Better Streets
for People and Businesses
Better Streets for People and Businesses is an effort to:
- Problems: Identify which streets need to be better.
- Plans: Review what governments are proposing to do.
- Solutions: Advance broadly supported options for moving forward.
Problems today
Which streets in Eugene and Springfield are safe, practical, and comfortable for everyone today and which need to be better? We want to hear from you, especially about ones that have drawn significant public interest:
Coburg Road in Ferry Street Bridge area — STAY TUNED!
Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. past Autzen Stadium — STAY TUNED!
30th Avenue to Lane Community College — STAY TUNED!
To learn about problems today, we are using a variety of methods:
- Polls: Solicit views on streets today.
- Social media: Provide occasional updates and opportunities via emails, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.
- Print media: Distribute handbills and posters where many people gather.
- Door-to-door: Visit residences and businesses along streets of interest.
- Walk / bike / bus tours: Experience a street to learn what is or isn’t working.
- Town halls & listening sessions: Hold events to learn what people think.
In November 2025, Smart Growth America joined us for walk audits and town halls around Highway 99 and River Road:
We will share what we learn with you, our community, and public officials.
Government plans
According to the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, “The most effective transport planning draws on specific insights from the public, civic organizations, existing operators, private sector firms, and other government entities to complement the knowledge of planning staff and consultants. To achieve community ownership of the project, … proponents must engage with people’s needs, fears, and interests. Public input … can be invaluable, as can insights from existing transport operators. Moreover, incorporating public views on design and customer service features will help ensure that the system will be more fully accepted … by the public.”
Solutions tomorrow
For streets that need to be better, BEST is reviewing government plans, learning from stakeholders, and consulting with experts to advance broadly supported options for moving forward.
As we don’t want to reinvent the wheel, we are leveraging the efforts of others:
Why
Safe, practical, and comfortable streets advance multiple community goals:
- People: Better streets support a safer, healthier, more equitable, and more livable community for everyone.
- Prosperity: Better streets provide businesses with access for their customers, suppliers, and workers; and developers with opportunities to build thriving places.
- Planet: Better streets support ways to get around with lesser impacts on the environment.
Who
BEST is working with a growing list of community partners, including:
- 1000 Friends of Oregon
- 350 Eugene
- AARP Livable Communities
- Better Housing Together
- City Club of Eugene
- Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce
- Eugene-Springfield Safe Routes to School
- Lane Independent Living Alliance
- League of Women Voters of Lane County
- Mobility International USA
- Shift Community Cycles
- Smart Growth America
- Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
- Springfield City Club
- Travel Lane County
BEST will share findings with local, regional, and state governments, including:
- City of Eugene
- City of Springfield
- Lane Council of Governments
- Lane County
- Lane Transit District
- Oregon Department of Transportation
Support
Reaching out to hear from the public and digging into technical plans takes time. BEST is hiring student interns from the University of Oregon to assist with this effort. To create better streets, will you support our work?
See also
Related information from BEST:
- Better Streets
Last updated 12/15/25.