Better Streets for People and Businesses

Better Streets for People and Businesses is an effort to:

Pledge: Build support for streets that are safe, practical, and attractive for everyone.
Problems: Identify which streets today need to be better.
Plans: Review what local governments are proposing to do.
Solutions: Advance broadly supported options for moving forward tomorrow.

According to TransitCenter, “First and foremost, a civic vanguard that is resident-led, non-elite, and outside government—yet able to persuade local politicians to take risks—is paramount to the success of any community. Citizen-led campaigns can pressure authorities to change direction, diversify the mix of transportation options, and also provide evidence of why that change would be beneficial. Without a civic vanguard that can direct public support, urban transportation innovation will not reach its potential.”

Pledge

Do you support better streets for people and businesses?

Safe: No loss of life or personal harm.
Practical: Convenient and affordable.
Attractive: Welcoming and enjoyable.

Add your voice by signing our common sense pledge:

Pledge

Problems today

Which streets in Eugene and Springfield are safe, practical, and attractive for everyone today and which need to be better? We want to hear from you, especially about ones that have attracted significant public interest:

River Road

Main Street

Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. past Autzen Stadium — STAY TUNED!

30th Avenue to Lane Community College — STAY TUNED!

Coburg Road in Ferry Street Bridge area — STAY TUNED!

Highway 99 in Bethel/Danebo area — 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, Twitter, etc.
Print media: Distribute handbills and posters where many people gather.
Door-to-door: Visit residences and businesses along streets of interest.
Listening sessions: Hold drop-in events to hear what people think.
Walk / bike / bus tours: Invite the public to see a street in action.

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.

In 2023, our survey of over 600 people confirmed that there are problems today with Franklin Boulevard adjacent to the University of Oregon. Learn more about our independent review of the City of Eugene’s plans to transform this busy corridor:

Franklin Boulevard

As we don’t want to reinvent the wheel, we are leveraging the efforts of others:

Best Practices

Why

Safe, practical, and attractive 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:

Support

Reaching out to hear from the public or 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?

Donate