An Update From Your Ward 8 Salem City Councilor
By Micki Varney, for The West Side Newspaper
I hope you’ve all enjoyed your summer. Salem City Council had a busy one, with meetings that went far into the night. While I’d like to bring everyone up to speed on the issue that prompted those meetings (the proposed Data Center), space and circumstances won’t allow it. Instead, I’ll report on some recent improvements affecting livability on our side of the river.
Our growing city and our increasingly crowded roads highlight the need to keep our streets safe for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders.
Three years ago, the City Council adopted three plans to address this issue: The Neighborhood Traffic Calming Plan, the Neighborhood Stop Sign Plan and the Safer Pedestrian Crossings Program. These plans include online mapping tools that allow residents to suggest (1) locations for traffic calming measures like speed bumps or radar signs, and (2) areas where pedestrian crossings are needed. Suggestions then initiate a series of steps, including input by both residents and staff, before projects are placed on the list for consideration. Unfortunately, because of limited funding, only two to three projects are selected city-wide each year. This summer, two of those projects are located in West Salem — The Brush College Stop Sign Plan and a pedestrian crossing on Doaks Ferry Rd NW.
The Brush College Stop Sign plan will install 50 stop signs in the area bounded by Conner St NW, Michigan City Ln NW, and Christina St NW. The roads in the neighborhood are distributed in a grid pattern with stop signs at only five of the 44 intersections. Children ride bikes and shoot hoops along the streets while cars blindly speed through unmarked intersections. This new plan will ensure that there is at least one stop sign at every intersection while allowing traffic flow along the main local routes. 84% of the residents in this neighborhood supported this plan.
Last April, a resident contacted me because there was not a safe route for her to walk her grandchildren the three blocks to Brush College Elementary. She lived in a small neighborhood on one side of Doaks Ferry Rd and the only sidewalk to the school was on the other side of Doaks Ferry, a very busy road. As part of the Safety and Livability Bond Salem voters passed in 2022, I was aware that the section of Doaks Ferry between Emerald Drive and Brush College Rd was being resurfaced with ADA curbing added this summer. I reached out to Public Works to discuss a few low-cost safety improvements, such as paint and signs, that could be added to allow folks from the isolated neighborhood to cross the street safely to reach the sidewalk and transit stop. That project, with a new pedestrian crossing and bike lanes, was completed in mid-July.
A couple of weeks ago, I met a resident who lived near the project area and I asked how the new crossing was working out. She said:
“I used to be so nervous seeing kids walking home from school along this stretch of Doaks Ferry. I love biking and often ride to pick up my son, so I’m really thankful to see these improvements. It makes this area feel so much safer for the kids and families who use it.”
-- Camille Collard, proud West Salem parent
More housing generates more traffic and an even greater need to protect our neighborhoods, ensure safety, and promote walkability in our community.
If you have a suggestion for a neighborhood safety improvement, please contact me at (503) 399-7808 or mvarney@cityofsalem.net