Washington County Transit Study 2023-2024
Our vision for transit over the next 20 years is to serve the travel needs of people who live, work and visit Washington County and to help more people use transit.
Public transit in Washington County today includes bus, light rail, on-demand and community and job connector shuttle service. As we look to the future, how can transit:
- Serve as a viable transportation option?
- Help us expand access to economic opportunities?
- Enhance environmental health?
- Improve livability in Washington County?
A key outcome of the study is creating a vision for transit grounded in the transit customers' experience by:
- Strengthening partnerships by defining actions we can take to support transit
- Expanding access to frequent transit
- Making transit a faster and more reliable travel option
- Improving access to stops and stations
The executive summary is available for review. The full report is available on request. Email [email protected]
Public Involvement
We looked to the community to learn how transit can benefit everyone. Our public outreach efforts included:
- Four online round table discussions about barriers to transit and community needs with affordable housing partners, employers, older adults and people living with disabilities.
- Conversations with more 300 people at farmers' markets, festivals, community participation. organizations and other events.
- Two online open houses that included surveys, generating about 600 responses. See Transit Study: results from open houses.
We brought together community members with a variety of perspectives and experiences to talk about improving transit access and use in the county and throughout the region.
- Technical Work Group: Staff from cities, agencies, transit providers and County department
- Stakeholder workshops: Community-based organizations, jurisdictional partners, transit agency partners, elected officials and practitioners
What we heard:
- Transit service isn’t always convenient. It may not be close enough to residences or destinations.
- Some people feel unsafe waiting for and riding transit.
- Some bus shelters are poorly lit, unsanitary or damaged.
- Some stops are not ADA accessible. A lack of sidewalks and safe crossings make it challenging to access transit.
- Transit service is needed earlier in the morning and later in the evening.
- Transit often takes longer than driving.
Related projects
Planning for the future of public transportation in Washington County and the Portland Metro area are continuing. The Washington County Transit Study supports these plans, including:
- The Metro 2023 Regional Transit Plan, identifies corridors for future Bus Rapid Transit or Light Rail lines throughout the region
- The TriMet Service Enhancement Plan, which will identify transit improvements in service, transit stop amenities and regional connections
- The Westside Multimodal Improvement Study, which is looking at investments for all modes of transportation between southwest Portland and Hillsboro
Resources
- Transit element of the Washington County Transportation System Plan
- TriMet Unified Service Enhancement Plan
- Tri-County Public Transportation Improvement Plan
- TriMet HB 2017 Transit Advisory Committee
- Keep Oregon Moving (HB 2017)
- TV Highway HOPE Grant
Related
Transit study: Results from open house
Contact(s)
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
Dyami Valentine |
Principal Planner
|