Hold onto your policy-wonk hats, but the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been working on an important policy document for those who like to get around on foot or by bicycle. It’s the latest incarnation of the statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan; the last one came out in 1995. Thankfully the landscape of what walkable and bike-able means had changed a lot since then.
You can download their draft plan here.
Weighing in at over 130 pages, the PDF can feel daunting. Not to worry though, an ODOT representative will be presenting at an upcoming Bend Metropolitan Planning (BMPO) meeting this coming Thursday (January 21st) at 4pm. The meeting will be held at the BMPO offices on 1300 Wall Street in Bend.
According to an ODOT website,
“This Plan supports decision-making for walking and biking investments, strategies, and programs that can help bring an interconnected, robust, efficient, and safe transportation system for Oregon.”
It’s important to sit in on the meeting if you want help on understanding the framework that helps shape active transportation’s inclusion (or exclusion) from ODOT road projects. That way, you can make stunningly poignant and insightful comments before the public comment period closes on February 18th. For some great pre-meeting context, you might want to peruse Jonathan Maus’ coverage on BikePortland.org of the draft plan.
Hope to see you there!