New Bend group seeks to impact transportation decisions

(Update: Comments from Bend 2030 executive director)

The future of Bend’s transportation is up in the air, but one new organization wants to make sure that the community has a voice in future decisions.

Created by the organization Bend 2030, Move Bend is a coalition of businesses, neighborhoods, and citizens working together to have a voice, and provide input as to how they would like to see Bend transportation change.

According Bend 2030 Executive Director Erin Foote Morgan, Bend’s population is expected to increase by 40 percent by the year 2028.

Millions of dollars are set to be allocated toward transportation in Bend, and the group hopes to impact the future of transportation in the city.

“Transportation will make people’s eyes glaze over,” Foote Morgan said. “It seems really boring, but there are very few public issues that touch so many people on a daily basis.”

By utilizing what Move Bend calls a crowdsourcing campaign, the organizers hope their grassroots movement will be able to take hold and allow for the community to come up with innovative ideas.

“In a way it is a grassroots group, in the sense that we are just trying to get as many people engaged as possible, and plugged into the city’s processes and other processes around the community,” Foote Morgan said.

They hope by encouraging public input, they will be able to create a plan that will best suit the city of Bend as it moves forward.

“We need to make our streets feel like a safe place to drive,” Foote Morgan said. “And to also walk and take transit and biking, for all of those populations that might not have a vehicle.”

Move Bend will be holding a Website launch party next Wednesday at 10 Barrel’s Eastside location.

For now, Move Bend’s Website has a link to get involved by signing up for more information, and it is here.