May/June 2024 - 11

ference. " Done right, it's extraordinarily
powerful. Done right, it's within our capacity
to maximize those investments.
Too often, we've seen projects inflicted
on people rather than with them...I'd
like to think that some of what we've
done in Portland is a different model.
One of inclusion. One of an emphasis
on long-term planning and trying to get
the most out of those resources. "
Streetcars and Small Starts
The Portland Streetcar project, which
opened in 2001, is one example of a project
developed with community support
and one that provided a model replicated
in other cities.
As Rep. Blumenauer recounts, the
development of the modern streetcar
movement is rooted in the enthusiasm
of a Portland businessperson,
Bill Naito, and using that enthusiasm
to create public interest in the mode.
Naito acquired three antique streetcars
in Portugal and convinced TriMet
to allow operation of the streetcars
along 2.3 miles of the agency's lightrail
line. Rep. Blumenauer called the
move a " masterstroke " in gaining the
public's attention and raise excitement,
which allowed the plan for the Portland
Streetcar to emerge.
Four years after the initial segment of
the Portland Streetcar began operation,
the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for
Users, a surface transportation funding
bill, established the Small Starts
program. The new program provided
a federal funding process for lower-cost
fixed guideway and non-fixed guideway
projects, including bus rapid transit and
streetcar projects.
" The streetcar provided an important
niche. It was cheaper. It was faster. It
had an opportunity to really capture
the imagination in a way that the larger
light-rail car didn't. We have now over
two dozen programs around the country
that are streetcar and a number of the
original ones are now looking at expansion, "
said Rep. Blumenauer. " Being able
to reignite the interest, for me, was one
of the most exciting chapters of anything
I've been involved with. "
Funding the future of mobility
Rep. Blumenauer calls reliance on the gas tax to fund the bulk
of the nation's transportation priorities " a losing proposition, "
and notes road user charges could provide part of the solution.
While Rep. Blumenauer has lived in Washington, D.C.,
for 28 years without a car, he does own a vehicle in Oregon
and participates in the state's OReGO program. The program
invoices participants a per-mile charge for the miles they
drive and the participants receive a non-refundable credit
for fuel tax paid when they fill up their tanks at a gas pump.
" Ultimately, we need to have a road user charge, " said Rep.
Blumenauer. " A road user charge that keeps track of how far
everybody drives is much more efficient, is it is less disruptive
and, in the long run, it's the fairest approach. "
Another concept with potential to financially support
broader transportation programs is parking cash out plans,
where employers that offer free parking allow employees to
use the cash equivalent of that benefit to pay for their choice of
transportation options. It could be paying for private parking,
gas, transit or a bike - the option is given back to the user.
" Cashing out parking gives commuters more choices, just
candidly, it has another advantage, because if they choose to
take that benefit in the form of cash, it's a taxable benefit. That
will raise $20 billion dollars or more over the 10-year budget
window and there's a lot of money that can be redirected for
other opportunities to expand the transportation choices for
the community, " explained Rep. Blumenauer.
Providing choices is an important part of Rep. Blumenauer's
livable communities ethos.
" As I do work all over the country, I'm watching people
understand that there is great value to giving citizens the
choice of being able to walk, run, skate, bike or take transit, "
said Rep. Blumenauer. " That choice is a very fundamental
one and it helps define what I think is the essence of a livable
community - giving people more choices - and that mobility
choice is one of the most fundamental. "
In November 2023, Rep. Blumenauer announced he would
not seek re-election. As his time as an elected official draws to
a close and he prepares to become a private citizen, he remains
committed to advocating for causes he has long championed,
including providing options to communities in how their
residents live and connect.
" What I would like to be identified with is this notion of
giving people more choices...that to me is very important to be
able to take the forces of change to solve problems rather than
create new ones, " said Rep. Blumenauer. " I'd like to think with
what we've done in terms of bike and pedestrians, streetcar, the
urban design strategies, that these are things that have given
people more choices for their lives and I would like that to be
the legacy...for us here in Congress. Bring people together
to solve problems and do it in a cooperative way, use proven
technology, engage citizens as part of the solutions; these
are the things that are enduring and those are the things - I
don't know if they'll talk about it in 50 years - but those are
the things that people will appreciate in 50 years. "
MAY/JUNE 2024 | MassTransitmag.com 11
U.S. Earl
Blumenauer
announced
in November
2023 he would
not be seeking
re-election
following 28
years in the
U.S. House of
Representatives
and more than
50 years in public
service.
Photo: House
Creative Services
For Mass Transit's
full interview
with Rep.
Blumenauer visit:
MassTransitmag.
com/55039148
http://www.masstransitmag.com/55039148 http://www.MassTransitmag.com
May/June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May/June 2024
