This morning marked a new milestone at Metro when the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) voted on the 2009 flexible funding allocation process and 2010-2013 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP). JPACT, which is the most important transportation decision making group in the region, voted unanimously to consider bike/ped projects in the first step of the MTIP allocation process. It is in the MTIP process that bike, ped and transit projects get flexible federal transportation money.

So what does this mean? Well, in the past, bike/ped projects have had to compete with all the road and transit projects submitted for MTIP allocation by local jurisdictions. Sometimes this has gone well, like when JPACT funded the Springwater Three Bridges project over the Nyberg Road I-5 overpass (Tualatin Mayor Lou Ogden is still mad at me about that one). But for the most part, bike/ped projects have not been able to get much compared to the incredibly costly auto-related road projects.

What this new policy would do is take a pre-determined amount of money off the top of the pot for bike/ped projects before the competition begins. A designated amount of money would be locked in for bike/ped projects.

This is a dramatic change and it is all thanks to ODOT Region 1 Manager Jason Tell. He floated the idea at a JPACT work session at the end of February and it was favorably received. At this morning’s regular meeting, Mr. Tell made the motion and Washington County Commissioner Roy Rogers (No relation to Trigger) seconded it, to add the language. THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY!

The next step is for Metro staff to define the amount. We will be watching to see how this develops.

Having served on JPACT, I can tell you that there is a real sea change in the thinking about transportation at Metro. Bicycling is now a part of virtually every element. Being the number one most bike-able city in the US was even touted as an example of the region being a model of mobility management for federal transportation policy during a recent JPACT lobbying trip to Washington, DC.

Way to go Jason Tell for your leadership and everyone at JPACT for their support!

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