Oregon Active Transportation Summit

Lessons from Amy Rynell, the Excutive Director of Active Trans. Based in Chicago, the Active Transportation Alliance is a non-profit advocacy organization that works to improve conditions for bicycling, walking and transit and engage people in healthy and active ways to get around.

Oregon faces a uniquely difficult transportation funding challenge: it has no statewide sales tax, no active tolling and a gas tax that is steadily losing revenue as vehicles become more efficient and electric.

So what happens when your primary funding source disappears and your backup options are politically or structurally constrained?

This panel explores how Oregon is confronting that reality through road usage charges and other emerging strategies. Panelists will examine its policy tradeoffs, political dynamics, and technological infrastructure shaping the state’s path forward.

For the 8th consecutive year, Finland was named the happiest country in the world. Helsinki is annually recognized as one of the most livable cities in world. Helsinki was named 6th in the global Copenhagenize Index of bike friendly cities.

From that report: "Once again among the world’s top 10 bicycle-friendly cities, Helsinki continues to evolve with purpose, prioritizing safety and social responsibility as leverage to develop cycling and carry out its urban transformation. Cycling is increasingly becoming a natural part of life for more and more residents, reflecting the city’s steady progression towards making active mobility an inclusive and dependable choice for everyone."

Helsinki has seen a 7.8/1 Euro return on return of construction of bicycle infrastructure. In this presentation/workshop, participants will learn how to adapt (available) data from their cities into a tool to help them measure their city's own ROI. This will be the interactive part of the presentation/workshop.

Helsinki's vision is not to be the most bike friendly city but the most functional city in the world. Thus, all transportation modes have a part to play. Through investment and developments in cycling, walking, and transit, each mode plays their part leading to rapid improvements. This leads, among other things, to the most recent year that saw zero traffic deaths in the city.In winter, Helsinki sees a large in cycling modal share drop from 12% to 2%.

Here is where we leave Helsinki and travel to Oulu; a northern Finland city (pop. 216,000) that is recognized as the winter cycling capital of the world. Cycling modal share drops there from 28% down 22% in winter. They achieve this largely through world class maintenance and almost total separation from vehicular traffic to bikes. There is a K-12 school - Metsokangkaskoulu - in Oulu with a student population of 1200 students. Of those 1200, 1000 travel to and from the school by bike, every day of the year. There are concrete strategies and design policies in palace to ensure this happens. For example, there are 9 access points onto the campus. Only 2 are accessible by car.

Attendees will gain empirical insights into the benefits of accelerating e-bike (electric-assist bicycle) adoption through financial incentive programs, as well as an overview of the current landscape of rebate initiatives across the United States.

One portion of the panel will examine the societal and personal impacts of two income-conditioned e-bike incentive programs: one implemented in British Columbia, Canada, and the other one in Benton County, Oregon. We will present evidence on program cost-effectiveness and how incentivized e-bike adoption affected travel behavior including automobile mode substitution. We will also highlight the subsequent impacts attributable to the program, such as reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, equity implications, changes in accessibility, travel-related costs and physical activity.

The second portion of the panel will focus on a newly released report from the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University, which updates the landscape of e-bike incentive programs across North America. The panel will review findings from 118 incentive programs in the United States and Canada, highlighting trends in point-of-sale discounts, equity considerations, and battery safety standards. The discussion will include implications for policymakers and transportation leaders seeking to expand e-bike adoption as a low-carbon, safe, and equitable mobility option, as well as the role of safety standards in protecting riders and communities.

To make the session interactive, the panelists will incorporate live pooling to estimate potential impacts of e-bike adoption by people in the room.

SPONSORED BY Kittelson & Associates

Universal Basic Mobility (UBM) is the concept of providing a foundational level of transportation to all members of society, regardless of factors such as socioeconomic status, ability, age, or geographic location. Across the country, UBM programs are being tested and established to expand equitable access and meet community-specific needs. In this session you will hear from two PNW programs that can serve as scalable, implementation-ready models: Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Transportation Wallet: Access for All Program and King County Metro’s Easy Trip Program.

Both programs represent a shift away from single-mode transit subsidies toward multimodal, resident-directed transportation support. By leveraging prepaid debit technology, community-based partnerships, and culturally responsive outreach, these programs empower participants to choose how, when, and where they travel to access healthcare, employment, education, and community connections. The Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Transportation Wallet: Access for All has evolved from a small pilot to a permanent City of Portland program, leveraging a partnership model to identify low-income residents in need of transportation assistance and distribute transportation benefits to community members. PBOT selects a cohort of community-based organizations to assist in implementing the program, which provides transit passes, bike- and scooter-share benefits, and prepaid cards for use on transportation-related purchases.

King County Metro’s Easy Trip Program builds on lessons from peer mobility programs to provide supportive housing residents with flexible monthly transportation funds that expand access beyond traditional subsidized rides. Through a partnership with Hopelink, the program pairs these funds with Community Transportation Navigators, peer mentors with lived experience, who offer hands-on guidance, build trust, and help residents navigate a range of transportation options. This integrated model demonstrates how combining flexible financial tools with human-centered support can improve access to jobs, healthcare, and essential services while advancing equity-focused mobility outcomes.

This presentation will feature a case study of each program that details the program's structure, funding sources, partnerships, and performance measurement strategies that demonstrate return on investment. You’ll also hear the latest outcomes from these programs – such as reduced participant transportation cost burden, increased transit and micromobility utilization, and improved mobility. Attendees will gain insights on how UBM programs can be designed, funded, evaluated, and scaled to advance equity, climate goals, and long-term system sustainability while improving participants’ daily lives.

This workshop to share lessons learned from the last 3 legislative sessions, and the brainstorm future policy proposals with attendees. OMN thrives due to the strength of the Network; this session will lean on that brain trust to guide our activities and set the tone for 2027.
Part 1 - presentation of the "dos and don'ts" of micromobility advocacy learned over the last 3 years
Part 2 - a facilitated discussion on priority topics for OMN over the next few years, and solicitation of ideas from the crowd

Through TriMet's Ticket2Ride fare promotion program, fans of local sports team, attendees of seasonal events, or even theatrical productions can go by TriMet to the event venue with their valid event ticket as proof of fare. These promotions give event attendees the chance to utilize TriMet buses, MAX Light Rail, paratransit service, and the Portland Streetcar. Event goers are able to utilize transit services for a defined window before and after a participating event for which they have a same day ticket. What began as a pilot has grown into a strong, multi-year partnership model. Promotions with the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns FC are now entering their third year, reflecting continued success and demand. In 2025, the program expanded to include seasonal events such as ZooLights at the Oregon Zoo, further demonstrating how strategic partnerships can support major destinations while encouraging transit use and increasing ridership.In this presentations, attendees will learn more about the Ticket2Ride program as well as the partnerships that led to the ZooLights three-year pilot project, which just wrapped up the first year - seeing incredible results in transit ridership. Partnership was key to the success of ZooLights with TriMet, Metro, Oregon Zoo and Explore Washington Park all working together to launch the program.

Meet the organizations helping people get around without driving alone in the suburbs - yes, it’s possible! We’ll talk about the latest transportation innovations coming out of Washington County, including Tualatin’s popular Lime scooter share, the brand new SPOT on-demand microtransit pilot in southwest Beaverton and Tigard, an exciting upcoming county-wide e-bike lending library, and a groundbreaking new employer-based transportation study currently underway. This panel discussion includes speakers from Westside Transportation Alliance, Ride Connection, City of Tualatin, City of Hillsboro, and Washington County itself.

Bill Nesper, Executive Director of the League of American Bicyclists, will provide a look at bicycling advocacy from the national perspective and an update the state of transportation policy and funding on Capitol Hill.

Portland City Councilor Tiffany Koyama Lane will share her thoughts on the future of transportation and infrastructure policy in the city, as well as how we can continue to make progress on our Vision Zero goals. Councilor Koyama Lane has worked to increase road safety and lead the effort to pass a resolution reaffirming Portland's commitment to Vision Zero last year.

Learn about the new Traffic Safety Report 2.0 from Multnomah County REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health), the long-awaited update to the 2021 REACH TSR that emphasized health injustices examined transportation at the intersection of Health, Race, and Justice.

We all know that closing gaps in our walking and biking networks provides tremendous benefits, and quantifying those benefits helps make the case for further investments. In this session, we will explore a brand new tool that estimates the benefits of active transportation network improvements. Building on recently published guidance in NCHRP Report 08-149 (Estimating Benefits of Closing Gaps in Active Transportation Networks), we developed a simplified spreadsheet implementation that makes the methods accessible to a broader range of practitioners and community advocates. The tool is intended to make it easier than ever to create research-backed, defensible estimates of a range of benefits from active travel, including health, safety, emissions reduction, and accessibility. The tool will be maintained and further developed as part of the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) Resource HUB, and we hope it will empower planners and communities who advocate for increased investments in active transportation.

This session will cover the following topics:
* A quick summary of the NCHRP 08-149 Report.
* The purpose of the tool. Why it was created and who was it made for.
* A demonstration of the tool, including the different layers of customization and a quick example of how the tool can be used.
* Interactive example: Open the tool up to the floor to explore the tool as a group.
* Our session will include a discussion with the audience allowing them to ask questions and to better understand how the tool might help guide their work.

Public transportation funding in Oregon and across the country is facing an uncertain future. Oregon's public transit leaders continue to deliver collaborative, innovative service while managing limited fiscal resources in a changing mobility environment. This discussion will highlight the opportunities and challenges these leaders see in continuing to meet the needs of customers and communities while working to ensure future mobility services meet the needs of rapidly changing cities.

This conversation should also highlight how these leaders and others are thinking about the future of mobility and funding of transit in a year where the Congress is planning to take up Federal Funding Reauthorization. Attendees will learn about the current state of transit funding in Oregon and nationally and gain perspective on the decisions that leaders are making to ensure seamless mobility in their service areas, as well as speculate on paths forward to ensure the resources are in place to meet growing community needs.

ADD-ON TICKET REQUIRED: Innovators Luncheon with VIP Speakers Coach Sam Balto and Portland City Councilor Angelita Morillo

Coach Balto has helped make the concept of the Bike Bus a viral sensation through his online videos, while Councilor Morillo has used her platform to directly address constituents, creating authentic communications and increasing transparency. Our VIP speakers will share how they've made innovative use of social media to build their movements and make big impacts on public perception.

To register:
- If you do not have your OATS ticket yet, you can purchase your OATS and Luncheon ticket in a bundle here.
- If you have already purchased your OATS ticket, use the form here to add on a Luncheon ticket.

Details:
- In the Smith Ballroom (#355) of the Smith Memorial Student Union.
- Limited vegetarian and gluten-free options will be available.

Questions? Email [email protected].
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Swing by our informal, drop‑in‑style Office Hours to chat with ODOT HQ Active Transportation staff and yes, ask us anything! Whether you’re wrestling with a policy question, curious about a project, or have questions about funding programs, we'll be there to chat. Bring your questions, your ideas, your “I’ve always wondered…” musings, or even your wild hypotheticals. We’ll bring the expertise, the insight, and cookies. Come for the conversation, stay for the snacks.

Note: this session was originally scheduled to take place Friday at 10:30 a.m. while riding the Portland Streetcar loop and was titled "Tap and Talk with ODOT Active Transportation."

After years of advocacy, ownership of 82nd Avenue--formerly known as Oregon Highway 213--was transferred from the Oregon Department of Transportation to the City of Portland. From years of neglect, the road had deteriorated; pedestrian access became more dangerous; access for transit users on the Region’s busiest bus line suffered; and the corridor’s cultural richness challenged.

This transfer came with promise and with public funding – and with big questions. To tackle these questions – and set the stage for success for the communities on 82nd Avenue – APANO, Oregon Walks, Unite Oregon, and Verde organized a community-led coalition to engage people and partners in reimagining 82nd Avenue, to advocate, and to navigate this transformative opportunity equitably.

At OATS a few years ago, we shared our initial ideas, approach, and vision of this community-led coalition… Now we seek to continue the conversation at OATS to share lessons learned, progress secured, and challenges ahead.In a lively discussion with attendees, Metro Councilor Duncan Hwang will moderate a panel of APANO, Oregon Walks, Unite Oregon, and Verde leaders on key topics – examining assumptions, highlighting the power of community problem-solving approaches, discussing the intersection between transportation and community health, and sharing lessons for others.

Discussion topics include:
1. Public agency partnerships to secure and shape transformative investments, including specialized bus lanes (BATs), sidewalks, and crossings
2. The 82nd Development Strategy: community-focused planning and future directions
3. 82nd Tax Increment Financing (TIF): the potential to support corridor key strategies and priorities
4. Implementation partnerships: Coalition’s collaboration with agencies (e.g., BPS Eastport Plaza)
5. Prioritizing affordable housing, schools, small business support, and workforce development.

Active transportation affects people’s daily lives, safety, and families — yet we often communicate about this work in ways that feel overly technical or abstract. Campaigns meant to educate or change behavior need a deeper strategy to stick with people after they walk away. So how do we share complex information in ways that spark curiosity, empathy, and action? In this interactive session, the Toole Design team will share practical strategies for creating clear, compelling calls to action that resonate with stakeholders and community members. We’ll show how understanding your audiences, thoughtful messaging, strong visual design, and human-centered storytelling come together to build grass-roots support for transportation projects, programs, and funding efforts. The workshop will start with a brief presentation on the general strategy that the Toole Design team uses to create transportation campaigns, showing how important collaboration between planners, designers, and the client is, giving attendees direction on how to start thinking about messaging and campaign development. From there, we’ll gather campaign needs or issues from the audience and allow the Toole Design team to create a campaign or work through challenges in real time, offering the audience opportunities to ask questions, give feedback or suggestions, and/or tag in to become part of the campaign development team. Participants will learn about collaboration across disciplines and leave the workshop with the basic tools to tackle real-world communication challenges, developing creative approaches that blend planning, strategy, and design.Attendees will leave with:Ideas for communicating complex, safety-focused projectsAn understanding of how to determine the story and key audiences of a communication campaignIdeas for making outreach materials more engaging and approachableExperience applying creative thinking to real communication challengesNew connections with peers facing similar opportunities!This session is designed to be collaborative, hands-on, and energizing — where planning meets design, and technical expertise meets human connection. Come play with us!