Boyd Acres Neighborhood Association
September 10, 2018 Meeting
This month we invited a great panel of five experts to discuss transportation issues relevant to our neighborhood. They represented the City of Bend, Metro Planning Organization (MPO), ODOT, Cascade East Transit (CET), and Commute Options.
More than 70 people attended and after the presentation we opened it up for a brisk Q&A! All of the slides they used will be posted on our website.
Karen Swirsky, Sr. Planner of the City of Bend was first up. She explained how the city is coordinating their efforts with MPO, ODOT, CET, and Commute Options as they update their 20 year Transportation Plan. They are presently finishing up on their 2 year work plan which studies existing conditions. They will be having meetings open to the public discussing funding the work projects which be posted on the City of Bend website.
If you have a concern on your street such as an unsafe sidewalk that you think should be addressed by the city you may contact Janet Hruby by using a citizen request form.
Tyler Deke, Executive Director of the MPO, said his focus is on a Safety Action Plan identifying locations where serious accidents occur and how they can be prevented. He also explained the Intelligent Transportation Systems Plan that determines street signals communication and traffic to flow. He gave us 7 key projects they are working on that directly affect our neighborhood:
1. US 97/North Bend Corridor which currently has a budget of $50 million but needs $200 million to be completed.
2. US 20 and Empire with construction slated for 2019.
3. US 20 / Cooley Rd. Roundabout
4. Empire Ave from 18th Street to Purcell which started construction 9/11/18. Phase 1 will be completed by December of this year. Phase II Purcell upgrades will follow and the entire project including the extension of Empire to 27th Street by 2020.
5. Archie Briggs Bridge replacement to start in 2020.
6. Purcell Rd. completion.
7. Purcell Rd. /Neff project.
Richard Williams from ODOT shared their commitment to work with the other organizations. He highlighted their Bend Parkway Study which will help them determine how people use the roads. You are invited to take the survey on their website. In the spring of 2019 there will be an online open house. ODOT is planning for future conditions to prepare for 40,000 more people projected to be living here by 2025.
Michelle Rhodes , Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, and Andrea Breault from CET presented how CET operates our mass transit buses, Dial-A-Ride, and the free river shuttle. They will complete their Master Plan Update this fall. They would like to increase the frequency of bus stops, expand to outlying areas, consider a Bus Rapid Transit using Hwy 97 or 3rd St., and increase regional connectivity with Breeze and Greyhound. She said they need to survey the needs of the community before moving forward with any changes as they are funded by Federal, State, and City grants.
Jeff Monson of Commute Options described his organization as one that educates and encourages citizens and businesses to be proactive with driving alternatives to reduce traffic. They receive some funding from ODOT. Some of their programs include:
1. Teaching kids how to safely bike/walk to school
2. Promoting "Drive Less Connect"
3. Friendly Driver Program
4. Walking to and from school instead of bussing where a guide will walk with groups of children.
5. Worksite Commute Options to encourage businesses to use cars less.
The Q&A subjects included questions about: noise studies, Cascadia earthquake and impact of traffic on 97, Senior citizen transit options, livability and the need to partner with city planners and developers, capacity of transportation system, is a fixed route transit coming to Boyd Acres neighborhood, Juniper Ridge and the Golden Triangle planning and future projections.
Travel Trivia:
Hwy 97 has 50,000 trips/day through Bend, but only 9,000/day through LaPine; during the summer there are 23,000 tourist trips/day.
The meeting closed at 8 pm.
Thank you to all who participated!