Page 137 - TransportationPlanUsetsGuide

transit routes, potential future bus routes in growing areas, and a separate High Capacity Transit System Plan that
prioritizes the next corridors for light rail, commuter rail, or bus rapid transit.

The 2014 RTP also includes a Regional Street Design Overlay for arterial streets. These designations – Regional Bou-
levards, Regional Streets, Community Boulevards, and Community Streets – encourage street designs that are condu-
cive to active transportation and that support implementation of the Metro 2040 Growth Concept. The Regional Street
designation overlaps with nearly all of Washington County’s arterial roadways outside of industrial areas, and includes
most of the 2040 mixed-use corridors. The less common Boulevard designation is found primarily along arterials within
regional and town centers. Boulevards should include wide sidewalks, safe crosswalks, planter strips, medians, ample
trees, and vegetation and other pedestrian-friendly design features.

A separate-but-related Metro initiative examines demographic and socio-economic data to identify areas with dispropor-
tionate concentrations of poverty, minority residents, older adults, youth, and low-English proficiency, as measured by
the U.S. Census. “Environmental Justice” (EJ) scores indicate, among other things, where active transportation invest-
ments may have a particularly high benefit. Areas with higher EJ scores generally correlate with lower rates of automo-
bile availability, usage, and affordability, potentially putting residents at a transportation disadvantage. In these areas,
active transportation investments such as sidewalks, bike lanes, and transit service are particularly critical. Washington
County contains several areas with high EJ scores, including the Aloha-Reedville area, downtown Hillsboro, downtown
Beaverton, and a majority of the City of Cornelius.

Washington County

Washington County has conducted active transportation planning for several decades, responding to regional
and state mandates as well as the needs and desires of its populace. In addition to pedestrian, bicycle and
transit components found in every major update to the Washington County Transportation Plan, the County
has pursued targeted planning efforts to address active transportation needs and opportunities including:
• The Washington County Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan (2010) which built upon the wealth of infor-
mation collected in the 2020 Transportation Plan, this plan lists prioritizes and estimates costs
for needed pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
• The Washington County Bicycle Facility Design Toolkit (2012) is a design guide that helps the
County make informed decisions on how to incorporate context-specific bikeway facilities into ADOPTED TEXT
roadway capital and other projects.
• The Washington County Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Prioritization Project (2013)
performed a detailed gap analysis of sidewalks and bicycle facilities along Arterial and Collector
roads, followed by a criteria-based prioritization of system deficiencies. This project was funded
by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

• The Washington County Neighborhood Bikeways Plan was developed concurrent with the TSP,
and identifies low-volume, low-speed neighborhood streets in the urban unincorporated area
that can accommodate a wide-array of bicycle comfort levels.

Cities and Other Jurisdictions
Each city in Washington County has a transportation system plan with pedestrian, bicycle, and transit components. Tu-
alatin Hills Parks and Recreation District (THPRD) has a district-wide trails plan as well as several specific trail feasibility
or master plans. TriMet, through its service enhancement plans, studied population, employment, socio-economic, and
ridership trends to determine potential service enhancements in Washington County. All of these plans help Washington
County provide accurate and concurrent recommendations within the respective jurisdictions.

PART 3: TRANSPORTATION MODAL ELEMENTS 119
Effective November 27, 2015 • Updated December, 15 2016