Legislative Push Strives for Safer Streets

We know that commuting by active transportation is healthy for our bodies, our pocketbooks and the environment. But allocating funds to keep streets safe for pedestrians was not high on the agenda when the last federal transportation bill was passed. Luckily, there are advocacy groups that are working full time to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety on Oregon streets.

One of these groups, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA), is busy introducing draft legislation to improve safety for pedestrians at a state level. The Bicycle Transportation Alliance is a non-profit which promotes bicycling and improving bicycling conditions in Oregon, so that citizens can meet their daily transportation needs on a bike. The BTA is currently working on three bills they plan to lobby (plus another initiative) that will improve street safety on a variety of levels.

The BTA’s flagship legislative priority is the Safe Neighborhood Streets Act, which proposes to allow Oregon cities to reduce speeds to 20 mph from 25 mph on all neighborhood streets. “The BTA is focused on speed because we know that it is a leading contributor to crashes and fatalities on the roadway,” said Gerik Kransky, advocacy director for the BTA.

The BTA previously helped pass a bill which allowed cities to reduce speeds in “neighborhood greenways”, city streets with low traffic volume and speed where bicycles, pedestrians and neighbors are given priority.

The second bill that the BTA will push for calls for a better solution to speed enforcement on busier streets. The Traffic Safety Camera Bill aims to expand opportunities for cities and counties to install permanent photo-radar cameras on high-crash corridors. Currently, remote radar being used includes a four-hour time limit with a uniformed officer and van present. The proposed bill would increase enforcement opportunities in these areas without the need for an on-site police officer.

A third bill proposed by the BTA, called Connect Oregon Plus, seeks to include funding for bicycle and pedestrian facilities and transit and rail operations in money raised by state vehicle administration fees. These “outside of the road right-of-ways” are currently excluded for funding by the current (Connect Oregon) program, which allocates funds only to aviation, marine, rail, and public transit infrastructure improvements.

Another project that the BTA is working on is one that seeks to expand the list of eligible projects that benefit from existing legislative funding, to include provisions for bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The proposal seeks to allow money the state spends for busing students to school, to be used for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs. SRTS funding was substantially reduced by MAP-21, the federal transportation bill passed in summer of 2012.

“We know that when people get out and walk and bike, it saves money and is a healthier option,” said Kransky. “In order to make it easy and safe for pedestrians, we must invest in infrastructure that promotes this activity,” he said.

The 2013 legislative session is now in progress. To be apprised when these issues show up in the legislature, sign up for email alerts at www.btaoregon.org.