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Resident urges West Linn to preserve neighborhood trail, not close it for traffic reasons
Summary
Resident Laurie Bacon told the City Council that closing the Oxford‑White Salmon pedestrian trail in Sunset would reduce safe walking options and increase vehicle dependence; she urged engineering fixes at a blind corner and retention of the trail while the city implements broader Safe Routes measures.
Laurie Bacon, a West Linn resident, told the City Council at the Nov. 12 meeting that the city should not close the Oxford‑White Salmon pedestrian trail in the Sunset neighborhood as part of efforts to address traffic safety. Bacon said the trail connects residential streets and provides safer, shorter walking options for families, people walking dogs and others; closing it would force more car trips or longer, more dangerous walks on streets without sidewalks or crosswalks.
Bacon urged the council to focus on engineering solutions at the blind corner on the Summit‑Cornwall corridor — such as pedestrian signage, school signage, stop signs, marked crosswalks and sidewalks — and to expand Safe Routes to School boundaries rather than removing pedestrian connections. She said the city previously discussed several potential measures with Sergeant Hoseley of the West Linn Police Department and expects further recommendations after consulting with traffic consultant DKS.
Council acknowledged the concerns and thanked Bacon; the council and staff noted that further professional recommendations will be forthcoming pending data collection and the DKS review. No formal action was taken on the trail at the Nov. 12 meeting.
