Greenway Trail gets boost from The Oregonian; but it needs more

Hey Jonathan,

Love the way you are increasingly calling out folks [politicians] to get the work done. The time for political pandering is over. We are literally running out of time, and it’s just too much Business As Usual.

Of course it’s not easy, and many politicos will feel that they are sacrificing re-election … but I think they might be surprised by the groundswell of support for showing some cohones … pardon the Spanish. They might be surprised by re-election, and that the voting public isn’t as malleable as they might think – we’re actually well-informed and damn concerned!

The Sullivan Gulch trail would also be a very significant improvement in the direction WE MUST GO NOW.

I can hear them now, “such naive comments …”.

I think the shock waves of this latest rise in environmental awareness and volatile fuel prices should be rippling through the offices of the various government and agencies which slow down the progress of these seemingly minor projects, about the time we all die of mass climate change. the wheels of government turn as if powered by old house cats. 10-years? Weak. Obviously power follows money, and there is just not enough money made or spent on bikes to speed the process.

The article is positive but realistic of the challenges we face getting npGreenway built. And Jonathan, you are on point when you talk about needing a champion(s) from elected officials to help carry it forward. But I would like to encourage all readers to go to npgreenway.org and subscribe to the email list, and keep abreast of current developments. When we submitted a grant request for money to do our feasability study a year ago, approximately 200 people submitted testimony by letter and email to Metro, who manages the grants. Another 30+ folks actually showed up to testify at the hearing. The Metro councilor at the hearing was amazed at the level of support, and that support made it easier to approve our grant request.
Politicians and bureacrats are very aware of the power of public support for a project. A large constituancy telling them they need to act accordingly is one of the best ways to move this forward.Please be part of that group. We want npGreenway to be fasttracked and built because it satisfys the needs of so many groups of people, both as a transportaion as well as a recreational trail. When it is built, it will be a shining example of what needs to happen to encourage more of those ‘interested but concerned’ riders to actually use cycling and walking as their preferred mode. And when the rest of the City sees its success, they again will demand more access to separated from roadway trails to meet the needs of their neighborhoods.
When the draft Master Plan was submitted for public comment, many came forward to express their concerns about off street trails not being placed in a prominant position in the plan. PBOT heard that and amended their postion when it came to Planning Commission to remove the tiers that put npGreenway,Sullivans Gulch and 13 miles of separated from roadway facilities in a deferred position. Again, the power of public testimony made that happen.
Please, please…subscribe to npgreenway.org contact list ( the ‘join us’ link on the green bar at the top..) and I promise, we won’t spam you. But we will keep you abreast of whats happening with our trail and when that time comes that we need your support, you will know what you can do to make this vision a reality.

Many thanks, to all of you who are working to make Portland a better place to live and work.

There’s a lot (most) of the trail yet to be built – so what’s the top priority?

ok, I’ll answer with my preference: the link between St Johns and the dead-end slough trail the Port of Portland built, via the old landfill. Ok, and once (finally) the Waud Bluff trail is in, a connexion over to Cathedral Park…

The University of Portland needs to step up and back the North Portland Greenway Trail. The university sits in a prime location to benefit from the trail and influence its development. Come on, U of P, be a good neighbor and lend some of your money, time and political weight to this project.