Recent Transportation News
02/03/2010:
Alliance supports Portland Bicycle Plan goals, with reservations
A number of concerns the Alliance had with the draft Portland Bicycle Plan were addressed in the plan's final version, and the Alliance supports the overall goals of the plan. However, the Alliance continues to have reservations about the specific elements of the plan and the potential impact of the plan on freight transportation and access to the central city.
Read letter to Mayor Adams >>
10/09/09:
Alliance weighs in on new Sidewalk Management Plan
Portland City Council recently released its proposed initial concepts for a new Sidewalk Management Plan. The Alliance and Portland Downtown Services (PDSI), also known as the downtown business improvement district, supports the initial concepts and hopes the plan will go into place soon.
"The Alliance has been working with the city for many years to find solutions that balances the needs of residents, employees and visitors for a safe, clean and inviting sidewalk environment, while ensuring that we have programs and facilities to serve the homeless population," said Sandra McDonough, president and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance, in a letter to the city.
"The Alliance appreciates the continued leadership from Mayor Adams and other members of council on this issue and believes that, in coordination, the new program can provide an integrated management framework to address both chronic and episodic issues in the central city."
The new Sidewalk Management Plan was one of the topics discussed at a Downtown Retail Town Hall organized by the Alliance in mid-September. Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioner Nick Fish heard from more than 75 downtown retailers, restaurateurs and property owners about an increase in livability issues during the summer months. Alliance board chair, Charles Wilhoite, also discussed these issues and possible solutions in a recent opinion piece in The Oregonian. Read the article >>
A full copy of the letter on the new plan can be found on the Alliance Web site. As the plan moves forward, the Alliance will continue to reach out for input from members.
05/07/09:
Alliance weighs in on discussion to honor Cesar Chavez
The Alliance recently expressed concern to the city about a proposal to rename a major Portland street. While the Alliance supports recognizing Cesar Chavez for the leadership role he played in the U.S., the Alliance believes that both SE Grand Avenue and Broadway on both the west and east side have long-standing significance in their own right and are not appropriate for renaming.
"Both streets were named more than a century ago by civic leaders who wanted to identify a specific street as the commercial spine of an area of the city and now serve as the functional main commercial spine in their quadrant of the city," said Alliance board chair Steve Holwerda. "Additionally, scores of businesses use the name of the street in the name of their business, which demonstrates the longstanding integration of these street names with the identity of the commercial area."
The Alliance asked the Portland Planning Commission to consider other naming options that would provide a significant and important opportunity to honor the work and person of Cesar Chavez, such as the planned light rail and pedestrian crossing of the Willamette River.
05/07/09:
Alliance board supports rail-only Fareless Square
Because of the new MAX Green Line service and the introduction of light rail on the 5th and 6th Avenue Transit Mall, the Alliance convened a task force of central city stakeholders to analyze the original policies behind the formation of Fareless Square and determine their relevance today for the business community and the objectives of the central city.
The Task Force heard from diverse stakeholder groups including law enforcement officials, planners, homeless advocates, institutions, and the visitor industry. The task force's work led to the Alliance board of directors to support TriMet's recommendation that to achieve policy goals and address safety concerns, Fareless Square should be reduced to operating on rail only within existing Fareless Square boundaries.
The Alliance believes that limiting Fareless Square service to rail-only will reduce many of the conflicts related to fare evasion and other security issues. The board also recommended to TriMet that it maintain the existing boundaries of Fareless Square as connecting the Lloyd District, the Convention Center and the Rose Quarter to downtown is a critical link for businesses and industries on both sides of the river.
01/29/09:
Alliance President testifies before City Council to support Columbia River Crossing
Roughly 75 people waited to give testimony at Portland City Council on Thursday, January 29 to discuss the Columbia River Crossing project, most of which advocated for the high capacity option. Sandra McDonough, President and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance, testified on that need. Her remarks are below.
Sandra McDonough
January 29, 2009
Portland City Council Public Testimony
I am Sandra McDonough, the President and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance. I am joined today by Jay Clemens president of Associated Oregon Industries and Mike Morgan, chair of the Oregon Business Association to reflect our joint support of a new Columbia River Crossing. Our three organizations represent a wide-array of business constituencies, and we have joined together to demonstrate that this project is important to Oregon's entire business community.
The new Crossing will provide safer travel, more commuter choice and better freight mobility for our region. The Crossing will not only solve a wide range of transportation issues, but it will also help ensure the vitality of our local economy and reinforce the environmental ethics of our region. The members of the Portland Business Alliance want to build a strong economy, while adhering to high environmental standards. The construction of a 12-lane crossing with high capacity for commuters and freight trucks accomplishes both of these goals.
The existing I-5 bridge is outdated, unsafe and a major contributor to costly traffic bottlenecks, and it has the highest accident rate of any section of I-5 on the West Coast.
The bridge is also considered to be the weak link on the entire trade corridor between Mexico and Canada. This impedes business transactions not only in our region, but up and down the entire West Coast. It weakens Portland-region businesses and diminishes their competitive edge. This Council has appropriately made job creation your number one priority in this weakened economy. To accomplish that goal, you need a strong business community, with the tools to make it happen - including transportation corridors that work.
The new Crossing is a comprehensive transportation plan, designed to address the needs associated with business growth in our region. The Crossing is widely viewed as essential for our economy because it will relieve bottlenecks and keep goods moving, improving access to highways, ports and labor markets for decades to come. We need to build a 12-lane crossing that has the capacity to support growing businesses now and in the future. We need a bridge that finally gets us light rail to Vancouver, offers alternative transportation options like bike lanes and ensures that trucks and cars move more efficiently and safely. We don't want to under build and fall short on any of those needs, then be back here in 10 or 15 years saying the new Crossing is inadequate.
Support for the high-capacity Crossing is growing across the Pacific Northwest. Today, business, labor, civic and trade organizations, and citizens, are working to make this crucial project a reality. In Portland, businesses and citizens recognize the value of supporting important infrastructure projects. They understand the impact the Crossing will have on our region's economic growth. And they realize that our region demands dependable transportation for our local businesses.
I hope you will join us and support a 12-lane Crossing that ensures the sustainability of our businesses - now and in the future.
 12/05/08:
Columbia River Crossing best practices tour
Alliance members, local officials and staff met with transportation officials and experts during a best practices trip to Vancouver, B.C., in November. The Canadian officials reviewed their work in addressing regional transportation challenges. The tour also covered how the projects were financed, and how greenhouse gas emissions and land use issues have been addressed in the development of infrastructure.
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