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August 18, 2005
Welcoming Visitors to Hollywood - By Any Mode
Guest contributor Patrick Donaldson is a member of the Hollywood Boosters.
As one of Portland's oldest organized business districts the Hollywood District continues to identify new methods of attracting and keeping customers for the various goods and services available in our Northeast Portland community.
During the expansion of bicycle lanes throughout the city it became apparent that not all areas were as excited about the prospect of compression of automobile travel paths, reduced, eliminated or modified automobile parking spaces and the general concern about 'change'.
The Hollywood Boosters, who represent the varied interests of over five hundred land owners, building owners, and business owners and operators viewed the bicycle lane issue as an opportunity to attract new customers - those using bicycles as their mode of transport. Thus, we were able to work cooperatively with Louise Tippens of the City of Portland to achieve what most people believe was a 'nonevent,' namely more parking in our district for more people - who happen to be traveling via bicycle.
We have subsequently added creative bicycle racks and plan to add more of the same as well as standard means of securing and sheltering bicycles while employees, customers and visitors use the Hollywood District.
Our dilemma - the Sandy Blvd. Resurfacing & Streetscape project is about to finish their work followed on the heels by the Hollywood Sewer Project. Both of these initiatives will cause disruption to normal patterns of traffic for pedestrians, bicycles and automobiles. We are concerned that the efforts made so far could cause a reduction in ridership or conversely an increase in need for modes of transportation other than automobiles.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
In addition, METRO will be hosting its "Get Centered" event in the Hollywood District Thursday, October 27, 2005. The purpose is to showcase the area and attract new development.
The Hollywood Boosters will work to ensure that all future development not only accommodates pedestrian, bicycle and mass transit but actually creates even more opportunity for people to utilize these forms of transportation.
We look forward to anyone and everyone's thoughts as we attempt to create business vitality and success in changing times.
Guest Column at 12:01 AM
Comments
August 23, 2005 9:51 AM
Jessica Roberts Says:
There's a nice quote in this article about the bike-friendliness of the Hollywood district.
And I think crossing Sandy, as well as circulating in the district, are the major issues for cyclists in the Hollywood district right now.
