PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) recently discovered that someone vandalized its brand-new road signs along Northeast 72nd Ave.
PBOT is trying to make that street into a greenway and make it more friendly to bikers and pedestrians by transitioning Northeast 72nd Avenue into a one-way street. That would involve shutting down traffic in the northbound direction.
"It's a shame," said Rosie Bergeron, a resident of Northeast Portland, referring to the vandalism.
Some residents told KGW that the plan has been controversial. Some, like Bergeron, are looking forward to the greenway being finished.
"I just think it'll be better if there's been some thought put into how pedestrians and bicyclists and cars can all be in this area," said another Northeast Portland resident, Lauren Norris.
Norris walks her dog along Northeast 72nd Avenue daily, though she has become concerned about her safety, since there aren’t sidewalks along the full roadway.
"I see cars coming through that are sometimes coming kind of fast," Norris said.
Other neighbors are not in favor of the greenway project.
"The city is just doing too much to limit access," said Steve Zodrow, who has lived in northeast Portland for 13 years.
Heavy traffic along Northeast 72nd Avenue has never been an issue, Zodrow said.
"I walk or run this every day,” he said. “And there's bike access and there's walking on both sides of the road ... I don't know why it can't remain a two-way road."
In a statement, PBOT said vandalism isn’t the only issue they’ve faced with the project. Many drivers previously ignored the signage signaling that the road was a one-lane road.
The agency has been in contact with Portland police about the vandalism incident.