That fence is sooooooooooo friggin annoying. $382,000???? Seriously????Absurd!!!

"headed up by BikePortland managing editor and Carfree Cities activist Elly Blue"

Guess you have to keep busy somehow while you're spending down that trust fund.

"Berlin Wall?"

Glad to keep we're keeping this in proportion. Also, the fence is for the protection of idiots running across the street, NOT to make things cushier for drivers. If you want it to remain like human fucking Frogger out there, maybe you shouldn't be as outraged when people get hit crossing the street on Foster.

Keeping dangerous cars from hitting the clueless and/or infirm is a GOOD idea.

I also like how the guy stopped himself from calling himself lower class right at the last second.

So putting up this divider isn't just the "Berlin Wall," it's class warfare!

Finally, 82nd avenue is clear for the plutocrats of the area to take their stretch limos to their monocle repair shop, without pausing to remove filthy peasants from their cow-catchers!

Any explanation of why a cement fence costs more than a stoplight and crosswalk? That doesn't seem right. It results in the decision you wanted, so I can see why you wouldn't question it, but come on...

And why "cement fence" and not "wall?"

@Reymont: Good question, a cement fence doesn't conjure up a structurally sound mental picture, like a chainlink fence with bits of busted cement in it.

@CC: And I thought the monocle fad had faded a few whiffins past.

This is basically the Trail of Tears all over again.

Wtf, a fence? How the hell am I supposed to cruise for hookers if there is something obstructing my view?

Elly here. You folks have all got us all wrong. PDOT's position is that we should give all roads equal treatment. If this road gets a wall EVERY road should get a wall.

How it's oriented is another question.

If anyone finds a trust fund lying around with my name on it let me know. It'd help a ton.

Oh also, I'm not in charge. Just reporting this segment. Don't worry, more coming soon.

That's a really funny parody spin on the story, Sarah--calling PDOT a "carfree activist organization!"

But seriously, are we going to let scofflaw out-of-towners with their own agenda come to our town and build walls like ODOT has?

This kind of lawless behavior cannot be tolerated.

As a concerned citizen, I do not appreciate this kind of interfering with due process!

"...If you want it to remain like human fucking Frogger out there, maybe you shouldn't be as outraged when people get hit crossing the street on Foster."

I'm as big a fan of Social Darwinism as anybody, CC, but the two most recent fatalities on Foster were lawfully in a crosswalk when hit.

@ eastside: I'm a biker, a pedestrian and a driver. "Lawfully" doesn't mean shit when tons of steel are hurtling all around you at high speed. Remember "there's right, and there's dead right?"

Bikers, peds and drivers can all be incredibly fucking stupid, but odds are that only one of those fuckups is going to kill you, and we need to do what we can to minimize opportunities for auto-on-ped-or-bike fuckups. This was a problem area, the city addressed it, and now people are predictably complaining.

And @ Elly, the reason this intersection is treated differently is because a) it's a demonstrated problem, and b) resources to fix problems are finite. FUCKING DUH. You really want a wall everywhere or nowhere? What the hell are you saying or trying to say?

CC, I understand your point. Your first post seemed to equate the stupidity that is Frogger-style jaywalking on 82nd with the fact that peds have been killed on Foster while crossing in the manner designated by law, which I agree, really offers no protection.

The reason people cross the street there is because of the MAX platform down below. The MAX stairs are on the East side and the South bound bus is on the West side.

The solution to pedestrian access is easy: Extend the MAX platform and put a 2nd set of stairs on the West side of the street. You don't need a cross walk and you sure as hell don't need a freaking wall.

I called Tri-Met about this YEARS ago and was told "Oh, that pedestrian island is there for people to cross the street safely..."

O...M...G...did that logo SERIOUSLY spell "Department" wrong?????

Statistics show that misspelled words in a logo or advertisement makes people LESS likely to go with that company's/organization's ideas and products...how silly they didn't check it out...

As for the wall...also very silly...but the idea of putting a crosswalk in at that point is also silly...the crosswalk that is such a short distance from the MAX and bus stops is enough...if you want to add anything...have Tri-Met (who essentially has caused the problem with their placement of stations/stops) have either A) a crossing guard that has a lit up sign that instructs driver's to stop when they wave it...or B) stick a transit cop, far inspector, whatever...there to hand out tickets...one or two of those and you get excluded just like if you're caught without fare...people will pay more attention...and nothing like a little personal attention in such an automated world.