Phone: 503-823-5185
Fax: 503-823-7576
1120 SW Fifth Ave, Suite 1331, Portland, OR 97204
Phone: 503-823-5185
Fax: 503-823-7576
1120 SW Fifth Ave, Suite 1331, Portland, OR 97204
In recent years, Portland has been growing. Fast. Each year tens of thousands of new residents now call the city home. In many ways this is a good thing. It speaks to Portland’s attractiveness as a city and the opportunities it offers. But the influx of new residents does come with challenges. One of the most visible is the increased congestion we experience on our roads.
We have thousands of new residents and an expanding economy. But we can’t build new roads to accommodate that many new drivers. Portlanders understand this. In a recent poll, nearly 70% of Portlanders agreed that building new roads was not a viable solution to traffic congestion. If we can’t build our way out of this problem, then we must find other ways for people to get from place to place easily, safely, and sustainably.
Portland has very ambitious goals for transitioning people away from driving alone and into alternative modes of transportation such as bicycling, public transit, and walking. Successfully making this transition allows us to lower carbon emissions and make Portland the city we want it to be. To meet these goals, we must begin implementing major changes to the way we build, price, and allocate our roads in the city. And we must do this together, with an evidence-based approach, so that we deliver clear benefits to all Portlanders.
This begins with an understanding that the status quo is not an option. Not only will inaction lead to more congestion, it will also serve to reinforce and worsen inequities in our transportation system. Communities of color and low-income communities already contribute a disproportionate share of their income to transportation, while seeing less benefits than white and wealthier Portlanders. Unmanaged, new and emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles and ride-hailing services could exacerbate these inequities. Lack of access to transportation options already exacts a heavy cost on people’s lives by limiting economic opportunity, reducing time with family and friends, and harming individual and community health.
Additionally, the negative effects of growth and congestion are not distributed equitably as measured by both race and income. Gentrification has disrupted existing neighborhoods, displacing communities of color and low-income residents to the car-dependent periphery. Thus, those who can least afford it are increasingly required to travel farther, at greater cost, with fewer options, and with more delay.
Accelerate and build projects for walking, biking, and taking transit while simultaneously planning for what this growing city needs in the future.
Use the limited space of our public right-of-way to achieve the optimal movement of people and goods.
Collaborate and partner to improve land use and transportation planning efforts for major developments and corridor projects. Deliver better outcomes for residents.
Share more information about incentive programs that support residents’ adoption of new modes of transportation. Manage congestion by encouraging alternatives to driving alone whenever possible.