State of the System Template 1

Explore State of the System Topics

Mobility

How people move around our system is based on a series of individual choices. They consider what they can afford, can access, what is convenient, safe, or many other factors.

Any gaps or disruptions can prevent people from accessing jobs or critical services. These disruptions can affect individuals, families, or even whole communities.

Likewise, the flow of goods and freight truck movement is heavily impacted by the mobility of the system. An inefficient system leads to delays, uncertainty, and associated cost increases to businesses and consumers alike.

Our role is to ensure efficient movement of vehicles on interstates and highways, connecting bikeways and walkways along those routes, and supporting state and local transit service through funding programs. We support long-held state land use laws that keep trips short, which means less travel, and roads, to get people and goods where they need to go.

People in Oregon want multimodal options and less roadway congestion.

There is broad public support to use transportation dollars for multimodal options and to reduce traffic congestion. Public surveys indicate:

9 out of 10 respondents put reducing traffic congestion as a priority for transportation spending.
52% said they would take transit if service was added or improved in their area.
42% said they would walk or bike if connections were added or improved in their area.

Source: Oregon Transportation Needs and Issues Survey (2023)

Roadway Congestion

Congestion means a slowdown or stop of traffic, usually due to a crash, the rush hour commute, or bad weather. Congestion can cause people to be late to everyday destinations and costs businesses more to ship or receive their goods.

We manage congestion by supporting non-driving modes like biking, walking or riding transit; encouraging telecommuting; pricing the system to influence drivers' decisions; and demand management to make roads more efficient. We know we can't build our way out of congestion, so our focus is on relieving specific bottlenecks and areas with high crash rates.

2024-2028 Strategic Actions

Annual - Continue to improve accessibility for people experiencing disabilities within the pedestrian network, fulfilling ADA commitments focused on curb ramps.

2025 - Evaluate investments made and refine and streamline grants and programs to prioritize investments that advance climate, vehicle miles traveled reduction, equity and safety outcomes (focusing on vulnerable users).

2026 - Enhance trip planning tools to better connect travelers from origin to destination using multiple modes and integrate payment systems where feasible.

2028 - Define the multimodal network and establish priority corridors as part of the Oregon Highway Plan, to increase connectivity and access to key destinations, and integrate these corridors into investment decisions.

2024 Efforts Underway

Strategic Action Plan

Working to correct over 10% of non-compliant curb ramps planned annually.
Creating an annual evaluation questionnaire for grant program managers.

Working with neighbor states on new software that will imrpove transit services.

Other Ongoing Efforts

Developing pedestrian and off-street path networks, including addressing missing sidewalks, curb ramps, and accessible pedestrian signals on road crossings.

Prioritizing safety, equity and addressing climate change in all the work we do, with a focus on the systems’ most vulnerable users (pedestrians and cyclists).