Portland
can lead in environmentally-friendly transportation
options.
Portlanders think of transportation as
an interconnected system of “multi-modal”
methods where people move from one
place to another. They value transportation
because it helps them stay connected to
each other and the places they love in
Portland, but they also worry about the
effects of transportation on the environment,
which they cherish. Portlanders imagine
a future in which travel is safe, convenient,
stress-free, affordable and low-impact
or even no-impact on the environment.
They therefore advocate for expanding
mass transit services and increasing the
use of alternative methods of transportation,
including cycling and walking.
At the same time, many Portlanders recognize
that cars (whether gas-running, bio-fuel
or electric) will not disappear any time
soon and that transportation planning
must be realistic in acknowledging this.
They advocate for innovative, “out of
the box” thinking and a system-approach
in the pursuit of transportation options
that work equally well for drivers, cyclists,
pedestrians and mass transit users from
all sections of the city. When it comes
to transportation, Portlanders are surprisingly
passionate; they interface with transportation
every day and its impact on their lives
is enormous. Portlanders see transportation
as a key quality of life issue and expect
the City to address transportation issues
proactively, thoughtfully and creatively.
-
Transportation should be thought of
as a single, integrated system.
-
Transportation issues have a direct
impact on quality of life.
- Portland
should be a leader in the promotion
of environmentally-friendly transportation
options.
- Transportation
planning should be proactive and creative.
- Transportation
should be thought of as a single,
integrated system.
- The majority of people want
to see a system approach taken
to solving transportation issues.
- People express frustration
over a system that feels like
it has been pieced together,
rather than designed from the
start to work as an integrated
whole.
- Frequently-cited system issues
include:
- MAX lines that are not
connected to nearby neighborhoods
via busses, streetcars or
other forms of public transit
(and that lack parking which
would allow neighbors to
drive and park their car);
- Bus routes that work
well between neighborhoods
and downtown, but poorly
between the suburbs and
downtown or between Northeast
and Southeast neighborhoods;
and
- A general lack of integration
between bus routes, streetcar
routes, and MAX lines.
- Improvements in transportation
should not affect just one
or two modes, but rather
should have a system-wide
effect.
- Transportation
issues have a direct impact
on quality of life.
- People use transportation
every day, and therefore want
it to be easy and stress-free.
- People want to spend as much
time as possible doing the things
they enjoy and as little time
as possible in their cars or
on public transportation.
- Transportation issues like
road conditions, traffic light
synchronization, cleanliness
of the MAX, efficiency of bus
routes and the safety of bike
lanes can directly enhance or
detract from people’s quality
of life.
| “[In
2030] lots of intelligence
and money have gone into
designing and maintaining
the road ways, so a ten
minute trip to the store
does not end in road rage
and a commute to work leaves
you feeling like a human
being at the end.”
|
- Portland
should be a leader in the promotion
of environmentally-friendly
transportation options.
- People are worried about peak
oil and population growth and
want Portland to prepare by
focusing on transportation infrastructure
now and reducing or eliminating
dependence on fossil fuels.
- Portlanders are aware of
the adverse effects of transportation
on the environment in the forms
of pollution and the consumption
of fossil fuels.
- Many people appreciate the
alternatives to driving that
Portland offers and advocate
for the expansion of these alternatives,
especially mass transit.
- Many people think Portland
should lead the way in promoting
environmentally sustainable
forms of transportation such
as cycling, walking and mass
transit powered by clean, renewable
forms of energy.
| “I
love that you don’t need
a car to live in Portland.
You can bike/streetcar/max/tram
anywhere you need to go
in town, including the airport.
It just amazes me.” |
| "[In
2030] we lead the country
in creative ways for people
to get from one place to
another in the city.” |
- Many people suggest
finding more ways of educating
the public on transportation
options and the effects of these
options on the City and environment.
- Transportation
planning should be proactive
and creative.
- Portlanders desire creative
ways of addressing transportation
issues and want the City to
embrace innovative technology
and planning approaches.
- Thinking out of the box is
vital to building a stronger,
more nimble system of transportation.
- Portlanders want to anticipate
and prevent issues such as traffic,
rather than reacting once the
situation has become intolerable.
They point to cities such as
Seattle as examples of what
can happen when transportation
issues are neglected for too
long.
- Portlanders want the city
to promote alternative methods
of transportation while at the
same time planning realistically
for the continued use of automobiles.
| “[In
2030] most people get around
by bike and transit most
of the time…When you need
to drive, the roads aren’t
clogged.” |
|
|
