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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Ashland Rowing Club members put their backs into Emigrant Lake clean-up Review: OSF director, actors restore 'Pericles' to life Ashland Police Reports 10 things to know for Monday Pulling strings for youth music education Education Pulling strings for youth music education Bee college takes to the air Grizzlies shine at Eugene speech tourney Ashland High School named among best in the state High school Student of the Month: Jackson Richmond Environment Ashland Rowing Club members put their backs into Emigrant Lake clean-up The birdman of Bellview Controlled burn planned for Ashland watershed on Friday Mt. 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Food for Thought: Get creative with after-school snacks 'She Stoops' rises on SOU stage Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Ashland Rowing Club members put their backs into Emigrant Lake clean-up ... Calendar: Tuesday, March 3 ... Council Corner: In office 55 days and still alive ... Ashland Rowing Club members put their backs into Emigrant Lake clean-up ... Calendar: Tuesday, March 3 ... Council Corner: In office 55 days and still alive ... CITY OF ASHLAND Walking, biking, driving, parking, changes coming to downtown Committee weighing bike lane, stop light, sidewalk, loading zone options Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Feb. 12, 2015 at 2:00 AM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Feb. 12, 2015 at 2:00 AM » RELATED CONTENT • City survey shows residents largely satisfied • Survey: Parking difficult downtown • Dozens of parking spaces lost » Social News After more than a year of study and with months to go, a 22-member citizen’s Downtown Parking Management and Multi-Modal Circulation Advisory Committee is reviewing plans to reduce to number of lanes on East Main Street to make room for a bike lane, add some traffic lights and take away others and make it easier to find parking. One piece of the plan that's been proposed, moving a loading zone currently just north of the entrance to the Plaza to just south of the entrance, on East Main across from Nimbus, could mean cutting down two sweet gum trees and planting new trees.  All the plans are subject to further committee review before a final plan is presented some months from now to the city council for approval. Facebook is abuzz with postings opposing loss of any more Plaza trees. “I’m feeling pretty confident we’re not going to have to remove any Plaza trees,”  said city Public Works Director Mike Faught said. “That’s what we want feedback on, that and all the concepts in the plan ... There is no approval of anything yet. We’re looking at the parking side of it over the next three months. If it goes to construction, that’s a long way off, before the committee takes it to the city council." The thrust of the initial proposal is to reduce East Main Street from three lanes to two, running four blocks between Oak and Third Streets, to make way for a bike lane running the length of downtown, on the south side of Main, said Faught. The big changes around the Plaza are triggered by the need to shift large trucks away from the Plaza entry by Mix Sweet Shop, where the trucks block views of the pedestrian walkway, he said. “There have been no accidents with pedestrians by the Mix,” Faught said, “but it’s only a matter of time. You can’t see them walking as they go into the Plaza ... For me, it’s a life, safety issue.” To shift the big trucks, the city must provide an alternative loading zone, which would be across from Nimbus, on the Plaza. To make way for the loading zone and a new bikeway, the plan calls for a 7-foot sidewalk and an adjacent 7-foot planter strip, where new trees would go.  Other trucks would still be able to park in the Plaza while making deliveries, but 67-footers can’t navigate inside the Plaza. The city is checking into just how many 67-footers actually make deliveries to the Plaza to determine whether the loading zone on Main Street is necessary. The vast majority of delivery trucks are the 52-foot trucks or smaller, which can navigate the Plaza. Losing one lane on the four blocks of Main would allow for wider sidewalks there, Faught said. Faught has been in talks with Oregon Department of Transportation, which oversees Main Street, as it is a state highway, and they seemed receptive so far, he said. Other proposed changes include: • Smoothing out the transition to include a bike lane on North Main, going out of town between Helman and Bush, and allowing a left turn lane onto Bush. • Remove the signal at North Main and Helman and add rapid flasher for walkers. • On Lithia Way, make the right lane for leaving town and the left lane for going downtown. • Create bike lane on Lithia Way. • On the stub of Winburn Way, leaving the Plaza, no more merging into East Main. Instead you pull left to a traffic signal and may go straight to Oak or turn right on Main. • A new traffic light at Oak and Lithia Way. Faught said both he and the committee don’t want to cut trees. Faught emphasized the proposal is a conversation opener and there’s lots of time for input from all stakeholders and citizens at meetings and by emailing him at [email protected]. Construction will impact downtown business, but Faught said the city will do its best to minimize it by working nights. The committee was appointed by the mayor and, he said, includes “a good cross-section of all interest groups.” Reach Ashland freelance writer John Darling at [email protected]. Tidings editor Bert Etling contributed to this article. Reach him at 541-631-1313 or [email protected].   By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Feb. 12, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. 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