Improving the appearance of the community also requires better, more thoughtful designs of the transportation corridors that serve the community. Streets in the community that are commonly recognized for their good design — and also function well for all transportation modes — are those that are designed with planter strips between the sidewalk and roadway and with a planted median strip. The Bend Parkway incorporates a planted median strip in its design, and city engineers have developed standards for including planted medians in the major arterial and collector streets.

The addition of landscaped medians along the major transportation corridors will help control traffic and prevent accidents, and will also help create a more attractive community by softening the appearance of areas that are currently completely dominated by man-made surfaces. Traffic signs, street lighting and street signs should be integrated into one structure to help eliminate confusing and hazardous visual clutter at intersections. The city and county will continue to work with the state highway department to find alternatives to the old style traffic signals that hang from wires and dangle over state highways.