Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation

BEST is building a successful community by bringing people together to promote transportation options, safe streets, and walkable neighborhoods.

BEST envisions a community where people have the freedom to not be forced to own a motor vehicle.

Goal One: Issues: Have a positive impact on important transportation issues affecting our area.

Goal Two: People: Develop the board, staff, members, partners, and government officials, and government staff needed to be successful.

Goal Three: Funding: Develop the sustainable funding needed to support our work.

The executive director and staff regularly attend and sometimes present at transportation conferences to keep up with latest developments. For example, our Safe Streets Coordinator recently participated in a local, all-day Active Transportation Professionals Workshop with other public and NGO professionals. For example, our executive director will be part of a panel discussion about Active & Shared Transportation in Eugene at the annual Oregon Active Transportation Summit.

On an issue by issue basic, BEST relies heavily on partnerships with other nonprofits. For example, we work with 350 Eugene on issues related to climate change, Eugene-Springfield NAACP on issues related to equity, and Better Housing Together on issues related to housing and parking. In many cases, we play a leading role and support our partners in turning out their members to public hearings and/or communicating with elected officials. In some case—housing—we play more of a supporting role, turning out our own members as part of larger coordinated efforts.

Over the last year or so, BEST had an opportunity to get the contract to operate bike share in Eugene, opted to support another nonprofit in getting that contract, and then received a donated building we are now managing and leasing, in particular, to the nonprofit bike share operator. None of these efforts had been in our plans but rather we adapted to opportunities as they appeared. In May 2020, JUMP Bicycles owned by Uber suddenly dropped its contract with the City of Eugene to operate bike share. Wanting a local nonprofit to take over operations, the City of Eugene approach BEST about responding to a RFP for a new operator. Even though it was outside of our wheelhouse, seeing no other local nonprofits willing to step up, BEST began the process to take on operating bike share. We made it past the first round to be one of four finalists. In summer 2020, we learned that a new nonprofit, Cascadia Mobility, we deep experience with bike share, was another finalist. After meeting with them, we dropped our bud and threw our support behind them, the only other nonprofit to apply. Soon they won the contract. In summer 2021, several factors converged: 1) Cascadia Mobility was looking for a new building to lease. 2) Long-time BEST donor Tom Bowerman was looking to unload a building he owned. 3) The long-time nonprofit tenant of that building, Center for Appropriate Transport (CAT), was looking to shut down. After much discussion and negotiation, BEST assumed ownership of the building, received the remaining assets of CAT, committed to continuing the spirit of CAT to provide bicycle education and services in the community, and worked with Cascadia Mobility to line up a lease for them in our new building. Now in early 2022, the Nexus for Eugene Sustainable Transportation (NEST) LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of BEST that owns, maintains and leases the building to other nonprofits and for-profits serving the community with sustainable transportation services.