PDOT’s “Hub” Project (a.k.a. Travel Smart) has a new name, a new logo, and a new plan.
Now calling their work “SmartTrips”, the folks in the Transportation Options division are gearing up to work their magic in and around Sellwood.
SmartTrips is a comprehensive, individualized marketing program that encourages people to take less car trips by making it easier for them to choose transit, walking, and bikes. Once chosen, target areas are inundated with a series of bike rides and walks, clinics, classes, maps, free gifts and other resources and incentives.
Coming off their Northeast Hub project — which resulted in a 13% decrease in drive-alone trips — the new SmartTrips Southeast initiative will blanket 23,400 households (pending a grant to include the city of Milwaukie). The map on the right shows the boundaries of this target area.
I went behind the scenes of the Northeast Hub project back in April.
SmartTrips Southeast will begin in early May but PDOT will partner up with the Three Bridges Celebration on May 19th to officially kick things off.
The Options division is also working on a “SmartTrips Downtown” initiative to minimize auto use during the transit mall reconstruction project.