Last year, Metro went full-bore into planning for transit projects, for the first time adopting a ranked outlook for the region's high capacity transit corridors in the coming decades.
With the recent award of a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation, a similar ranked list of "active transportation" projects could be developed. Last month, Metro was awarded $280,000 through ODOT's Transportation and Growth Management Grant program; Metro matched another $56,000 for the project.
Many of the cities and counties in the Portland region already have their own plans for bike paths and walking trails. But Lake McTighe, a Metro planner who put together the grant proposal, said that while some cities, like Portland, have robust plans for pedestrian and cyclists, other cities and counties don't.
It's also, she said, about directing more money into active transportation infrastructure. She pointed to the most recent round of Regional Flexible Funds spending, which allotted 75 percent of the discretionary funding to active transportation projects.
"With this kind of plan we can start to almost think programmatically about how we're going to fund out our system," McTighe said. "That's why we keep thinking of it as the High Capacity Transit plan for active transportation."
The allocation of Regional Flexible Funds didn't come without controversy. Advocates of freight projects pushed to divert more of the $25 million in 2010 flexible funds to improving the region's freight capacity.
Much of the advocacy for establishing some sort of regional bike and pedestrian plan is couched in discussion about transportation choices and multimodal transit.
"If I want to get around without having to drive, sometimes I'm going to walk, sometimes I'm going to take transit, sometimes I'm going to bike – it depends on the length of my trip," McTighe said. "We want people to be able to use this system interchangeably and seamlessly."
She said there is $1 billion worth of bike and pedestrian projects in the Regional Transportation Plan.
"The connection to transit is so key, because as that system grows, we want to be able to support those last-mile connections," she said.
Gerik Kransky, the advocacy director for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, also emphasized the connections aspect of the proposal.
"One of the things you start to see when you build a regionally connected network is the opportunity to link trips," Kransky said. "Building transit in as part of the spine for an active transportation network, it's a significant effort that's worthy of attention at the 30,000-foot level – the Metro regional level."
Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder said it's important to coordinate planning efforts between cities and counties.
"A regional approach to active transportation will ensure that the investments in one community benefit from and add value to the investments in neighboring communities," Burkholder said. "In addition, the backbone of a high quality active transportation network is the system of regional trails, which require a higher level of planning and effort to get the funds to build."
It's one thing, though, to encourage people to bike and walk. It's another thing to get them to have somewhere to bike to – inner eastside residents in Portland may live within biking distance of their favorite restaurants or groceries, but that's not the case in much of the rest of the region.
McTighe said the proposed plan wouldn't directly address those questions, but will reference to other strategies to better tie together the economy and transportation.
A 2007 British study, Burkholder said, shows that improving active transportation can bring the economy around.
"There is a close synergy between increasing access – bike, ped and motor vehicle (as long as speeds are low) – and increased commercial activity and value," the councilor said. The study "shows a clear connection between more people moving through an area and higher values for both commercial and residential use."
Kransky said the project will also help with the state's greenhouse gas emission goals.
"Without taking a holistic approach, from a regional perspective, there's no way you're going to be able to reduce global warming, pollution from cars and trucks and provide people with transportation choices," he said."Seeing this kind of regional plan put in place serves as a tool for all of our cities when they need to prioritize investments and make their contribution toward reducing global warming and making healthier choices… to have this resource is very nice."