Baker City couple clears hurdle in petition to block lane reductions

Baker City Recorder Megan Langan approved a petition from John and Jody Jeffries that could push the city’s Main Street lane-reduction fight from City Hall to the ballot.

The couple’s measure would require voter approval before Baker City could reduce the number of commercial traffic lanes on certain streets, a direct response to the city’s plan to restripe Main Street between Campbell Street and Auburn Avenue. Under the current proposal, that stretch would change from two travel lanes in each direction to one lane each way with a center turn lane.

The Jeffrieses still needed about 1,130 valid signatures from registered Baker City voters, roughly 15% of the city’s 7,570 registered voters. Signature sheets were being circulated at four businesses in Basche-Sage Place: Cody’s General Store, Copy Ship and Mail, Wesley Dickison’s barbershop and Charley’s Ice Cream, with more locations to come.

Langan approved the prospective petition after rejecting three earlier versions because of language problems and possible conflicts with state law or the city charter. If enough signatures were gathered, the Baker County Clerk’s Office would have up to 30 days to verify them, and the measure would still need city council review before it could reach the Nov. 3 ballot. The deadline to qualify the issue was Aug. 5.

The petition fight grew out of a debate that had already moved through staff work, public comment and council discussion. On Feb. 25, 2025, City Manager Barry Murphy recommended a working group to look at Main Street traffic patterns and parking. He said one option was to cut the street from four lanes to three while leaving it 70 feet curb to curb. Baker City Downtown executive director Ariel Reker said her group had done a downtown parking survey the year before, and all four emails she received from business owners that day backed the move to three lanes.

The Baker City Council took up the issue on Nov. 17, 2025, when about 40 people attended the meeting. The council tabled the proposal after Mayor Randy Daugherty raised concerns about 5-foot bike lanes and the city paying to restripe a state highway. Murphy estimated the work would cost $100,000 to $170,000 from the city’s street fund, and the city said the paint job likely would not happen until spring or summer 2026 because winter weather prevents lane striping.

Support for the road diet also came from the city’s own traffic review. Police Chief Ty Duby said on Nov. 24, 2025, that he backed the three-lane design because Oregon Department of Transportation data showed safety benefits. The council-appointed committee unanimously recommended the three-lane version in early November 2025. ODOT crash statistics showed 14 crashes on Main Street between Campbell and Broadway from 2015 through 2025, including six rear-end collisions and four turning crashes on a 0.24-mile stretch.

The petition now turns a street design dispute into a question of power: whether City Hall or Baker City voters will decide how Main Street moves traffic, protects pedestrians and shapes downtown access for years to come.