Regarding Don Richey’s complaint about the 13th Avenue redesign (“The Dems Have Us Going in Circles,” Letters, March 9), I, too, grumbled as I drove that new section the first few times. Then, one day riding my bike, I ended up on 13th Avenue heading home. For the first time ever on that street, I felt safe, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much more efficiently the bike traffic-light system moved me along, block to block, rarely having to stop and wait for cross-traffic — a lot more like driving a car.
It’s a trade-off: Give bike riders some of the privileges that car drivers take for granted, at the expense of a modest reduction in car traffic efficiency. Which raises that pesky entitlement question: When sitting in a two-ton vehicle, are Richey and I somehow, magically, entitled to maximum possible traffic efficiency at other travelers’ expense?
Then there are those proposed traffic circles for Franklin Boulevard, which Richey apparently misunderstands. The more efficient traffic circles will replace less efficient traffic light intersections, moving us along faster to our destination, emitting less carbon, because we only have to yield, rarely having to stop.
If ol’ Joe Biden really were moonlighting as a traffic engineer for Eugene, I’d definitely vote for that guy again!
Peter Straton
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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