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News media contact:
John Brady
503-577-8236
john....@portlandoregon.gov
@PBOTinfo
NEWS RELEASE:
Bilingual survey seeks public feedback on transportation in Portland’s Central City
(August 2, 2016) - The City of Portland Bureau of Transportation launched its Central City Multimodal Project today with the publication of an Early Input Survey. The survey, offered in both English and Spanish, asks people about how they travel, where they go, and what challenges they face while getting around in the Central City. It is the first step of a year-long public involvement process that will inform decision making on the multimodal infrastructure added to the area. The Central City Multimodal Project will help make getting to and around the Central City safer, easier, and more convenient. PBOT will ask City Council to formally accept federal grant funds dedicated to the project on August 31.
Portland’s Central City is the center of the metropolitan region, with Oregon’s densest concentration of people and jobs. Currently about 23,000 people reside and 123,000 people work in the Central City’s five square miles, an area that represents only three percent of Portland’s total size. By 2035, 30 percent of Portland’s population growth is expected to occur in the Central City. This growth equates to an additional 37,000 new households and 51,000 new jobs.
 Survey participants will have an opportunity to enter a raffle prize for their choice of $100 of SmartPark vouchers, an annual BIKETOWN bike share membership, or a one-month TriMet pass at the end of the survey. Survey results as well as other public involvement opportunities that will take place in the coming year will inform a prioritized project list to be constructed with federal grant money and Fixing Our Streets funds. Construction on projects is projected to begin in 2018.
"As our our Central City grows and changes we must ensure that the needs of all people living and working in the area are taken into account,” said PBOT Director Leah Treat. “The Central City encompasses a wide swath of communities, workplaces and levels of income and we want to make sure everyone is included from day one. This survey marks the beginning of that conversation."
"Portland’s Central City is where 350+ Airbnb employees come every day to work toward our mission of creating a community where you can ‘Belong Anywhere.’ We love our location in the heart of Old Town, which allows us to recruit top talent who want the ability to walk, bike, or take public transit to work," said Darin Evenson, Airbnb's Director of Customer Experience for North America and the Portland site lead. "We look forward to the different types of infrastructure improvements in the Central City that will help our employees, hosts, and the thousands of Airbnb guests who visit Portland every year.”
“In addition to being Oregon’s largest public university, PSU is a top destination in Portland’s Central City. We have 29,000 students and 4,000 employees, and approximately 1 million visitors every year,” said Ian Stude, Director of Transportation and Parking for Portland State University. “My job is to ensure all these people can safely and efficiently access all that PSU has to offer. At PSU, we think investing in efficient multimodal infrastructure is the best way forward for Portland’s Central City and we look forward to partnering on this project.”
This evening, Tuesday, August 2, PBOT staff will be leading an organized bike ride about the Central City, including recent improvements and ideas for the future. The event is open to the public.
For assistance taking the survey in languages other than English or Spanish, please call the Portland Bureau of Transportation at 503-823-5185.
Organizations, groups and businesses located in Portland’s Central City and interested in sharing more information about the project at their next meeting are invited to contact the project’s manager, Gabe Graff, at gabrie...@portlandoregon.gov / 503-823-5291.
Visit the project webpage: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/71158
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The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is the steward of the City’s transportation system, and a community partner in shaping a livable city. We plan, build, manage and maintain an effective and safe transportation system that provides access and mobility. www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation
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