Bend 2030 to City Council: Hold off on gas tax measure

Bend 2030 has released the results of a recent online community survey on transportation and said it will urge city councilors Wednesday night to work on a more comprehensive package of transportation solutions before sending any proposed gas tax to voters.

The survey, taken by 1,687 Bend residents, was the companion to a statistically valid survey conducted in June to more directly test attitudes about a fuel tax and other funding solutions for improvements to Bend’s transportation system, the organization said.

Bend 2030 and the city of Bend partnered to complete the surveys with the support of DHM Research, a Portland-based research strategies firm.

Both surveys showed strong support for a fuel tax and a studded tire fee as top solutions to Bend’s growing transportation challenges. The online survey also showed strong support for a tourism tax, such as on food and beverage.

Both surveys also showed a high level of support for improving city streets and multi-modal options such as more and safer bike lanes, pedestrian crossings and a more robust transit system.

Bend 2030 Online Transportation Survey Results (Word document).

The council has been divided on whether to seek a gas tax on the fall ballot, as efforts were made to find other revenue sources to deal with an estimated $80 million backlog in road maintenance needs.

At the request of some councilors, most notably Victor Chudowsky, $1.8 million in reserves is being used to shore up those projects, and there also has been talk of a possibility monthly utility fee to residents as part of the solution, at least to stop falling farther behind.

“These surveys show that Bend residents expect strong action from the Bend City Council on two primary fronts — maintaining our streets and pivoting us toward a future where multi-modal options like biking, walking and taking the bus are safer and more convenient choices,” said Erin Foote Marlowe, executive director of Bend 2030.

“The surveys also show that a gas tax is just one piece of the transportation funding puzzle and that a comprehensive package should be considered by the council before the gas tax question is put to voters.”

A complete look at funding transportation needs is critical as Bend once again faces rapid growth — by 2030 we expect 35,000, or 40 percent, more people to be living here, plus tens of thousands of additional visitors each year, Bend 2030 said in a news release announcing the survey results.

Among the challenges already facing our system are the declining quality of city streets, a transit system unable to provide robust service to due to lack of funding, an incomplete sidewalk grid, dangerous pedestrian crossings, and a system of bike lanes that feels unsafe to the users due to the close proximity of lanes to rapidly moving vehicles.

“Our community must address these challenges head-on in order to provide the quality of infrastructure necessary for a vibrant economy and the livability for our city, two key elements of our community’s Vision for 2030,” the news release said.

“The Vision, which was created by one in seven residents of Bend in 2006, calls for an interconnected system of highways, highways, roads, bikeways and trails with a strong transit system and a wide variety of multi-modal transportation options.

“To achieve these goals, we must consider a comprehensive package oftransportationsystem needs and funding solutions.,” the group said.

For more information about the Bend 2030 Livability Series: Transportation Initiative go to http://www.bend2030.org or Facebook.com/Bend2030.

Funding for the Bend 2030 Livability Series is provided by the generous support of the Leadership Alliance of Bend 2030, including BendBroadband, the Bend Park and Recreation District, Brooks Resources, Central Oregon Community College, the City of Bend, Deschutes Brewery, OSU-Cascades, St. Charles Health System, U.S. Forest Service, and Harcourt The Garner Group/Sunwest Builders/NorthWest Crossing.