Can transportation tackle climate change? You bet!
Take action by TUESDAY, March 8
Century Drive/14th St. rendering: City of Bend Comprehensive Plan
In Oregon, transportation accounts for 40% of our greenhouse gas emissions, making it the most significant contributor to climate change.
If we can change how we travel, we can make big moves to reduce climate pollution.
Transportation access is also a big piece of the puzzle in creating more equitable communities. We need to create a city where access to a car is not a requirement for holding a job or getting to a grocery store.
For years, we’ve been pushing for visionary changes to Bend’s transportation network. We’ve got some great ideas backed with the designs and research needed to move them forward.
But how will we pay for these transformative projects? Right now, we’ve got a huge opportunity to bridge the funding gap!
Finding Federal Funding
Last year, when the federal government passed the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, they allocated over $400 million to the State of Oregon for transportation and infrastructure improvements.
Oregon is deciding where that money should go. Next month, the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) will determine where to direct this money. Help us make sure they hear from Central Oregon, loud and clear!
First, it’s TIME TO FUND BEND’s MIDTOWN CROSSINGS!
If you haven’t already, you can add your name to this community letter of support for the Midtown Crossings. It helps ensure the Oregon Transportation Commission hears a consistent and supportive message for these essential, transformative projects until their final funding decisions next month.
So far, over 130 local businesses, organizations, and individuals have signed on. Can you help us get to 200?
Second, Let’s Prioritize connected and equitable transportation networks!
Before Tuesday, March 8, can you take 5-minutes to share your perspective?
The Oregon Department of Transportation is taking public comments to help determine what they’ll prioritize with the $400 million of available funding.
Share what you’d like to see from Oregon’s transportation improvements. We’re rooting for accessible, pedestrian-friendly, and public transportation-oriented networks!
Instructions: When you fill out the comment form, select “I want to comment on federal funding (Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act.” Then, feel free to write in what you would in a typical email. If you want some ideas to get started, you can read our talking points below.
TALKING POINTS FOR COMMENTS TO OTC
Need ideas to get started? Here are some suggested messages to share. Make them your own and highlight what resonates with you!
The Oregon Transportation Commission is considering four possible spending scenarios. Some prioritize money for more car-centric transportation networks (like funding highways, etc.), while others prioritize improvements for more pedestrian-centric transportation networks (like improving crosswalks, bike paths, and public transportation options).
We support the option for “Public & Active Transportation.” We see this as the best path towards a more climate-friendly and equitable future, with a few key improvements.
“Public & Active Transportation” is a decent start towards creating more safe, equitable, and climate-friendly communities. However, a more responsive spending scenario is needed that clearly prioritizes people who walk, bike, roll, and take public transit.
Please adjust Scenario 2 by shifting funds to center climate and equity, and allow local communities to better meet their most pressing transportation needs. Please reallocate the funds in the “enhance” and “fix-it” highway categories towards investments in public and active transportation networks, local climate planning, and towards local jurisdictions for community-preferred projects.
One of the most important community projects in Central Oregon is Bend’s Midtown Pedestrian and Bicycle Crossings. Please prioritize $15 million in IIJA funding for these three essential and transformative projects. Over 100 local businesses, organizations, community leaders, and individuals support these projects that are central to providing accessible, safe, and essential multimodal connections in the heart of Bend, as well as catalyzing equitable redevelopment and more transportation and affordable housing options in the Bend Central District and Core Area.
Planning the Bend Central District: Brianna Bender
Support our Cities and Towns Program
Whether you share our urgency in tackling climate change, see the need for more affordable housing options and more car-free ways to get around, or want to keep nature in our neighborhoods, LandWatch is moving these efforts forward in Bend, Sisters, and beyond. Central Oregon’s cities and towns need vibrant and healthy neighborhoods accessible to all, and we will continue working every day to make that possibility a reality.