City of Eugene Planning to Improve Safety at Multilane Crossings
The City of Eugene is working to improve safety on streets with multilane crosswalks, beginning with a pilot project on Patterson Street.
NEWS RELEASE
June 24, 2026
CONTACTS: Marion Suitor, City of Eugene Public Works Public Affairs Manager, [email protected], 541-731-0126
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The City of Eugene is working to improve safety on streets with multilane crosswalks, beginning with a pilot project on Patterson Street between 19th and 24th Avenues. This work responds directly to the community’s call for interventions at multilane crosswalks throughout the city.
“Every life lost on our streets is unacceptable,” said Reed Dunbar, senior transportation planner for the City of Eugene. “These upcoming improvements at multilane crossings are practical, effective steps we can take right now to make our streets safer for everyone who walks, bikes and drives.”
The Patterson Street pilot project will test a new lane configuration using pavement striping and flexible bollards (vertical poles). The west travel lane will be removed to add a bicycle lane and bus lane/parking lane, which will eliminate the multilane condition at most intersections along the four-block section. While the City cannot easily make immediate changes at every fatal crash location, Patterson Street presents a unique opportunity; the safety treatment is lower-cost, street standards and best practices align with community ideas, one lane on Patterson can accommodate the traffic volumes, and the University of Oregon is interested in partnering to make the project affordable. The City will be holding a community meeting later this summer to discuss the proposed changes.
The Patterson Street pilot responds not only to community advocacy, but also to the shifting transportation conditions near the new YMCA and Roosevelt Middle School, which have increased the demand for safe access to the area. The Y’s plans to redevelop its former site further highlight the need to test traffic interventions on Patterson as the area evolves.
In addition to the Patterson Street pilot, the City will be updating striping and signage at up to 23 marked multilane crosswalks throughout Eugene. These updates will add a solid white centerline leading up to the crosswalk to discourage drivers from changing lanes near the crosswalk. Stop bars and additional signage will also be added to alert drivers that a crosswalk is ahead. “Adding more striping and signage may seem simple, but these changes make a real difference,” said Willow Hamilton, transportation community engagement coordinator at the City. “They help remind drivers that Oregon law requires them to stop and wait at crosswalks.”
The City is focusing on multilane crossings because streets with more than one travel lane in the same direction can make it hard for people driving to see someone crossing the street. This is a common challenge on Eugene’s arterial streets like River Road, Coburg Road, Hilyard Street, Pearl Street and others. Several people walking and biking in Eugene have lost their lives trying to cross at these higher traffic and higher speed streets. This multilane crossing explainer video from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center shows a visual example of this situation.
If you are driving, remember that it is illegal to pass a stopped car at a crosswalk (ORS 811.020). In Oregon, all intersections are crosswalks, regardless whether they are marked. If a car stops in front of you at an intersection or crosswalk, do not pass it. Wait until any people walking and biking have safely crossed.
The City of Eugene remains committed to the Vision Zero goal of eliminating fatal and severe crashes on Eugene’s streets. By continuing to build safer street designs, and by driving, walking, and biking carefully and respectfully, our community can reach the Vision Zero goal together. Follow along by signing up for the City’s InMotion Newsletter.
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