Salem Weekly Features Transportation Issues

The latest Salem Weekly has a very nice overview of transportation in Salem.

As our city debates building a new bridge to carry autos across the Willamette at a price tag of up to $700 million, we thought we’d ask Allan Pollock, General Manager of Salem-Keizer Transit, how that same $700 million investment would transform the work his agency does.

“If the transit district had access to $700 million you would see a community that allows for full mobility for everyone,” he said.

“Picture a community with reduced congestion because more people are using the bus, because it is frequent enough they don’t have to think about the schedule. Picture a community that is more environmentally sound because more people are using the bus so there are fewer cars on the road emitting pollution. Picture a community that anyone can compete for a job or continue their education because transportation is no longer a barrier. That is what Salem might be like.”...

Walking is the first way human beings got around, and the benefits to our bodies and to the planet are indisputable. Bicycles, around for 200 years, provide numerous gains as well; no ongoing carbon footprint, increase mobility for those who don’t qualify to drive and overwhelming health advantages to those who bike to work. Cities who engineer walking and biking into their plans show good economic sense, too, says Gary Obery, a local pedestrian and bicycle traffic engineer.

Check it out!