Learning From Portland: Linking Land Use And Transportation

Sayeeda Warsi, Vice Chair of the Conservative Party, reports on Portland, Oregon, 30 year effort to link land use and transportation planning in order to encourage public transit ridership.

"As the Commons environmental audit committee was lamenting the fact that bus use is falling in every region of England apart from London, I was taking my first bus ride in years with Sarah Gilbert and Jonathan Hanson, two car-dependent Portlanders who have agreed to give up their beloved Mercedes SUV for a month and survive on public transport alone.

They're taking part in a challenge set by the Department of Transportation and Flexcar, a car-sharing business, to show just how easy and economical it is to use public transport.

Sarah, Jonathan and their two children have found using a mixture of Portland's integrated light rail, bus, streetcar, cycle lanes and free city centre transport far easier than they thought.

In fact they're now going to sell their SUV."