Wolling, chair of Eugene's Bicycle Coalition, said the Performance Summary describing actual outcomes of TransPlan makes this very clear. While traffic congestion will be somewhat reduced, on all other important criteria, TransPlan fails to meet its goals.

The goal for Vehicle Miles Traveled [VMT] per capita is a 10% reduction -- under TransPlan they are projected to increase 9.5%. The percentage of trips made by single-occupant vehicles will also increase, while the percentage of trips by both bicycle and walking will decrease. A slight increase in transit use is projected, but the overall percentage of trips by any form of alternate transportation decreases.

TransPlan does greatly increase the number of miles of striped bike lanes, sidewalks and buses, said Wolling, "But if people aren't using them, what's the point? I was hoping for a transportation plan that would achieve concrete result -- TransPlan just produces more concrete."

By law, TransPlan must meet "the relevant statewide planning goals adopted by the Land Conservation and Development Commission," i.e., the VMT requirement, but activist David Hinkley observed that the TransPlan Draft admits failure to meet the VMT requirement in Chapter 1, page 7 and in Chapter 4, page 4. [The implementation of agreements from the Kyoto Conference on Global Warming mean even greater reduction in emissions.]

Wolling and Hinkley were among only a handful of people who testified at two public hearings last month [1998] on the Draft TransPlan update currently being reviewed by the Eugene, Springfield and Lane County Planning Commissions. This document, according to Hinkley is THE major land use planning document pertaining to transportation for the Eugene-Springfield Metro Area.

It contains a project list of 148 road and highway projects at a cost of $532,405,501, far surpassing the cost of 20 proposed transit projects at $83,655,000, and 166 bicycle system projects at $19,802,060. [Total cost, $1,697,300,000. Funding of $1,185,900,000, is available, leaving a $511,300,000 shortfall.]

Eugene projects include the resurrection of the Urbanization of the Lorane Highway, a bridge across the Willamette River from Valley River Center to River Road, and -- also back again -- the widening of 18th Ave. Hinkley warns, "Anyone at all interested in how our road and highway system is configured needs to examine this list carefully -- this is not just a simple list of projects -- the adoption of this list represents APPROVAL of all projects listed. Anyone with an opinion on these projects must speak up NOW."

Neighborhood activist Bonny Bettman agreed, "I cannot impress upon you enough how important TransPlan, the Residential Lands and Housing Study, and the Eugene Land Use Code Update are to the future livability and sustainability of our community."

Wolling observed that TransPlan is counting on "nodal development" to achieve its transportation goals, and expressed strong doubts about this potential. Not only will such development take a long time to achieve, she doesn't think the information, technical assistance, and unspecified incentives TransPlan provides are strong enough to make nodal development happen.

Bettman is more concerned about what kind of "nodal development" might happen, noting that there is abundant documentation that high-density only works when plans include parks and open space, mass transit, and emphasize pedestrian circulation and design standards. She is adamant that the inclusion of design standards and site review are absolutely essential to the development of a livable community.

She quotes architect Peter Wilcox of Portland Community Design, who states that his firm has virtually eliminated the "NIMBY" syndrome by utilizing specific design criteria and including neighbors in site review and planning. Bettman included a booklet by Portland Community Design, describing the kind of criteria that make for successful high-density, mixed-use residential neighborhoods, with her written testimony to the Planning Commissions.

Wilcox, who spoke on these issues last month at one of a series of forums on land use sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Eugene, the Home Builders Association, and the Neighborhood Leaders Council, insisted that design, not density, is the issue in such developments, and demonstrated with a slide show of appealing high-density projects. He challenged the housing industry's preference for developing tracts of single-family homes on the basis that high-density developments "aren't profitable," as his firm specializes in them.

Building on this assertion, Bettman objects to the use of incentives for developers, as higher densities by themselves "create opportunities for developers to maximize the profit potential of their property. There should be no incentives without the requirement of a "net benefit for the community in the form of excellent community design."

Bettman further opposes the Plan's proposal to build nodal developments on major transportation corridors, asserting that this will only create strip, not nodal development.

Wolling is not convinced that nodal development will produce the necessary changes in transportation choices. "Eugene already has the core of its bikeway system in place, building more bikeways alone will not increase the number of people who ride bikes; building more sidewalks will not make people walk, and putting more buses on the street will not make people ride them. We can't simply build our way to alternate transportation." That will require Transportation Demand Management, which she called the weakest part of the Draft, containing few new ideas and limited by its insistence that transportation choices must be strictly voluntary.

"Choice is important," said Wolling, "but freedom of choice does not mean choices must be free of charge. There are clear costs to over-reliance on automobiles -- air and water pollution, traffic congestion, loss of open space, the tremendous cost of building and maintaining roads, the cost of law enforcement, and the overall cost to livability. In order to promote responsible transportation choices, these costs must be factored in." She suggested some methods: a gas tax, parking pricing, and congestion pricing. These "could serve as a means of raising revenue to finance TransPlan, or could be revenue-neutral, being offset with a reduction in other fees. The important point is that if we want people to make responsible choices, we must include the costs of those choices."

Retired University chemistry professor Ray Wolfe is alarmed that the TransPlan totally disregards the fact that oil reserves are running out, a situation stressed in a recent presentation on alternative energy by UO Professor Greg Bothun. Wolfe cites several sources predicting a sharp increase in oil prices in 7-10 years, with greatly disruptive results. Wolfe urges planning for a shift in transportation modes, including designs that facilitate conversion of arterials and freeways to mass transit.

Noting that these considerations make the building of more roads and bridges highly questionable, Wolfe advocates investigation of alternative energy sources for public transit, no more parking structures, and plans for converting existing structures to other uses. While low-emission, high-mileage hybrids are being readied for mass production, the shift would be very expensive and would not solve the problems of congestion and the continued paving of land for roads and parking as land becomes scarcer for all uses.

Copies of the TransPlan draft may be obtained at the Eugene, Springfield and County planning departments.

Hen Cackles

©Wanda Ballentine, 1998