The City of Sisters invites the community to attend the fourth and final community workshop on the City’s Transportation System Plan (TSP) update on Tuesday, June 2nd from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Sisters City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Ave. At this workshop the draft TSP will be presented for public review and comment. As required by state law, the draft TSP addresses all modes of transportation (motor vehicles, bicycles, pedestrian and transit.) The report contains background on transportation system service providers, proposed policies and services, system improvements for these modes of travel, and funding recommendations.

Several policy positions were discussed and debated throughout the process, most notably how to best accommodate vehicles traveling to and through the city of Sisters. A citizen advisory committee guiding the process discussed at length a couplet versus an alternate route; and traffic signals versus roundabouts at two major intersections on Highway 20 at Locust Street and Barclay Drive. The proposed plan recommends the alternate route with traffic signals at these intersections. “Signals enable the use of computer technology to sense traffic congestion to change signal timing and signage thereby encouraging drivers to use the alternate route at busy and congested times,” stated City Manager Eileen Stein. However, the plan also includes language allowing the continued exploration of roundabouts at these intersections as well.

Although the plan recommends the alternate route, it also assumes that Cascade Avenue (Highway 20) will continue to be the state highway through Sisters. Highway 20 is also a federally designated freight route requiring certain federal highway standards to be met. As such, the plan calls for the creation of a Special Transportation Area (STA) designation in the downtown area. This will provide additional flexibility in designing improvements on Cascade Avenue which can have the effect of slowing traffic and creating a more pedestrian oriented environment. Specifically, the plan calls for narrowing travel lanes, widening sidewalks, removing some parking and adding curb extensions to narrow the crossing distance at intersections. Later in the year, the City plans to launch a process to solicit public opinion in designing these and other downtown improvements that would be funded with urban renewal dollars.

The document also contains a plan for creating safe routes to schools with additional bicycle and pedestrian improvements near schools.

“While this is the final community workshop in the creation of the plan, this is not the final opportunity for public comment,” noted Stein. “A final draft will be created that reflects the public comment received. Then the plan will be forwarded to the Planning Commission and then the City Council,” added Stein. Formal public hearings will be held before both bodies which will occur later this year.

For information about the workshop, please contact Eileen Stein, City Manager, at 323-5205 or via e-mail at estein@ci.sisters.or.us.

Minutes from last Project Advisory Committee meeting 12/16/2008 (pdf)

Download Complete City of Sisters Draft TSP (7,133kb pdf)