The Metro Council requested $98 million in federal funds this week to invest in innovative bicycling and walking projects and create jobs. Proposed projects in Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah counties and the city of Portland will create links to transit service and employment areas, and demonstrate how levels of walking and cycling in suburban and rural areas can be increased through the creation of safe and convenient places to bike and walk. The projects will create family wage jobs and reduce traffic congestion, transportation costs, air and water pollution, global warming and the cost of health care.
The proposal builds on decades of groundwork to achieve breakthrough levels of bicycling and walking, and will advance the vision of a regional active transportation partnership, a coalition of organizations working to enhance and protect the region’s quality of life and health.