05/10/1978 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

- Mr. Williams responded it is impossible to answer the question. Council was dealing in a situation in which it did not know how much energy would be available or the state of automobile technology, or what personal transit vehicles will be used 20 years from now. There will be massive societal changes that could effect the Plan, which are difficult to determine at this time. Mayor Keller said the biggest key to the problem would be the five-year update. e Mr. Obie wondered if consideration was given to developing incremental goals. Mr. Porter said part of the decision in reaching the 15 percent goal was the rationale of trying to get people to use modes of transpor- tation other than single-ridership automobiles. He said it had to be looked at more in a philosophical way, as it was not known how to reach 15-percent goal from the current two to three percent. He said it was a philosophy that it would be better if the community were not completely relying on automobile transportation by the year 2000. Mr. Allen said the only consolation he could give is that in the process of reaching this goal, there had been many bodies strewn along the way of reduci ng the goal down to 15 percent from 100 percent. . Mr. Obie then wondered if it might be better to use some language that forgot about specific percentages and talked about where Council is trying to go and what it is trying to do, thereby eliminating the controversy of the percentage transit goal. Mr. Porter said technologically, a percen- tage is needed for modeling for facilities over a considerable time frame. He thought the 15 percent goal for the City of Eugene to be a proper one model for future transportation systems. If the 15 percent predicted goal were not used, there would be considerable difference in the facilities that were being proposed for the year 2000. Mr. Farah said if in 1985, there were a four-percent transit ridership, the same alignments regarding facilities to handle greater capacity would be recommended by staff. Mr. Delay reiterated one of the greatest assets of the plan was the way it defers capital investments, noting it was really buying time. Mr. Obie did not think it was buying time. He felt it was creating a potential of forcing people out of their cars because they could not use the streets because of congestion. He did not think that to be good transportation planning. Mr. Delay did not feel staff was reflecting Mr. Obie's comments in this Plan, but rather recommending a plan to avoid service level E. e Mr. Williams reminded Council of the lack of funding for the Plan, noting the lack of money for present street programs. He felt the whole concept of the plan was a farce as there was no money with which to build it. Mr. Allen felt the staff was in error in leading Council through the exerci se because it mi ght go on and on until money was found to buil d it. He noted the City was the lowest level for financing. If the Federal and State have no money, the City's chances of raising it were pretty slim. There are many projects which need to be done, but the funding capability simply is not there. However, he felt the City was doing a good job of planning within its means. 5/10/78-13 352.