Jeremy Beausoleil Smith
Council - District 4
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Q1 A city to learn from
What city has an approach to transportation that Portland should learn from? What specific policies, funding, design, etc., could be adopted to work here?
I’d say two: Washington, D.C. and Copenhagen, but for different reasons.
When I worked on the Silver Line metro extension project in D.C., I really came to appreciate their public transportation system. More than 20% of D.C. residents use public transit to get to work, compared to under 4% nationally. It works because it’s accessible, fast, comprehensive, and extremely convenient. In most cases, the best option is to take the metro, so why drive?
When I visited Copenhagen, I saw the same idea applied to biking. The city feels designed around biking, so the infrastructure and connections make it really easy and safe to get around that way. Portland is pretty good in this area for an American city, but traveling to Europe makes it apparent there is a lot more we can do.
Some of those improvements would take significant funding and time, but there are also smaller changes we can make now. One funding source I want to explore is a mileage-based charge on large commercial delivery companies, so some of the money generated by all those delivery trips goes back into improving the transportation system they rely on.
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Q2 Got it right, got it wrong
What is one specific Portland transportation project (built, abandoned, under construction, or proposed) that you think Portland got right, and one that Portland got wrong?
I love Portland’s neighborhood greenways. They’re one of those things I notice and appreciate all the time when I’m biking around the city. They make cycling safer and more accessible for me and my family, but also for everyday commuters who don’t want to spend their morning dodging cars. I feel similarly about Tilikum Crossing. It’s a really intelligently designed bridge that makes crossing the Willamette without a car surprisingly stress-free.
For what Portland got wrong, I think about all the streetcar infrastructure we used to have through the mid-20th century. A lot of people, even lifelong Portlanders, don’t know about the old streetcars until a construction crew digs up tracks that were paved over decades ago. Looking at maps of the historic lines is honestly impressive; they connected neighborhoods across every part of Portland and shaped the way much of the city looks even today. They were privately owned, so as cars took over, the system disappeared and most of the infrastructure was buried. If Portland had gone in the other direction and municipalized the system instead, we could’ve had a much stronger foundation for public transit than what we have today.
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Q3 Progress on biking, walking & safety
Is Portland making progress on getting more people biking and walking, and on making streets safer? What do you think is behind that trajectory?
I think Portland is absolutely making progress, especially when it comes to safety and accessibility, even if we still have a long way to go.
In addition to the greenways, I really like the city’s protected bike lanes and sidewalk bump-outs that make travel safer. Safe Routes to School is another program I’m very supportive of, because parents should always feel comfortable letting their children bike or walk to school. It’s good to get kids used to healthy, safe, and emission-free transportation, because those habits can last a lifetime. I also support Vision Zero and its focus on making our most dangerous streets safer.
A lot of this progress comes from sustained public pressure on the local government. We still have major gaps in sidewalks and safe crossings, especially in East Portland, and those neighborhoods deserve the same level of investment. The next step is making sure that progress reaches every part of the city, and I think it’s City Council’s job to listen to the people who use these streets every day and respond to what they need.
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Q4 How they get around
How do you actually get around Portland day-to-day? Commuting, errands, evening plans, etc. What is the last trip you took by bike or transit, and what's stopping you from doing more of your trips that way?
We’re a one-car household, so when I’m not using that, I’m usually biking, walking, or taking transit. I bike most days. My most recent transit trip was taking the Yellow Line from North Portland into downtown.
I think most people are constantly doing a little calculation in their head about time, cost, and convenience when it comes to transit. For me, and for lots of people, driving often wins. If we want more people to take alternate forms of transportation, we have to change that equation. Transit needs to be faster, more reliable, and easier to use. It also needs to be more comprehensive. A lot of our system is still designed around getting people in and out of downtown, but Portlanders need to get between neighborhoods too.
If we can tip the balance of that equation so driving is no longer automatically the best option, we can move toward a city where everyday life is built around walking, biking, and taking public transit.