In the Portland metropolitan area, population growth and development expand urbanized land by 394 square feet per person. In the Washington, D.C., metro area, it is 1,575 square feet per person.
Through a combination of land use planning and a strong regional transit network, the Portland metropolitan region is fighting long commutes, congestion and urban sprawl more successfully than other urban areas. The community pursued these goals to preserve the area’s quality of life, but as a crowd of more than 250 learned at a recent Climate Leadership Summit, many of those same strategies can also help reduce emissions related to climate change. Policymakers are learning that many of the policies and investments Metro will study to reduce emissions are also things the community has been seeking for other reasons.
Thanks to careful transportation planning and management, high-capacity public transit and regional freight lines, our region has successfully employed investments and strategies that keep people and commodities moving without ignoring the reasons people live here: safe, reliable and affordable public transit, clean air and water, and vibrant, livable communities.
Read on to learn how Metro's regional planning saves you time and money and reduces harmful environmental impacts like greenhouse gas emissions.
Did you know…
- 1.4 million
Residents of the region drive four fewer miles per day than comparable urban areas, resulting in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 1.4 million tons per year. - $2.6 billion
Lower transportation costs and time saved result in $2.6 billion a year savings in the local economy. - $85 million
Traffic signal timing and other operational improvements save 3.5 million hours of traffic delay a year, or $85 million. - $128 million
Public transit saves 5.4 million hours of traffic delay a year, or $128 million. - $694
Households that use walking and biking as primary modes of travel save $694
a month. - 25 percent
Twenty-five percent of all trips can be done with a 20-minute walk. - 16.8 percent
The average household in the Portland-Salem metropolitan area spends 16.8 percent of the family budget on transportation, second only to shelter. - 3.4 million
Marketing and public education saved 3.4 million gallons of gas and 74 million vehicle miles in 2010. - 28 percent
Twenty-eight percent of adults in the region have seen Drive Less Save More messages and reduced drive alone trips as a result. - 0.4 percent
Every 1 percent increase in miles traveled by bicycle or on foot instead of by car reduces the region’s greenhouse gas emissions by 0.4 percent.