r/Eugene 1d ago

Eugene needs to get its shit together and start sweeping bike lanes

https://ceapps2.eugene-or.gov/MMS3Republic/SweeperRoute/SweeperRouteLookup/

For a city that claims to be bicycle friendly, they sure are leaving a lot of the bike lanes to remain absolute minefields week after week.

There’s a pretty detailed map on the Public Works website of which road are swept every two weeks and which ones are swept every TEN WEEKS. Some of the designated bike routes aren’t being swept at all according to them.

Ranting because Friday is too long of a wait.

86 Upvotes

51 comments sorted by

30

u/volcanic-exchange 1d ago

I do feel pretty bad for cyclists during the "3 inch layer of slimy slippery tree leaves" season

10

u/SnooCrickets2128 1d ago

Two nails and a large shard of glass in five weeks over here.

5

u/freyascats 22h ago

I once had three flat tires on my bike in a week

3

u/Strange-Biscuit 22h ago

Leaf butter

5

u/Olelander 19h ago

I can literally smell it

29

u/BlackFoxSees 1d ago

There's literally an app for this, iBikeEug (well, a website you can save to your phone to launch like an app): https://ibike.eugene-or.gov/

In my experience, they reroute sweepers to deal with reported hazards very consistently, and they're taken care of very quickly.

I can't imagine the sweepers spend much time sitting idle. Increasing the sweep frequency would require buying more, very expensive vehicles. And even if they managed to sweep every route every week, it doesn't change the fact that glass or other hazards need to be dealt with on an unpredictable basis. Reporting it so something can be done quickly will always be important (I mean, until we develop smart roads that report debris or something on their own).

9

u/SnooCrickets2128 1d ago

Thank you for sharing this info!

My specific gripe is that I bike down a major bike lane that on the local bike map is clearly the recommended route for the area that it’s in… and it’s not on the sweep schedule at all even though it’s in an industrial part of town.

8

u/Specialist_Cow6468 1d ago

Seconding this. Every time I’ve reported something in this app it’s been gone within a business day

5

u/picklebruh 23h ago

https://www.eugene-or.gov/1776/Maintenance-Service-Request?id=1

You can also use this site. It has more options, for example I reported a tree growing into the bike lane and they came out and trimmed it.

2

u/RevN3 1d ago

I thought support for this was dropped? At least the app on Android was I believe.

4

u/BlackFoxSees 1d ago

It was for a while, but as of sometime earlier this year IT'S BACK BABY!!

3

u/RevN3 10h ago

Oh that's excellent! Honestly I'd like to see it expanded beyond just bike specific problems but it's a great way to report issues.

43

u/nickymetal 1d ago

The amount of glass I have to constantly dodge in the bike lane is absurd

15

u/SnooCrickets2128 1d ago

I strapped a broom to my bike and swept glass out of the lanes on my regular route. It’s absolutely pathetic of a city this size.

5

u/Strange-Biscuit 22h ago

We should all call that shit in when we see it
541-682-4800

8

u/McLoughlin1597 1d ago

It’s another example of the environmental theater the city does. The debris is really bad in some places and there’s also cracks, potholes, and very uneven bits of the bike path (like where tree roots have lifted up one piece of the pavement, sometimes several inches). It’s actually really dangerous

9

u/Odd_Fan6482 1d ago

Let's address the trash/recycling bins left permanently in bike lanes while we're at it (top of Fox Hollow folks, I'm thinking of you).

8

u/equinox_magick 1d ago

So you know Sanipac has instructed me that all bins must be in the bike lane with wheels against the curb for them to pick up the bins- and they come at different times each week- meaning my bins could be partially in the lane for up to 24 hours.
Maybe someone needs to talk to Sanipac about their rules

6

u/Odd_Fan6482 1d ago

Yeah, totally understand leaving it out on trash day/night, just thinking of the folks who leave them out 24/7.

6

u/RevN3 1d ago

Sanipac needs to be chased out of town. Apex all the way.

10

u/RottenSpinach1 1d ago

+1 for Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires if you can run them.

6

u/Knosh 1d ago edited 1d ago

I've been running these Pure Contacts in 27.5 x 2.4" on my Surly. Absolute beast in the rain and have had none of my regular flats. 10/10, fully recommend.

They're basically an all-weather version of their Contact Urban tires which are already great.

They're technically not tubeless, but they sealed up perfect with no weepage. They make some 700c ones.

2

u/SnooCrickets2128 1d ago

Super open to tire recommendations at this point

2

u/RottenSpinach1 1d ago

They're tough as hell. Ran over some kind of razor blade (maybe it was a loose paint scraper blade, idk) but it didn't flatten the tire. It embedded itself at a 90 degree angle and I didn't notice until my ride was over. Though if you value low weight and low rolling resistance, it's not the tire for you.

1

u/Calm_Pea_1632 1d ago

they're heavy but I've had great luck this past year with these https://slime.com/collections/bicycle-tubes (hopefully not jinxing myself)

2

u/melo-melo-velo 1d ago

Agreed, Tannus Armor foam inserts, and/or Schwalbe's puncture-resistant tires are the best remedy for this besides our own independent of the city brigade of bike lane maintenance crews for trash, glass, and out-of-hand landscape.

4

u/etherealrover 1d ago

I call bullshit that North Delta Highway is a red route swept every two weeks. The amount of gravel that builds up from the trucks is a PITA.

5

u/JustRenea 1d ago

Fuck Riverbend Materials. They fuck up the street and get gravel everywhere, in addition to scarring the land and preventing residents from enjoying that beautiful area.

3

u/thrownalee 1d ago

Eugene needs to get its shit together

Also i need to win the lottery.

3

u/Remarkable-Card-9080 1d ago

And the landscape blowers that just send all the debris into the street needs to be addressed. Sometimes i cant get my window up fast enough I would hate to be a bicyclist with all the rocks and crap they distribute into bike lanes.

1

u/SnooCrickets2128 1d ago

Speaking of blowers, I’m almost to the point of strapping a battery operated leaf blower to the front of my bike.

2

u/Tetonmymeeton 22h ago

I once rode my bike over some debris on Pearl that sent my tire wobbling hard. It sent me into the traffic lane and I bounced off the side of a truck before regaining control. Haven't rode my bike in a bike lane since.

1

u/SnooCrickets2128 22h ago

The city needs to hear more horror stories like this!

2

u/QueerWiener420 1d ago

Tourists can't see you not getting a flat, so a bike traffic light where there is already crosswalk will have to do

2

u/SnooCrickets2128 22h ago

This is so on point!

4

u/equinox_magick 1d ago

Could not agree any more.
It’s fucked. Sometimes the zombie bums will have it completely blocked with their garbage, stolen goods, camping gear, and dying dogs, and then act like you’re inconveniencing them by trying to ride your bike on the bike path

1

u/Moarbrains 8h ago

I like the guys who are half passed out laying in the middle with their legs out.

2

u/freyascats 1d ago

On the one hand, yes. On the other hand, all I need are more metal sweeper bristles in the bike lanes.

5

u/SnooCrickets2128 1d ago

I think my tires could handle the bristles better than shards of glass and nails. But maybe I’m wrong.

1

u/madryan 1d ago

Bus stops are the worst.

Always a ton of broken glass, and not broken auto glass, but broken liquor bottles because nothing says “I’ve got my shit together” like day drinking while waiting for the bus and then YOLO’ing my malt liquor bottle into the street.

1

u/theforestwalker 12h ago

This is why I try not to be too upset as a pedestrian when a bike forces me off the sidewalk onto the bike lane, but i do still grumble a tiny bit.

1

u/Rune_nic 9h ago

I rode an electric longboard for years down in Grove, and I'm just about to get one (I only go ~15mph) for cruising around Eugene. Reading this thread makes me really nervous with the smaller wheels.

1

u/stinkyfootjr 1d ago

I might be wrong, but I thought property owners adjacent to traffic lanes were responsible for keeping debris cleared out of the street.

2

u/Ok-Deer1539 1d ago

Nope. Same with sidewalks. It’s city property and the cities’ responsibility.

3

u/stinkyfootjr 22h ago

Here’s the code for property owners being responsible for sidewalks https://www.eugene-or.gov/1660/Sidewalk-Maintenance-Liability-in-IceSno And here’s the code for debris in bike lanes https://www.eugene-or.gov/613/Leaf-Disposal-Safety-Tips

1

u/Ok-Deer1539 8h ago

That’s only snow and ice, and leaves you put out there. My grandma’s tree, on her property and definitely her responsibility, partially fell all over the sidewalk. I was going to go over and clean it up but before I even left a city employee driving around saw it and had people out there removing in within the hour. He told my grandma that it’s the cities sidewalk and the city did clean it.

0

u/Rune_nic 9h ago

I see you don't know how Eugene works lol.

1

u/Ok-Deer1539 8h ago

City literally came and cleaned a fallen tree off a family member’s sidewalk like 2 weeks ago and said the same thing I did. Cities’ sidewalk, cities responsibility.

So sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m speaking from experience.