Safety for everyone is top priority, let's set our expectations now for projects moving forward.

As concerned residents born witness to the heart-wrenching devastation of the Los Angeles fires, we have been made painfully aware of the importance of an efficient transportation network in emergencies. It is a time when life and death literally hang in the balance, with the major threat arising from gridlock and trapped communities. 

Observing this tragedy amplified our concerns around the Greenwood Avenue 'Road Diet' concept currently underway by the City of Bend. These plans seekm to permanently alter key travel routes and remove vehicle lanes, which, in my view, could prove perilous in the face of emergencies requiring mass evacuations. 

Our city, as beautiful as it is, lies in an area highly susceptible to wildfires, requiring a heightened level of safety and evacuation preparedness. Roads, in this context, rank amongst the most crucial infrastructure we have. Current circumstances make it clear - now more than ever - that any move to narrow essential travel routes could risk creating unnecessary pinch points, potentially limiting our capacity for timely, effective response in emergencies.

We must bear in mind the cities' obligation to prioritize the safety of its citizens. Hence, it is vital that Bend reconsiders making the 'Greenwood Ave Road Diet' a permanent feature and pledges never to propose such a hazardous concept on any main road in the city.

Emergency preparedness is a shared responsibility. We must all play our part to ensure when the day comes that we face an emergency, we are ready. Now, the ball is in your court. I urge you to sign this petition, thereby demanding our city to reconsider the Greenwood Avenue Road Diet and all similar proposals, to prioritize public safety above all else.

There are many ways we can make a positive impact in our community, I hope these recent experiences will inspire us to make a difference. We appreciate the idea of creating better spaces for bicyclists and pedestrians, but we must be cautious when applying these concepts to ensure safety for everyone, in all circumstances. 

Thank you.

(Note: FYI signing requires zero donation, please don't mistake the request) 

This petition is only a small portion of the efforts being done by local residents demanding better safety. Here is the body of an email sent 1/20/2025-

Good afternoon,

I am a resident of Bend deeply affected by the recent mile marker 132 fire that occurred on August 2, 2024.

This fire showed us a glaring gap in our emergency preparedness systems: the lack of centrally located physical and digitally accessible literature that educates on specific emergency preparedness protocols, including evacuation route maps for Bend and much of its surrounding areas.

This gap not only hampers our ability to quickly respond to emergencies, especially tourists which our local economy heavily relies on, but also makes us overly dependent on technology which may not always be accessible or reliable during crisis situations. Imagine a situation where evacuation is required, but digital alerts are inaccessible or there's a power outage. A binded print copy of a City of Bend/ Deschutes County SOP, maps and emergency protocols could potentially save lives in such scenarios.

Moreover, it was noticed that while building-specific evacuation maps exist within the hospitality industry, there's a lack of general emergency preparedness literature accessible to all. Hence, it is crucial to make the creation and distribution of these resources a priority. This is a major oversight in my opinion, the influx of tourists, unfamiliar with the area during chaos could be one of the most significant problems we will face in the event of an emergency.

Beyond this, we must foster open dialogues about wildfire and emergency preparedness, and encourage citizens to be prepared and self sufficient. Such conversations encourage valuable feedback, aiding the continuous improvement of our preparedness plans. This is my third attempt at holding us all accountable, I hope this one sticks.

Thank you