Active Transportation Connections to Transit: How to Prioritize and Get Something Done

Successful transit relies on many factors that are not fully under the control of a transit operator – especially how people can actually get to the train or bus. Most cities in the U.S. have large, typically suburban areas with spotty or non-existent pedestrian infrastructure, insufficient sidewalk connectivity and a lack of safe crossings, in addition to few or no bicycle pathways to transit. No transit operator can take on the responsibility to construct all these facilities to access transit. Transit operators must prioritize and seek partners for these improvements which make transit more effective, more efficient, and safer. TriMet’s Pedestrian Network Analysis and subsequent work with local, regional and state jurisdictions provides a template that other agencies and regions can follow to understand needs and opportunities for access to transit and identify potential projects that improve access to transit. This information, together with strong partnering and sound project definition is leading to success in substantially improving access to transit in the Portland Metropolitan region. This success can be a template for other regions as well. The intent of this paper is to help illustrate how a transit agency can take a lead role in encouraging and building improvements for access to transit.