The Oregon Transportation Plan Quiz

Incorrect.

The hard truth is that planning for the future of transportation is going to take tradeoffs and compromise. Funding is limited, and we are going to need to prioritize and balance investments and consider options for more sustainable funding to meet needs all over the state.

Many of our state’s key transportation structures, such as tunnels and bridges, are 50 to 80 years old and are becoming less safe and operational. In some areas of the state, traffic comes to a standstill, impacting the ability to get goods to market and deliveries to people’s homes. In addition to repair and congestion on roadways, there are many areas of the state where people cannot get to their destination by biking, walking, or rolling because sidewalks and bikeways are missing. Investments are needed across the multimodal system to address all of these issues, but there is not enough funding to fully meet all of these needs.

This update to the Oregon Transportation Plan is an opportunity to outline priorities for statewide transportation funding and policies. It's going to take sustained action at state and local levels to implement the policies in the plan and create a better transportation future.

Incorrect.

Today, a good portion of Oregon’s funding for road preservation and improvement projects comes from road users through fuel tax, weight-mile tax and vehicle registrations. These funding sources are not sustainable because they are largely dependent on gas sales, which have been declining for over a decade and will decline more as vehicles become more efficient. At the same time, the cost of doing business has increased substantially and there have been very few changes to the proportion of fees people pay. Spending is quickly outpacing the money coming in. It is important to find alternative funding streams, which may include tolling and pay-per-miles-driven programs.

Incorrect.

Oregon drivers pay approximately $0.62 per gallon into the Oregon transportation system, whereas in Washington it is $1.77, in California $1.71, and in Idaho $0.87. In Oregon, other than the privilege tax on the sale price of each vehicle sold in Oregon, all motorist taxes and fees are dedicated to roads. In some of our neighboring states, motorist revenues are used to support non-highway/transit programs.

Incorrect.

All these listed, and many more, make transportation planning different today than it was 20 years ago. Key trends that are changing the way we move around include:

• Oregon's population has grown over 20% since 2000, and we expect continued growth.
• Contributing factors behind increased traffic congestion in urban and rural areas, including increased demand for goods and growth in tourism.
• Technology that is changing the way people and goods move around.
• Climate change impacts on our communities and natural resources.
• Widening disparities in access to safe and convenient transportation across race, income, age, and other characteristics.

We are considering these changes as part of the Oregon Transportation Plan update to ensure that the policies created are resilient to Oregon’s changing future and help propel us towards the outcomes Oregonians desire.

Incorrect.

One reason the Oregon Transportation Plan matters is because transportation is connected to many other aspects of life. Access to safe, reliable, and convenient transportation also affects our access to jobs, education, healthcare, childcare, food, housing, leisure activities and more. Because it's connected to so much, our transportation system has major implications for social equity, economic health and our ability to bounce back from natural disasters, and it has a huge impact on climate change. Today, about 40 percent of Oregon's total greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation.

On a more personal level, transportation is about movement — something we all can relate to. Almost everyone can think of a meaningful transportation experience in their lives, whether that's the first time riding a bike, or meeting someone new on the bus, or seeing the world a little differently from a window of an airplane.

In other words, transportation plays a big part in shaping our lives, and this plan shapes transportation. Updating the plan gives us a chance to create a more sustainable and equitable transportation system that gets all Oregonians where they're going safely and efficiently — and maybe even a little more joyfully. Planning for a better transportation future is a complex challenge that's going to take collaboration, compromise, and creativity on local and statewide levels.