Dear Portlanders, 

When we ask you what your top issues are related to getting around Portland, three answers lead the pack: safety, congestion, and road maintenance. In a recent survey, nine out of 10 Portlanders cited these three issues as their top priorities. 

Given these concerns, we think you will be pleased with Moving to Our Future, the strategic plan that will guide our work at the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) for the next three years. It’s built around three core goals:

• SAFETY: Make Portland streets safe for everyone
• MOVING PEOPLE AND GOODS: Provide transportation options for a growing city
• ASSET MANAGEMENT: Deliver smart investments to maintain our transportation system
  
  

Delivering on these goals means saving lives by protecting Portlanders as they walk, bike, roll, and drive. It means saving time by offering easy, reliable options to get where we need to go. It means saving money by investing in our roads efficiently. 

As we work towards these goals, we also want to make sure that our efforts contribute to a Portland that is more equitable and that has a smaller carbon footprint. This is why we will ask ourselves these two fundamental questions as we pursue each goal:

• Will it advance equity and address structural racism? 
• Will it reduce carbon emissions?

Portland continues to grow and change at a rate we haven’t seen in decades. We have a lot of work to do to meet the expectations this growing city has for its transportation system. 

Fortunately, PBOT has an extremely talented and committed staff. Part of the success of Moving to Our Future will depend on providing PBOT’s people with the tools they need to deliver this plan’s goals. Specifically, this means investing in our people at all levels of the bureau and fostering a positive, mission- driven workplace. We’re dedicated to making PBOT an employer of choice and recruiting and cultivating superior talent to deliver our ambitious strategy.

We also need Portlanders to be engaged with this plan. Whether you are a veteran of transportation policy or are getting involved for the first time, please share your ideas about how we can reach our goals together. Your input is a critical part of this plan’s success. Together we will move Portland toward a safer, more accessible and more equitable future.

Sincerely, 

Chloe Eudaly, PBOT Commissioner, and Chris Warner, PBOT Director