Metro wants to continue encouraging walking, which is our link to cars, bicycles, buses, trucks and light rail. It is also a valuable form of transportation to accomplish short trips in your neighborhood or to shops near work. Walking can link neighbors and communities, as well. Improving streets to make them pedestrian-friendly is one goal of the Regional Transportation Plan. This will allow people to walk safely in attractive areas, especially to transit and major centers.
Community design can also help foster convenient walking routes.
Walking trips are expected to more than double in the next 20 years, so pedestrian improvements are necessary. Metro's Regional Transportation Plan calls for the development of a regional pedestrian system to make streets more walkable and improve walkways to public transit. Needed improvements include sidewalks, multiuse paths, curb extensions, bus shelters, safer street crossings, lighting, street trees, benches, landscaping and wide planting strips that buffer walkers from cars. Retrofit existing streets in the Lloyd District, Hillsdale, Washington Square, Beaverton, Gateway and other centers to include wider sidewalks, safer street crossings, bus shelters, curb extensions and benches at major transit stops. Improve streets and corridors that connect to light rail transit in regional centers, such as Gresham, Gateway, Beaverton and Hillsboro.