Talk:Eugene/Springfield Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) Update

From Eugene Neighbors

The Regional Transportation Plan may be a foreign topic for most neighborhoods, but it really is a very big deal. Unfortunately, the incentive to get involved is obscured by the general lack of knowlege and information about what the MPO does vs. what they are expected to do. The MPO really doesn't want citizens involved, at least not citizens who know what it is the MPO is really supposed to be doing. The MPO is required by the federal government to post notice and hold public hearings when adopting and amending plans, but our MPO counts on citzens NOT getting involved and not participating in the so-called public hearings.

But not getting involved actually feeds the frenzy for road projects that fuel the 'any development anywhere' mentality of the majority of the players at the MPO table. The MPO meets for 1.5 to 2 hours/month (which is the ONLY time some of the members ever talk to one another, if then), but this policy committee does not make policy decisions and does not plan for the futute. Instead, since nobody is paying any attention, they listen to staff reiterate the written staff reports, which are all about adding, postponing, and increasing the costs of road projects, and waiting for the federal monies to come rolling in.

Please consider this: The MPO is charged with adopting a Regional Transportation Plan with a planning horizon of 25 years. That plan is supposed to be based on planned for land uses, embodied in land use planning documents such as comprehensive plans. But this MPO is poised to adopt a Regional Transportation Plan that is NOT based on any land use plan. Why would they do such a thing? The reason is transparent - they want to build roads, not plan for how our community will be built out over the next couple of decades.

Simply put, the MPO is a sham. In fact, the city of Springfield has all but ordered LCOG staff to AVOID any land use planning, and has basically barred LCOG staff from consideration of anything that would trigger the need for amendments to any land use document, including the Metro Plan. LCOG has willingly complied with this attitude.

Springfield knows that planning would trigger the need for REAL public hearings. Hearings where citizens would probably know what to say and how to say it. Hearings that would be before the Planning Commissions before recommendations were made to elected officials. Springfield knows that a public hearing and concurrent rubber stamp of approval is not possible where real planning is involved. They will do whatever it takes to avoid planning for our childrens' and our communities' future if they can get away with it, and so far they are getting away with it.

THIS COMMUNITY NEEDS CITIZENS TO STAND UP FOR PLANNING FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. RUBBER STAMPING NEW ROAD PROJECTS TO AID AND ABET UGB EXPANSION DREAMS DOES NOT SERVE THE NEEDS OF THE BROADER COMMUNITY. IF WE CITIZENS DO NOT DEMAND TRANSPORTATION PLANNING BASED ON LAND USE PLANS, BY DEFAULT WE WILL END UP WITH TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS MEANT TO SERVE URBAN SPRAWL AND URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY EXPANSION.

THE SO-CALLED 'HEARING' IS SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 AT 11:30 A.M. LOCATION IS THE SPRINGFIELD LIBRARY MEETING ROOM, WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE CITY HALL BUILDING. THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD HAS ABSOLUTELY NO METRO TV COVERAGE OR WEBCASTING COVERAGE SO YOU MUST ATTEND TO SEE/HEAR WHAT HAPPENS.

PLEASE DO ATTEND AND PLEASE PREPARE TALKING POINTS. I AM HAPPY TO HELP WITH TALKING POINTS IF YOU WANT OR NEED ASSISTANCE.

Thank you for considering this plea to participate!