Equity & Environmental Justice

Cherriots STIF Advisory Committee update: Lower Fares for Youth & Expanded Services

The STIFAC held lengthy discussions on the importance of a free Youth Pass for the region and received impactful testimony from youth who rely on, but often can’t afford to ride the bus. Working within strict time constraints, a free youth pass would have required a major shift in Cherriots’ proposed projects (including weekend and evening services requested by the community), and was unattainable in the current application cycle. At the last meeting, the STIFAC agreed with Cherriots staff to revisit a free Youth Pass in the next STIF application period, and approved the following proposed youth rates as a “starting point” for the initial biennium:

Concern Grows Over SR 500 Project in Vancouver

This fall, WSDOT will remove traffic lights on SR 500 at Northeast Falk Road/Northeast 42nd Avenue and Northeast 54th Avenue/Northeast Stapleton Road in Vancouver, and install a barrier in the middle of the highway, to address safety and crash concerns for vehicles. We applaud that these changes are predicted to reduce the number of collisions at or near the intersections by up to 70 percent.

Get Involved! Salem-Keizer Active Transportation Network (ATN) gears up for second meeting - August 30th

The Salem-Keizer Active Transportation Network (ATN) serves as an informational hub for community-based organizations and public agencies in the region to share information on best practices and upcoming funding competitions, and to engage in increasing active transportation investments and policy. Our second meeting is scheduled for August 30th 2 - 4 PM, and will be hosted at Cherriots in Downtown Salem: 555 Court St. NE Salem in the "Senator Hearing Room."

Oregon Task Force on Autonomous Vehicles gets closer to policy framework

The Task Force on Autonomous Vehicles (AV) held their third meeting yesterday to firm up their recommendations for a framework for autonomous vehicle policy in Oregon, which is not currently addressed in state law. ODOT staff will summarize these recommendations into a final report, which will be reviewed by the Task Force and submitted to the Legislature, who will ultimately make any policy decisions going forward. The final report is expected to become available next week, at which time both the AV Task Force and public are encouraged to submit formal comments.

Yes For Affordable Housing

In May, the Portland region's Metro Council voted unanimously to refer an important affordable housing bond to the November ballot. This regional ballot measure will create greatly needed affordable homes for low-income families, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities throughout the Metro region.  

Comment Now on Metro's Regional Transportation Plan

The greater Portland area’s regional planning body, Metro, is in the process of updating the region’s Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), which is a blueprint to guide investments for all forms of travel – motor vehicle, transit, bicycle and walking – and the movement of goods and freight throughout the Portland metropolitan region. The Public Comment period is open now through August 13.

Advocacy Sees Improvements to Metro’s Regional Transportation Plan Project List

Metro is in the process of updating the region’s Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), which is a blueprint to guide investments for all forms of travel – motor vehicle, transit, bicycle and walking – and the movement of goods and freight throughout the Portland metropolitan region. Until recently, however, the resulting RTP Project List didn't actually reflect or achieve the region's goals.

Serving High School Student Travel Needs in OR & WA

Youth Pass – typically a free or heavily subsidized transit pass for high school students – is a smart extension of any city's successful Safe Routes to School work, which focuses traffic safety education on elementary students. For high school students, Youth Pass is the logical next step to helping reduce congestion and reliance on vehicles, provides independent travel options, and builds future transit riders.
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