Dear Neighbors,
You’ll all be receiving the Brooklyn Neighborhood News on your doorstep soon, and we’ve included the following message to him on a BRIGHT YELLOW POSTCARD that will probably fall out of the newsletter in your lap. Please read it, sign it, stamp it, and mail it, (or drop it off at City Hall).
You can send an email of the postcard by cutting and pasting some of the message below, along with some personal comments, into an email and sending it to Mayor Adams at: Samadams@portlandoregon.gov
REGARDING INCREASED TRUCK TRAFFIC ON SE 26TH AVENUE
Dear Mayor Sam Adams,
Over the past several months, representatives from the Brooklyn Neighborhood have contacted both the city and the railroad about the increased heavy truck traffic using the stretch SE 26th Avenue between SE Powell and SE Holgate Boulevard to access Brooklyn Yards. The increase in noise and safety problems has greatly impacted the livability of our neighborhood. The street is designated a “Safe Routes to School”/bicycle route for Cleveland High School and Creston Elementary, and having these trucks rumbling down SE 26th Avenue instead of SE McLoughlin and 17th Avenue violates the residential designation of the street.
Our communications with the railroad thus far have convinced us that UP’s management does not feel it has a legal or moral obligation to ensure that their facility complies with the freight plan and residential street use guidelines.
We would like the City of Portland to enforce its own freight plan by increasing police presence in the area, installing “Trucks Prohibited” signs, and informing UP that they must obey the freight plan or face enforcement actions. We need to prioritize our safety and livability over convenience for trucks and the railroad.
Thank you for your consideration.
Signed
