Olivia N Clark
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?
Post pandemic with work patterns changing, I’m not sure if there is one city we can emulate but I’m open to learning more from advocates and experts. There are specific policies here and there that we should consider such as congestion pricing and alternative ways to fund transit. We are already closing and repurposing streets. We were once a leader in alternative modes for cities our size with bike routes and a radial transit system (most routes going into Portland); we need to re-evaluate and update these policies as well as transit finance. Last I heard, we are at a 2% bike mode split and need to focus on how we re-invigorate bike travel.
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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?
Having raised funds for light rail and obtained funding for the Tilikum bridge, I feel we did the right thing there. The Tilikum was the first of its kind with no cars (but access for emergency vehicles when necessary). The wrong idea was the Westside by-pass which we killed but may re-surface. I’d like to explore the idea of an elevated transit/freight corridor from the end of the Green line over to the Red/Blue line to avoid Clackamas County residents having to go through downtown Portland to get to jobs in Washington County. There are current transportation assets that were ok for their day (farm to market roads) that need to be reassessed.
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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?
It is primarily through grassroots, citizen action (like Bike Loud, Safe Routes to Schools or Oregon Walks) that we will encourage biking and walking. Since the pandemic and the loss of a better funded traffic division in the Police Bureau, we have created a lot of driving scofflaws that continue to speed and make the streets unsafe. We need more actions like citizens holding up signs in dangerous corridors during commute hours accompanied by police bureau traffic stings (which I’ve found immensely satisfying)!
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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 primarily drive due to my tightly packed schedule throughout D4. I rode my bike in the recent Sunday Parkways in downtown and ride mostly for pleasure. I can take the bus and streetcar when I don’t have many weekday meetings; on the weekends I take transit with my family shopping or to downtown events.