Leaf season reminder: Keep leaves out of bike lanes

City of Eugene Public Works Maintenance crews and local cyclists are asking for the community's help in ensuring bike lanes are kept clear of fall leaves. Reports of Eugene residents and businesses putting their leaves out before their zones' scheduled pickup times have reached PWM, and area bike riders are reporting multiple instances of dangerous, slippery piles of leaves blocking bike lanes, forcing them into vehicle travel lanes and putting both them and drivers in danger.

Residents who live on a bike lane should put their leaves in their yard debris bin or drop them at a commercial recycling facility such as Rexius or Lane Forest Products.

Leaf season is an annual program run by Eugene Public Works during which community members are allowed to place leaves in the right-of-way on designated dates so that City crews can collect them, helping prevent localized flooding and protecting water quality in area rivers and creeks.

"We have new residents every year in Eugene and more bike lanes each year, so it's understandable that some community members might not know the procedure during leaf season," said Public Works Maintenance Director Kristi Hayden. "We are asking for cooperation from residents and businesses whose property fronts a bike lane to not put leaves there. In fact, it is against city code to block a bike lane, and property owners may be liable for injuries or damage that happen as a result."

For more information about leaf season, including a zone map and the pickup schedule for both rounds of pickups, visit the City's Leaf Collection and Delivery webpage.

About City of Eugene Leaf Season

Eugene's leaf collection program is a stormwater-funded activity available to Eugene citizens since the late 1960s. The program goals are to prevent localized street flooding and to protect water quality. Public Works crews collect leaves in every Eugene neighborhood twice between November and January. The city is divided into zones, allowing the leaf collection crews to move through the city in an orderly fashion, but cooperation from residents is vital to the success of the program.

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