Salem-Keizer

The City of Salem has launched the Safer Pedestrian Crossings Program, a new online tool for requesting improved crossings. Earlier this year, we participated in the Safer Crossings Project Advisory Committee to help develop this system for community members to request pedestrian crossing facilities, and track the status of those projects. We provided feedback on best practices for equitable scoring of infrastructure projects, to be included in the Safer Crossings Program.

11/26/19 Update:

On Monday November 25, Salem City Council approved the “sidewalk behavior” ordinance without the “sit-lie” element. Essentially, the ordinance has been narrowed to ban camping on sidewalks or public spaces, and restricts leaving personal items unattended for more than 24 hours. 

SKATS, the regional transportation planning agency for the greater Salem/Keizer area, is in the process of prioritizing projects in the region for the next 6 years. The SKATS Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) establishes the schedule and priority for the near-term funding and implementation of transportation improvement projects.

Our Salem is a multi-year project to update the Comprehensive Plan, which guides future development for the city. The first phase of the project focused on looking at existing conditions, with a focus on livability and sustainability.

This is an update to our earlier coverage of changes to speed setting authority and methodology in Oregon – read our previous post here.

Exciting news for students and families across Oregon - over the summer, community partners received notice of more than $3 Million in Safe Routes to School Non-Infrastructure Grants throughout the state.

The city of Salem, Oregon has increasingly recognized the important role of biking and walking as a way of getting around the city but lacked any greenways.  Our new case study looks at how advocates pushed for the creation of the new Winter-Maple Neighborhood Greenway.

Since 2018, the Safe Routes Partnership has been supporting partners in the Salem area to get started on its first ever Safe Routes to School program. And we’re excited to share some important updates!

June 26, 2019 Update: All eyes are on the Oregon Legislature as the 2019 Session comes to a close. Although we had hoped for a statewide policy to reduce diesel emissions and phase out old dirty diesel engines this session, HB 2007 has been limited to the tri-county area. Still, the bill is a meaninful step forward and necessary to allocate remaining VW Settlement funds. HB 2007 has successfully passed the House and, along with many other important bills, awaits the Senate to resume its business.

SKATS, the designated MPO for the Salem-Keizer region, has released the 2019-2043 Regional Transportation Systems Plan (RTSP) for public review. The RTSP is the long-term guide that identifies priority transportation investments and is only updated every four years.  We’ve submitted comments requesting that the RTSP is strengthened in the following areas: