Neighborhood Trail Study to Start
The major facilities for walking and biking in the Tigard community are the on-street
network of bike lanes and sidewalks and the off-street greenway trail network. Another
facility type is “neighborhood” trails. These are short trails of an informal nature
that provide circulation and access within neighborhoods. They are primarily soft
surface trails, which appear on public and private property throughout the city.
Walk More, Bike More
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has awarded the city $70,000
to identify, evaluate and set priorities on neighborhood-level trail connections
within the city. This is the first-ever study of this type to be funded by ODOT.
The grant award reflects ODOT’s recognition that neighborhood trails provide for
more direct travel within a community and are an important part of the
community-wide transportation system.
The purpose of the Tigard project is to focus on potential paths that would
improve the convenience of daily trips to school, work, and shopping areas.
This includes providing short-cuts between two streets, additional connections
to existing sidewalks and greenway trails, and extending existing pathways.
Pathway connections that are direct, convenient, and safe may encourage residents
to walk or bike rather than drive. They also may encourage transit use by
improving access to bus stops.
The Tigard project is part of a broader strategy to get people out of their cars
and to promote a healthier, more sustainable community. Future implementation
of the neighborhood trail project recommendations will result in more choices
for moving around Tigard and help create a better place to live.
When completed, the study results will be made part of the city’s Transportation
System Plan. Recommended projects will be considered for future funding as
part of the city’s Public Facilities Capital Investment Program.
How Can I Help?
Startup of the pathway study is early July, 2008. To ensure its success,
the city needs your help in two ways:
We need citizens throughout the city to identify existing and potential pathway connections within their neighborhoods—pathways that would help create better linkages into and within the neighborhood.
We need interested citizens to serve on a Citizens Advisory Committee to monitor and provide feedback on the project. Service on this committee will involve five two-hour meetings held over an eight-month period.
If you wish to nominate a pathway and/or serve on a project advisory committee,
contact Duane Roberts at 503-718-2444 or duane@tigard-or.gov.
