Iris Avenue in Context Fact Sheet

The city’s 2019 Low Stress Walk and Bike Network Plan recommends protected bike lanes for Iris Ave and to create more space between vehicle lanes and people walking.

This approach is supported by guidance from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that does not recommend removing an existing bike lane from a street.

For these reasons, and the current safety risks along the Iris Avenue corridor, doing nothing is not an option.

Each alternative includes protected bike lanes, sidewalk, and curb ramp improvements.

In addition to speeding on Iris Avenue, speeding on the side streets is a concern and affects the safety and quality of life of residents and users of those streets. We’ve heard from the community that traffic diversion happens on these side streets today. Residents are concerned this will increase as a result of the Iris Avenue Transportation Improvements Project.

Neighbors identified some streets that experience diversion today, and staff added additional parallel vehicle routes to the list. Those street segments, along with the number and prevailing speeds of vehicles, are shown below.

Staff will identify the specific locations along these street segments to receive traffic calming. Street segments with the largest speeding problem will be prioritized first. These prioritized segments will receive speed mitigation and traffic management when the Iris project is implemented.

Additional street segments that will be monitored for increases in traffic and speeds are also shown.

Examples of Neighborhood Speed Mitigation and Traffic Management Strategies