Cookies help us to understand how you use our website so that we can provide you with the best experience when you are on our site. To find out more, read our privacy policy and cookie policy.
Manage Cookies
A cookie is information stored on your computer by a website you visit. Cookies often store your settings for a website, such as your preferred language or location. This allows the site to present you with information customized to fit your needs. As per the GDPR law, companies need to get your explicit approval to collect your data. Some of these cookies are ‘strictly necessary’ to provide the basic functions of the website and can not be turned off, while others if present, have the option of being turned off. Learn more about our Privacy and Cookie policies. These can be managed also from our cookie policy page.
Strictly necessary cookies(always on):
Necessary for enabling core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies. This cannot be turned off. e.g. Sign in, Language
Analytics cookies:
Analytical cookies help us to analyse user behaviour, mainly to see if the users are able to find and act on things that they are looking for. They allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. Tools used: Google Analytics
Social media cookies:
We use social media cookies from Facebook, Twitter and Google to run Widgets, Embed Videos, Posts, Comments and to fetch profile information.
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinEmail this link
Update 8/25/20: The final report and Council presentation have been added to the 'Key Documents' section on the right column of this webpage.
*******
The City of Tigard is making safety changes on Ascension Drive in response to community concerns. Earlier this year, city staff moved toward removing parking on Ascension based on a traffic safety complaint. After hearing a broad range of input, the City Engineer has revised the initial proposal to include removal on only one side of the street.
Update 7/23/20: Letter from the City Engineer
Dear Ascension Drive neighbors,
I want to express my apologies for what has been an imperfect at best communications process around traffic safety and parking issues on SW Ascension Drive. Read more...
Background
In February, the City of Tigard received a traffic complaint of low visibility through the back-to-back curves (S-curves) on SW Ascension Drive.
Engineering staff visited the site and decided to limit on-street parking through the curves. The city sent a mailed notice to property owners in March.
In May, in response to community concerns and questions, the city mailed a second notice with more detail about the decision.
In June, city staff met individually with property owners along the curves to better understand their concerns.
What We Heard
Concerns from neighborhood residents about the lack of visibility for drivers in the S-curves when parked cars are present.
Concerns with the proposed removal of on-street parking:
Deliveries
Guests
Parking impacts to adjacent street
Limit ‘no parking’ to just one side of the street
Additional safety concerns:
Speed
Increased traffic volume
Concerns about the level of neighborhood involvement in responding to traffic safety complaints.
The community has requested a comprehensive approach to addressing safety concerns. In this case, removing parking addresses visibility — but no other important traffic safety concerns.
In response to previous community concerns, the city has monitored speed on Ascension Drive since 2017. The average speed is 26 mph, with 85 percent of drivers below 30 mph — but there are a few outliers and even that speed seems fast in the back-to-back curves.
Traffic volume has increased from about 730 motor vehicles per day in 2016 to 1,050 per day in 2019. Tigard and adjacent communities have seen significant development. All public streets, including neighborhood routes, have seen higher traffic volumes.
The City Engineer, Lori Faha, has outlined upcoming traffic safety improvements to be installed later this summer:
No parking on one side of Ascension Drive through the back-to-back curves.
Add striping in the curves, to serve as a visual clue to slow and stay in the correct lane.
Commitment to pursue a 20 mph neighborhood streets program with City Council, including implementation on Ascension Drive.
Development of a citywide neighborhood traffic complaint program with clear avenues for neighborhood feedback and clear criteria for prioritizing and addressing issues.
We know this decision won’t satisfy everyone, but we are looking forward to improving safety in this area.
Update 8/25/20: The final report and Council presentation have been added to the 'Key Documents' section on the right column of this webpage.
*******
The City of Tigard is making safety changes on Ascension Drive in response to community concerns. Earlier this year, city staff moved toward removing parking on Ascension based on a traffic safety complaint. After hearing a broad range of input, the City Engineer has revised the initial proposal to include removal on only one side of the street.
Update 7/23/20: Letter from the City Engineer
Dear Ascension Drive neighbors,
I want to express my apologies for what has been an imperfect at best communications process around traffic safety and parking issues on SW Ascension Drive. Read more...
Background
In February, the City of Tigard received a traffic complaint of low visibility through the back-to-back curves (S-curves) on SW Ascension Drive.
Engineering staff visited the site and decided to limit on-street parking through the curves. The city sent a mailed notice to property owners in March.
In May, in response to community concerns and questions, the city mailed a second notice with more detail about the decision.
In June, city staff met individually with property owners along the curves to better understand their concerns.
What We Heard
Concerns from neighborhood residents about the lack of visibility for drivers in the S-curves when parked cars are present.
Concerns with the proposed removal of on-street parking:
Deliveries
Guests
Parking impacts to adjacent street
Limit ‘no parking’ to just one side of the street
Additional safety concerns:
Speed
Increased traffic volume
Concerns about the level of neighborhood involvement in responding to traffic safety complaints.
The community has requested a comprehensive approach to addressing safety concerns. In this case, removing parking addresses visibility — but no other important traffic safety concerns.
In response to previous community concerns, the city has monitored speed on Ascension Drive since 2017. The average speed is 26 mph, with 85 percent of drivers below 30 mph — but there are a few outliers and even that speed seems fast in the back-to-back curves.
Traffic volume has increased from about 730 motor vehicles per day in 2016 to 1,050 per day in 2019. Tigard and adjacent communities have seen significant development. All public streets, including neighborhood routes, have seen higher traffic volumes.
The City Engineer, Lori Faha, has outlined upcoming traffic safety improvements to be installed later this summer:
No parking on one side of Ascension Drive through the back-to-back curves.
Add striping in the curves, to serve as a visual clue to slow and stay in the correct lane.
Commitment to pursue a 20 mph neighborhood streets program with City Council, including implementation on Ascension Drive.
Development of a citywide neighborhood traffic complaint program with clear avenues for neighborhood feedback and clear criteria for prioritizing and addressing issues.
Ascension Drive Safety Updates is currently at this stage
This project is open for feedback through July 31.
Final Report
this is an upcoming stage for Ascension Drive Safety Updates
The final outcomes of feedback will be documented here. This may include a summary of all contributions collected as well as additional recommendations for future action.
Implementation
this is an upcoming stage for Ascension Drive Safety Updates
Traffic safety improvements will be installed later this summer.
