Vandalism strikes again in Rose City Park, as road safety signs promoting a new greenway for pedestrians and bikers fall at the hands of disgruntled residents with a power saw. Local authorities and residents of Northeast Portland encountered a shocking scene where a "Road Closed" sign, along with other traffic indicators, were found sawed off and abandoned near Rose City Golf Course according to BikePortland. The act was performed with such haste that bolts and washers were left scattered around the vicinity, evidencing the audacity of the rapid destruction.
This egregious act comes amidst the Portland Bureau of Transportation's (PBOT) efforts to transition Northeast 72nd Avenue into a one-way street aiming to prioritize the safety of non-motorized commuters. While some residents like Lauren Norris worry about the speed of vehicles and welcome the change, others like Steve Zodrow, who has been living in the area for over a decade disagree with the move, expressing to KGW that "Heavy traffic along Northeast 72nd Avenue has never been an issue," believes the existing road should stay both ways.
Statements in the aftermath by locals, such as "It's a shame," by Rosie Bergeron, mirror the community's distress over the vandalized signs which have become a symbol of the contention surrounding the greenway project. PBOT is faced with a dual challenge – not only dealing with vandalism but also addressing previous instances where drivers blatantly ignored the new road configurations, as reported by KGW.
In response to the vandalism, PBOT subsequently reached out to the Portland police, considering the matter seriously, damage to important signage is not a minor inconvenience but rather a blatant disregard for public safety and communal negotiation over shared spaces. The city's bid to strike a balance between vehicular traffic and the rights of pedestrians and bikers continues to be an uphill battle, one that is being fought not just in council meetings, but in the very streets where the signs once stood before being cast aside near the trunk of a redwood tree.
