Lake Oswego City Council Candidates Answers and Solutions About Traffic, Parking and Street Safety at Schools and George Rogers Park
Updated: 7 hours ago
Traffic, parking and pedestrian safety are growing concerns for residents living near George Rogers Park and Lake Oswego’s high schools. As park visitors and school-related traffic spill onto neighborhood streets, residents are asking a fundamental question: How will the City protect neighborhood livability while keeping our parks and schools accessible and our streets safe?
At the October 23 Lake Oswego Review and Neighborhood Association City Council Candidate Forum, all six candidates were asked seven questions without knowing the topics in advance. The forum was broadcast live by Tualatin Valley Community TV.
Candidates also submitted written responses to several questions in advance. This post shares their responses on parking around schools and parks, especially George Rogers Park. Candidates were also asked about the effectiveness of the "20 is plenty" signs, but that's another post.
The candidates responses give voters an opportunity to compare the candidates’ approaches to issues that affect our neighborhoods every day—and to consider what action they would take if elected.
Parking Around Schools and George Rogers Park
Question posed to the candidates:
Parking around the high schools and some of the parks, especially George Rogers Park, has become a recurring problem for residents of nearby neighborhoods. How do you think the City should approach parking in these areas, and what role do you see for partnership with the Lake Oswego School District in shaping long-term solutions?
A note about Old Town: All six candidates participated in a walkabout in our neighborhood. We showed them the effects of summer traffic on pedestrian and cyclist safety, as well as the impact on residents who live near George Rogers Park. Old Town streets can become an overflow parking lot for park visitors, particularly during busy summer days and evenings. With that firsthand context, it is worth reading what each candidate proposed in their written response.
Bryan Guiney - parking around high schools and George Rogers Park
“Our schools and parks are important community assets, but the parking demand they generate shouldn't come at the expense of the neighborhoods around them.
At both Lake Oswego and Lakeridge High Schools, student parking demand exceeds available capacity, pushing vehicles onto nearby residential streets. George Rogers Park faces similar challenges during busy weekends, sporting events, and community activities.
I believe the City and Lake Oswego School District need to work together on long-term solutions. That starts with understanding actual parking demand, identifying peak congestion periods, and listening to the residents most affected.
I'd like to see the City and School District explore shared parking opportunities, better student transportation options, improved walking and biking connections, and targeted parking management where appropriate.
For George Rogers Park, we should evaluate parking during major events and whether nearby facilities could accommodate overflow.
As a Planning Commissioner, I've learned that transportation and parking decisions require balancing competing needs. We should be practical, use data to guide investments, and make the most of existing infrastructure before committing taxpayer dollars to expensive new solutions. Our goal is safe access to schools and parks while protecting neighborhood safety and livability.”
Suzanne Miles - parking around schools and George Rogers Park
“Our parks and schools are an asset to our entire city. They are a big driver of what makes people want to live and visit here.
Folks that come to play at George Rogers stay to eat and shop.
These resources benefit our whole city, but we have to acknowledge that neighbors around them bear a disproportionate cost.
Parking around our schools and parks is a shared problem that the City, the School District, and the neighborhoods need to work together to solve.
There are tools that can be used, like imposing time-limited or permit parking and developing overflow options around the parks; reevaluating traffic flow rules around school drop-off and pick-up and assessing bus ridership barriers.
For both schools and parks, we can work to improve walking and bike access.
I can brainstorm ideas, but the real answers need to be the product of informed decision-making. I would coordinate effort between the City, LOSD, and neighborhood residents to create parking management plans in the areas with these challenges.”
Heather Ramsey - parking around schools and George Rogers Park
"Neighbors near Lake Oswego High School, Lakeridge High School and George Rogers Park shouldn't have to compete for parking in front of their own homes.
The goal is balance: keeping our schools and parks accessible while protecting the livability of the streets around them.
I've heard from residents in affected neighborhoods and will keep listening. For example, Old Town neighbors are working to deepen livability by working with the city to add clearer signs and implementing ticketing. Continuing to use data to pinpoint when and where issues occur, whether school days, games, summer weekends or events and then
using that data to come up with creative solutions is key.
Partnership with the Lake Oswego School District is also essential. Where appropriate, together we can coordinate student parking permits and event schedules, share existing lots, and encourage walking, biking and carpooling.
At George Rogers Park, continuing with clearer signage, time limits, overflow options, event shuttles and targeted enforcement are worth exploring before summer crowds arrive.
Solutions must be fiscally responsible: make the most of what we have before building anything new. And the process must be transparent, giving residents a seat at the table, clear options and costs, and measurable results.“
Peren Tiemann - parking around schools and George Rogers Park
“In a city with limited buildable land, parking is an issue to be taken seriously. There is no one size fits all approach, and this is an area where working in close partnership with neighborhoods, the school district, local businesses, and other stakeholders will be essential. Especially when it comes to our parks, which vary vastly in size, types of use, and high use times, it would be worthwhile to explore options in a task force.
One idea might be to require payment to park in surrounding neighborhoods during high traffic months, and to partner with the school district on shuttle buses during large events. Potential impacts to the neighborhoods, opportunities for city revenue, and potential harms to visitors and community members should be thoroughly considered before making these decisions.
Our schools are a deeply important part of our community, and our city should always work alongside them to find solutions that will benefit all.
As we work to create long term solutions, these conversations should tie in with other transportation ideas and developments, such as considering the best public transit systems and opportunities for our community, increasing pathways and lanes for walking and biking, and creating safer streets.“
Neil Tunmore - parking around schools and George Rogers Park
“Remember I am person who makes decisions based on facts and data, especially when it comes to spending taxpayers hard earned money.
Parking, like all city issues, should be addressed with a collective vision and outcome.
Let’s get the people impacted together, review the data, then make sound decisions, recommend solutions and communicate in lay language why those decisions were made.
We should build a priority list of parking problems and incorporate those into
our budgets and priorities. So, where are the pinch points, how many cars do we need to accommodate, how often is it a problem, what possible solutions are there, what do they cost and then finally which solution do we prefer when balancing all those things? ”
Patrick Walsh - parking around schools and George Rogers Park
“Managing parking spillover around our high schools and major parks requires balancing public access with neighborhood livability.
In residential areas near George Rogers Park and our high schools, street parking frequently overflows onto narrow neighborhood streets, creating safety hazards and blocking access for residents.
The City must address this through targeted traffic management, including seasonal parking enforcement, clearer signage, dynamic digital messaging to direct park visitors to underutilized lots like Foothills, and evaluating residential permit zones where chronic overflow persists.
Long-term solutions depend heavily on a strong partnership with the Lake Oswego School District. Since high school parking constraints directly impact neighboring streets like Treetop Lane and surrounding corridors, the City and LOSD must collaborate closely. This includes optimizing existing campus lot utilization, exploring joint-use parking agreements, and encouraging active transportation or satellite pickup options to reduce total vehicular demand. By combining improved city parking management with joint planning alongside the school district, we can protect neighborhood quality of life while keeping our parks and schools accessible.”
My Thoughts About the Candidates’ Responses
How do I feel after reading this? Disappointed.
I've learned a new word, obfuscation—using lots of words while saying very little. The candidates did not do that at the October 23 forum, when they had no advance knowledge of the questions. I appreciated hearing their spontaneous answers. It was refreshing. When the candidates were asked about gas-powered leaf blowers at the Forum, I appreciated the clarity of a response along the lines of, “Yes, I would support that ban.” On traffic and parking, I wanted to hear similarly clear commitments to action.
However, their written responses to this question about how they would handle parking and traffic, left me wishing for something much more direct about the problems Old Town residents have been raising for years. Actually for decades.
What I wish candidates would say and do about the traffic and parking situation around George Rogers Park
What I wish they would have said about parking and traffic around George Rogers and our high schools was: "I will work with you to fix this!"
I've spent my career in business and if a major customer or client shared a major problem, the account rep should say the same thing: "I will work with you to get this fixed."
For me, the City Councilors are elected to ensure they prioritize and fix our problems. Their job is to direct the City Manager who directs the staff, not to "micro-manage" but to prioritize and fix problems short-term and longer-term.
Here is what I wish the candidates had addressed:
We trust the neighborhood’s observations. Residents see what happens on our streets every day. We can describe the specific problems, when they occur and where they are most severe. The candidates all declared at the live Candidate Forum on October 23rd that neighborhood associations were important and they would work with them. Look at the photos! Read what happens
Visiting George Rogers Park in the Summer? Here's what to know
What George Rogers Park was like on July 4th and 5th
I'll talk with the people who are there when problems occur. Much of the summer disruption happens on hot evenings and weekends, when large numbers of people visit the beach at George Rogers Park. Many City staff work weekdays and may not regularly see these conditions firsthand.
I'll ask our police officers and park rangers what they observe. They are present during busy periods and can offer practical suggestions based on what they see. And what they would recommend would help short-term and longer term.
I'll seek to gather best practices and learn from other communities. City staff and neighborhood representatives could identify and benchmark solutions that other cities have successfully used to manage seasonal park traffic, parking and pedestrian safety.
I'll rally the team at the City with the City Manager and we'll get back to you with a plan and commit to a timeline. Old Town has been discussing these problems with the City for years. We deserve an actionable plan before summer 2027, not another cycle of meetings without meaningful results.
Neighbors have told me this is what a former City Manager Doug Schmitz did. He walked the neighborhood with the neighborhood board members with a clipboard he used to take notes. And then he went back to his staff and they came up with plans and he circled back with the neighborhood to let them know what could be done immediately, shorter-term and longer term.
Interim City Manager Lynn Peterson did this!
Listening is important. But action matters, too.
Neighborhoods often feel that City leaders listen, hold meetings and express genuine concern, but concrete action comes slowly.
There is a difference between sympathy—“I'm sorry that's happening to you”—and action-oriented compassion: “How can I help solve the problem you're dealing with?”
Our police and fire departments have been responsive partners. They listen, follow up, help prevent problems and work with us to identify practical solutions. They also tell us when something isn't possible, when it must wait and what they can do. We appreciate that candor.
Of course, police and fire personnel cannot solve every issue themselves. City Council and City staff must establish priorities, develop traffic-management plans and determine whether changes to ordinances, enforcement practices or street design are needed.
But when residents have documented a problem repeatedly, simply collecting more data and scheduling more meetings feels like postponing the next necessary step.
One neighbor put it this way: “If we were an HOA, this overflow parking and traffic would all have been handled years ago. But we're not an HOA. We have to deal with the City.”
That captures our frustration. We want to work with the City, but we also want to see results.
Here's Data: What Old Town Residents Told Us in Our October 2026 Survey
Our neighborhood survey asked residents to identify their priorities for the Old Town Neighborhood Association to focus on.
The results provide a clear indication of what matters most to the people living north of George Rogers Park.
74% want a proactive plan for traffic, parking and pedestrian management before summer 2027.
71% want the City to ensure adequate police and fire funding for fast emergency response.
61% want more police patrols and parking enforcement during the summer.
45% want the City to update its overnight vehicle-sleeping ordinance. Wilsonville updated its ordinance in 2023; Lake Oswego's current ordinances warrant review.
These are not abstract concerns. They reflect residents’ experiences and priorities.
We have been working with the City
Over the past two summers, we have hosted walkabouts with City leaders in the police, fire department, Parks & Rec and Traffic/Engineering to show the challenges firsthand and discuss possible solutions. Councilor Afghan joined one of these walkabouts with City leaders.
At our October 2025 annual neighborhood meeting, then-City Manager Martha Bennett was our keynote speaker. We appreciated the opportunity to discuss the issues, but we were disappointed that the proposed approach did not include the level of concrete action we believe is needed to address pedestrian and cyclist safety and neighborhood parking impacts.
Our message has been consistent. We want public access to George Rogers Park, but we also want the City to protect the safety and livability of the surrounding neighborhood.
Our Request to the Lake Oswego City Council
Old Town residents are asking the City to move beyond listening sessions and data gathering and develop a concrete, publicly communicated action plan before summer 2027.
We ask the City to:
Establish a coordinated summer traffic and parking plan for George Rogers Park and the surrounding neighborhood.
Improve pedestrian and cyclist safety on streets shared by park visitors, residents and families.
Create safe student drop-off and pickup areas at George Rogers Park.
Continue to provide appropriate police presence and parking enforcement during peak periods.
Ensure emergency vehicle access and response times on neighborhood streets.
Evaluate existing traffic-calming measures and identify where additional action is needed.
The upcoming completion of the Willamette River pathway makes this work especially timely. Improved access to the river is a community benefit, but it also makes thoughtful planning for visitor traffic and neighborhood safety more important.
We want George Rogers Park to remain a welcoming destination for the whole community. We also want Old Town to remain a safe, livable neighborhood for the people who call it home.
We hope Lake Oswego's new and returning City Council members will make this a priority—not just for summer 2027, but for the long term. For Old Town, this is our number-one priority.
Related Posts
6 City Council Candidates Vying for 4 Open Positions: Get to Know the Candidates
Survey Results: What Old Town Residents Told Us Are Their Top Priorities
George Rogers Park Master Plan from 2002 was sadly never funded
Interim City Manager Lynn Peterson's Collaborative Approach working with Neighborhoods in LO
What neighbors are saying...
"For whatever reason, old town is not seen in the same light as other neighborhoods. It has always been a city vision that old town and foothills would be one big multi family, mixed use, executive living area, complete with a metro rail station and associated amenities, such as the planned 5-star hotel. I call it the new Perl district, mimicking downtown Portland. But hey, maybe I’m just “crazy”."
"I think this is very well done- AND diplomatic, too. I think being direct and clear is important as the objective is to persuade the city away from its status quo bias. The status quo bias is building a user base for the park while doing very little re parking and traffic and hoping for the best. Status quo bias requires light to be shined onto the problem, which is done through direct, firm, fact-based communication, to start. Then come all the excuses for delay – we need to bring stakeholders to the table, let the market handle it, we have to be equitable to all park users, we don’t have money or manpower for enforcement, etc. I’ve seen this pattern- a default to inertia. This is “zero sum game“ thinking, which I think is flawed - as one can achieve both robust park usage and have a safe, livable local residential environment. You’ve done a great job communicating the facts."
"A well documented phenomena in behavioral economics is 'Inertia'. Bottom line, people will almost always default to the status quo absent something that really shakes them up."
"There's a great book written by George Crandall 'Fixing Your City' that addresses a lot of what happens with cities. He's from Portland. He explains 'shelf ware', plans City's pay for and never get implemented."
"So every time a new Council is voted in we need to go back to stratch to explain to them all the history of working with the city? This is worse than re-inventing the wheel. This is why people are so frustrated with government."
"I doubt any of the candidates are aware of the expensive tome which has the detailed plan to fix GRP back in 2002.
We also wouldn’t expect them to go in print with a suggestion to, for example, fire so-and-so on the city staff.
I think Neill’s write-up was especially to-the-point."
"They seemed to really 'get it' during our walk-abouts with them. Wonder what changed?"
"Suzanne said: Folks that come to play at George Rogers stay to eat and shop. I'd like to see the data from Parks/Rec on that. They have placerAI service to know where people come from and where they go afterwards. I don't believe that people who come to 'the beach' go out to eat or shop afterwards. The people coming for sports events and city events held at GRP probably do but they don't represent the problem for traffic and parking. It's all the people who drive into LO to get to the water and tiny beach. They bring coolers filled with stuff and leave a mess the park maintenance people say."
Comments