Tom Sollitt
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?
Barcelona. Portland could learn from Barcelona’s superblock model of using street hierarchy, traffic diversion, and speed management to reduce through-traffic on neighborhood streets while maintaining access for residents, deliveries, emergency services, and transit. I would adapt that incrementally through Portland’s neighborhood greenways and Metro’s Community Quick-Build Guide, using diverters, chicanes, curb extensions, safer crossings, and other low-cost treatments. With budget constraints, I would pursue coordinated funding through Metro, TriMet, Multnomah County and the State and empower neighborhood associations to help identify and support projects. Projects should be evaluated using speed, crash, traffic-volume, and mode-share data before scaling.
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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 think Portland got the NE Glisan Paving and Safety Project right because it combines paving, ADA improvements, safer crossings, a neighborhood greenway crossing, and buffered bike lanes into one project. With transportation dollars getting tighter, this is the kind of approach I want to see more of. When we are already investing in a street, we should look for opportunities to address multiple safety and mobility needs at the same time.
I think we got the NE Broadway Pave & Paint project wrong. Delivery and service vehicles routinely stop in the bike lane, forcing people biking around them and into traffic. That defeats the purpose of having a dedicated lane. We need to think about bike lanes, parking, loading and enforcement together when we design these projects.
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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?
We are not doing enough to make Portland’s streets safe, and that needs to remain the starting point for Vision Zero. Recent deaths have reinforced the need to focus on the conditions that make streets dangerous, particularly for people walking and biking. The City has made meaningful investments in traffic calming, safer crossings, speed management and bike buses, but we need to turn those efforts into a connected system that prevents serious crashes. We also need better ways to measure how people are traveling as trips have become more distributed since COVID. I want to focus limited resources on the High Crash Network, measure whether projects actually reduce speeds and crashes, and build on what works.
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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 live in the inner Eastside, close to most of what I need day-to-day, so I usually walk first when a trip is practical. I ride my bike several times a week when the distance makes sense, and use the bus and MAX as well. My last transit trip was taking the MAX from Hollywood to the Lloyd District during an Oregon Walks Promenade walk from the Grotto toward downtown. I had detoured for a political town hall and used the MAX to catch back up with the group before walking home. I tend to use transit as a last resort because irregular service means I have to strategically time my trips. I prefer biking when I can because I can leave when I want. I also recognize that my ability to rely primarily on walking is not an option for many Portlanders, which is why reliable transit and safe, convenient alternatives to driving matter.