The final public comment period on the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan closed May 6 with a public hearing before the Metro Council.
Councilor Rex Burkholder, who helped guide the development of the RTP, noted that Thursday evening's hearing was "the culmination of a four-year process" and claimed that the proposed plan is "a recognition that our transportation investments are mechanisms for achieving our goals as a community." The plan's goals include compact and walkable urban communities, expanded options for using different modes of transportation across the region, clean air and water, and efficient movement of freight and people.
Thirteen citizens testified before the council. Mara Gross, policy director for the Coalition for a Livable Future, urged Metro to take further action to address greenhouse gas emissions and revise the RTP project list after Metro has completed modeling scenarios that test different policies and investments that most effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That scenarios work, required by the 2009 Oregon Legislature in House Bill 2001, is scheduled to be completed in early 2012.
Gerik Kransky, advocacy campaign manager for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, noted that "the bicycle part of the RTP is very strong" but reiterated his organization's concerns that the plan does not do enough to meet state targets for greenhouse gas emissions. He noted that the project list reflects "mainly business as usual" and that the region needs "a system that increases transportation choices."
Most of the testimony at the hearing came from Tualatin residents urging the removal of a previously planned road connection that would extend Southwest Tualatin Road to Boones Ferry Road by way of a bridge extending over Tualatin Community Park. The Tualatin City Council voted to remove this project from its urban renewal plans and Mayor Lou Ogden sent a letter to the Metro Council urging its removal from the RTP. Metro staff is recommending removal of the project per the city's request.
Jason Barbour, a candidate for Portland City Council, testified to the importance of funding greater public transit service. "Payroll taxes should not pay for capital projects. We need to connect communities to high capacity transit through better service."
Approval of the RTP must come from the Metro Council and the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation, both of which are scheduled to vote on the plan on Thursday, June 10.