What do you think about these ideas for traffic calming and pedestrian and cyclist safety in Old Town?
- Derrith Schmidt
- Sep 3
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 10
Help Improve Safety Around George Rogers Park
Especially Important During the Summer
We’re collecting simple, effective ideas to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety—especially for people coming and going to George Rogers Park during the busy summer season. We’re also looking at ways to improve livability for neighbors during this time.
What do you think of the ideas below?
Share your thoughts in the comments below, or email the Old Town Neighborhood Board at info@oldtownlakeoswego.org or visit the Contact Us page on our website.
This blog post is being updated as more ideas are shared by neighbors. And our City Leaders are reading it!
"Thank you for keeping us informed and for the strong engagement with neighbors.I appreciate the perspectives. Thank you! " Joe Buck | Mayor
Pedestrian & Cyclist Safety Suggestions Near George Rogers Park
Neighbors have proposed the following traffic and safety improvements:
No Parking on Furnace Street between Wilbur and Ladd, where the road becomes too narrow for cars, pedestrians, and cyclists to safely share space.
Add a drop-off/pick-up lane near the sports fields to reduce street congestion.
Install stop signs:
At the top of the hill from River Bend condos.
At the intersection of Leonard and Furnace.
No parking around blind corners (e.g., Leonard & Furnace) to improve visibility—similar to other nearby intersections.
Clarify one-way flow on Furnace Street between the park and Ladd Street:
Add clear signage, a speed bump, and painted markings to signal one-way traffic.
Permit-Only Parking near park amenities (playground, tennis courts, sports fields):
Lake Oswego residents could pick up permits at City Hall.
Reserved spaces would ensure local access during peak times.
Parks and Rec does this now with temporary signs next to the Picnic Shelter
Improving Old Town Livability During The Summer
During hot summer days and evenings (June–Labor Day), Old Town often becomes the overflow parking lot for George Rogers Park—especially as parking at the park fills up. With the addition of the new river pathway and upcoming construction, this issue is expected to increase.
Neighbor Suggestions for Reducing Summer Congestion:
Official “No Parking” Signs for Residents: Give residents temporary, city-issued signs they can put up when needed (and remove afterward). This could help:
Reserve spots for guests or service providers.
Prevent cars from blocking walkways or front steps.
Improve overall traffic flow and safety.
(Example: Similar signs were used at Foothills Park for the Symphony Concert this summer.)
Permit Parking Program: Residents could receive a set number of placards (for their cars, guests, or service providers), similar to permit systems used in other cities like Hawaii.
Temporary Signs from Parks & Rec: Use the same types of temporary signs deployed during large events like the Arts Festival to:
Encourage better traffic behavior.
Guide parking and pedestrian flow during hot, high-traffic days.
Feedback from Neighbors Shared About Pedestrian Safety and Traffic/Parking:
"This article is very clear and helpful. I have feedback on a few ideas to calm traffic during the busy summer months.
1) Pave the parallel parking areas in front of the playground, tennis, and baseball areas. Paint parking stripes there once the areas are paved.
2) place a typical ‘One Way’ sign on Furnace, downhill from Ladd.
3) Add speed bumps on Ladd, only.
4) Do not join the ‘20 Is Enough’ campaign. It will not help our safety issues.
5) Implement the new ‘Resident Parking’ sign plan. Residents get two signs, non-transferable, which may be placed on the owners property as-needed. The signs will ensure safe street access to owners, visitors and Service contractors. This plan should provide a low-cost, low-bureaucratic solution."
"Roundabouts or narrowing Furnace, Durham or any Old Town street is not viable. Speed bumps seem like a possibility to me near the playground on Furnace and Ladd.
I frequent Glenmorrie Terrace that has three speed bumps. No one drives fast down that street!"
"There should be a guard rail all along Furnace Street between Wilbur to the houses along the river. There is a guard rail now at the end of Church Street. That should be extended both ways because there is a very steep drop off with no curb. People or children could easily fall down that hill if they park on that side of the street and get out. No guard rail at the end of the alley between Wilbur and Church Streets is also dangerous during an icy day if someone driving down the alley slid down that hill. See photos."
"Neighborhood kids are walking, riding bikes and playing in the streets and it's just not safe with how fast neighbors drive down Leonard and on Furnace getting to the River Bend Condos. The corner is also blind with no sidewalk and cars parked on the corner of Leonard and Furnace. It's just not safe."
"There should be no parking on either side of Furnace Street between Wilbur and Ladd. The street is too narrow and cars are driving both ways, along with people walking. And no sidewalks. It's not safe."
"The City rents out the new picnic shelter at GRP and it's become quite popular with large groups using it for big gatherings and bringing in food trucks. It's closest for people going to that area to park on Old Town streets. Can rentals of the picnic shelter please be stopped when there are other events happening on the fields with lots of people needing parking but there is not enough for everyone in the designated parking spots in GRP? That would help. So would limiting the number of people at those events on hot summer days when there is also not enough parking at the GRP lot."
"Can the entrance to the City's 'gem of a park ' have an architect and some beautification people advise the City how to make it more attractive and functional and ADA compliant? Visitors coming for games, the Arts Show, Car Show, 4th of July pancake breakfast, Christmas Tree lot who are entering the park from Ladd at Durham between the fields and the tennis courts are walking down a dirt path that is often muddy. And there's no clearly marked cut out for people to drop people off."
"Could the bleachers be moved from off Ladd Street to the other side of the field where there is parking for people coming for games? Now people coming to watch games park on Ladd or Durham or Wilbur because that parking is closer to the field bleachers."
"George Rogers is not well thought out from a usability perspective for anyone walking, pushing a stroller or using a wheelchair. Does the City walk about the park and notice how people actually get into the different areas like the playground and the fields and the picnic shelters? And see that they don't connect well? The City has the initiative to make pathways for kids to get to schools in neighborhoods to get them off the streets but they don't seem to apply that same rigor to their own park pathways."
"There is a church that has baptisms on Saturdays each month at the beach at GRP that hundreds of people come to. And those people park on our neighborhood streets along with the people coming for soccer or sports on the fields. Is the church getting a permit to use the beach? There isn't enough parking for all these people coming to use the park for all these different reasons. And this morning I saw two cars driving the wrong way up Furnace Street from the park into our neighborhood but the police weren't over here then."
"We shouldn't be the overflow parking lot for GRP. Why isn't the Shakespeare in the Park hosted at Foothills where there is plenty of parking? The evening on the day we did the walk about in the neighborhood with the City leaders, our neighborhood streets were filled with people coming to attend the free theater event at lower GRP. There was parking in the upper lot but people weren't using it because it was a shorter walk for them to park on our streets to get to lower GRP. Same thing happens with people wanting to access the beach."
"Why are there sidewalks on some streets in Old Town and not on others?"
"Why isn't there a left turn lane into the park off Hwy 43 onto Green Street which is the official park entrance where all the people are supposed to park? People are entering the park on Wilbur where there is a light and turn lane."
"People going to Trainers Club are parking on Wilbur so it's clogged and we can't park in front of our own homes. There's been a big boat parked on Wilbur before Durham for several weeks. What's up with that?"
"Speed bumps on Ladd should be added to slow people down. That would be much more effective in improving pedestrian safety than the new 20 mph signs."
"The people who ran the Car Show this year didn't do anything to manage traffic flow like they do for the Arts Festival. They had signs at the park entrance on Green Street that said it was closed to only people who were showing cars?"
"Why can't the police just put temporary signs up on our streets saying 'residents only' when it gets crazy over here with too many people trying to park in the neighborhood?"
"On sauvie island this summer they closed the park because there wasn't enough parking. Why don't they do that when the parking lot is full at GRP?"
Should Old Town Join the “20 Is Plenty” Pilot Program?
The City is asking neighborhoods if they’d like to pilot a 20 MPH speed limit.
Key Questions:
Should Old Town participate?
Should the 20 MPH limit apply to all streets, or just high-traffic ones like Ladd and Furnace?
Neighbor Feedback So Far:
Supportive: Many residents support the lower speed limit to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety—especially with the number of park visitors during summer.
Visibility: Old Town currently has no speed limit signs. Some believe adding 20 MPH signs would help alert drivers, especially visitors unfamiliar with the area.
Enforcement concerns: Others question how often the speed limit can be enforced by Community Service Officers, who are not present consistently.
Cost concerns: Some neighbors have asked about the cost of installing and replacing signs and whether funds could be used more effectively elsewhere.
Alternative ideas:
Add temporary “You’re Driving ___ MPH” signs during the summer months.
Use signs to highlight No Parking areas and clearly indicate fines.
"State code requires signs to designate 20mph areas. Residential limit is 25 mph by code. I wonder how many drivers even know that. I think 20 in our neighborhood is appropriate due to the park and playgrounds for adults and kids and the future path."
UPDATE: The "20 is Plenty" ordinance was approved by the Lake Oswego City Council on September 2, 2025 which will lower the speed limit on local residential streets and neighborhood collectors in Lake Oswego from 25 miles per hour (mph) to 20 mph. More information and a link to a map noting which are streets and collectors here
We Want to Hear from You
Old Town works best when neighbors share ideas and concerns.
Email your thoughts to: info@oldtownlakeoswego.org
Or leave a comment below this post
Let’s work together to make Old Town safer, more livable, and more welcoming for everyone—residents and visitors alike. We're collaborating with City Leaders in Traffic/Engineering, Parks & Rec, the Police and Fire Departments.
Our City Manager Martha Bennett will be our keynote speaker at our neighborhood association meeting the evening of October 9th to specifically address the City's plan for improving pedestrian safety and neighborhood livability. See other blogs posts on our website that summarize discussions and our "field trip" with City leaders.
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