Workshop 1 Meeting Summary

Vision Around the Mountain – Workshop 1 Meeting Summary Thursday, October 29, 2020 Stakeholders Present Name Affiliation Andrea Breault Cascades East Transit Jay Higgins City of Gresham Andi Howell City of Sandy Jordan Wheeler City of Sandy Brett Setterfield Clackamas County Karen Buehrig Clackamas County Ken Humberston Clackamas County Paul Savas Clackamas County Lizzie Keenan Clackamas County Tourism and Cultural Affairs Patricia Fink Columbia Area Transit Emily Reed Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance David Duncan Grey Line of Portland, Big Pink Sightseeing Kathy Fitzpatrick Mid-Columbia Economic Development District Kristina Babcock Mount Hood Express Teresa Christopherson Mount Hood Express Greg Pack Mount Hood Meadows Samara Phelps Mt. Hood Territory Nathan Clark Multnomah County Valerie Egon Multnomah Falls Shuttle Maria Sipin Oregon Department of Transportation Rian Windsheimer Oregon Department of Transportation Terra Lingley Oregon Department of Transportation Theresa Conley Oregon Department of Transportation Olga Kaganova Port of Cascade Locks Megan Ramey Region 1 Area Commission on Transportation John Whitman Ride Connection Greg Leo The Leo Company Jon Tullis Timberline Lodge Eve Nilenders TriMet Seth English-Young United States Department of Transportation Bill Westbrook United States Forest Service Claire Fernandes United States Forest Service Kristin Austin United States Forest Service Scott Kaden United States Forest Service

Ashley Huckaby May Visit Hood River

Project Team Present Name Affiliation Jason Kelly Oregon Department of Transportation Kristen Stallman Oregon Department of Transportation Scott Bricker Travel Oregon Stephanie Wright Nelson\Nygaard Kyle Taniguchi Nelson\Nygaard Layne Wyse Nelson\Nygaard Bryan Blanc Nelson\Nygaard Penny Mabie EnviroIssues Cristina Arias EnviroIssues Max Farbman EnviroIssues Susan Hayman EnviroIssues Kristin Dahl Crosscurrent Collective

Meeting Opening Facilitator Penny Mabie (EnviroIssues) welcomed participants and asked them to take a poll on the following question: What is your favorite Mt. Hood activity?

Responses included:

 Skiing  Nordic skiing after work with my wife  Scenic driving  Carving fresh tracks after a snowstorm at  Swimming in Trillium Lake Mt. Hood Meadows or Timberline  Fly fishing  Hiking the Timberline trail!  Snowshoeing  Skiing downhill or cross-country at one of  Sitting in Adirondack chairs at Timberline the many resorts or trails on/near the  Hunting for mushrooms mountain  Full moon winter cross-country skiing  Chilling at the lakes missions with husband and friends  Hiking with family  Enjoying a beer at The Gorge White  Shredding the pow House  Camping at Trillium Lake / having a  Cabin retreat with friends bourbon at Timberline Lodge and  A beer at the Mazot on a sunny ski day at watching skiers fall down Mt. Hood Meadows!  Hiking  Mushroom hunting by the Salmon,  Tubing Sandy, or Zig Zag rivers  Visiting Wildwood Recreation Site  A sunny day of downhill skiing at Mt.  Climbing the Hogsback Hood Meadows, followed by dinner at  Cabin retreats, skiing, and snowmobiling Cooper Spur!

Jason Kelly (Oregon Department of Transportation, ODOT) also welcomed participants and introduced himself as the project leader for Vision Around the Mountain (VAM). He explained that the meeting would focus on idea generation about what a regional transit vision around Mt. Hood should look like. He then walked participants through the following agenda:

 Introductions  Overview of Vision Around the Mountain  Preliminary feedback from stakeholders  Inspirational case studies  Breakout sessions o Transit operations o Policy, governance and funding o Visitor engagement and marketing  Summary of breakout room conversations  Next steps and wrap up

Kelly then thanked project partners, noting that the Federal Highway Administration’s Western Federal Lands Highway Division provided grant funding for the project, that Clackamas County, the City of Sandy, and Columbia Area Transit are co-sponsors of the project, and that Travel Oregon is a strategic partner in the project. He also explained that the project has a technical advisory committee that provides technical review of information and project activities. He noted that this committee is composed of the aforementioned partners along with the United States Forest Service.

Kelly then laid out guiding principles for the day’s workshop:

 Be creative & ambitious – Be architects of the future.  Practice outcomes-oriented thinking – Focus on the end goal, not the incremental steps it will take to get there.  Collaboration – Work as a team that is planning regionally but acting locally.  Celebrate past successes – Honor past efforts and commitments by refining them for a prosperous future.

Introductions Participants were split up into breakout rooms and given the chance to introduce themselves to other workshop participants.

Overview of Vision Around the Mountain Chronology of Transit Jason Kelly (ODOT) provided an overview of the VAM project. He started by providing a quick chronology of what has happened with public transit in the Mt. Hood area over the last decade:

 2013: The Mountain Express begins providing service from Portland through Sandy to Rhododendron.

 2014: Clackamas County Social Services renames the Mountain Express to the Mt. Hood Express and expands service to Timberline Lodge. This provides the first multimodal connection from the Portland metro area to Mt. Hood.  2016: The Oregon Department of Transportation partners with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the U.S. Forest Service and others to pilot a seasonal bus service from Portland to Multnomah Falls called the Columbia Gorge Express.  2018: The Columbia Gorge Express extends service year-round and adds Cascade Locks and Hood River to the route. Mt. Hood Meadows also implements a seasonal shuttle on Highway 35 from Hood River to Mt. Hood Meadows. Timberline Lodge implements a shuttle from Government Camp to Timberline Lodge.  2019: Columbia Area Transit assumes operational control of Columbia Gorge Express intercity service and adds the Gorge to Mountain line – a seasonal service from Hood River to Mt. Hood.  2020 and beyond: Cascades East Transit is collaborating with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to provide a shuttle from Warm Springs to Government Camp.

Kelly noted that in addition to the public programs listed in this chronology, there are also other private operators providing connections from the Portland metro area and Central Oregon to Mt. Hood. What’s Going to Happen in the Future? Kelly explained that transit around Mt. Hood has come to a critical moment where stakeholders need to work together to create a unified vision and a regional strategy. He noted that this is the goal of the VAM project. He then laid out the primary project outcomes:

1. A long-term regional transit vision that partners can use to guide future operations. 2. Priorities, strategies, and projects that support this vision and can be categorized into short, medium, or long-term groupings. 3. A framework for action focused on: a. Operations b. Policy, governance and funding c. Visitor engagement and marketing 4. Implementation sponsors who are positioned to work towards achieving the vision and task teams who will carry the work forward after this project is finished. 5. A list of strategies and projects listed in the Mt. Hood Multimodal Transportation Plan. How Will We Get There? Kelly noted that for the vision to be implemented, it needs broad regional support. For that reason, the project team wanted to bring together all the stakeholders for this series of four workshops to shape the vision. He then laid out the topics and timeline for the four workshops:

 Workshop 1 “Visioning” (October 2020): Generate ideas of what the vision should look like.  Workshop 2 “Towards a Vision” (December 2020): Look at the vision defined in the first workshop along with the existing and planned resources available. Determine what additional resources will be needed to achieve the vision and how those resources can be obtained.  Workshop 3 “Framework for Action” (February 2021): Identify action areas, strategies and projects to achieve the vision and categorize them as short-, medium-, or long-term.

 Workshop 4 “Bringing it All Together” (April 2021): Bring all the conversations together to create a framework for implementation.

Preliminary Feedback from Stakeholders Stephanie Wright (Nelson\Nygaard) summarized some of the results of a survey that was open to stakeholders in late summer 2020 and asked for their opinions on the existing conditions of the transit system in the region.

Wright first explained that the most popular words that came to mind for stakeholders when asked to describe the current transit system were “incomplete” and “confusing.”

She also presented the results from the question: What markets should the 2030 network focus on serving? She explained that “Tourists and recreational users” and “Employees” were the top markets while survey respondents considered “People with limited access to a vehicle” and “Local and regional trips for residents” as less important markets. Wright noted that there will be a tension between providing service to local and regional trips compared to longer haul trips from the Portland metro area.

Wright also showed respondents’ ranking of priorities for transit, which was as follows:

1. Roadway and Parking Congestion Reduction 2. Access to Key Destinations 3. Supports Economic Development and Community Vitality 4. Improved Safety 5. Equity for Users 6. Environmental and Cultural Resource Protection

Inspirational Case Studies Scott Bricker (Travel Oregon) shared relevant case studies of transit throughout the region to inspire stakeholders. Muir Woods National Monument Bricker explained that Muir Woods outside of San Francisco has seen its visitation increase significantly in the last decade. This has led to parking safety issues and long wait times. Multiple agencies collaborated to create a system for reserving parking and shuttle rides to visit the Monument. This allows visitors to plan in advance and have assurance of a guaranteed parking spot or seat on the shuttle. Bricker noted that this system has improved the overall visitor experience while protecting the natural area. Washington Park Bricker noted that, when faced with congestion and parking issues, agencies in Portland’s Washington Park created a Transportation Management Association (TMA). The TMA implemented parking fees that funded shuttles that carry passengers throughout the park and between the park and downtown Portland. Bricker explained that this reduced driving trips significantly and created a new way for tourists and residents to visit the park.

Northwest Connector Bricker highlighted the Northwest Connector system where five transit agencies in Northwest Oregon coordinated their services and created a unified vision that made their services more appealing. He explained that the agencies developed a unified brand and a one-pass fare system with multi-day and family purchasing options which made it easier for people to travel throughout the region.

Bricker noted that all three of these systems have been impacted somewhat by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Questions Before moving into breakout rooms, Jason Kelly (ODOT) asked if the stakeholders had any questions.

 One stakeholder asked if the project team could define how they were using the term “tourist.”  Kelly stated that all stakeholders will not have a uniform definition of the term and it is important that, as stakeholders talk about this topic, they make it clear what the term means to them.  Scott Bricker (Travel Oregon) added that Travel Oregon defines a tourist as someone who travels 50 miles or more away from their home or has an overnight stay. He also noted that over half of tourist trips in Oregon are made by Oregonians. Breakout Rooms Participants rotated through three breakout rooms:

 Visitor Engagement and Marketing  Policy, Governance and Funding  Transit Operations

In each breakout room, participants were asked a series of questions and their responses are categorized below. Note that for clarity, responses have been combined into one section per topic even though each breakout room took place three times with separate participants.

Visitor Engagement and Marketing This session opened with the following icebreaker question:

Ten years in the future, you’re accepting an award for Vision Around the Mountain – the best transit marketing and engagement program in the nation. What visitor quote would you read at your acceptance speech?

Responses included (duplicate responses have been combined):

 “I’m never taking my own transportation again”  “It was so easy to use, we just showed up and everything was taken care of!”  “I could get from my doorstep in Portland to my favorite Mt. Hood trailhead in 60 minutes without touching a car!”  “We stepped right off the plane and experienced city, small town, river and mountains without even stepping foot in a car.”

 “Best transit experience by far! Super easy and convenient!”  “I never knew I could get to so many trailheads without a car. Their trip planning tool was so easy to use.”  “Everything was so well thought out that I could focus on enjoying my trip!”  The system couldn’t be easier or more convenient – I wouldn’t consider driving my own car.”  “We made transit fun! People look forward to riding the bus to the mountain. Our mountain service is multi-modal, timely and really popular with guests who ride to the mountain.”  “Easy, stress free and cost effective. Could it be better?”  “Visiting Mt. Hood was so easy and fun. I can’t believe how convenient and accessible it was to get to our destinations and not have to deal with driving or traffic.”  “It was easy to find and navigate. A great experience.”  “A seamless experience. Getting up to the mountain was as easy as hopping on a bus and I was there.”  “Finding information about how to get around Mt. Hood was so easy and simple.”  “I was delighted at how easy it was. The website was comprehensive and informative, and I could find all the information I needed in one spot”  “One ticket, one website and I was free to explore!”  “Felt like home, but better.”  “It was a world class experience.”  “The beauty of Mt. Hood’s public transit is its simplicity. The Wy’East Card allows visitors to move between the multiple modes of transportation with a simple swipe of a card at each hub. If you are not a local, a swipe of a credit card. And the app is the best!”  “The journey to Mt. Hood was great and if anything, it enhanced the experience! From start to finish it was fast, comfortable and scenic.”  “The bus ride to the mountain was one of the best experiences of the weekend.”  “I lost count after we passed the 100th car stuck in traffic.”  “I never thought I would love transit so much.”  “It was so easy I didn’t know I was on transit.”  “It was so good that, like all my friends, I got rid of my car.”  “This was the easiest and fastest transit system I have ever used. I plan to do it every weekend instead of driving my car.”  “The best way to get around Mt. Hood is by transit. My friends and family feel like it is an essential part of the experience. The transit passport and selfies along the way are favorite keepsakes.”  “I never knew transit could be luxury.”

Participants were then asked: You head up the Visitor Engagement and Marketing work group at your award-winning transit agency. What goals did your team achieve that helped drive your success?

At the end of the workshop, participants were also given the chance to prioritize these responses. Participants’ responses are categorized thematically below and within each category are ordered from most highly prioritized to least highly prioritized.

Marketing and Branding

 Partnered with community organizations in marketing to reach groups of people who were not accessing the outdoors as frequently in the past (e.g., people of color, people with lower incomes, people who are transit dependent).  Communicated that riding transit brings lots of great things including: o Compact land use and development o Economic development and support to local businesses, o Supporting climate goals and other environmental benefits  Established high awareness of the service among visitors to and residents of Mt. Hood and the Columbia Gorge  Developed a brand that people are passionate about and is seamless across Mt. Hood and the Columbia Gorge  Implemented memorable marketing

Rider Experience

 Provided accessible and easy to understand information on the transit service  Made transfers from one transit service to another seamless (including buying tickets and obtaining transfer information)  Made the rider experience positive with riders enjoying the trip and not worrying about the inconveniences of driving  Set clear expectations for users and met those expectations  Developed a great app for schedules, tickets, and information on transit and recreation  People, especially younger riders, want to talk about the experience  Received overwhelmingly positive reviews from users  People no longer get turned around from recreation locations because of full parking lots  Used airlines as a model to make pain points feel more bearable (e.g., Southwest Airlines with its informal tone and Virgin Atlantic with its high-tech style)  Created a dignified system that meets the qualities of transportation justice  Created a service that is cheaper, faster and more convenient than driving  Created a safe and enjoyable experience and brand around transit (especially for younger people)

Operations

 Reduced congestion in the corridor  Achieved reliable service  Established transit stops at destinations that are convenient  Created a service that is economically sustainable

Miscellaneous

 Encouraged high ridership  Created a service with a combination of a cohesive vision, leadership, partnering and funding

 Attracted many return users both within a single trip (e.g., a long weekend) as well as on multiple different trips

Participants were then asked: Please describe what elements and projects were completed to meet your goals. Aspects might include branding look and feel, digital presence (website, app, marketing and promotions, or partnerships/incentives.

Participants’ responses are categorized thematically below and within each category are ordered from most highly prioritized by participants to the least highly prioritized.

Marketing and Branding

 The service was branded as a lower-carbon option and the marketing educated riders about Leave No Trace principles  We worked closely with local partners to promote the service through their communication channels  We developed whimsical marketing. Examples could include Sasquatch and Telluride’s “The Galloping Goose” bus  The physical amenities like transit shelters and park and rides were designed to match the look and feel of the service. o A participant suggested that this could be a rustic lodge feel like Timberline Lodge  The service comes up in Google searches when people are looking for information on where and when to go  We developed promo videos that highlighted how easy and fun it is to use the service, especially for families and kids o A participant noted that these videos could be modeled after the Ready, Set, Gorge! videos produced by Travel Oregon  All agencies involved used the same messaging, campaign, and logo  A far-reaching advertising campaign to locals and visitors increased awareness of the service both in Oregon and out of the state

Rider Experience

 We built a world-class trip planning tool where people can discover trips, schedule a deviation that is just off the route and track the bus. This makes it easy for people to use the system.  We established high consumer confidence in the system. Riders know that they will be taken care of from the beginning to end of their trip. (An example of this is that if they miss a bus, they know that there will be another one soon and they will not be left stranded)  We developed a transit experience that is memorable in and of itself and is something that travel writers rave about  It is easy for families to travel on the system.  There is an effective reservation system that guarantees riders a seat at a specific time  Buses are enabled with good Wi-Fi  Riders can purchase a low-cost annual pass

 Drivers have customer service training to welcome riders and can provide some amount of tour interpretation  The system uses universal symbols and avoids English-heavy text so that those who cannot read English can still navigate the system easily  There is detailed wayfinding information and transfer information at stops  The service can accommodate people’s gear (skis, bikes, luggage, etc.)  There are partnerships to provide riders with incentives or discounts at specific attractions  The service can accommodate the needs of different users  We worked with tour operators and tourism partners to package the experience seamlessly

Operations

 The buses are suitable and safe for winter conditions  There are bathrooms and public facilities available for riders  The transit services are integrated with the ski resorts. For example, the timing of the bus matches with the timing of lift tickets  We developed partnerships with electric bus companies

Miscellaneous

 The service spreads visitors out/around during off-seasons and shoulder seasons

Policy, Governance and Funding This session opened with the following icebreaker question: A friend calls and says, “Vision Around the Mountain is known as a top-notch program – well-run, efficient, and cost-effective. What components were critical to your success?” You say: _____

Responses included (duplicate responses have been combined):

 Sustainable, diverse, long-term funding sources. Examples include: o Public private partnerships o Parking fees  Knowing our users well  Ongoing evaluation and adjustments  Partnerships, collaboration and compromise between public agencies and the private sector  The system is supported by non-users  Shared vision between multiple groups  Community buy-in  Ease of use  Good management  Coordination of schedules to coordinate connections  Unified leadership  A single pass

Participants were then asked: What financial resources need to be at the table?

Participants’ responses are listed below from the most highly prioritized by participants to the least highly prioritized:

 Parking revenues  Federal grants including Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and others  Strong private sector partnerships for a stable and diverse funding stream  State grants including Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF) and others  Road user fee  Climate related sources including carbon tax revenue  Transportation Management Association (TMA)  Employer subsidies for passes  Transit tax  Private recreational operators (e.g., Mt. Hood Meadows, Timberline Lodge, etc.)  Resources for electric car infrastructure  Climate friendly solutions to generate revenue  Revenue from affordable year-round passes  Sponsorships and recreational vendor partnerships

Participants were then asked: Who should pay for service?

Participants’ responses are listed below from the most highly prioritized to the least highly prioritized:

 Users  Private businesses who benefit from the service  People who park in certain locations on the mountain  The government  Visitors who choose to drive  Out-of-state travelers who are less price-sensitive  Those willing to pay for an expedited service such as high-occupancy vehicle or high-occupancy toll lanes for drivers or express bus service  Local transit agencies  A combination of the ideas listed above with other sources like Sno-Park passes and Northwest Forest passes

Participants were then asked: The survey showed the three strategies ranked as most effective were universal fares, regional alliance, or transportation management association (TMA). Looking at each strategy, what is promising about this strategy for our region? What are its benefits?

These responses were not prioritized and are listed by category below.

Universal Fares

 Convenient for customer and removes barriers such as not knowing the fare or how to transfer  Important to think about a diverse spectrum of users (regular riders, visitors, etc.)

 Simple and easy and eliminates confusion  Reduces bus riding anxiety and fear  Conveys that it is a bargain  Critical to success of the system  Requires coordination amongst agencies  Important to Investigate the burden of universal fare on smaller systems  Allows for multi-day passes  Could be integrated into a ski pass or other passes  Could include a surcharge for extra equipment  Fares tied to recreation on the mountain  Can be a marketing tool  Can integrate with the airport  Similar to Columbia Area Transit’s $30 universal fare with four operators

Regional Alliance

 Success to date has been based on regional cooperation and this needs to continue  Provides a stronger argument when talking to decision makers and seeking funding  Important to consider coordination amongst partners  Helps with integration  Would help to have TriMet, Clackamas County and Hood River at the table  Can integrate with parking charges  Is necessary to make universal fares work

Transportation Management Association (TMA)

 Mt. Hood Transportation Alliance has a good structure  Provides opportunity for coordinated marketing  The TMA needs a structure that requires an ongoing commitment  Integrated request for funding through a TMA would be more effective  Allows for coordination between private companies and public agencies  To ensure social equity, people in the service industry should be included in developing the plan  Timberline Lodge commissioned a TMA study a few years ago and found that it would be difficult to do with Mt. Hood Express alone  Can be difficult to gather support for a TMA  Should broaden beyond businesses  There could be regional TMAs that undertake separate projects

Participants were then asked: The survey showed the three funding opportunities with the most promise are parking charges, a public private partnership, and Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) renewal. Looking at each funding source, why is this promising? What are its benefits?

These responses were not prioritized and are listed by category below.

Parking Charges

 Need to study the economics of charging for parking and set a reasonable amount. Important to determine what the revenue could be  Charging for parking should not be a huge deterrent  Encourages transit usage  Can integrate with Sno-Park system and Northwest Forest Plan o Important not to cannibalize Sno-Park revenue but can build off it  Could be used to improve trailheads  Need to consider equity and accessibility  Consider Uber/Lyft for first-mile/last-mile connections  Consider a policy of not growing impervious surfaces  System would be park and ride oriented o Important to diversify away from solely park and ride  Parking charges work well when they are justified

Public Private Partnership

 Hub for parking, transit, and shuttle companies  Year-round service  Warm Springs connection  Funding matches  Business/employer participation  Consider overlay of private operators on top of public service  Important to consider the need to hire/train drivers (this may have a long lead time)  Opportunity to develop a clean energy (e.g., solar) site that is also used for parking  Opportunity for all three ski resorts (Timberline, Skibowl, and Mt. Hood Meadows) to partner together

Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP)

 Not necessarily transit focused  Need to advocate and communicate benefits of including transit in FLAP  Uncertainty with funding since it needs to be renewed every two years and is competitive  U.S. Forest service has used FLAP in the past  Could be used as seed money for infrastructure

Transit Operations This session opened with the following icebreaker question: Your premiere transit service around the mountain makes the front page of the newspaper. What is the headline?

Responses included:

 Incredible user experience in the Pacific Northwest  Transit improves experience by providing quality and limiting crowding  Road congestion disappears around Mt. Hood and through the Gorge

 Mountain experience enhanced by smooth ride up  Seamless access to Mt. Hood and the Gorge  Well-coordinated transit system gets users to countless outdoor destinations  New transit service’s ease of use comparable to European Rail experience  Communities rejoice, transit solves snowy congestion  Multiple organizations come together to provide transit around Mt. Hood  Getting to and around the mountain is easier than ever!  Bullet train to the Mountain!  Mt. Hood Express achieves record ridership  Easy, stress free ride around the Mountain  Vision Around the Mountain moves forward on passenger ropeway and elevated rail options to connecting Mt. Hood destinations along US-26 and Highway 35  Single occupancy vehicles have disappeared from the mountain!  Access to Mt. Hood for everyone!  Portland, Hood River, Mt. Hood all in one day… car free!

Participants were then asked: The survey showed that the highest priority is frequent service. What does a frequent service look like?

Participants’ responses are listed below from the most highly prioritized by participants to the least highly prioritized:

 Frequent enough so you do not need a schedule and can just show up knowing a bus will come soon (some participants suggested this would need headways of ten minutes, others suggested a half hour or hour would be sufficient)  Minimal delays at transfers  Reservations for guaranteed seats. This gives the transit operator good information on who is coming and gives the rider assurance of when they will leave  Thirty-minute headways during peak times. (Seven days a week from 7 a.m. – 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. from December through March) o Some participants also suggested having extra service on weekends  Having express service available for certain markets (e.g., commuters and recreationalists)  Service has multiple options to go to the same location (this adds frequency through combined headways)

Participants were then asked: The survey showed the biggest concern is over travel times. A previous Travel Oregon survey showed people would most be interested in using the bus if travel times are comparable to driving. How can we reduce travel times?

Participants’ responses are listed below from the most highly prioritized by participants to the least highly prioritized:

 Minimize the number of transfers necessary. Today, riders from the Portland International Airport must make three to four transfers to get to Timberline Lodge. Participants suggested bringing this down to one or two transfers

o Participants also suggested considering the quality of transfers in terms of weather protection and accessibility to families  Give transit riders priority over single-occupancy vehicle drivers o Provide dedicated bus lanes (e.g., bus on shoulder or highway express lanes). These could be open to freight, so trucks are not slowed down o Make it harder or more expensive to park. Today, the benefits of driving outweigh the challenges of taking transit. Shift this by charging for parking or making people take a shuttle from the parking lot to their destination. (A participant noted that Dog Mountain Trailhead in Washington is a successful example of this) o Make transit cheaper than driving  Make time feel shorter by providing Wi-Fi and/or activities to keep riders entertained or allow them to work  If there are transfers, have enough frequency so that if a rider misses a bus there is another one coming soon  Provide an express bus, especially for employees o A participant noted that 15-20% of Mt. Hood Meadows’ weekend employees come from the Portland metro area  Limit the number of stops o Could provide more stops for routes with smaller destinations like trailheads  Make gear loading quick and easy so it does not slow down service  Provide gear storage at the mountain so visitors can travel just with backpacks  Provide queue jumps that serve buses and carpools  When people drive, they do not think about the time they spend finding parking and walking to their destination with gear  Locate the transit stops in convenient locations at the destinations  The bus from Hood River to Mt. Hood Meadows has no transfers. The service should look for other key origin-destination patterns and provide direct service for them

Participants were then asked: The survey showed concern about the number of transfers. Where are transfers/hubs in your premiere transit service?

Participants provided responses both on their ideal locations for transfers as well as what the hubs and general system should look like. Each of these sets of responses is listed below and within each set, the responses are listed from the most highly prioritized by participants to the least highly prioritized:

Transfer Locations

 Sandy (Participants noted that capturing riders in Sandy would prevent them from taking US-26 all the way up the mountain)  Gateway Transit Center (Participants noted that this provides connections to MAX trains)  Rhododendron (Participants noted that this is generally below snowline)  Government Camp  Parkdale/Odell  Warm Springs  Hood River

 Bennett Pass  Troutdale  Gresham  Mt. Hood Meadows

What should hubs look like?

 A Sandy hub should tie in with transit-oriented development and provide activities like restaurants and bars that could generate economic activity. Participants also suggested that this hub should have a park and ride element, potentially near the public square where Sandy Area Metro and Mt. Hood Express currently have a stop  The hubs should have amenities that could include restrooms, parking, shelter, charging ability, information on bus service and attractions, food and beverage options, overnight accommodations  The hubs should be safe and have effective snow removal  The hubs should be designed with walkability and pedestrian needs in mind o Participants noted that this is particularly important for a transit hub in Government Camp where visitors would need to be able to walk from the hub to destinations  People in Government Camp do not want more parking so a hub there should not be a park and ride. The park and ride should instead be below snow line (e.g., in Rhododendron). The transit hub could also provide an opportunity to catalyze more housing development in Government Camp o A participant noted that Destination Government Camp is a good resource for ideas

General system comments

 The service should provide a one-seat ride from Portland to Mt. Hood that stops at various hubs along the way (such as Gateway Transit Center, Sandy, Rhododendron, Government Camp and somewhere in the Parkdale/Odell area)  The service should have a hub and spoke model where there is one main system that does an all-day loop with shuttles leaving from hubs to serve additional stops  The service should include linkages to hotels  There are trade-offs between focusing on park and rides versus transit-oriented development  The transit hubs provide an opportunity for public private partnerships where private businesses invest in these hubs

Participants were then asked: Think about the rider experience – what makes your world-class service attractive to riders?

These responses were not prioritized and are listed below:

 Wi-Fi  Accessible to people of all ages, ability  Restrooms levels and incomes (includes the buses,  Amenities stops, and connections to stops)  Sustainability (e.g., has electric vehicles)  Traveling on the bus is an experience in  Reliability and of itself (e.g., includes value-added

 Gear storage (e.g., for bikes, skis and features like educational information, luggage) snacks and drinks)  High frequency  Branded as a tourist experience  Competitive with driving in terms of cost, (participants mentioned the San time, flexibility and comfort Francisco Cable Car which people take for  Easy to use (e.g., easy to understand fun and not just for transportation) schedule, universal fares)  Capacity to meet high demand with no  Seamless look and brand denials along route  Reservations to guarantee a seat  Accommodates day trippers who are not  Concierge service (e.g., helping a rider doing winter sports like those going for make a restaurant reservation) short hikes or visiting Timberline Lodge  Great customer service from drivers (e.g., as an attraction (not to ski) drivers are cheerful and can answer  Ability to look out the window and enjoy questions) views  Bus stops are safe and sheltered from  Has Destination Marketing Organization weather support in marketing the area and the  Robust app with schedules, tracker, and experience ticketing  Easy to access information about the service Summary of Breakout Room Conversations After the breakout rooms ended, stakeholders were given the chance to review the responses from all three groups and rank those they thought were most important. These prioritizations have been reflected in the lists of responses above.

After stakeholders reviewed the responses, Penny Mabie (EnviroIssues) opened the floor for any questions on the responses.

 One stakeholder noted that, when considering using parking revenues to fund the transit system, it is important to have a long-term funding strategy since parking will hopefully become less popular on the mountain as this service improves. Next Steps and Wrap-Up Jason Kelly (ODOT) described the next steps for the project:

 Workshop 2 (Tentatively scheduled for the week of December 14th): Stakeholders and the project team will review the vision framework that will come out of the discussions from this first workshop.  Workshop 3 (February 2021): Stakeholders and the project team will talk through the goals and activities that will help achieve the vision. This workshop will be more technical.  Workshop 4 (April 2021): Stakeholders and the project team will bring all the pieces together to assemble the final vision.  Final Report (June 2021): The project team will release the final report on the vision based on the feedback from all the workshops.