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the culprit with the plan. She asked the officials to institute auto omissions measures. Richard Coolman, 3345 Storey Road, Eugene, stated he is a pediatrician and father of three. He noted only 10 percent of children walk or ride their bikes to school, down from 50 percent in the 1950s and 1960s. He said increasing traffic jeopardizes the safety of those who walk or bike and little has been done to improve the safety and utility of the bikeway system of Eugene. He noted the issue of a balanced TransPlan is not whether the automobile will remain the prevailing mode of transportation, but what is the most cost effective investment to relieve future traffic pressures. He said TransPlan needs to adequately fund walking and biking sufficient for safety and convenience by putting road projects on hold. He asked the officials to read the Eugene Bicycle Coalition's written testimony, that the highest priority be given to fixing any gaps, missing links, or dangerous crossings pertinent to a third grader accessing neighborhood schools and parks. He added that prospects for children need to be improved. Peter Cacioppi, 630-1/2 West 10th Avenue, Eugene, stated that more money from TransPlan needs to be spent for bicycling and pedestrian use. Jim Hale, 1715 Linnea Street, Eugene, stated he opposes the dedicated right-of-way for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the land use refinement riders contained in the fine print of the TransPlan document. He noted the proposed transportation utility fee is a regressive tax and most would go for roads. He said that fees should be replaced with a straight forward local tax on gasoline and diesel fuel that should be adopted countywide. He added the revenue stream envisioned for TransPlan is inadequate as it will not raise enough money for the county's needs (it builds too few roads, not too many). He said the Valley River Bridge is questionable to him, but there other places where the need is clear, the intersection of Beltline and Delta Highway and River Road and Belt Line. He asked the officials to study the TransPlan and do a better job with it. David Wade, 1673 Villard Street, Eugene, stated he was not in favor of the TransPlan. He added the public is not in favor of anything that will undermine its use of motor vehicles. He said the two bridges over the Willamette River should be taken out of the TransPlan. He suggested incentives for nodal developments. Robin Irish, 2559 Emerald Street, Eugene, said she is new to Eugene and gets everywhere by bicycle. She said a flaw she found with the TransPlan is the LTD bus system. She said the people on the transportation committee need to take the leadership role in promoting bus ridership. She added the buses need to be more accessible and better utilized. Paul Moore, 2586 Potter Street, Eugene, said Eugene needs to be an oasis in the transportation wasteland. He requested to develop a means of accommodating more bicycles on LTD buses, prepare local maps for each neighborhood school, indicating appropriate bicycle routes for third graders traveling to and from the various parts of the neighborhood that the school serves. He also suggested to fund transportation coordinators to work with the school districts to help each school Page 6 -- Continued Joint Elected Officials' Meeting -- October 20, 1999 WP bc/m/99136/T