Yesterday, we received a press-release from the Portland Bureau of Transportation with the latest on their much-anticipated Bicycle Master Plan update. This plan is the city’s blueprint for making Portland a world-class city for bicycling and this major update of the 1996 plan has generated a lot of excitement in bike advocacy circles. Now it’s the public’s turn to learn more about this plan and for you to chime in with comments on how you think we’ll get there.
CITY OF PORTLAND BUREAU OF TRANSPORTATION
April 7, 2009 – For Immediate Release
BICYCLE AND STREETCAR OPEN HOUSES
Portlanders examine long-range plans to shape transportation and livability
(PORTLAND, OR) – Imagine getting around Portland twenty years from now, with streetcars serving neighborhood business districts and an extensive network of bikeways so safe, comfortable, and attractive that more than a quarter of all trips are made on a bicycle. That’s a future that could come true if the City adopts a new Streetcar System Plan and a 2009 update to the 1996 Bicycle Master Plan.
The public is invited to help shape this transportation transformation at a series of six May open houses around the city to showcase the two long-range plans. At each event, you may drop in anytime between four and seven, and there will be brief remarks by a member of Mayor Adams’s staff at 6:00 p.m. There will be bicycle parking, light refreshments, and certified childcare in English and Spanish.
The 1996 Bicycle Master Plan made Portland the top bicycling city in the nation and became recognized as a national model. Over the past dozen years, the City has successfully implemented many elements of the plan and created robust programs to encourage bicycling. The results: each year more people are choosing to bicycle! For example, in 2008, daily bicycle traffic over the Willamette River bridges was more than five times higher than in 1995, and 20% of all trips over the Hawthorne Bridge were made by bike. The Bicycle Master Plan 2009 update project is taking a fresh look at the next steps to make Portland a world-class bicycling city. The bicycle plan is expected to go to City Council in October, 2009.
The Streetcar System Plan looks at extending development-oriented transit throughout the City. Far outstripping the original ridership projections, the downtown streetcar now carries over 11,000 passengers per day, and ridership growth averages 15% per year. Construction of the Eastside Loop Streetcar will start this summer, with service beginning in 2011. Where else should streetcar service be located? The Streetcar System Plan is a big picture look at the City of Portland’s transportation network and how streetcars might fit into this network in the future. The plan identifies a citywide network of potential streetcar corridors integrated with TriMet’s existing and planned transit system. The streetcar plan is expected to go to Council in August, 2009.
According to Metro growth projections, the City of Portland’s population is expected to grow from 575,000 to approximately 725,000 by the year 2030. In that same time, the region’s population may grow from 1.9 million to 3 million people. As the City of Portland prepares for this growth, new cleaner, greener transportation and development strategies must be a part of the solution. Both the Streetcar System Plan and the Bicycle Master Plan are key elements of the transportation strategy in the proposed City-County Climate Action Plan, and are being coordinated with the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability’s Portland Plan process. In addition to proposing new networks, these two planning efforts include funding and implementation strategies.
Visit the open house event in your community to learn more about the City’s strategic investment in green transportation:
Southeast Portland
Tuesday, May 5, 2009 – 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Franklin High School Cafeteria, 5405 SE Woodward St, Portland 97206
East Portland
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 – 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
David Douglas High School North Cafeteria, 1500 SE 130th Ave, Portland 97233
North Portland
Monday, May 11, 2009 – 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Roosevelt High School Cafeteria, 6941 N. Central, Portland 97203
Central City and Northwest Portland
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 – 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Portland Building, Room C, 2nd Floor, 1120 SW 5th Ave, Portland 97210
Northeast Portland
Thursday, May 14, 2009 – 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Grant High School Cafeteria, 2245 NE 36th Ave, Portland 97212
Southwest Portland
Monday, May 18, 2009 – 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Wilson High School Cafeteria, 1151 SW Vermont St, Portland 97219
For more information on the Bicycle Master Plan, visit portlandonline.com, e-mail bicyclemasterplan@pdxtrans.org, or call 503-823-4638.
For more information on the Streetcar System Plan, visit portlandonline.com, e-mail portlandstreetcarplan@pdxtrans.org, or call 503-823-5611.
4 Comments
I think this is a great idea. Not only is it good for the environment, but we would save lots of tax payers money in the long term and potentially lower taxes.
I don’t know about lower taxes overall, but if you are biking you are not paying gas tax. We also need to not let Salem put a road tax on bicycles. Too many people buy one and only use it a couple of times the first year. The first year (as an adult) I owned a bike, it probably got less than 50 miles on it. But I noticed a big improvement in how fit I was! If there were registration requirements, that would discourage a LOT of people. The same with equipment requirements. It is good to have helmets, and a tire pump, and tool kit and some padding, but they shouldn’t be required to try it out.
This isn’t the place for a discussion on taxes but we (bicyclists) must be realistic and fair. To coexist on this planet there must be balance. Think how the driver feels when his taxes are used to build mandated bike lanes on every new street, when he lives in SE Portland on an unpaved street. Bike lanes, paths, stop boxes, route signs, etc. cost money. Yes we all pay more than enough for taxes in general. I am simply saying we must be willing to understand and entertain “the other’s” point of view and work with them for a fair and equitable solution and if that means some sort of tax or fee then I will pay it with the money I save from gas taxes by not driving. Yet I am very happy that somebody was driving so that my new bicycle was delivered to The Bike Gallery.
Carbon offset and Cap’n'Trade Monies could buy people bikes and other green items and services! I’ve been working on this idea for bit… Unpollute Bill
I need help refining it some more, etc…