Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division (OHA-PHD) established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in late 2013, where both agree to “communicate, coordinate and collaborate on activities that support their mutual goal to improve the link between public health and transportation policies and programs in Oregon.”
In 2015, the Pacific Northwest regional policy manager, Kari Schlosshauer, was invited to present information about Safe Routes to School to the (Oregon) Governor’s Transportation Vision Panel, a yearlong effort to develop a series of recommendations to the Governor to address transportation issues across all modes and regions of the state.
Vision Zero shares many goals with Safe Routes to School. Vision Zero originated from Sweden in 1997 with the assertion that all traffic deaths and severe injuries are preventable. Sweden’s Vision Zero work was based on an old philosophy with a new twist: “it should no longer be the child that should adapt to traffic conditions, but the traffic conditions that should be adapted – as far as possible – to children.”
Youth and older adults have similar needs when it comes to navigating our streets on foot. Whether a second grader is walking to school, their grandfather is walking to the corner store with their shopping trolley, or their aunt is walking to the park to socialize – we need accessible destinations, continuous paths, and safe crossings.
But what does an inter-generational safe street look like? Here’s your chance to show us.
Last week, the Oregon Legislature released the long-awaited transportation package in bill form, as House Bill (HB) 2017 (note: 298 pages!). We are pleased to see the Oregon Legislature dedicate funding in HB 2017 to ensure more youth in Oregon can safely walk and roll to school.
We’re beyond pleased to announce that the 2017 Oregon Legislature passed a state transportation funding plan that invests in a cleaner, healthier transportation system to provide safer options for Oregonians, however they travel. We applaud our Oregon leaders for making adjustments to the bill that allowed the Legislature to approve it and move Oregon forward with a transportation plan that will create more affordable and healthy travel options for Oregonians across the state.
 | @saferoutesPNW |
| Safe Routes to School Pacific Northwest |
