Do you have an idea on how to improve, or encourage, the use of active transportation in Corvallis? Perhaps you are a business or live in a multi-family complex that could use better/more bike parking? Project ideas like these are only the beginning of climate friendly project considerations for the new Green Grants program.
Bike parking at the Sierra Apartments.
The Green Grants fund has $15,000 available for all projects. Anyone can apply for a Green Grant, though some restrictions and guidelines may apply. Matching funds and in-kind donations for projects are not required.
Act fast! Applications will be accepted from February 8 to February 28, 2023 with grant funding expected to be distributed a few months later.
Earn points by logging transportation options trips and remote work days through the online Get There tool. Unlock a variety of action and skill-building achievements that are worth extra points toward weekly and grand prize drawings.
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL! If you use this web form to tell a friend about the Get There Challenge by October 4, you’ll be entered into a special early bird bonus raffle for one of six, Hydro Flask bottles.
Last year, the City of Corvallis Public Works Department asked the community to help find, and develop, the Active Travel Corridor (ATC) network. Together, we identified over 100 ATCs, providing all of Corvallis with “people only” paths helping to shorten trips for those traveling by active modes.
May signifies National Bike Month and this year, we celebrate it again by honoring all of those who walk, ride and roll in and around our city.
With our ATC network identified, the City has produced Corvallis’ first Walking Map to highlight the path network along with other foot-friendly locations. Useful markers such as where Corvallis Transit System (CTS) bus shelters are located, providing an outline of where the routes run and to alert you where to duck under should the weather turn wet. Corvallis Parks and Recreation trail and natural areas network are also called out. These paths invite you to wander the beauty of the City’s nearly 2,000 acres of places to play, explore and roam.
The Corvallis Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) has completed two rounds of bicycle and pedestrian counts along the Eric E. Austin Memorial Bypass in South Corvallis and recently released a report documenting the findings. Counts were collected using automated counting equipment which was temporarily installed during each of the two study periods.
The first deployment of the counting equipment spanned eight weeks during cold weather months (November 23, 2020 to January 17, 2021). Following this, counting equipment was returned to the same location for six weeks of data collection during the summer (June 28 to August 8, 2021). The results from the most recent report, which includes seasonal comparisons, can be found on CAMPO’s website HERE.
Eric E. Austin Memorial Bypass map and counter location
Despite the fact that the winter weather counts were conducted over an eight week period (56 days) and the summer counts only covered a six week period (42 days), the total number of people walking and riding bikes on the newly installed multi-use path grew significantly during the summer. While a large number of walkers and bikers used the pathway during the winter reporting period (8,669 total) the summer numbers were significantly higher (15,028 total users). On average, 358 people walked, jogged, or rolled along the path each day during the summer reporting period.
The roll-out of this counting equipment is part of a larger effort to inform long-range planning by systematically surveying the number of bicycle and pedestrian trips made at key locations in Adair Village, Corvallis, Philomath and Benton County. The data collected will help transportation planners better understand how pedestrians and cyclists travel throughout the region and can be paired with automobile count data to evaluate mobility across multiple modes of travel. This information can help track usage of bicycle and pedestrian facilities (including changes in use over time) and help evaluate the impacts of infrastructure projects after they are completed.
Counting equipment was purchased with Federal planning funds from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Look out for the counting equipment in other locations in the future, including our 2022 Open Streets event, happening Sunday, August 14.
This is a free event where participants will identify ways to build inclusive, walkable, bikeable, and livable neighborhoods. Join us to create community-university collaborations in the context of Open Streets Corvallis. Everyone is welcome! Spanish interpretation and lunch provided. Registration required.
Dr. Adonia Lugo is the Interim Chair of MA in Urban Sustainability at Antioch University. She will discuss mobility justice, her time co-founding CicLAvia, and open streets work being done elsewhere.
We invite you to join us in addressing the following key issues:
Neighborhood Engagement – enhancing livability and resiliency by connecting neighbors and neighborhoods
Engineering/Design – designing and implementing construction-related demonstration projects
Health – designing and implementing physical activity and health initiatives on event day
Inclusion/Representation – enhancing participation of all ethnicities and minorities in Open Streets Corvallis
Peace Literacy/Civil Discourse – understanding peace as a set of skills that need learning, practice, and discipline
Anyone interested in university-community partnerships, community-building, and active transportation should attend. This may be of special interest to neighborhoods where Open Streets events have been located in the past and/or will be hosted in the future. Tangible projects, actions, and volunteer/internship opportunities will come from this event.
Open Streets Corvallis 