8. ORDINANCE 16-2025 - AN ORDINANCE to take effect immediately provided it receives the affirmative vote of at least two thirds of the members of Council to enact Section 901.23 Complete Streets of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Lakewood, to address the livability and safety needs of Lakewood by building upon efforts to promote an equitable multimodal transportation system.
I support referring this plan to committee. However, I have noticed this updated ordinance has removed verbiage to require the administration to report (1) transportation mode use data, (2) speed data, and (3) community feedback in the annual report. I would like council to consider reintroducing these reporting elements to bring this reporting in alignment with statements recently made in the a Lakewood Life communication describing the administration's intent to "create a safe, connected environment for walking, biking, and motorists while emphasizing community engagement." These three reporting elements would be more effective at measuring the effectuation of this ideal with hard data than any other reporting item in the currently proposed ordinance.
I support this ordinance and appreciate the Council and this Administration's vision for a future in Lakewood that provides casual bike riders safer routes that protect families from aggressive or distracted drivers.
I am writing to support ordinance 16-2025 Complete Streets. This legislation is a great next step in implementing many of the concepts and recommendations outlined in the ATP and improving safety for all modes of transportation throughout the city. Improving the quality of multi-modal facilities will translate to more healthy residents, a building sense of community, safety for our city’s children and most vulnerable, and a more resilient Lakewood overall. I greatly appreciate the efforts of all city leaders who have had a part in this plan. One point to consider - the ATP may not cover all projects that would benefit from Tier I review. Please consider moving to Tier I any project that has had revisions by the city or CASE committee since the last time ATP was updated.
I only oppose the Bunts Road plan for a multi-modal path. Please do not misconstrue my words to mean that I am against multi-modal traffic. That would be absurd. However, I am for safety and common sense.
City Council, Mayor George:
A significant portion of your plan hinges on public opinion - none of it from Bunts Road residents, voters, and taxpayers.
You claim that you offered ample opportunity for public comment. You had two plans ready to be voted on before you involved those on Bunts. We spoke up the minute you notified us of your plans. We opposed. You ignored us. Why?
Why are the opinions of Bike Lakewood more important than ours? We have lived and worked in Lakewood for decades. We have poured thousands into our homes. We have voted for you. We have voted for your plans.
Have any of the people who are championing the multi-modal path on Bunts asked to have a multi-modal path on their streets? If not, that should cause you to wonder why.
We urge you to put the multi-modal path on a street that makes more sense. As it stands now, it does not offer the north/south connection to the Lake that you desire. It instead offers connection to the freeway and the widest, fastest street in Lakewood. How does that make sense? How is that safe?
How will you protect the city of Lakewood and its residents who must deal with this path?
Why are you being so obtuse? I am available at your convenience to hear the answers to these questions and more.
RE: Bunts Road planned multi-modal path - I am only in opposition of the Bunts Road piece of this puzzle.
Please stop tearing our neighborhood apart. The planned multi-use path on Bunts is driving a wedge between long-time Lakewood residents both literally and figuratively.
On one hand, a very small group of residents have taken you for your word that this path will be good for the city and that the studies done bear out the will of the people.
On the other hand is a growing group of residents who have done the research and know that the city’s own studies tell quite a different story.
• The city claims it is worried about the tree canopy. Just as it promises to plant trees elsewhere in the city, it plans to slaughter nearly all trees on Bunts.
• The city claims to worry about the climate. Replacing healthy trees with saplings that won’t produce shade for years, if ever, is a direct contradiction.
• The city claims it values all residents. Then why place a small, special interest group above the people who will be impacted most by a multi-use path? I bet the taxes we pay far outweigh those paid by the favored small, special interest group.
• The city says that the more space people are given, the faster they travel. Then why replace sidewalks with a path more than double its size?
I am not against a multi-modal plan. Done well and with common sense, it could flourish. The multi-modal path planned for Bunts lacks all common sense and doesn’t follow the city’s own guidelines for trees, active transportation, inclusivity of all, and safety.
To this point, it seems everyone else has been placed above the residents of Bunts. Why? We should matter, too.
I’m writing in strong support of Ordinance 16-2025 to enact Section 901.23, the Complete Streets policy. This is a meaningful step toward making Lakewood safer, more accessible, and more livable for everyone—whether walking, biking, using transit, or driving. A thoughtful, equitable multimodal transportation system is essential for a vibrant, connected community, and I appreciate the city's leadership in moving this forward.
Thank you for working diligently to get an ordinance in place. I support this initiative and encourage the city to continue taking steps make our streets safer, more connected, and more accessible regardless of how often the ATP is formally updated.
I support the adoption of the Complete Streets Ordinance. Additionally, in section f, which reads “Starting with Transportation Projects constructed in 2027, the Department of Planning and Development, with the assistance of the City Engineer, will prepare an annual report to be presented to City Council and Planning Commission, which will include the following items, as available:” I request that the ODOT teacher tally survey data that the Lakewood School District has been collecting monthly since Feb 2025 be added to this annual report, and I request that the City set an expectation with the LCS district that this data be collected on a continuous bases henceforth. Having such data available to the planning department will be invaluable tool for the purposes of implementing effective encouragement programs and evaluating such programs for their effectiveness.
I support referring this plan to committee. However, I have noticed this updated ordinance has removed verbiage to require the administration to report (1) transportation mode use data, (2) speed data, and (3) community feedback in the annual report. I would like council to consider reintroducing these reporting elements to bring this reporting in alignment with statements recently made in the a Lakewood Life communication describing the administration's intent to "create a safe, connected environment for walking, biking, and motorists while emphasizing community engagement." These three reporting elements would be more effective at measuring the effectuation of this ideal with hard data than any other reporting item in the currently proposed ordinance.
I support this ordinance and appreciate the Council and this Administration's vision for a future in Lakewood that provides casual bike riders safer routes that protect families from aggressive or distracted drivers.
I am writing to support ordinance 16-2025 Complete Streets. This legislation is a great next step in implementing many of the concepts and recommendations outlined in the ATP and improving safety for all modes of transportation throughout the city. Improving the quality of multi-modal facilities will translate to more healthy residents, a building sense of community, safety for our city’s children and most vulnerable, and a more resilient Lakewood overall. I greatly appreciate the efforts of all city leaders who have had a part in this plan. One point to consider - the ATP may not cover all projects that would benefit from Tier I review. Please consider moving to Tier I any project that has had revisions by the city or CASE committee since the last time ATP was updated.
I only oppose the Bunts Road plan for a multi-modal path. Please do not misconstrue my words to mean that I am against multi-modal traffic. That would be absurd. However, I am for safety and common sense.
City Council, Mayor George:
A significant portion of your plan hinges on public opinion - none of it from Bunts Road residents, voters, and taxpayers.
You claim that you offered ample opportunity for public comment. You had two plans ready to be voted on before you involved those on Bunts. We spoke up the minute you notified us of your plans. We opposed. You ignored us. Why?
Why are the opinions of Bike Lakewood more important than ours? We have lived and worked in Lakewood for decades. We have poured thousands into our homes. We have voted for you. We have voted for your plans.
Have any of the people who are championing the multi-modal path on Bunts asked to have a multi-modal path on their streets? If not, that should cause you to wonder why.
We urge you to put the multi-modal path on a street that makes more sense. As it stands now, it does not offer the north/south connection to the Lake that you desire. It instead offers connection to the freeway and the widest, fastest street in Lakewood. How does that make sense? How is that safe?
How will you protect the city of Lakewood and its residents who must deal with this path?
Why are you being so obtuse? I am available at your convenience to hear the answers to these questions and more.
City Council, Mayor George, city leaders:
RE: Bunts Road planned multi-modal path - I am only in opposition of the Bunts Road piece of this puzzle.
Please stop tearing our neighborhood apart. The planned multi-use path on Bunts is driving a wedge between long-time Lakewood residents both literally and figuratively.
On one hand, a very small group of residents have taken you for your word that this path will be good for the city and that the studies done bear out the will of the people.
On the other hand is a growing group of residents who have done the research and know that the city’s own studies tell quite a different story.
• The city claims it is worried about the tree canopy. Just as it promises to plant trees elsewhere in the city, it plans to slaughter nearly all trees on Bunts.
• The city claims to worry about the climate. Replacing healthy trees with saplings that won’t produce shade for years, if ever, is a direct contradiction.
• The city claims it values all residents. Then why place a small, special interest group above the people who will be impacted most by a multi-use path? I bet the taxes we pay far outweigh those paid by the favored small, special interest group.
• The city says that the more space people are given, the faster they travel. Then why replace sidewalks with a path more than double its size?
I am not against a multi-modal plan. Done well and with common sense, it could flourish. The multi-modal path planned for Bunts lacks all common sense and doesn’t follow the city’s own guidelines for trees, active transportation, inclusivity of all, and safety.
To this point, it seems everyone else has been placed above the residents of Bunts. Why? We should matter, too.
I’m writing in strong support of Ordinance 16-2025 to enact Section 901.23, the Complete Streets policy. This is a meaningful step toward making Lakewood safer, more accessible, and more livable for everyone—whether walking, biking, using transit, or driving. A thoughtful, equitable multimodal transportation system is essential for a vibrant, connected community, and I appreciate the city's leadership in moving this forward.
Thank you for working diligently to get an ordinance in place. I support this initiative and encourage the city to continue taking steps make our streets safer, more connected, and more accessible regardless of how often the ATP is formally updated.
I support the adoption of the Complete Streets Ordinance. Additionally, in section f, which reads “Starting with Transportation Projects constructed in 2027, the Department of Planning and Development, with the assistance of the City Engineer, will prepare an annual report to be presented to City Council and Planning Commission, which will include the following items, as available:” I request that the ODOT teacher tally survey data that the Lakewood School District has been collecting monthly since Feb 2025 be added to this annual report, and I request that the City set an expectation with the LCS district that this data be collected on a continuous bases henceforth. Having such data available to the planning department will be invaluable tool for the purposes of implementing effective encouragement programs and evaluating such programs for their effectiveness.