Email to Tom Jensen PBOT July 12, 2013

July 12, 2012

Tom, this note is to confirm what we, you, Glenn Bridger and I, discussed during our field trip yesterday regarding vegetation management along streets with no sidewalks. Please let me know if I have anything wrong or what I have left out.

1. PBOT and the City of Portland do not have any rules about removing vegetation to give protection to pedestrians on curves or 90 degree intersections.

2. PBOT and the City of Portland look at corner visibility only at intersections. (added 1/11/13 Blind curves are not addressed in the city rules?)

3. PBOT and the City of Portland require 150 feet sight distance to the oncoming lane (not the full street) with a vehicle having its front end lined up with the fog line or edge of pavement, and the driver is assumed to be 7 feet back from that point. If there is vegetation growing 20 feet tall at the edge of the road that obscures the possibility of the driver seeing a child or other pedestrian walking along the street, the city has no rules covering this situation.

4. If vegetation is growing over the edge of the pavement, the city (BDS) may post the property owner requiring them to remove the vegetation to the edge of the pavement. They (BDS) will not post to have it removed beyond that point under any conditions as the City has no authority to require vegetation removal beyond that point. Do you have any authority to require newly planted vegetation that is likely to be a problem to be removed? ed [no response to this question]

5. PBOT and the City of Portland (PBOT) will post for branches overhanging the street lower than 11 feet. They will also post for removing any vegetation obscuring the line of sight for 150 feet of traffic control signage such as stop signs. Will PBOT post for branches lower than 7 feet along pedestrian pathways like but not limited to the SW Urban Trails.

Have I got this right, have I missed any part of our discussion. Please confirm you have received this note and confirm it is correct. Please also address the questions raised in 4 and 5 above.

++++++++++++++++++end note sent to Tom Jensen on July 12, 2012+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(1/11/13) no response other than a telephone conversation with Tom telling me he was told not to respond