor is a problem. Bike system is mainly non-existent. Need more frequent EmX including double tract. Safer pedestrian and bike crossings. Make Franklin better for all users.

the intersection in front of the UO arena near starbucks is a mess…..a traffic circle will only make it worse….enforcement of proper driving there and no texting driving enforcement is needed and fixing sidewalks and making traffic lanes through that intersection clearer (with signage and road paint etc) will help

I am excited about the idea to add more round-a-bouts to Franklin Blvd. I like the two round-a-bouts in Glenwood and I think they would improve traffic flow closer to campus. Making left turns off of Franklin on Villard St and Orchard street when going West Bound feel very dangerous. Particularly Orchard St – I avoid this left turn at all costs. The traffic in the Market of Choice and Hiron’s parking lot is also very uncomfortable. It is unclear if there are one ways and the visibility is poor especially when the sun is setting. I would like to see more trees on Franklin to improve the walking experience. I believe that the sidewalks and bike lanes could be made safer. I do NOT feel safe biking on Franklin, which is a real shame because there are so many PeaceHealth bike facilities in that area. The stores are so set back on Franklin making them feel inaccessible to pedestrians. This should be changed to promote more UO student foot traffic at local stores.

I wish the street was slower and had more biking/walking options as well as more trees and less concrete for a better sense of place. If these things were achieved, development of a better district could happen as opposed to just focusing on maximum care throughput.

Very unbikable on actual street, find myself using the sidewalk to bike on.

Walking on Franklin near UO is awful, it seems outdated and pretty scary. The sidewalks are narrow as if they are original yet the roadbed used by cars has increased…so that the cars are inches from you and moving fast…a space buffer between pedestrians and the cars would be great. There are many community-wide evening events at the UO (i.e. Nordic Film series in the winter) where parking after hours in Franklin parking lots is permitted; As such more lighting would be great in the parking lots, and along the sidewalks used to get on campus, and along the cement footpaths on campus from the buildings to the sidewalks on Franklin.

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.

For walkers, it is completely unpleasant to use Franklin and difficult for drivers to enter and exit local businesses.

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.

It is not a comfortable street to walk down or drive down. It appears to be unsafe.

Would love to see it better for bikes and pedestrians

Walking across Franklin near Villard is far from optimal.

Franklin is currently one of the most unfriendly & unsafe streets in Eugene in terms of pedestrian, biking or using businesses. And this is an area where there is a significant number of students walking and biking. I currently choose not to utilize businesses in this area because of the noise & lack of accessibility. Improvements would increase my interest in utilizing businesses in this part of town. Additionally it is important that access by pedestrians & alternative forms of transportation be improved, that the speed of traffic be reduced, access to transportation systems be improved upon. I believe the both the public process around re-development on Franklin and the recommendations/ outcomes are good ones. I’m also concerned that delays will result in the loss of federal funding.

Franklin Boulevard is a little unsafe for pedestrian walking or skating. I feel like there needs to be more of a buffer between the road and the sidewalk and have a designated bike lane going both ways like 13th street.

The few times I’ve walked along this road, rather than take the bus and leave the area as soon as I could, it’s been anxiety-inducing. The cars travel at high speeds, small sidewalks place you right next to traffic, and frequent driveway cuts constantly direct automobiles over the top of what little pedestrian space there is. I feel perpetually on guard, and for good reason. As a result, the area is highly unpleasant, something not helped by excessive parking lots that break up pedestrian access to the buildings. Waiting for the bus next to all the noise and pollution is somewhat less unpleasant from the station, though being sandwiched in a median between 4-6 lanes of high speed traffic for sometimes as much as 15 minutes does little for my sanity. I would never bike here. We desperately need to change the area to accommodate people, rather than cars. I just heard of this project, and I want to do everything I can to see it through to the end.

The bike lanes and sidewalks are very poor setup for mobility other than cars. This major street has potential to to be vital for multi-transit uses. I love the improvements to bus lines and stops, and me and my fellow students use it a ton because of these investments. Many times i have avoided biking back to campus on Franklin because it makes me feel unsafe.

Franklin Blvd needs to be redesigned! It is extremely dangerous for people walking and biking. It is also very unpleasant to be there outside of car — increased pleasantness would benefit the business greatly.

Drivers can go very fast and there isn’t always close walkways or paths for bikers, depending on which part of Franklin. I’ve been hit trying to cross the road on Franklin in 2009.

too busy for pedestrians – a pleasant urban street would be awesome

Due to the sidewalks being immediately next to drivers, especially eastbound, it regularly feels unsafe to walk there. Pedestrians need a safety bumper so that bad drivers won’t hurt them. Also, The agate/franklin intersection is just awful for everyone involved. It is long, regardless if you’re a pedestrian, biker, driver, or on a bus, With the 2 turn left lanes going west from agate, I can tell you that due to unclear lines on the pavement that there have been minor car accidents due to someone either cutting the turn or going wide. Same thing goes for Villard/Franklin. cars regularly improperly yield, in part due to there not being enough clarity between who is proceeding to the other side of villard vs turning. As someone who has utilized pretty much all modes of transportation, and being a previous resident, I can tell you that I absolutely hated walking down Franklin–from 13th to walnut, down either side of the road. make it safer for pedestrians, please.

Pedestrian crossing at intersection is unpleasant. Crossing on bike has confusing and dangerous right of way

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.

Currently, Franklin Boulevard is build for cars and buses with pedestrians on foot, wheels, and mobility aids being an afterthought. Additionally, there is not great lighting on many stretches of side walk, which make it especially unsafe at night. Given the prevalence of nighttime walkers on/near college campuses, and the high incidence of those people being under the influence of substances, I think well-lit walkways are of paramount importance!