More on the RTSP, 2019 Legislative Priorities: At the MPO

Our Metropolitan Planning Organization meets on Tuesday the 27th, and though it's not on the agenda formally, surely the biggest topic will be a review of what transpired at Salem City Council on Monday night as a result of Councilor Lewis's motion to restart the SRC process. (Here and here.) That's bound to occasion lots of comment.

Actually on the agenda are some things to note in passing, but I'm not sure there's a lot to say about them.

For the 2019 Regional Transportation System Plan, they have landed on a scoring matrix to evaluate and rank projects for funding. Significantly, there is nothing about greenhouse gas reduction in them, and the reference to environmental criteria is very glancing. (See criteria #5 in the table.)

Scoring criteria and relation to RTSP goals

The Oregon MPO Consortium adopted proposed (see comment) three priorities for the 2019 Legislature, and now SKATS will decide whether to sign onto them. It's nice to see interest in changes to the way we set speed limits! The current system is too much in thrall to 85th percentile speeds, and the process too cumbersome with ODOT. (See this discussion of speeding on Fisher Road for a brief note on the ways the our engineering doctrines on 85th percentile speed are utterly screwed up.)

It's nice to see more attention for Safe Routes to Schools also.

OMPOC's priorities, which SKATS will join

In a summary of the Congestion Relief Task Force, there's a new project!

Number 17 is "Community dialog on acceptable travel times."

Congestion Task Force projects

An I-5 paving project from Woodburn to Salem just doubled in cost. The OTC just threw $12 million at that problem.

Look for the historic sign
next to the entry

The full meeting packet and agenda can be downloaded here.

This regular Meeting of the SKATS Policy Committee meets Tuesday the 27th at noon. SKATS is at 100 High St. SE, Suite 200, above Table Five 08.