Baker City striping petition could send lane change rules to voters

Supporters of a Baker City striping petition turned in signatures June 22, a step that could send the question of who controls lane changes on city streets to voters in November. The measure would require city leaders to seek voter approval before reducing the number of commercial traffic lanes on certain streets, turning a public-works decision into a test of local political power.

John and Jody Jeffries, the Baker City couple leading the effort, have been trying to qualify the petition for the Nov. 3 ballot. News coverage said they still needed about 1,130 valid signatures, a number that shows how much support the proposal must still gather before it can reach voters.

The petition’s path has already moved through Baker City Clerk Megan Langan’s office once. Langan rejected an earlier version in January 2026, and the Jan. 26 decision stopped signature gathering until the language was revised. After the petition was rewritten, the city later approved it for circulation, allowing supporters to begin collecting names.

At the center of the dispute is a proposed restriping of Main Street between Campbell Street and Auburn Avenue. Under the city plan, the corridor would shift from four travel lanes, two in each direction, to three lanes with one lane in each direction, a center turn lane, and added buffer and bike space. Supporters call that kind of change a road diet, while critics see a direct threat to downtown access, traffic flow and the city’s ability to manage its own streets without a voter mandate.

The debate has broader weight because Baker City’s planning documents already treat street design as a long-term city issue. The city’s Northern Baker Transportation Improvement Plan says it is intended to support sustainable economic growth and safe, equitable transportation choices, while also addressing traffic safety, flow and freight mobility. That same plan notes increased walking and biking in the area. Baker City’s 2013 Transportation System Plan also includes street design standards, access management and traffic calming as formal planning tools.

Safety arguments have driven much of the support for the restriping. Baker City Police Chief Ty Duby has backed the proposal, citing Oregon Department of Transportation crash data. Council members and an ODOT traffic engineer have also been described as favoring the safety benefits, even as downtown business owners and residents have raised concerns about near-misses, circulation and whether the changes would improve or slow movement through the city’s core.

If the signatures are verified, Baker City voters could end up deciding not just how Main Street is striped, but how much say the public should have before the city changes the lanes on other commercial streets in the years ahead.