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Residents urge ODOT to improve Highway 101 bike and pedestrian safety; council approves limited night work for ADA ramps
Summary
Two residents told the North Bend council that Highway 101 and nearby streets are dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians because of high speeds, missing striping and sidewalk obstructions. The council later authorized ODOT to do night work on ADA ramp replacements with a restriction on noisy demolition before 11 p.m.
Two residents used the public-comment period at the North Bend City Council's Jan. 14 meeting to urge the city and Oregon Department of Transportation to improve bicyclist and pedestrian safety along U.S. Highway 101 and adjacent streets.
Dean Lunder, who identified himself during public comment, said he and a partner have worked for more than a decade on a plan to connect the boardwalk with pedestrian and bicycle paths and asked the council to forward a formal notification to ODOT about safety issues. Lunder told councilors the state highway lacks consistent striping and signage where it runs through North Bend and that sidewalks have utility poles that obstruct pedestrian access. "It's a formal notification to Oregon Division of Transportation about safety issues," he said in the meeting.
Mike Power, who said he lives in Coos Bay and rides an electric bike, told the council he finds many stretches of 101 through Coos Bay and North Bend "extremely dangerous" for cyclists and pedestrians because posted speeds near 45 mph leave little margin for people walking or biking. Power said parts of North Bend have almost no safe bike infrastructure and described existing painted bike lanes as unsafe when used. "I've seen people ride their bike on 101, and they gotta be nuts," he said in the public comment record.
After hearing public comment, the council considered an agenda item from ODOT asking to perform night work on a 2025 ADA ramp replacement project. Councilor Hamilton moved to authorize the night work with a stipulation that demolition activities that create noise be restricted prior to 11 p.m.; Councilor Bartokart Bodine seconded the motion. Councilors approved the authorization by voice vote. The motion includes the explicit condition to minimize noise by restricting demolition activities before 11 p.m.
Why it matters: residents and visitors use Highway 101 on foot and by bicycle in the North Bend-Coos Bay area; improvements to striping, signage, ADA ramps and bike lanes affect daily safety and accessibility. The council's approval of ODOT's night work does not address striping or speeds but does allow the agency to proceed with ramp work under a local noise mitigation condition.
What the council recorded: the ODOT night-work authorization was approved and recorded in the meeting as "motion carries." The transcript does not include a roll-call vote or an itemized timeline for ODOT's work. Public commenters asked the city to engage with ODOT on striping, crossing safety and the placement of poles that obstruct sidewalks; the transcript does not record a formal council directive to send an action letter to ODOT on those specific fixes.
Follow-up: residents asked the city to coordinate with ODOT on striping, signage and safe bike routes for Highway 101; councilors and staff may consider whether to forward formal notices or requests to ODOT outside the meeting record.
