City Council to Take Action on Historic Transportation Bond

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photo credit: City of Bend

Speak up now to support active transportation in Bend’s future!

The City of Bend is gearing up to put the largest transportation bond in its history on the May 2020 ballot. January is shaping up to be a formative month to influence the process. We need your help! (click here to find out more) Here are a few key dates to keep on your radar:

  • January 8th City Council meeting: Council will be presented the polling results for two different bond packages. (read more on that below)
  • January 15th City Council meeting: Council will make its “go” or “no go” decision on the transportation bond.
  • February 5th City Council meeting: Council will likely vote on the final bond package.

Prospective voters are being polled to weigh two bond packages for consideration in Spring. They vary by dollar amount ($190 vs $275 million) rather than by projects included. The funding advisory group sub-committee that put together the proposed list of projects and their associated dollar amounts (what we’re calling bond packages) consisted of Councilors Gena Goodman-Campbell and Bill Moseley, Mike Riley of The Environmental Center, and Karna Gustafson of the Central Oregon Builders Association. It’s worth noting the final project list  is not set in stone until City Council votes on the bond package in February.

To find details on the tentative project
list for the bond packages, click here. 

Where We Stand

After a review of the project list, the active transportation/multi-modal/safety projects identified in the $275 million bond package represent the minimum that Bend Bikes is willing to support. The $190 million bond package simply cuts too many multi-modal and safety projects and focuses spending on a more car-centric future. We all must continue to fight for more.

One primary failing of the $275 million bond package is that there is only a single protected bike lane project: Olney at the Parkway overpass. Despite the failure of the bond package to explicitly include next-generation cycling infrastructure, we feel that many of the proposed projects present opportunities to advocate for the inclusion of active transportation as they near their design phase. 

Call to Action

Our current objective is to ensure that active transportation/multi-modal/safety projects are not cut prior to City Council approving the final bond package. This is where we need your help! Let City Council know:

  1. Your support for the $275 million bond package.
  2. How important it is to include in the final bond package projects that make walking, biking, and taking transit easier and safer options for all.

We strongly encourage you to put voice to your support during the public comment period of the January 8th or 15th City Council meeting at City Hall (710 NW Wall St, Bend). It’s usually best to sign up to speak at 6:30 pm. Your name will be called just past 7 pm and you’ll have up to 3 minutes to make your case. If you cannot make it in person, you can always email [email protected] (we’ll email a copy to Councilors) or pull aside your favorite (or least favorite!) City Councilor for a quick chat. City Council meeting agendas are available generally about a week before each meeting at https://www.bendoregon.gov/government/city-council/city-council-meeting-agendas-video. 

As always, thanks for your support!

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