A place to park and driving to another place to park is what Bend and other cities were built around.

Government has been zealous in support of people getting around by car. The idea of building a home without parking was an anathema. The idea of putting in a store without a parking lot moonscape was considered stupid. Building more and wider roads was a default response to congestion.

Government made that easy. It didn’t make it easy to take the bus, ride or walk.

State government now wants Oregon cities to take back the space from cars. And it’s like busting out of a prison of infrastructure, habit, convenience and for some, love.

Before Bend city staff even started a presentation Wednesday about no-car or low-car streets,  representatives from the Downtown Bend Business Association and the Tower Theatre expressed concerns.

If people can’t find a place to park, if a street or streets in Bend become no-car or low-car, it could make it profoundly more difficult than it is now for people to get to downtown establishments. Bend has only an OK bus system. Not everybody can or wants to hop on a bike. Many people come in from out of town to get to Bend’s downtown. And the weather can make it unpleasant to be on foot.

Bend is looking into no-car or low-car streets, because it is required to by the state’s climate-friendly rules. City staff summarized the state rules as: “Cities and counties with an urban area over 100,000 in population must have reasonable land use regulations that allow for development of low-car districts…. These districts must be developed with no-car or low-car streets, where walking or using mobility devices are the primary methods of travel within the district.”

There do have to be provisions made for access for deliveries and emergency vehicles.

The city is looking at routes between Juniper Park and Drake Park. For instance, routes could be Oregon Avenue or Minnesota Avenue downtown.

What would be the best way to make that work? What would it mean to drivers trying to get through downtown? To parking? To overall accessibility?

This study is not designing a project. It is examining what it would take to make such a change.

Cars conquered Bend long ago. We shouldn’t necessarily let them win. They spend most of their time eating up space. They aren’t the healthiest or safest way to get around. Roads aren’t pretty. Parking isn’t pretty.

We love cars as much as anyone. They unlock freedom. They are so convenient for so many tasks. But what exists now in Bend shouldn’t blind us to what might be a better way for everyone to use the space we have.