Portland Progress
Transportation and Land use
13 IN PROGRESS
5 NOT STARTED
(updated December 2022)
Support efforts to “Make Transit Easier,” “Expand Local Connections,” and “Introduce Rapid Transit” in alignment with the Transit Tomorrow vision for the PACTS region.
Status: In Progress
Update: Participating in PACTS’s Transit Together and Rapid Flow Transit Study Work (updated December 2022)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestones: Roll-out of coordinated measures (portal, schedules, etc.) by 2025; all specified updates to transit stops implemented by 2028; METRO and SPBS achieve carbon neutrality by 2040
Strength the cities’ transit-oriented development nodes to support travel by walking, biking, and public transportation.
Status: In Progress
Update: Identified land use policy opportunities around TOD through ReCode Phase II’s land use code evaluation (2021). Developing land use code amendments related to TOD under ReCode Phase II (updated December 2022)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestones: New/updated TOD TIF districts implemented by 2026
Make biking easier through a complete network of bikeways and through building an inclusive biking culture.
Status: In progress
Update: Initiated concept design for Baxter-Bates-Veranda St Bikeway/East Coast Greenway; Conducted analysis of potential higher quality bike lane locations (2021). Completed pilot year of Bike Share program. Bike lanes added on Stevens Ave and Elm St. Better Bikeway Initiative public engagement identified bikeway priorities and bikeway treatment design preferences to test. Completed West Commercial St Pathway addition, Bayside Trail construction from Elm to Brattle St, North Deering Byway construction of Milliken Brook byway segment, and PTC Neighborhood Byway construction. Design began for Union Branch and Libbytown Pathways from State St to the Fore River Parkway Trail. Submitted application to PACTS Connect 2045 Long Range Plan for inclusion of an additional 8 miles of shared-use pathways and an additional 8 miles of separated bike lanes (update December 2022)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestones: Bikeway network plan completed and implementation begun by 2026; 5% of all trips completed by bike by 2040
Create safer and more accessible travel for people of all ages and abilities by all modes of transportation by adopting “Vision Zero” for the PACTS region and continuing to expand complete streets.
Status: In progress
Update: Enhanced project scoping for Libbytown Safety and Accessibility Project, for Woodfords Corner to Exit 6, and for Brighton Ave Multimodal Project; Began construction of Somerset St Reconnection/Bayside Trail Extension (2021). Began preliminary design for Smart Corridor for Morrill’s Corner and Forest Ave. PACTS began it’s regional Vision Zero project with a public outreach and goal-setting phase (updated December 2022)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestones: Complete Streets Design Manual produced by 2025
Partner with PACTS, GO MAINE, and large public and private employers in the cities to continue to promote more efficient or zero-emissions commuting and to establish a Transportation Management Association (TMA) for the Greater Portland region.
Status: In Progress
Update: Began buildout of Transit Demand Management (TDM) resources website for use by TDM coordinators (2021).Modifying standards for TDM plans in the Technical Manual; continuing efforts to streamline the TDM plan development and reporting process (updated December 2022)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestones: Working Group for TMA convened by 2024; TDM plans updated/adopted by 2026
Shift existing incentives that lead to more parking demand and supply to instead facilitate and strengthen multimodal transportation options.
Status: In Progress
Update: Eliminated parking requirements for significant portions of the city through ReCode Phase I; Added EV parking requirements to the city’s Technical Manual (updated December 2021)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestones: Zoning ordinances revised with new parking requirements by 2028
Plan for future growth in our cities by committing to land use principles for a smaller carbon footprint, codified in the Cities’ comprehensive plans, zoning, and subdivision ordinances.
Status: In progress
Update: Streamlined Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) Policy; Initiated work on ReCode Phase II to incorporate One Climate Future’s land use goals as a foundational element (2021). Participated in NYU’s Housing Solutions Lab Peer Cities Network as a means of expanding access to resources on housing policy (updated December 2022)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestones: Housing stock meets workforce demand within the cities by 2035: Anyone working in the cities can live within the cities by 2035
Expand electric vehicles (EV) charging infrastructure in public and private parking through public investments in chargers, updates to city land use codes, and EV-ready requirements in the state building code.
Status: In progress
Update: Added 15 new networked L2 EV chargers (2021). Worked with a private partner to install three neighborhood charging hubs with the first four DC fast chargers to be online in Spring 2023 (updated December 2022)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: 20% of spaces in new garages required to have EV chargers (per land use code) by 2026; 5% of parking spaces in all lots and garages in the cities have level 2 EV chargers by 2030
Offer excise tax exemptions for electric vehicles (EVs), and advocate for additional state EV incentives.
Status: In progress
Update: Continuing to promote EV rebates and provided discounts for installing home EV chargers with our Electrify Everything! partner (updated December 2022)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: 30% of new light duty vehicle sales are electric vehicles by 2030; 60% by 2040; 100% by 2050
Work with Greater Portland METRO and the South Portland Bus Service to transition all bus fleets to battery-electric vehicles (BEV) by 2040.
Status: Not started
Update: None (updated December 2022)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: All new METRO and South Portland bus purchases are electric starting in 2025; all-electric METRO and SPBS fleets by 2040
Develop an electric and alternative-fuel vehicle capital transition program for municipal and school vehicles.
Status: In progress
Update: Leased four new EV Konas at zero cost; Initiated City Hall EV carshare program (updated December 2021)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: All new school bus purchases are electric by 2025; all new light-duty vehicles purchases are electric by 2032; zero-carbon municipal fleets by 2040
Expand the use of shared electric vehicles, promote electric vehicle use by taxis and other vehicle-for-hire companies, and set a requirement that by 2030 all rideshare vehicles must be electric vehicles.
Status: Not started
Update: None (updated December 2022)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: All Transportation Network Company rideshare vehicles are electric vehicles by 2030
Implement changes to curb and parking designs to incentivize shared autonomous vehicles, and advocate for state requirements that any autonomous vehicles must be electric and shared.
Status: Not started
Update: Mid-term strategy
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: State requirement that all autonomous vehicles be electric in place by 2030
Reduce vehicle idling through anti-idling policies, vehicle technology, and improved intersection design.
Status: In progress
Update: Implemented smart traffic signals that reduce idling through RapidFlow technology (updated December 2021)
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: Anti-idling policies to be updated and enforced by 2025*
*Portland-specific milestone
Partner with large stakeholders in the freight sector to encourage development of a Sustainable Freight Action Plan.
Status: Not started
Update: Long-term strategy
Transformative potential: Equitable, regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: Regional Sustainable Freight Action Agenda drafted by 2032; statewide Sustainable Freight Action Plan developed by 2035
Work with Casco Bay Lines to transition it fleet to hybrid-electric ferries, and to consider a ferry route connection between Portland and South Portland.
Status: In Progress
Update: Casco Bay Lines designed and approved a hybrid ferry service (updated December 2021)
Transformative potential: Regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: 60% of ferries (three ferries, based on the current fleet of five) run on all electric power by 2035
Commission an engineering study for shore power hookups to allow and eventually require docked ships to connect to electrical service.
Status: Not Started
Update: Upcoming, scoping study in progress (updated December 2022)
Transformative potential: Regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: Shore power for full ferry fleet installed by 2040; shore power for cruise ships installed by 2040
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the Portland International Jetport through benchmarking and tracking, and through decarbonizing ground vehicles.
Status: In Progress
Update: The Jetport installed 10 EV charging stations in the public parking garage and purchased 2 EVs for the Jetport’s Operations and Administration. (updated December 2022)
Transformative potential: Regenerative, resilient
Key Milestone: “Neutrality” achieved by 2030 under the Airport Carbon Accreditation framework
