Transportation System Plan 2018-2038

Needs The City of Medford sidewalk sy stem varies widely from neighborhood to neighborhood. Sidewalks exist in m ost of the downtown area and in surroundi ng older neighborhoods, particularly to the west and south of the downtown core. These sidewalks provide connections linking m any of the residential areas to such pedestrian attractors as schools, com mercial areas and em ployment opportunities. However, many of the older neighborhoods on the east side of the city either do not have sidewalks or have only a limited and disconnected sidewalk sy stem . On the arte rial and collector street sy stem , the availability of sidewalks is generally erratic and incom plete. On many blocks, sidewalks m ay be present on one side of the street and absent on the other, or partial sidewa lks m ay be in place sporadically throughout the block, lacking continuity . Major activity centers also suffer from a general lack of connectivity . For exam ple, the Rogue Valley Mall currently generates a significant am ount of pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and the nearby Bear Creek Path provides connections for walkers and bicy clists to many parts of Medford. Yet the m all and the path are poorly connected to other parts of the city. From Within the City ’s existing and planned TODs, the presence of sidewalks and m ulti-use paths to provide and maintain a high quality pedestrian environm ent is crucial to encouraging a reduction in travel via the single occupant autom obile. Many arterial and collector streets within the TODs currently lack such facilities. Fo r instance, the East Medford, North Medford and West Medford TODs contain very few sidewalks. To fulfill requirem ents of the TPR, the Alterna tive Measures package calls for increasing the percentage of arterial and collect or streets with sidewalks in TOD areas. In 2000, sidewalks existed on 47 percent of arterials and collect ors in TODs (prim arily in the Downtown TOD). By 2020, the Alternative Measures package requires that 75 percent of these roadway s must include sidewalks. In addition to providing sidewalks along arterial and collector streets within the designated TODs, some of the existing sidewalks in these areas are considered “not ideal” because they are located im mediately adjacent to edge of street pavem ent (generally outsi de of the downtown area). This forces the pedestrian to walk in very close proxim ity to m oving vehicl es with the attendant concerns about safety , noise, pollution and other factors that can m ake the walk ing experience unpleasant. By setting the sidewalks back from the curb line (through use of planter strips or other type of buffer), the pedestrian environm ent can be enhanced and the use of these facilities can be encouraged. Pedestrian setbacks can be installed when existing roadway s are im proved or when new streets are built. Priority should be given to adding sidewalks over creating new setbacks for existing side walks. Existing setbacks along sidewalks within the designated TODs are sum marized in Table 10-7. Table 10-7 Sidew alk Location on Arterial and Collector Streets in Medford TODs Street To Side Sidew alk Location North M edford TOD Crater Lake Avenue RVTD Coker Butte East None Crater Lake Avenue RVTD Coker Butte West None Coker Butte Crater Lake Avenue East North None Medford Transportatio n System Plan 10-18 Non-M otorized Transportation Plan