Bend Needs a Transportation System That’s Good for People and the Planet
Our mission is to embed sustainability into daily life in Central Oregon. It’s a large, complex job that intersects with many other economic and social challenges.
I believe sustainability is about relationships—our relationship with the environment that supports us and our relationship with the people with whom we share our planet. These relationships are inseparable. Together, they shape how and where we live, work, play and learn.
The future of Bend’s transportation system is a great example of how focusing on the intersection of environmental and social needs can shape a local community for the better. I currently serve as co-chair of Bend’s city-wide transportation advisory committee (affectionately known as CTAC). We are developing a draft plan to guide investments in Bend’s transportation system through 2040.
I’m advocating for increased investments in sidewalks, bike lanes, transit and safety. Those investments will get more people out of their cars and thereby reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions over the long-term. Equally important, those investments will also ensure that youth, seniors, families who cannot afford to own a car, and people of all abilities can get around town to meet their daily needs for food, shelter, education, employment, health care and recreation.
In other words, I’m advocating for investments that will build a just transportation system for Bend, one that meets the needs of people and the planet.
Do you support a just transportation plan for Bend? If so, I urge you to share your support, first with my fellow CTAC members and then with the Bend City Council, the final decision-makers about Bend’s transportation future. Over the next few weeks, CTAC and the Council will choose criteria to prioritize specific projects and programs as we develop a funding and phasing plan for transportation investments in bend. Your voice can make a difference.
Share your comments in-person at our next CTAC meeting on June 18th and at a special City Council meeting on June 20th. You can also send written comments to tsp@bendoregon.gov.
Join me in urging Bend’s leaders to do what’s right for our people and our planet. We can’t care for one without caring for the other.