Ride e-scooters to ‘Future of Transportation’ April 10

from Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation

Getting from place to place is essential to daily life. How we do so impacts health and safety, equity, the vitality of our economy, community livability, and the environment.

Join BEST and AARP Oregon April 10 at the University of Oregon’s Ford Alumni Center for an exciting discussion with Peter DeFazio, Lynn Peterson, and Jameson Auten about the future of transportation.

Our panel of thought leaders will share perspectives on transportation challenges and opportunities—and what planners, engineers, elected officials, and other community members should be doing to respond.

Peter DeFazio was the U.S. Representative for Oregon’s 4th Congressional District from 1987 to 2023. He served on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, playing key roles in the adoption of federal surface transportation reauthorization bills from the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021.

In 2020 as chair of the Committee, he introduced the Moving Forward Act, which would have set a new course for transportation. Previously, Peter served as a Lane County Commissioner and in the United States Air Force.

Lynn Peterson is council president for Metro, the Portland regional government providing planning and coordination to manage growth, transportation, infrastructure, and development issues that cross jurisdictional boundaries. Previously she served as the chief of the Washington State Department of Transportation, as the transportation policy advisor to Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, and as the chair of the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners.

Lynn also worked as a strategic planner for the TriMet transit agency and as a transportation advocate for 1000 Friends of Oregon. She holds degrees in planning from Portland State University and civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin.

Jameson T. Auten became the CEO and General Manager of Lane Transit District in November 2022. Previously, he served as the Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. His past executive management experience includes strategic planning in the field of transportation demand management and development and implementation of strategic marketing campaigns designed to reduce single occupant commute modes.

Jameson is very active in the public transportation industry, including the American Association of Public Transportation and the National Academies of Sciences. Jameson earned an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University and a bachelor’s degree from California University of Pennsylvania (PennWest).

Reserve your place by preregistering for the free event through the BEST website, https://www.best-oregon.org/.

A social hour / mini fair starts at 4:30 p.m. As you enjoy provided food and drink, learn about transportation opportunities from some of our partners:

• AARP Oregon
• University of Oregon Transportation / Sustainable Cities Institute / LiveMove
• Oregon Department of Transportation
• Lane County
• Lane Transit District
• Lane Council of Governments / Central Lane MPO / Safe Lane Transportation Coalition / Link Lane
• City of Eugene
• City of Springfield
• Eugene-Springfield Safe Routes to School (not yet confirmed)
• PeaceHealth Rides (not yet confirmed)

The panel of thought leaders is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.

Following the panel, Lynn Peterson will be available to sign copies of her new book, Roadways for People: Rethinking Transportation Planning and Engineering.

The book was written to empower professionals and policymakers to create transportation solutions that serve people rather than cars. Examples from Portland, Oregon to Baltimore, Maryland show what is possible with a community-centered approach. As traditional highway expansions are put on pause around the country, professionals and policymakers have an opportunity to move forward with a better approach.

Copies are also available for purchase at the event ($32).

The Ford Alumni Center is located next to Matthew Knight Arena.

• Bicycle: Ride a PeaceHealth Rides shared bike to the nearby hub by Matthew Knight Arena.
• Bus: Take LTD’s Emerald Express (EmX) bus rapid transit to nearby Agate Station.
• Car: The University of Oregon has hourly pay-to-park areas located around campus at a rate of $2.00 per hour.
• E-Scooter: Shared e-scooter pilot program launches March 31, 11 a.m., at the EWEB Plaza.

All are invited to the launch event! Get some scooter-riding practice with vouchers for free rides. There will also be helmet giveaways.

The city selected Cascadia Mobility as its on-the-ground operators for e-scooters, and Superpedestrian as its preferred shared micromobility services provider.

Support Better Eugene Springfield Transportation. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. BEST is a 501(c)(3) charity.