May 10, 2017

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TGM News and Information includes electronic news clips, emphasizing reporting and commentary on transportation choices in Oregon and other states. The links to copyrighted news stories are not archived by TGM, and the archiving policies of these sources vary. Inclusion of these clips does not indicate endorsement.

Final Reminder: 2017 TGM Planning Grant Applications Due June 9

Application materials for the 2017 TGM grants are now available at the TGM web site. TGM grants are for planning work leading to local policy decisions. Projects must result in the development of an adoption-ready plan or land use regulation or amendments to an existing plan or land use regulation.

Applications are due June 9, 2017. For application materials, visit our TGM grants page.

Upcoming Event

Webinar: Measuring and Visualizing Multimodal Networks

Wednesday, May 17, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (Register here)

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center is hosting a webinar on strategies agencies can use to measure and visualize their non-motorized transportation networks. Eliot Rose of ICF and Dan Goodman of FHWA will share early findings and examples from a guidebook FHWA is producing to help transportation agencies select connectivity measures based on the data and technical tools available, the scale of analysis, and point in the planning process at which measures are applied. Eli Glazier of Toole Design Group will share the results of an effort to document the variety of ways communities choose to visually represent their bicycle networks, drawing from FHWA's Bike Network Mapping Idea Book.

Resources on TGM-Related Issues

Oregon Place Types Modeling Tool Now Available

The Oregon Sustainable Transportation Initiative (OSTI) another partnership of the Department of Land Conservation and Development and the Oregon Department of Transportation, has developed the Place Types land use classification tool to help communities better understand land use and transportation interactions. As we all know, land uses influence individual transportation choices and the overall amount of driving in a region. Place Types uses a data-driven model to classify and visualize those land use patterns and see how they ultimately affect transportation outcomes.

Communities interested in using Place Types should contact Cody Meyer. Learn more. Here’s the Place Types web page with maps and links to MPO area maps.

Grants Awarded for Main Street Projects throughout Oregon

Vibrant downtowns can have a significant impact on promoting transportation choices. Oregon Heritage, a division of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), recently awarded 27 matching grants worth over $2.3 million to Oregon Main Street Network organizations across the state for building projects that encourage economic revitalization.

Projects range from façade improvement to elevator access and seismic upgrades and awards range from $17,500 to $100,000. OPRD funded projects that best conveyed the ability to stimulate private investment and local economic development, and best fit within the community’s long range plan for downtown vitality. Learn more.

Fast, Affordable Livability Improvements

Making progress on transportation choices is often long-term work. The AARP has collected a list of 13 low-cost, short-range tools cities can use to improve communities as the longer term improvements develop. The tools are included in The Imagining Livability Design Collection, a 40-page "visual portfolio of tools and transformations" created by AARP Livable Communities and the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute.

In a related project, the Project for Public Spaces has built a resource page on so-called “Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper” solutions, including case studies.

NACTO Looks at 88 Million BikeShare Rides

Americans have taken 88 million rides on bike share bikes since 2010. The National Association of City Transportation Officials has released a summary of the past six years of bike sharing. The summary notes the 55 bike share systems across America, which systems use smart bikes vs. docking systems, how long average rides are, and which systems have discounts for low-income riders.

Aarhus, Denmark, is Using RFID to Give Bicyclists the Green Light

Aarhus, Denmark used a pilot program to boost bicycling by reducing the amount of time people on bikes spend at red lights. The city equipped 200 bicyclists with RFID tags to trigger traffic lights to switch to green when a bicyclist approaches. The program was well-received and Aarhus plans to expand it. More at Momentum Magazine.

To Ponder

For people of color, the list of barriers to biking goes far beyond improving infrastructure. Survey and article from Streetsblog.

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The Oregon Transportation and Growth Management program is a partnership between the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development.

TGM supports community efforts to expand transportation choices for people. By linking land use and transportation planning, TGM works in partnership with local governments to create vibrant, livable places in which people can walk, bike, take transit or drive where they want to go. For more information about TGM’s work, visit www.oregon.gov/LCD/TGM.