When Steve Lockwood, a transportation policy expert, spoke with regional transportation leaders Thursday morning, he admitted he was humbled by Portland's reputation.
"I feel like I'm preaching to the choir," Lockwood said.
But despite the region's transportation accomplishments, the audience of eager planners and policy makers wanted his advice.
"Even choirs need conducting," replied Metro Councilor Kathryn Harrington.
Lockwood's presentation at Metro focused on a key area of transportation planning and greenhouse gas reduction often forgotten by regional governments: Transportation systems management and operation – making the best use of existing infrastructure.
"There is a lot of unexploited potential that's looked over," Lockwood said. "And, unlike other transportation plans, the barrier is not funding, but cooperation and policy making."
Instead of focusing on building new roadways or lanes, Lockwood illustrated simpler solutions that require little to no construction that would quickly lessen greenhouse gas emissions and promote traffic efficiency. One idea was creating a stronger relationship between the police and tow truck operators, in order to speed up cleanup after a traffic accident. Another was creating a feasible smart phone app to provide alternative route to currently bottlenecked roadways, both cutting back on cars stalling and time delay.
"I imagine Portland's already done a lot to combat these issues," Lockwood said. "But now we must think about how we can keep its momentum going. What are the logical next steps?"
Lockwood has held 15 of these workshops with city, county, state and regional governments to help push the metropolitan areas in the right direction when it comes to transportation planning. From Atlanta to Seattle, Lockwood knows what it takes to collaborate with an array of policy makers.
He spoke Thursday morning to a group of about 30 people as part a seminar hosted by Metro, the Federal Highway Administration and the Oregon Department of Transportation.
"I know it's hellishly difficult to get everyone from around the region in the same room, let alone get them talking," Lockwood said, after learning that Metro includes 25 cities. "But you are the ones who have the solutions – not me. The answers are in this room."