News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Wrestling with transportation plan

The City of Sisters is taking one more crack at creating a Transportation System Plan (TSP) that will improve safety, enhance traffic flow and help both residents and visitors navigate more easily around Sisters.

It's been a long, complicated process with many fits and starts (see related story, page 31).

A citizens' committee met on Tuesday, June 10, as part of a summer-long process to develop planning priorities. Their deliberations were given an increased sense of urgency by the memory of a recent accident at Highway 20 and Barclay Drive where a Sisters woman and her daughter were seriously hurt.

Although the recent accident was on every committee member's mind, they are keeping the "big picture" of transportation planning and funding in perspective.

Jean Wells Keenan, who has served on TSP committees for years, addressed the often-floated idea of creating an alternate route or "close-in-bypass."

"We need to be planning long-term or a 'close-in bypass' will turn out to be like Third Street in Bend. They wound up building the Parkway anyway," said Keenan.

Committee member Jerry Norquist was wondering about short- versus long-term solutions.

"Should our changes in traffic patterns come in steps - or in one long-term solution?" he asked.

The committee's plan will involve not just automotive traffic improvements. The final plan will also detail bike and pedestrian "safe routes" that complement vehicular road improvements.

The committee hopes to develop a final plan by late this year or early next. There will be an opportunity for citizen review of their plans at a public forum in November. In the meantime, citizens and council members are still concerned about existing traffic patterns and the possibility of a fatal accident.

Bill Merrill, President of the City Council, referring to the recent accident, stated during the council's June 12 regular meeting that "we need to do things that can be done NOW and that don't cost an arm and a leg!"

Councilor Sharlene Weed voiced her concern:

"I think we need to take a strong stand on this issue...we know it's trouble (the intersection where the recent accident occurred) and just a matter of time."

The City Council has instructed Brad Grimm, Director of Public Works, to look into a "striping and signage temporary fix" for Barclay Drive as it approaches Highway 20.

The idea is to restrict traffic movement on Barclay Drive westbound to a right turn movement only. This means a driver would not be allowed to go through the intersection from Barclay Drive to McKinney Butte Road, or turn left from Barclay Drive to Highway 20. After turning right onto the highway, however, a driver could turn left on Railway and still get to McKinney Butte via Arrowleaf Drive.

This restriction would be done with striping and signage changes, so it would conceivably involve little cost and time to implement. But it appears that ODOT would still have a voice in this temporary fix.

"ODOT says we need to work through their regional access manager because striping affects their right-of-way on Highway 20," said Grimm.

 

Reader Comments(0)