In the 1920s
smokestacks were signs of prosperity. In
post-industrial society, traffic congestion is the new sign of success. It has accompanied Portland’s dizzying increase
in real estate values, rents and job growth. A new study showed Portland tied
with Chicago and Washington D.C. for the eighth
most congested metropolitan area in the nation.https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/trafficindex/city/POL
While traffic has slowed in the last year, Portland's unemployment rate
has fallen to 4.3 percent, the lowest rate in 16 years.
Four
decades ago, Oregonians invested in the novel idea that the judicious use of
land could create a sustaining mix of private capital and civic
enterprise. Rather than invest billions in highway projects, the Portland
metro area spread the wealth to build a “multi-modal” transportation system
that integrated automobiles, transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Its real
estate market is one of most lucrative in the nation, and the catalyst is a lively pedestrian-oriented, bike friendly,
nature infused urban environment that offers new venues for work and
leisure.
The
problem is safety. While traffic deaths are down for drivers, pedestrian
fatalities are rising. The national
migration to walkable urban neighborhoods has led to a million more Americans choosing
to walk or bike to work in the last year.
With cheaper gas roads are more crowded and, at the same time, drivers
are more distracted by their love affair with their technical devices. A study
by Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) found that pedestrian fatalities due to distracted
drivers increased by 50 percent between 2009 and 2014. At the same time, pedestrians put
themselves at risk by staring at their phones or using earbuds to listen to
music that drowns out the approach of vehicles.https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/as-roads-become-safer-for-drivers-and-passengers-pedestrian-deaths-still-rise/2016/03/07/41caa802-e47d-11e5-b0fd-073d5930a7b7_story.html
Living
without a car in Portland, I can attest to the accuracy of the GHSA report. Coming from Orlando, which has the highest pedestrian death rate in the
nation (and highest per capita expenditure on highways), I found Portland
drivers particularly polite. Crosswalks
were respected and I learned the requisite hand signals to communicate with car and truck drivers. I also learned to pocket my devide at intersections after a near collision with a bike rider. The young man gave me invaluable advice:
“Lose the I-Phone dumbass.”
In the Central City, this code of street and a high quality multi-modal infrastructure enhances safety. The Portland metro area ranks sixth in the nation
for pedestrian safety according to the Mean Streets Study conducted by Smart
Growth America.http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/dangerous-by-design-2014/dangerous-by-design-2014.pdf It has a low pedestrian
danger index of 32.1. By comparison, metropolitan
Orlando had a score of 224.28. In other words, pedestrians are seven times more
likely to die in Orlando than Portland. Yet
officials, are not satisfied, the City Council has adopted a “Zero Death”
policy for traffic fatalities.
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| Multi-Modal Infrastructure |
The
future demands innovation, and money follows good ideas. Portland’s investment in walkable urbanism is
prospering, but citizens must continue to participate and turn good ideas into
good places. Affordable housing, homelessness, and
climate change demand solutions.
Reducing auto dependence is crucial to this agenda. Fortunately, Portland
has invested wisely. There is a
foundation to build on, and citizens must challenge their leaders to continue
to sculpt a city that is as sustainable as it is just.
Citizens are encouraged to provide amendments to Comprehensive Plan, which is still under review
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/569930
Citizens are encouraged to provide amendments to Comprehensive Plan, which is still under review
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/569930
