Keir Legree
Council - District 3
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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?
Seattle offers an approach Portland can learn from because it treats transportation as an interconnected system rather than focusing on one mode of travel.
I support that balanced approach. Portland should continue improving bicycle and pedestrian safety, but those investments should be considered alongside maintaining our streets and bridges, improving transit, reducing dangerous intersections, and keeping people and goods moving efficiently.
I also believe transportation projects should be evaluated individually. A protected bike lane may be the right solution on one street, while a neighborhood greenway, safer crossing, improved signal or other design may work better somewhere else. The goal should be a safe, well-maintained transportation system that works for everyone, regardless of how they choose to get around.
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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?
One project I think Portland got right is the SE Hawthorne redesign. The city chose a design that balanced pedestrian safety, transit, vehicle traffic and bicycle connectivity. The results are significant reductions in speeding, improved bus travel times and reliability, and relatively small impacts on vehicle travel times.
Portland got the Barbur access to transit project wrong. Four access projects were originally planned, but because of cost overruns, two were ultimately removed from the project, while the remaining work still finished way over the original bid for four.
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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?
Portland is making some progress on street safety, but bicycle commuting is down and remains is below pre-pandemic levels.
There are likely several reasons. More people are working remotely since the pandemic is certainly a big part of it. I also think we should look at whether public safety, street homelessness, and reduced activity in parts of downtown have discouraged some people from biking and walking.
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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?
I drive an old ’97 pickup to work. I've been remodeling my house, so the truck has been practical, and frankly, it's what I can afford right now. Around my neighborhood, I walk quite a bit, and when my wife and I go out for the evening, we use Uber.
I sometimes ride my bike for fun along the river, but biking isn't practical for my daily commute because my work is about 30 miles away.