Transportation
Business thrives when transportation is safe, equitable, and efficient.
What we achieved:
In 2018, BBPDX began important advocacy work on expedited transit lanes and the Central City in Motion initiative that focuses on improvements to transportation in downtown Portland. The results of this work started to come to fruition this year, and we remain a stalwart liaison between the business community, transportation planners and advocates.
During Portland’s Design Week in April, BBPDX gathered more than 200 business leaders at a Transportation as Liberation event that invited broad-thinking conversations of what better transportation might look like.
The event galvanized a workgroup of 30 members who spent time over the summer digging deeper into emerging policies such as congestion pricing and comprehensive transit investment spearheaded by Metro.
Two BBPDX members — Stephen Gomez of Project PDX and Leslie Carlson of Brink Communications — spent much of the year serving on Metro’s T2020 transportation investment task force and in December, that group voted to advance a project package to Metro Council for their consideration. We see this package as a positive start, especially as it contains major investments in safety and transit mobility in our most dangerous and congested corridors.
In December, we applauded the work of Commissioner Chloe Eudaly (already recognized for her advocacy of Vision Zero) and the Portland Bureau of Transportation on the Rose Lane Project roll out. The city hosted a series of workshops and open houses to gather input on the plan which will develop dedicated, expedited bus lanes around Portland. We look forward to seeing the first of these Rose Lanes start to appear in late 2020.
What we learned:
We learned this year that transportation advocacy requires stamina and compromise. Our experience with the T2020 transportation investment task force underscores the need to keep pushing for the kinds of ambitious investments that will move the needle on more efficient, equitable, safe, and climate resilient systems.
Transportation planning requires planning for the future, not the present. It’s crucial for a business voice to be at the table advocating for a better future — not just parroting the climate, equity, and safety values we champion, but also presenting the economic rationale of how better transportation is vital to all sectors of our community.
What’s next:
BBPDX members testified to Metro in January 2020 to register their support of transportation investments that support a more resilient future. Our representatives on the Task Force will continue to serve as the committee refines the investment package in advance of a referral to the ballot expected this summer. Meanwhile, BBPDX will continue to look for ways to advocate for smart transportation policy around Portland and statewide.