UNFRIENDLY TO PEDESTRIANS: A sea of cars, and nowhere to go.
Photo courtesy of Franklin Reclamation Authority |
A group of local and state government officials, neighborhood representatives, and open-space advocates are in the beginning stages of an effort they hope will transform Franklin Arterial from "the greatest pedestrian barrier on the Portland peninsula, into a vibrant mixed-use street that promotes economic development and balances the needs of automobiles, pedestrians, and bicycle travelers," as the group's Web site describes their push.
The committee held its second meeting last Wednesday night; once they agreed not to go on an evening walking tour of the street, attendees discussed how to get additional interested parties involved — particularly the city's multicultural communities (many of which have large populations living in the Bayside neighborhood), bikers, commuters, and businesspeople on both sides of Franklin.
Then, they outlined various case studies, which offer us an idea of the committee's hopes for Franklin in the future. Each of the examples, such as the renovated Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco, or Interstate 64 in Louisville, Kentucky, is a large urban street that either has been or will be converted into a "boulevard" — typically understood as a multi-lane, pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare, with slower-traffic, residential lanes on either side, and a median in the center (like upper Commonwealth Avenue in Boston). While Franklin is significantly smaller than many of the examples the committee looked at last week, the committee members have largely similar goals for the street.
The Franklin Reclamation Authority, which is not a government entity despite its official-sounding name, hopes that such changes would slow down traffic on Franklin, and reconnect Portland's downtown and Old Port with the businesses on India Street and at the base of Munjoy Hill. The group's next meeting will be scheduled for some time in January; keep up-to-date and submit your thoughts at franklinstreet.us.
