CommissionerSam.com - Office of Transportation

Thousands Stroll, Spin at Sunday Parkways

Shoshanah Oppenheim — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:57:32 -0700

As many as 15,000 Portlanders and neighbors to the region said farewell to foul car fumes a route through North Portland streets at Sunday Parkways, an event where six miles of city streets were closed to vehicles. Walkers, cyclists, joggers, and skaters all came out to enjoy the summer sun. Families were out too, free to enjoy some exercise with their little ones without having to worry about traffic.

Dance groups, DJs, food vendors, pick-up games, child health educators, and many more great activities and entertainers were dispersed throughout four local parks from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Sponsors and grants covered the cost of increased police supervision and intersection regulation. Many of those enjoying themselves at Sunday Parkways expressed optimism that there will be more events for their communities to get together in the future.

Media Mentions:

Oregonian June 23, 2008

Making Division Street a Main Street for Southeast

Shoshanah Oppenheim — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:58:12 -0700

Division Street Storefront: Open for BusinesssA new phase is beginning in the life of one of Southeast Portland's most storied streets. The Green Street / Main Street Project will continue to examine ways of increasing the livability and economic vitality of the SE Division corridor. Between SE Sixth and SE 39th Avenues, a consortium made up of interests from the Office of Transportation, the Bureau of Planning, private industry, and members of the community. This grup will look at ways of improving the quality of Division Street itself, and of the surrounding neighborhood, in order to make it feel more like a main street, and not just another busy road.

Some of the significant benefits of the second phase of design include: repaving those sections of Division that are in disrepair, improved stormwater management and creation of green streetscapes, design development of the Seven Corners intersection, and looking at ways of better integrating Division with transportation choices made on nearby Clinton and Lincoln Streets.

Please attend the next public meeting:

Phase II Begins Kick-off Meeting
Thursday, June 26, 2008
7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Carvlin Hall, St. Philip Neri Church
(SE 16th and Division)

JUNE Celebrates the Bike

Pollyanne Birge — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:22:55 -0700

Sunday Parkways June 22nd 8:00am-2:00pm

Buses, trains and 'alternative' forms of transportation have hit record numbers in Portland--most have been attributed to higher gas prices: Portland Tribune, The Oregonian, Portland Department of Transportation.

Click on the links below for more information about projects encouraging folks to save money and get exercise by walking, taking public transportation, or biking:

International Car Free Art Show

Tuesday June 17th 5-8:00pm

City Hall 1221 SW 4th

FREE and Open to the Public

JUNE is chock full of Bike events for the whole family...Check below for great community events celebrating the BIKE!

International Car Free Conference at PSU June 6th-the 20th

Breakfast on the Bridges June 13th, 20th, and 27th

SHIFT and Pedalpalooza

Nationally, Gas Prices Rise, Mass Transit Ridership Up

The Office — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:52:31 -0700

As transportation commissioner, Sam responds to the developing demands of constituent commuters by expanding mass transit and alternative transportation options. This is especially important as gas prices keep rising and Americans, nation-wide, consider alternatives to car-commuting. Check out this NBC news story for a broader perspective on the issue.

Why the Flanders Crossing will Save Lives, Save Money and Save Our Environment.

Sam Adams — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:56:38 -0700

During the political season some can feel pressured to make inaccurate or misleading statements for perceived gain, and regrettably the current season is no exception. Many inaccuracies have been uttered about the proposed new crossing at NW Flanders Street over Interstate 405 that would reuse the center span of the existing Sauvie Island Bridge. This is a terrific project as the facts clarify.

The Sauvie Island Span Moves to NW Flanders
On Wednesday, April 23 Commissioners Leonard, Saltzman, and I co-sponsored an ordinance that would direct the City to purchase the center span of the bridge currently connecting Highway 30 to Sauvie Island and relocate it to Flanders Street in Northwest Portland. When completed, this new connection between Portland's two most densely populated neighborhoods will save lives, money, and the environment.

An Easy Decision Compared to Others
As the city's transportation commissioner, I am pleased to support such a far-sighted project. Overseeing transportation in Portland is not a task for those who lack clarity in direction or detail. It's a difficult job that combines high public expectations with limited financial resources that are declining in real value everyday. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the most difficult decision I make for transportation, reusing the Sauvie span rates a 3.

Priority #1 is Safety
Knowing that expectations dramatically exceed dollars available, I prioritize projects that will save lives. That's why in 2006 I asked Transportation to identify the city's 25 most dangerous corridors and intersections and what could be done to improve their safety. Moving east to west, intersections on 122nd Avenue, 82nd Avenue/Foster Boulevard and West Burnside have the greatest number of crashes.

The Push for New Funding at City Council
That same year we held Transportation's first Safety Summit with the public. Together we prioritized locations for fixes and developed a detailed project list. I took that list to my council colleagues and secured $13 million from the city's general fund. Historically transportation has not received general fund dollars. But council supported my request because we demonstrated the needs were great, alternative funding sources were non-existent, and we had a detailed, transparent project plan approved by neighborhood and business associations that we could execute right away.

East Portland Arterials Come First
Given the concentration of high-crash corridors and intersections in East Portland, it's no surprise that we directed 76% of dollars earmarked for safety improvements there.

West Burnside Corridor is Next
As the data directed, we then turned our sights on West Burnside. Within the last month, some have made a point to dismiss the need for safety improvements in the West Burnside corridor. Apparently for some, the facts don't matter. And the facts are clear.

West Burnside kills.

As recently as October 11, 2007 the unsafe conditions of West Burnside took the life of Tracey Sparling, a 19-year old student traveling by bicycle from her apartment in Goose Hollow to her classes at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in the Pearl District. A cement truck, operating apparently in accordance with the law, ran over her at the corner of SW 14th Avenue and Burnside. She was in the bike lane. The driver never saw her.

It doesn't surprise me that facts are ignored or skewed for perceived gain during the political season. But it does dishearten me that community leaders would tolerate this tragedy by attacking a special opportunity with a uniquely wide range of attributes to improve the street environment. Tracey's plight only personalized for me what the data already show: poor bicycle and pedestrian conditions needlessly jeopardize the safety of those who travel by any mode between Northwest and the Pearl, the city's two greatest concentrations of people.

The Legal Requirement for Bicycles and Pedestrians
West Burnside's dangers immediately became clear when Transportation began to study reconstruction options for the Burnside/Couch corridor. When reconstruction occurs, state law compels the City to provide for bicyclists and pedestrians. I quote from the Oregon Department of Transportation:

"ORS 366.514, aka the bike bill, was passed by the Oregon Legislature in 1971. It requires the inclusion of facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists wherever a road, street or highway is built or rebuilt. It applies to ODOT, cities and counties. It also requires ODOT, cities and counties to spend reasonable amounts of their share of the state highway fund on facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists. These facilities must be located within the right-of-way of public roads, streets or highways open to motor vehicle traffic. The funds cannot be spent on trails in parks or other areas outside of a road, street or highway right-of-way."

Genesis of the Flanders Crossing
In 2002, the Burnside/Couch stakeholder advisory committee debated the best way to meet this obligation while accommodating the other goals for Burnside/Couch. Improving the safety of pedestrians crossing Burnside was their top priority, followed by wider sidewalks on Burnside and on-street parking. The group came to consensus there wasn't sufficient room to accommodate bikes in the Burnside/Couch corridor. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance made a proposal: they would cede the legal right to bike lanes on Burnside and Couch in exchange for the City designating Flanders a "bicycle boulevard" (a street designed to minimize but not eliminate motor vehicle traffic) and building a new 405 crossing at Flanders.

The Current Council Affirmed Support Three Times
City council, including Mayor Potter, has affirmed its support for the Flanders crossing three times: when it approved the Burnside/Couch proposal in 2007, when it approved the crossing as part of the list of priority projects eligible for Transportation System Development charges in 2007, and again in 2007 when it approved the study to test the feasibility of moving the Sauvie center span to Flanders over 405. The previous council also supported the Flanders crossing when it voted for the couplet in 2002.

A Correction to Potter's Assertion
On April 19, 2008 Mayor Potter issued a press statement from more than 6000 miles away while traveling in China to blast the council majority's decision to move forward with the Sauvie center span at Flanders. Potter doesn't support the move because "This bridge will give the Pearl District three overpasses in a three-block span. And while one accident is one accident too many, the N.W. Flanders site is not on PDOT's list of dangerous intersections for either autos, bikes, or pedestrians."

As a review of the Burnside to Glisan crash data map reveals, Potter has identified precisely why Flanders was chosen as a bicycle boulevard. Flanders is the safest reasonable alternative to bike lanes on Burnside and Couch and substandard facilities on Everett and Glisan. A bridge at Davis would be unduly complicated by an on/off-ramps between I-405 and NW 14th Avenue. Everett and Glisan are intended to serve, and do serve, concentrations of motor vehicles at higher speeds between the two neighborhoods as well as access points to and from I-405. The data shows these have been high-crash corridors.

Each Existing Crossing is Dangerous
Burnside, Couch, Everett, and Glisan all provide sidewalks of sub-standard width on just one side of the street due to the collection of ramps connecting to I-405. Even with one substandard sidewalk per side, a pedestrian must avoid motor vehicles traveling at high speeds to or from the freeway. It's intuitively dangerous, and the data confirms that.

Why the Sauvie Span at Flanders
With the need for the Flanders crossing addressed, the remaining question is whether reuse of the Sauvie Island center span is a good fit for Flanders. I base my decision on value and values. Would reuse be a good use of taxpayer money at the projected $5.5 million? And would reuse be consistent with Portland's expectations for itself?

In both instances, reuse comes out ahead of any alternate scenario. Much has been made of the original low-confidence estimate that a brand new span would cost the city $3.5 million. We need to explore that number in greater detail.

$3.5 million represents a low-cost estimate for a 15-foot wide design-unfriendly span that was under contract for construction today. It does not account for real-world provisions like the cost of inflation. Prior to the opportunity to relocate the Sauvie center span, Transportation originally had planned to see the new span built as part of Burnside/Couch reconstruction. Planners estimate the project will break ground in 5 years. Construction costs in transportation have been inflating at a rate of 5% annually. Thus a span estimated in low confidence to cost $3.5 million today would be projected to cost $4,375,000 in 2013.

A new span at 15 feet of width is inferior to the Sauvie's 30 feet of width. Not addressing real world constraints, a new 30-foot span today would be projected in low confidence to cost $7 million. (There is no bulk discount in bridges.) But more realistically, the bridge would more likely be built five years out at a projected cost of $8,750,000.

The Utility of 30 feet in Width for Non-Motorized Uses
Some suggest 30 feet in width for non-motorized uses is extravagant. An analysis of high volume corridors suggests existing widths that vary between 10 feet (Hawthorne Bridge) and 15 feet (Eastbank Esplanade) are inadequate to handle peak travel. Transportation projects 2000 daily crossings between Northwest and the Pearl District, the city's two densest neighborhoods. Bicycle ridership has risen steadily in the last 10 years and risen dramatically in the last 5 years. A 30-foot crossing should better accommodate demand for decades to come.

Funding Sources and Constraints
The Sauvie center span move is projected to cost $5.5 million. Sources are:
• $2 million in Transportation System Development Charges;
• $2 million in River District Urban Renewal funding;
• $1 million in Transportation Enhancement funds from the Oregon Department of Transportation;
• $500,000 from the Safe, Sound & Green Streets program; and
• Private contributions.

Some have suggested these funding sources could be redirected to other parts of town. SDCs must be used to enhance capacity, but otherwise do not have geographic constraints. Growth in the Northwest District has generated $4.3 million in SDCs but Transportation has spent just $740,000 in SDCs there. River District URA funding must be spent within the geographic boundary. ODOT's Transportation Enhancement funds are available only for projects that "enhance cultural, aesthetic or environmental values in the transportation corridor." Routine transportation improvements, like basic sidewalk development, are not eligible for TE funds. As mentioned, the Northwest District targeted the Flanders crossing as its highest priority, which is why it's included in the Safe, Sound & Green program. And finally, it's the specific opportunity to reuse the Sauvie center span at Flanders that has encouraged private citizens to seek private fundraising.

These are the reasons I support the Flanders Crossing. I know that when the facts are available to Portlanders they support strong decisions that make our city safer. This project will save lives, save money and help each Portander do our part to save the environment.

Sam

Related Documents

11 Million in PDOT One Time General Fund Safety Projects

Portland's Most Dangerous Corridors

Facts on Flanders Crossing

Ordinance

Bicyclist Wins in Commuting Race with Car!

The Office — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:35:12 -0700

Commissioner Adams was at City Hall to congratulate Rob Widmer of Widmer Brothers Brewing who crossed the finish line Thursday five minutes ahead of his brother, Kurt, who drove.

The event, a Bicycle Commuter Challenge, kicked off National Bike Month by showcasing the efficiency of riding your bike to work instead of commuting by car. Two paths from the Cadillac Cafe in Northeast Portland to City Hall on SW 4th Avenue were traveled by bicyclists. Rob arrived after 16 minutes of following the same route as Kurt, who traveled by car and arrived after 21 minutes, while Kim Seymour, of David Evans and Associates, biked along the NE Tillamook bike boulevard and the Eastbank Esplanade, a low-traffic route, arriving just 2 minutes later than Kurt.

As Transportation Commissioner, Sam is continually seeking new ways to provide transportation options to his constituents. He is enthusiastic to report that bicycling is not only an afforable, environmentally beneficial, and increasingly safer form of commuting, but also just as quick, if not quicker, as commuting by car!

Check out these articles that were posted on Oregon Live:

[Widmer Brothers Start Bike Month]

[Rob Widmer and Bicycle Win]

Mr. Smooth (aka Michael Wallis) Supports Bike Boxes with Educational Video

The Office — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:26:00 -0700

Bike boxes are a hit, but some community education on their usage is needed. City of Portland and the Office of Transportation along with Portland's own Matt Giraud made a video to clear up a few questions that bicyclists and motorists may have.

Oregonian: Have your say about streetcars' spread to Portland east side

The Office — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:43:28 -0700

By Dylan Riviera

To direct growth in the coming decades, Portland is embarking on a back-to-the-future course, to a time in the early 20th century when streetcars were as commonplace as buses are today.

By the 1920s, more than 100 miles of streetcar lines crisscrossed the city, from the West Hills to Northeast Alberta Street and beyond. Now, emboldened by the redevelopment of the Pearl District and South Waterfront with the Portland Streetcar, city planners are drafting a Portland Streetcar System Plan that could spread the lines across eastern and northern Portland.

[READ MORE AT OREGONLIVE.COM]

Relevant Documents:

Current Map of Portland Streetcar System Plan

Celebrate Portland’s Newest Green Space with Us!

The Office — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:09:35 -0700

What: A press event for Portland's new bike boxes
When: Thursday, March 27 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Where: Clever Cycles, 908 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

The Bike Box celebrates its day in the limelight tomorrow, Thursday, March 27 at 10 a.m. Sam, along with State Representative Jackie Dingfelder and Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder host this press and community event.

The green bike boxes make it safer for bicycles and cars to share the roads. The green paint highlights the bike lane and the bike box, so motorists are able to see approaching and turning cyclists. A pilot program to create 14 bike boxes at targeted intersections throughout Portland was recently approved by City Council and the first bike box was just installed at SE Hawthorne and 7th Avenue. Be sure to check out the Portland Department of Transportation website for more information.

Join us in celebrating Portland's first bike box at Clever Cycles. There will be an opportunity for interviews and photos of the new bike box at the event.

Press Release - The Bike Box: Get Behind It!

PDOT Bike Box Brochure

Interested in learning more about the streetcars in Portland?

The Office — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:55:45 -0700

Portland's Streetcar Connecting CommunitiesAre you interested in learning more about the streetcars in Portland? How about a streetcar corridor in your community? In either case, come to the Streetcar System Plan Workshop in your district. The outcome of these meetings will be a community decision about whether to take on a two-month study of potential streetcar corridors in each district or decide that it’s not a priority for the community at this time.

Southeast District Workshop
Thursday, April 3
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Cleveland High School Library
3400 SE 26th Ave.

Northeast District Workshop
Tuesday, April 8
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Grant High School Choir Room
2245 NE 36th Ave.

North Portland District Workshop
Wednesday, April 9
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
St. Johns Community Center Auditorium
8427 N. Central St.

Northwest and Southwest District Workshop
Monday, April 14
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Lincoln High School, Room #169
1600 SW Salmon St.

Outer East Portland District Workshop
Tuesday, April 15
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
East Portland Community Center, Classroom #1
740 SE 106th Ave.

For more information, contact Portland Office of Transportation Streetcar System Plan staff: Emily Lieb at 503-823-7854 or Patrick Sweeney at 503-823-5611

Get behind it!

Jesse Beason — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:29:12 -0700

The first bike box was installed on the intersection of SE 7th and Hawthorne yesterday. The Oregonian has a video all about it.

SW Community Connection: Halos start to shine

The Office — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:04:54 -0800

Officials begin collecting information on how residents aim to share the cost of pedestrian improvements

By Shasta Kearns Moore

The Southwest Community Connection, Feb 1, 2008

SOUTHWEST PORTLAND – City Transportation Commissioner Sam Adams’ proposal to pay for pedestrian pathways on three major roads through Southwest Portland is beginning to gain steam as Southwest Neighborhoods Inc. begins to plan surveys, open houses and mass mailings to residents within a half-mile of the roads.

SWNI’s efforts are part of a campaign to get residents involved in the push for pedestrian safety, which is likely to include a local improvement district that charges properties within a certain radius of 35th Avenue, Hamilton and Vermont streets.

Called a “halo” LID, the proposal is designed to soften the impact on the relatively few property owners who abut the roads by distributing the cost among surrounding properties who might also benefit.

Don Gardner, project manager for the Portland Department of Transportation, said many of the details on the project are still fuzzy. Everything from how much the project will cost to where a resident will put his or her garbage when the street is pushed back are all questions that still need to be worked out during the coming months, Gardner said.

To encourage citizen input in the process, SWNI officials are developing a letter and a survey that they will mail in February to about 3,000 property owners within a half-mile of the proposed developments.

The transportation committee then plans three open houses in March, one for each of the three projects. Details on the open houses were not available at press time.

Andrew Aebi, the transportation department’s LID coordinator, said he favors a graded approach to assessing the fees so that a property owner isn’t charged a much higher rate than her neighbor. For example, there could be a certain percentage assessed to those who live 3/10 of a mile away and a slightly lower percentage for those 4/10 of a mile away. But Kriger cautioned against extending the halo much farther than a half-mile as it has the potential to add too many voices to the decision-making process.

“There’s a fine line between getting the costs low and just having an unmanageable number of people to deal with,” he said.

For now, city officials shied away from estimating any figures for how much money the project would cost and how much property owners might be assessed.

Senior Project Manager Jerry Maresino of OTAK, the engineering firm for the project, said he wants the community (and each neighborhood’s halo LID project teams) to agree on the design before he can determine a price.

This has caused some delay in scheduling open houses as not enough details on the project have been available.

“Without a price I don’t want to start talking to people saying, ‘I’m going to assess you’ because my first question would be ‘How much?’ Well, I don’t know yet,” Gardner said.

Gardner did say he thought the soonest the project can go to contract would be the summer of 2009.

Marianne Fitzgerald, chair of the SWNI transportation committee, said residents should look in their mailboxes, the SWNI newsletter, and The Connection, for more information on the open houses as they are scheduled.

Reach Out!

Visit http://swni.org/bridlemile/hspi for more information, or contact Leonard Gard, SWNI’s Program Manager, at 503-823-4592 or leonard@swni.org.

DJC News: Rubber meets the road at Columbia-Lombard connector

Roland Chlapowski — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:29:11 -0800

Efforts by businesses in the Columbia corridor helped keep project on radar screen of local agenciesLike a two-lane blacktop tourniquet, Northeast Columbia Boulevard to Lombard Street impeded the smooth flow of traffic near Portland International Airport. With freight and everyday commuters stuck at choke points, the business community and the city recognized the need to improve Portland's most important east-west arterial for freight traffic.

With the completion of the East Columbia to Lombard Connector - which widened roads, improved access points and created safer pedestrian and bicycle crossing - the city and the Port of Portland say they've solved a nearly 20-year-old transportation problem.

Dan Laden, Portland Office of Transportation project manager for the connector, considers it to be "the most significant" transportation project in the city since the aerial tram.

"In terms of road projects, this is the largest, the most expensive project we've worked on," Laden said.

Faced with a project cost of about $34 million, finding adequate financing for the complicated connector was always a main concern. The project had been pinpointed as early as the late 1980s, but budgetary concerns and a heavy backlog of road projects kept pushing the timetable back. In 1998, the project began inching forward again, Laden said.

Eventually, the city got the bulk of the connector's funding, more than $29 million, from the Oregon Transportation Infrastructure Act, which was established by the Oregon Legislature to support road and bridge maintenance across the state. Another $2 million came from Port funds, while an additional $3 million came from city development funds.

More than $7 million from that total pot of money was spent on right-of-way acquisition, a process in which the city moved seven businesses along the corridor to new locations in order to make room for the widened road.

For the businesses not displaced, keeping the project on the city's radar screen was the main goal.

The Columbia Corridor Association, an early-in-the-pipeline proponent of the connector, argued that congestion along Columbia Boulevard was a major problem for more than a decade. The association lobbies on behalf of the interests of Columbia Corridor businesses and was instrumental in gathering business-owner feedback on the project.

"The old intersection was just inadequate for the amount of traffic going through there," said Corky Collier, executive director of the Columbia Corridor Association.

With his office located on the corridor, and with a traffic-bundled bottleneck acting as a barrier, Collier says he would spend about 20 minutes per trip inching through the corridor's congestion.

The problem was a common one for businesses located along the corridor.

In 2001, Metro received 33 letters - drafted by the Columbia Corridor Association and signed by corridor-housed businesses such as Freightliner and Harsch Investment Properties - in favor of the project. The correspondence and effort of business owners along the corridor helped keep the project on the priority list said Josh Thomas, spokesman for the Port of Portland.

The corridor currently houses 3,000 businesses, 50,000 employees and has an estimated payroll of $1.4 billion, the Port says. At full build-out, the port expects the corridor will have about 90,000 employees. And with business expansion still taking place along the corridor, the city was concerned that the congestion would stall traffic altogether in the near future.

The connector is already having the desired effect in relieving congestion, according to the Port.

"We're starting to see significant improvements to that area," Thomas said.

And the Columbia Corridor Association's Collier, for one, is thankful. Businesses along the corridor depend on reliable routes for shipping and transportation. With a more dependable route, these businesses now expect to save time and money, Collier said.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

By Tyler Graf

© 2008 DJC News
The Daily Journal of Commerce Inc.
921 S.W. Washington St.
Suite 210
P.O. Box 10127
Portland, Oregon 97296

Phone 503-226-1311 | Web: www.djcoregon.com

Link to the full story here.

Safe, Sound & Green Intiative Going to the Voters

Sam Adams — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:28:11 -0800

Today, at my request, city council referred the "Safe, Sound & Green Streets" program back to my office with an expectation that we will refer the program to voters in November 2008.

You have heard from me many times that Safe, Sound & Green Streets will be an important step forward for Portland when implemented. For the first time in nearly two decades, Portlanders will have stable funding to meet basic safety and maintenance needs on major streets.

A program of this consequence should be enacted by a unanimous city council. Until last week, my council colleagues were united in supporting safer streets as a matter of leadership. At council proceedings, transportation staff, community leaders, and all who have participated to date appreciated council's acknowledgment of the painstaking analytical and public outreach effort.

That effort has earned support from an 89-person stakeholder committee covering a range of transportation interests, the editorial boards of The Oregonian, The Portland Tribune and The Portland Business Journal, and untold numbers of Portlanders who responded to our citywide notices and attended one of the 21 town hall meetings we hosted in every corner of the city.

In addition, we worked in good faith to reach a compromise to address the concerns of convenience stores and the petroleum representatives.

Regrettably, the influence of oil industry representatives has taken its toll. I no longer have unanimous council support to enact the program.

I now propose that city council refer the Safe, Sound & Green initiative to the November general election ballot.

Portlanders can trust that oil industry representatives will embark upon a monumental misinformation campaign. Watch the money: they will spend much more on television ads and other venues to kill Safe, Sound & Green than they would have spent to simply pay their fair share to return Portland's major streets to working order.

As the champion of Safe, Sound & Green, it's true that I worry about holding onto the factual high ground during this tsunami of misinformation.

This is Portland, however. Portlanders have a proud history of supporting well-articulated, reasonable investments in their community. It's part of what makes us the best city in the country. Safe, Sound & Green will save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and--most importantly--save lives.

The general election in November 2008 is virtually guaranteed to ensure the highest voter turnout in the city's history. As a result, the best possible conversation that engages the maximum number of Portlanders about Safe, Sound & Green will occur over the next nine months. In spite of all the oil industry dollars to be spent, I am confident Portland will prevail.

I want to thank my colleagues for their continued support in addressing the transportation concerns facing our city. And I want to thank all of you.

Links to learn more:

Safe, Sound & Green (Project maps, finances, history)
Safe, Sound & Green Streets Stakeholder List
Street fee will pay off in safety, The Portland Tribune
Moving beyond a gas tax, The Oregonian
We can pay now or pay later, The Portland Business Journal
Recent news articles about Safe, Sound & Green

Oregonian: Moving Beyond a Gas Tax - Sam Adams has sealed the case for the city to create a new utility fee for transportation

The Office — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:18:28 -0800

OREGONIAN EDITORIAL - Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Seven years ago, then-City Commissioner Charlie Hales tried to add a novel road-repair fee to Portland utility bills. In the rear-view mirror, it's beginning to look like a smart maneuver. At the time, it felt like a swerve, both fast and slick.

Understand, it had then been eight years since the gas tax had increased. Hales' fee -- about $2 per month per household; $1,000 for some businesses -- was based on a theoretical trip-generation formula devised by the Institute of Transportation Engineers. While Hales convinced the Portland City Council his fee was fair, or fairish, or at least expedient, he failed to convince the community.

Grocers, restaurant owners and other high-traffic businesses balked at paying this ta --, er . . . fee, and staged a mutiny. We weren't too complimentary either; a couple of times, we called it "road kill."

Now a version of the utility fee has come roaring back to life. It would be larger for households -- $4.54 per month -- and average $83 per month for businesses (though most would pay less). Clearly, Commissioner Sam Adams learned from Hales' rocky experience when Adams was chief of staff for then-Mayor Vera Katz. Adams isn't just trotting the idea out to see whether he can make it stick. He has cemented a coalition in favor of it and brought the community along behind him.

At a public hearing today, there may be some testimony against the fee. But many businesses, citizens and interest groups now support it, recognizing that the health of the economy is directly dependent on safe, efficient streets.

Plus, the 89-member group convened by Adams to study the issues has recommended a number of safeguards to structure the fee more fairly, provide an avenue for appeals and ensure that the $24 million a year it generates will be spent repairing arterials, upgrading dangerous intersections, adding 20 miles of sidewalks and making other vital improvements.

Adams has held more than 20 town hall meetings, described in detail exactly where the money will go and tried to anticipate -- and answer -- any question voters might have about it. Given what Adams has run, which amounts to a campaign, it's fair to ask why the issue shouldn't go to voters for an OK.

Roughly 20 cities in Oregon have enacted such a fee. Yet it's still novel enough that, ideally, voters would have the chance to approve it. (It could still be referred to the ballot; threat of referral is what derailed the fee the first time around.) The trouble is that if voters flatten the idea, it's hard to imagine anyone picking it up again or any better idea coming along.

Meanwhile, it's been 15 years since the last legislative increase in the gas tax went into effect. Salem's making hopeful noises, but Portland shouldn't just wait and hope for state action.

What enhances confidence this time around is that Adams has engaged in a very public and thorough kicking-of-the-tires.

Based on that process, the council should go ahead and enact the fee. It no longer feels slick, but the fast is still there. And when it comes to our road system, fast is sounding better by the second.