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January 31, 2007

CRC Open House Question # 11

Solutions for moving people cars and trucks should minimize taking additional land for right-of-way.

Agree/Disagree. Discuss...

Posted by Chris Smith at 6:22 AM | Permalink

CRC Open House Question # 10

Solutions for moving people, cars and trucks should be consistent with local land use plans.

Agree/Disagree. Discuss...

Posted by Chris Smith at 1:37 AM | Permalink

More on Sprawl and Obesity

Reporting from Science News, passed on by a reader.

Living on a cul-de-sac = 10 lb weight gain?

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:09 AM | Comments (17) | Permalink

To Sidewalk or Not to Sidewalk?

From yesterday's Trib:

“The No. 1 amount of calls we get from Southwest Portland is people saying they want sidewalks. The No. 2 is people saying they don’t want sidewalks,” Chlapowski said.

I come down in favor of sidewalks in general. Without them it's pretty hard to get to transit.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (20) | Permalink

January 30, 2007

Sharing a Few Thoughts on the CRC

Local economist Joe Cortright and I share a few thoughts on the Columbia River Crossing in the O this morning.

Over at Northwest Progressive Institute, there's a nice perspective piece from the Washington side of the bridge.

Posted by Chris Smith at 3:38 PM | Comments (28) | Permalink

FHWA on RTP

Update: A few minutes later...

But wait, now the meme is on to BikePortland.org.

Update: 1/30/07

I don't know if this is cool or silly, but here's a case-in-point for the self-referentiality of the blogosphere and the mainstream media. I ran this post yesterday, and was told by Metro staff that it generated a media call from the Oregonian. Today, Jim Mayer runs this story in the O. Then, Gordon Price in Vancouver, B.C., picks up on Jim's story via the Sightline Institute's TidePool news service for his blog, Price Tags.

If the spiral keeps going, maybe we can get this story to CNN!

Original Post: 1/29/07

I commented recently that the re-written policy introduction to the Regional Transportation Plan was a strong indicator for really taking a different approach to the role of transportation in acheiving the 2040 vision for our region.

This was confirmed when I had a chance to read the Federal Highway Administration's comments (PDF, 14K) on the policy draft.

It is difficult to find the transportation focus in this opening chapter of the Regional Transportation Plan. The current focus is about attaining land use goals...

Here, here! Now, if we just started all our land use plans by talking about transportation goals, we might finally acheive integrated planning.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:47 PM | Comments (16) | Permalink

CRC Open House Question # 9

Solutions for moving people, cars and trucks should avoid or minimize traffic congestion to downtown Vancouver, Hayden Island or other neighborhoods.

Agree/Disagree. Discuss...

Posted by Chris Smith at 9:55 AM | Permalink

1% of $2B is...

Lenny passed along this press release about tree planting (PDF, 33K) in conjunction with the I-5 Delta Park project and notes:

The I-5 TF recommended a 1% for Enhancement fund for any I-5 projects...

This is the first one to be implemented with $ from the Delta/Lombard project.

Is the Enhancement fund alive and well in the deliberations of the CRC? 1% of $2Billion is real money. It is above and beyond "mitigation" funds, and was inspired by the I-405 funds in NW/Hillside/NINA.

1% x $2B = $20M
1% x $6B = $60M

Hmmm...

Posted by Lenny Anderson at 6:45 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

Parking Master at PSU

Donald Shoup is an oft-quoted academic on the topic of parking. He was invoked recently by Sam Adams in his proposal to put parking meters on Hawthorne.

Portland State University
Center for Transportation Studies Winter 2007 Transportation Seminar Series

Speaker: Dr. Donald Shoup, Professor of Urban Planning, UCLA
Topic: The High Cost of Free Parking
When: Friday, February 2, 2007, 12:00-1:30 pm
Where: 204 Urban Center

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 29, 2007

CRC Open House Question # 8

Travelers using cars, trucks and public transit need more reliable travel times between Portland and Clark County.

Agree/Disagree. Discuss...

Posted by Chris Smith at 9:47 AM | Permalink

Creative Re-use of Rails

Passed on by a reader. I don't know quite what to make of it.

Posted by Chris Smith at 7:31 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

Last Two CRC Open Houses Finalized

This is your last chance to check out the staff recommendations for alternatives (or lack thereof) to go into the DEIS phase before the task force votes on 2/23 2/27.

PORTLAND
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. (corrected time) – (not 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.)
12050 N. Jantzen Dr.
Portland, OR
(former Hayden Island Yacht Club, across from Safeway, next to former Zupan’s grocery)
TriMet Bus #6 M.L. King Jr Blvd

VANCOUVER / CLARK COUNTY
Monday, February 5, 2007
4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)
11018 NE 51st Circle
Vancouver, WA
(near SR-500 and I-205, same building as Washington State Patrol)
C-TRAN Bus #80 VanMall/Fisher’s

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

January 27, 2007

Royce Pollard on the CRC and Transit

Update: 1/27/07

The Oregonian gets behind Royce with an editorial in support of Light Rail to Clark County.

Original Post: 1/25/07

Vancouver (USA) Mayor Royce Pollard called for bringing Light Rail to Vancouver on the Columbia River Crossing in his State of the City address, according to yesterday's Oregonian.

"I've said it before, but it bears repeating," Pollard said. "Vancouver and Clark County residents have the cheapest buy-in to one of the most successful light-rail systems in the world, the MAX system. There is over $5 billion invested in light rail across the river. We can tap into that system at a very minimal cost. And believe me, we'd be foolish not to."

Pollard also referenced global warming and called for a $20-per-vehicle license tax to support other transportation projects in the city.

Go Royce!

Posted by Chris Smith at 10:09 AM | Comments (57) | Permalink

January 26, 2007

CRC Open House Question # 7

More reliable transit service with predictable travel times is needed between Clark County and Portland.

Agree/Disagree. Discuss...

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:27 AM | Permalink

Tolls Don't Pencil for Sunrise

Yesterday's Oregonian reports that tolls may still work to help add a lane to I-205 (although it's challenging), but they probably don't pencil out for the Sunrise Corridor.

At nearly $1 billion, the Sunrise Corridor project costs too much and would not attract enough toll-paying traffic to make financial sense, according to a report released Wednesday by the Macquarie Infrastructure Group, an Australian company that has been exploring the concept.

You can find the ODOT report here (PDF, 998K).

Posted by Chris Smith at 7:29 AM | Comments (19) | Permalink

Hawthorne Streetcar Advocacy Website - Official Launch

In a number of recent discussions here on PortlandTransport, the idea of streetcar service for the Hawthorne Blvd. corridor has been bandied about. At one time I threatened to build a web site to allow for interested parties to organize around this idea. Now, it is time to make good on that threat. :-)

I am pleased to announce that the HawthorneStreetcar.org site is now online.

I invite and encourage anyone interesting in pursuing the idea of a Hawthorne Streetcar to join up, create a basic profile, and help get the discussion rolling.

At this point the idea is to form a group, discuss ideas, and come up with a grass-roots approach. (The site is an informal effort and is not initiated by the city or the current streetcar organization.)

The site already has a few articles and proposals, but more details will be formulated as the group grows and a consensus emerges.

I have sent email invitations to all of the neighborhood associations which may be affected by a future proposal, as well as other stakeholder organizations.

Thanks to all who encouraged this idea and thanks in advance to those who participate!

- Bob R.

Posted by Bob Richardson at 6:56 AM | Comments (16) | Permalink

Affordable Housing is Not Enough

Over at the BTA Blog, Evan has a great post on the affordability of transportation as a portion of household spending.

This is driven from the Coalition for a Livable Future/PSU Regional Equity Atlas.

Check it out and comment over there.

Posted by Evan Manvel at 12:00 AM | Permalink

January 25, 2007

CRC Open House Question # 6

Public transit service on I-5 should not stop for river traffic. A new bridge should be built high enough to eliminate the need to open for boats and barges.

Agree/Disagree. Discuss...

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:03 PM | Permalink

CRC Open House Question # 5

Traffic on I-5 should not stop for river traffic. A new bridge should be built high enough to eliminate the need to open for boats and barges.

Agree/Disagree. Discuss...

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:37 AM | Permalink

Brick Update

Update: 1/25/07

The bricks rated coverage in Today's O.

Original Post: 1/15/07

A few months back, at the intersection of 6th & Taylor, TriMet installed some new sand-set pavers as a test for potentially using them in the Transit Mall reconstruction. A reader recently queried me on whether I knew how the test was going, and I forwarded the question on to TriMet. Here's the response:

The installation at 6th & Taylor, as expected, has been doing very well. This 'mock-up' of the brick paver system was installed this past July so that bus and other traffic could interact with the system over time and through a variety of weather conditions.

Over this period we've had the opportunity to test how the design held up to heavy axle loading by buses, impacts to the system's stability by underground utility work, and ability to affect repairs and maintenance within a functioning transit street. Additionally, the design has been evaluated by a host of public entities during this testing period.

While the brick paver system has performed admirably, we've already determined several modest adjustments that respond to recommendations for improving pedestrian movements, and to facilitate the actual construction of the Mall's brick intersections. Working with the manufacturer the brick paver will reduce 'bumpiness' by using a tighter paver joint and reducing the paver's edge chamfer.

Additionally, the slip-resistance of the pavers has been verified by an independent testing agency and exceeds the City's and Federal recommendations. Another mock-up of the intersection's pixilated circle led to using a third colored paver for improved visual clarity.

The mocked-up intersection will continued to be monitored until the actual Mall construction, but its clear that the new system will be much safer for all users of the Mall, more durable, easier to maintain, and aesthetically pleasing urban design treatment. The project intends to install this new system in the Central Mall, on 6th & 5th Avenues, south of Burnside to Market Street.

Posted by Chris Smith at 3:00 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

A Number for Jim (at long last)

I finally had a chance to catch the video of Charlie Hales addressing a PSU transportation seminar about Streetcar.

You can find the stream and download here.

First, for Jim Karlock, Charlie quoted an average trip length for Streetcar (no, I don't know his source): 3/4 of a mile. So go run your numbers, Jim!

In the Q&A session Charlie also speculated on why it may be difficult to make a Hawthorne Streetcar pencil (a question of how much redevelopment the neighborhood wants). He also suggests that a park-and-ride at the end of the Lake Oswego line is not a good idea.

Well worth catching.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (16) | Permalink

January 24, 2007

CRC Open House Question # 4

Short ramps make getting on and off I-5 difficult and unsafe. Improvements are needed to make connecting to I-5 smoother and safer for trucks and cars.

Agree/Disagree. Discuss...

Posted by Chris Smith at 10:36 AM | Permalink

Local Governments Acknowledge Inconvenient Truths

Two interesting new reports out that deal with our energy and climate future.

First, Metro has released a draft background paper as part of the Regional Transportation Plan update: Key Environmental Issues and Metro's Mitigation-Related Activities in the Portland Metropolitan Region.

It's not online yet, but here are a couple of key paragraphs from the trends section:

Climate Change and Global Warming

Climate change poses a serious and growing threat to Oregon’s economy, natural resources, forests, rivers, agricultural lands, and coastline. Emissions are created as a by-product of fuel combustion and from evaporation of the fuel itself. The combustion of fossil fuels produces a cocktail of greenhouse gases (GHG's) that trap heat in the atmosphere and cause global warming. The United States is the largest energy user in the world and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

It is estimated that transportation accounts for 38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in Oregon and this is predicted to increase by 33 percent by 2025 because of increased driving.

Oil Dependence and Increasing Uncertainty of Supply and Price

The U.S economy’s reliance on foreign oil is mainly due to transportation. Figure 2 displays how transportation’s share of US petroleum use has been increasing; the transportation sector consumes 66% of oil supplied to US economy, up from 55% in 1975.

This dependence on oil is an issue for long range transportation planning, considering the uncertainty surrounding oil’s supply and price. Uncertainty is defined as a measure of the decreasing confidence that supply and price of oil will not be much different next year compared to today’s figures.

Although the exact timing of the peaking of oil supply is unpredictable, certain changes can be anticipated and strategies developed to ease the effects. The uncertainty of oil prices should be considered as transportation investments are being developed as part of the RTP update. The RTP should continue to emphasize land use and transportation planning to reduce mean travel distances and enable greater use of public transit, walking and bicycling as viable transportation options and modes that are less susceptible to oil price fluctuations than private automobiles.

And on Friday, the City of Portland's Peak Oil Task Force released the public comment draft of its report (PDF, 364K). I've only had the chance to go through it once quickly, but it doesn't duck the hard questions.

Among the recommendations:

Prevent over-expansion of transportation infrastructure that may not be a good investment with higher fuel prices. Air, long-distance truck and car travel are likely to be reduced in response to peak oil, and land use patterns are likely to become more compact. Thus, investments in expanding road and air capacity could be stranded, depending on when the peak occurs. The Port of Portland, the Oregon Department of Transportation and other agencies need to consider the impacts of peak oil when developing capital construction plans for major facilities.

• Encourage the Port of Portland to examine the timing and impacts of a peak oil scenario on air traffic when developing plans to expand the airport.
• Require Portland Office of Transportation to consider the impacts of rising oil prices when deciding where to invest scarce transportation infrastructure funds.
• Invest in infrastructure that meets access and mobility needs with less fuel.

Anyone care to speculate on how to evaluate the Columbia Crossing in light of that recommendation?

Here's a quote from Task Force Chair Bill Scott:

"The Task Force findings illustrate the enormous economic and social vulnerabilities and opportunities that could result as fuel supplies cease to be abundant and inexpensive," said Task Force Chair Bill Scott. "The magnitude of this issue led the Task Force to explore far-reaching solutions. Our lead recommendation is that Portland cut its oil and natural gas use in half over the next 25 years."

Now if only the Federal Government would find its way back to reality-based policy-making.

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:31 AM | Comments (7) | Permalink

Think Harder

Ron Buel had a very nice op-ed in yesterday's Trib suggesting we go even further than some of the ideas in the Trib's special issue on transportation.

Posted by Chris Smith at 7:17 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Burnside, Prudent Streetcars at Planning Commission

Planning Commission took testimony for about 4 hours on the Burnside Couplet plan last night.

Proponents and opponents were relatively balanced (a few more opponents). As one Planning Commissioner noted, about half the opponents referenced Couch from 15th to 19th specifically, which indicates that the Cathedral and school were effective in mobilizing their constituents.

The Commissioners asked some pointed questions about costs and options, but no decision on a recommendation was reached, and it was left that the Commission would try to schedule a special meeting in order to arrive at a recommendation before City Council consideration on February 8th.

My favorite quote of the evening came from Commissioner Sam Adams (who presented the plan personally). When asked about the Streetcar component of the plan he said "It's prudent to get these Streetcar plans into the hopper because it takes about a decade to get from concept to construction" (I'm quoting from memory, so that's probably a paraphrase).

So let's get some more of those Streetcar corridor ideas into the prudent hopper.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:37 AM | Comments (45) | Permalink

January 23, 2007

CRC Open House Question # 3

Narrow lanes and a lack of shoulders slow traffic on the Interstate Bridge. A new bridge should feature wider lanes and shoulders to improve the safety and flow of travel.

Agree/Disagree. Discuss...

Posted by Chris Smith at 10:38 AM | Permalink

CRC Open House Question # 2

Do you agree with the staff recommendation for transit?

Recommendation:

• Bus Rapid Transit with express bus service
• Light Rail Transit with express bus service

Note that this is not a question of which of the two do you prefer, but whether this is the right set of options to be carried forward into the DEIS.

Discuss...

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:38 AM | Permalink

Factors Affecting Bicycle Demand

Portland State University
Center for Transportation Studies Winter 2007 Transportation Seminar Series

Speaker: Dr. Jennifer Dill and Kim Voros, Portland State University
Topic: Factors Affecting Bicycling Demand: Initial Survey Findings from the Portland Region
When: Friday, January 26, 2007, 12:00-1:30 pm
Where: 204 Urban Center

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

United Streetcar

United Streetcar is the subsidiary that Oregon Iron Works has formed to construct a prototype domestic streetcar (in partnership with Skoda). Here's the big press event with a long list of VIPs:

United Streetcar, LLC, a subsidiary of Oregon Iron Works, Inc. (OIW), has been selected to produce the nation’s first modern, domestically-produced streetcar. OIW has signed an exclusive technology transfer agreement with a well-known European manufacturer of rail vehicles, Skoda s.r.o. Please join us to celebrate this event.

Friday, January 26, 2007
10:00 AM
Oregon Iron Works, Inc.
9700 SE Lawnfield Road
Clackamas, Oregon
(503) 653-6300

Speakers Confirmed:
Governor Ted Kulongoski
Congressman Peter DeFazio
Congressman Earl Blumenauer
Congresswoman Darlene Hooley
Clackamas County Commissioner Martha Schrader
Portland Mayor Tom Potter
Portland Commissioner Sam Adams
TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen
Portland Streetcar, Inc. Chair Michael Powell

Posted by Chris Smith at 7:14 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

January 22, 2007

Get Your Streetcar Passes Now

Sam Adams has decided that transit passes will indeed be honored on the Tram so that regular commuters don't get soaked with the $4 single-ticket price. As reader Frank Dufay notes, I'm sitting pretty because Sam has included Streetcar Annual Passes on the list of honored fare instruments:

So now, Chris, your $100.00 a year Streetcar pass ALSO gets you on the Tram. Sweet.

Too bad, for me, ONE round trip ticket weighs in at $1.70 (bus & stretcar); $4.00 (tram); $1.70 (bus and streetcar)...or $7.40 for ONE visit up Pill Hill.

Discrimination raised to a whole new level.

And while MY employer pays the Tri-Met payroll tax OHSU's docs don't, for further public subsidy.

How crazy are we going to let this get?

For the record, I think the docs group organizing as a non-profit to avoid property tax and transit taxes is indeed a horrible evasion, and I'm open to having the payroll tax exclusion list reconsidered.

But I don't know why that justifies soaking commuters.

Frank, if you're going to OHSU as a patient, your ride is free anyway. So were you planning on sightseeing?

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:53 PM | Comments (22) | Permalink

CRC Open House Question # 1

Here's the first question of twelve from the Columbia River Crossing project open house. We'll bundle up all the responses for all the questions and forward them to the project staff to include in the public comment record.

Do you agree with the staff recommendation for the bridge?

Recommendation:

Replace the existing bridge with a new I-5 bridge to carry highway traffic, transit, bicycles and pedestrians.

Agree/Disagree. Discuss...

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:18 AM | Permalink

Report from the CRC Open House

Good turnout

The recommendation: new bridge with choice of transit flavor

What the DEIS will cover

Bridges for kids

The first open house leading up to the DEIS (Draft Environment Impact Statement) options choice was held Saturday in Vancouver (an earlier event was canceled due to weather and will be rescheduled). There are two other open houses currently scheduled.

Turnout seemed reasonably strong and as in other rounds, there was story-telling and activities for kids to complement the presentation boards and staff presentations.

The comment form for this event consists of twelve questions with agree/disagree check-boxes. As we did during the last open house process, we'll have a series of posts here to go through these individually, with the opportunity for thorough discussion. We'll then submit the full discussion to the project staff for inclusion in the public comment record.

I've also take the opportunity to put the task force meetings for 2007 on the Portland Transport Calendar.

Posted by Chris Smith at 6:57 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Burnside/Couch Couplet Moves to Deliberation

Update: Randy Gragg has an article with the background and issues around this project in today's O.

Commissioner Adams will present the couplet plan to the Planning Commission Tuesday evening (January 23rd, 7pm, 1900 SW 4th Ave, 2nd floor, Room 2500A).

Then City Council will consider funding for the first phase of engineering on February 8th (City Hall, 2pm).

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 19, 2007

Future of the Calendar

I'm happy to say that a couple of folks have signed on to maintain specific meeting sets on the calendar. I don't think we've hit the point of sustainability yet, but it's enough to keep the experiment going.

We're still looking for calendar maintainers. If you have a few free minutes, just e-mail me at webmaster@portlandtransport.com and we'll get you set up.

Posted by Chris Smith at 9:16 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tram Vehicles: Jean and Walt

From PDOT:

Two months ago Commissioner Adams established a tram naming committee with an intention of personalizing Portland's new skyline icon with names. The committee has completed its work and has decided to name the tram cars "Jean" and "Walt" respectively. Tram car "Jean" honors Jean Richardson, Oregon's first female engineering graduate, from Oregon State University (OSU). Tram car "Walt" honors Walt Reynolds, the first African American to graduate from the University of Oregon Medical School, now known as Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU).

Despite enduring gender discrimination during her time at school and in establishing her career, Jean Richardson persevered. She graduated from OSU in 1949 and found gainful employment by first offering her services pro bono until her employer deemed her work professionally competent and worthy of a paycheck.

Walt Reynolds is a community leader in ways beyond being first African American in Oregon to earn a medical degree from OHSU in 1949. The Oregonian reported on July 10, 1997: "It's after 6 p.m. and Reynolds is still seeing patients, as he has for more than four decades of solo practice. It's one of the ways he gives back to his community. In addition to his work, which the 77-year-old Reynolds has continued well past regular retirement age, he has served as president of the Urban League, a mentor to other minority health professionals and a volunteer on numerous projects. Today, he dreams of establishing a clinic with other black family doctors to build a community tradition."

Complementing the tram car names, the committee also selected two station names derived from the Tualatin language: Chameffu, meaning "On the mountain," for the Upper Station and Chamanchal, meaning "On the river" for the Lower Station. Commissioner Adams and the local Native American community are pleased that that the City is naming a significant project using a local tribal language.

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:34 AM | Comments (9) | Permalink

New Streetcar Vehicles Officially Premiere on Monday

They're getting their own press event. Details from PDOT:

STREETCAR RECEIVES THREE NEW CARS FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC

(Portland, OR) Three new streetcars have arrived in Portland from the Czech Republic. Join Commissioner Sam Adams on Monday, January 22, at 1:15 pm to see the first of three cars commence testing in preparation for revenue operations by mid-February. "These new cars are needed to support the expanded service to South Waterfront," said Commissioner Adams.

What: See the three new streetcars that have arrived from the Czech Republic
When: Monday, January 22, 1:15 PM
Where: Streetcar maintenance facility 1516 NW Northrup (under I-405 between Northrup and Marshall)
Who: City of Portland Transportation Commissioner Sam Adams
Portland Streetcar now has a fleet of 10 trains and will be operating 7 trains at once over 12 hours a day 6 days per week, and operating 6 trains on Sunday for 8 hours when operations open to SW Lowell in late summer 2007.

The three new cars were manufactured by Inekon in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The new cars have two new colors, with new color combinations of apple green/golden yellow, apple green/blue, and golden yellow/orange. It is expected that the public will see these three new cars testing on the Streetcar route. The cars were transported cross country by truck and delivered to the Streetcar maintenance facility at 1516 NW Northrup Street.

Streetcar currently operates a continuous 7.2-mile loop, 3.6-miles in each direction from the Northwest District, through the Pearl district, 10th and 11th avenues, PSU, RiverPlace, and South Waterfront District and serves a total of 42 platform stops. A further extension into the South Waterfront District is slated for late summer 2007.

Visit the Portland Streetcar website for more detailed information, including construction updates.
www.portlandstreetcar.org.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 18, 2007

Another Tram Ride Perspective

Libby Tucker of the Daily Journal of Commerce was on the same preview ride with the Streetcar CAC on Tuesday.

Her (positive) report appeared in the paper (and online) today.

Bob will be frustrated with the same ambiguity about who's allowed to ride this week :-)

Posted by Chris Smith at 7:32 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

SDC Update Progresses

The 10-year review of Portland's Transportation System Development Charge program is slogging along.

The CAC has released the first cut list of projects that may be eligible for SDC funding. This list will get narrowed, so now is the time to provide your input.

I don't see an online comment form, so I would suggest sending comments to project manager Kathryn Levine (Kathryn.Levine@pdxtrans.org).

Posted by Chris Smith at 6:55 AM | Comments (5) | Permalink

Update on Columbia Crossing Open Houses

Last night's open house in Battle Ground was cancelled due to weather. Staff is promising to try to get another event scheduled in Clark County.

Meanwhile, since my initial post, another event got added to the schedule:

Tuesday, January 30th, 2007
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
12050 N. Jantzen Dr. (across from Safeway, next to former Zupan’s grocery)
Hayden Island
Portland, Oregon
Bus: TriMet #6 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 17, 2007

CRC and Land Use

One of the persistent questions being asked about the Columbia River Crossing project is whether it won't exacerbate the jobs-housing imbalance between the two sides of the river.

Staff's answer is that it won't, and that this was validated with a modeling run in Metro's Metroscope tool.

I've asked staff for a copy of the Metroscope analysis, but the results are summarized in Appendix C to the 2002 Final Strategic Plan (PDF, 5.8M) of the I-5 Partnership project.

Reading this carefully poses another question: if we get the land use plans wrong, will the CRC make any difference? Here's the relevant section from the report:

Highway and transit investments in the corridor also carry risks if the development pressure associated with the increased accessibility is not well managed.

• Increased demand for housing in Clark County due to the location of jobs in the center of the region and the faster travel times to jobs in Portland may increase pressure to expand the Clark County urban growth area along the I-5 Corridor to the north. If more new houses are built than jobs in Clark County, I-5 will become overloaded to levels that would exist if no improvements were made. This would be contrary to the regional policy and limit the capacity for freight.
• Industrial areas are at greater risk of being converted to commercial uses at new and improved interchanges with the improved travel times at these locations. As the region’s population has increased, the value of land along the freeway has also increased. This increase in value increases development pressure. Value and corresponding development pressure will increase as accessibility is further improved. If not protected, this development will erode the supply of increasingly scarce industrial land, reduce the opportunities to create family wage jobs close to where people live, and generate more traffic than the system can handle, even with new capacity.

Growth must be managed to ensure that:

• Clark County growth does not result in new freeway capacity being used by commuters, instead of truckers for the movement of goods.
• The expected life span of investments is not shortened.
• Scarce industrial land is not converted to commercial uses.
• Local jurisdictions implement necessary zoning and regulatory changes to attract mixed-use and compact housings around transit stations. The availability of land within the Metro UGB and the Clark County UGAs changes where and how the region will grow. If Metro has a tight UGB, it will increase demand for housing in Clark County, even more than the effect of the added accessibility due to the transit and highway investment. If Clark County expands the UGA, it will also attract growth. UGB/A decisions alone can change traffic demands across the river.

So it seems to me that as local governments are being asked to sign off on the task force DEIS recommendation (which the task force will vote on in February), they should be asking whether the land use plans are in fact in place and being implemented to make sure that the CRC will function as intended by the Partnership.

Posted by Chris Smith at 9:04 AM | Comments (28) | Permalink

DeFazio Clarifies Position on Tolls

Congressman DeFazio is quoted in yesterday's Trib saying that he's not opposed to tolls, nor is he opposed to public-private partnerships.

He's just opposed to deals that screw the public:

DeFazio said his objections were with the structure of the Indiana deal, not tolls or public-private partnerships in general. Although MIG-Cintra paid Indiana $3.8 billion to lease the roadway, the two companies will be able to set and collect tolls for 75 years – far too long, in DeFazio’s opinion.

“They’ll get their investment back in 15 years and reap 60 years of profits,” he predicted.

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:16 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Tram Preview Ride

Watching from inside where it's warm Cable cross section Everything has rules Waiting at the bottom Down from the tower Coming in for a landing Touchdown Our friendly operator The control panel - although everything can also be controlled from the ground I-5 Barbur Blvd SoWa from above Downtown from the top This is what holds it up Approaching the tower on the way down

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (8) | Permalink

January 16, 2007

Driving is Expensive

Over at the BTA Blog, Scott Bricker has a post derived from background research for the RTP (Regional Transportation Plan) update about how expensive driving really is.

Read and comment over there.

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:00 PM | Permalink

Parking in Lieu of Fee

Maybe this is an answer to the question of what to do about parking minimums in neighborhood development. Over at the "Overhead Wire" blog, there's a suggestion that developers be allowed to drop parking from their projects only by paying an 'in lieu of' fee that would help fund alternative transportation.

Posted by Chris Smith at 9:03 AM | Comments (35) | Permalink

Streetcar Charlie at PSU

Portland State University Center for Transportation Studies
Winter 2007 Transportation Seminar Series

Speaker: Charlie Hales, HDR, Inc.
Topic: How Portland is Taking America Back to the Future - the National Streetcar Movement and the Changing Urban Landscape
When: Friday, January 19, 2007, 12:00-1:30 pm
Where: 204 Urban Center (www.pdx.edu/map.html)

[Unfortunately, this is counterscheduled with the Mayor's State of the City address. I'll have to catch the video.]

Posted by Chris Smith at 7:44 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

One Down, Two to Go

How do you unload a Streetcar? You erect a temporary crane. Watching a Streetcar get unloaded is a lot like watching paint dry. There's a lot of waiting. I came back a few hours and they were about to move the car off the wash track into the shop. Yes, Bob, you can link two cars together. Here one of the current cars is pushing and pulling the new vehicle. Blue and Apple Green

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (11) | Permalink

January 15, 2007

Thousand Little Fixes

Lenny passed on this pointer to an article about Seattle's efforts to mitigate the closure of their bus tunnel. The meta-message is that lots of small operational improvements may have more impact on moving people effectively than large capital projects.

Posted by Lenny Anderson at 9:58 AM | Comments (21) | Permalink

Streetcars to be Unloaded Today

Update, 10:45am: I am told unloading of the first car has commenced.

I am told the 3 new vehicles will be unloaded at the maintenance facility (NW Northrup and 16th) today and tomorrow. I don't have any word on what time they'll start today.

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:36 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

Tram Anticipation, and Fares

I'm excited. Along with my fellow members of the Streetcar Citizens Advisory Committee, I'm going to get a 'preview' ride on the OHSU Tram this week. Look for pictures here afterwards.

Meanwhile, over at Commissioner Sam, there's a question about whether the Tram fare should be seamlessly part of the TriMet/Streetcar pricing and transfer system, or whether a higher, standalone fare should be charged that covers the actual City contribution to operations (OHSU employees and patients ride free, paid for by OHSU, which is covering 85% of the operating costs).

I left a comment suggesting we split the difference.

Sam would like as much input as possible, so please head over there and let the Commissioner know what you think.

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:00 AM | Permalink

D-Day

Here we are: the first commute day with the Transit Mall closed.

Yesterday's O featured a chart with all the new stop locations (PDF, 764K).

We just wanted to let you know that our Transit Surfer tool has been updated with all the new route and stop information.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (27) | Permalink

January 12, 2007

Tualatin Bike/Ped Bridge: Medium-Term Gratification

The Oregonian yesterday had a brief piece on a new bike/ped bridge that will open in a few weeks, crossing the Tualatin river.

As a member of TPAC (Metro's Transportation Policy Alternatives Committee), I had a chance to score and recommend this project as part of the State "Transportation Enhancements" competitive process.

I feel a tinge of gratification watching it turn into reality. Often the results of time spent as a citizen rep in government planning processes are esoteric and very long term. It's nice to see this one done.

I also learned something from the article that I didn't know: when this bridge was originally conceived twenty-plus years ago, it was as an auto bridge!

Posted by Chris Smith at 9:08 AM | Comments (23) | Permalink

Schools and Congestion

A reader passed on this article from the UK suggesting that a significant portion of AM peak congestion may be due to the combination of school trips with employment commute trips.

So if we got all of our kids walking and biking to school, how much of our morning congestion could we do away with?

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:20 AM | Comments (9) | Permalink

Pls Wtch the TLAs

I had an e-mail from a reader who's having trouble following all the acronyms we drop into our conversations.

He has to Google some of the terms we use.

I'm afraid I'm probably as bad as anyone else.

So if you're talking about TPAC, a CAC or some ROW, try to spell it out the first time you use it.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (6) | Permalink

January 11, 2007

Streetcar Vehicle Pipeline

Update: The vehicles are apparently snowed in in Wyoming. Earliest possible arrival is Monday.

Two pieces of news on new Streetcar Vehicles:

• Cars 8, 9 and 10 are almost here from the Czech Republic! Cars 8 and 9 landed in Baltimore just after Christmas and car 10 cleared customs in NJ on New Year's Eve (significant because we had a congressional tarrif waiver that expired at the end of the year). They are now on trucks headed across the contintent. They are likely to unload at the maintenance facility this weekend. If I can get an exact time, I'll post an update.
• Finally (don't get me started on Federal purchasing requirements), the City of Portland has posted an intent to award (PDF, 88K) for the prototype domestic Streetcar. Yes, Oregon Ironworks is the awardee.

Posted by Chris Smith at 6:10 PM | Comments (20) | Permalink

CRC to Heal Vancouver?

In today's Daily Journal of Commerce, Mayor Royce Pollard of Vancouver is quoted as hoping that based on the ramp design and possibly capping portions of I-5, he's hoping the CRC will help heal Vancouver's downtown.

"The concern for me and the community is that we have an opportunity to heal and reconstruct what was destroyed when they first put Interstate 5 through Vancouver,” said Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard. “We’re booming and we don’t want to do anything to harm that. This bridge is about the future economic viability of the region, and we ought to heal some of the things done in the past."

This would seem to be directly opposite from the speculation by Oregonian Architecture critic Randy Gragg last year that the ramps could further impact downtown Vancouver.

Of course, capping the I-450 Freeway in Portland was a hot topic for a while. Coincidentally a reader just sent me a link about freeway capping in other cities.

Posted by Chris Smith at 10:40 AM | Comments (22) | Permalink

Last MTIP Comment Opportunity Feb 13

From Metro:

On Tuesday, February 13, 2007, beginning at 5:30 p.m., the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) and the Metro Council will hear public testimony on the draft final list of transportation priorities for the flexible funding portion of the 2008-11 Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP). The hearing will be held in the Metro Council Chamber, 600 NE Grand Avenue, Portland. (Take Tri-Met bus route 6 or take MAX to the Oregon Convention Center stop.)

To ensure the accuracy of your testimony, please bring a written version of your testimony. Make sure your contact information and affiliation (if any) are included. Alternatively, you may complete a testimony form at the hearing. You may also submit your testimony by email, US mail, fax, or over the website as long as it is received after the final draft list is released and before midnight on February 13. This hearing will be taped for later cable access viewing (time at yet to be determined).

A draft final list of funding recommendations is scheduled to be released on February 3, 2007. View the list at www.metro-region.org and click on "Transportation Priorities 2008-11" in the left navigation menu. Then look for the link toward the bottom of the Transportation Priorities main page.

Approximately $45 million—about 4% of funding available in the region—is available during the 2008-11 funding cycle. Jurisdictions and transportation agencies submitted 66 projects for funding consideration, totaling $132 million in funding requests. To help narrow the list to more closely match available funds, a public comment period on the "first-cut" list of funding recommendations was held from October 13–December 1, 2006. The public comments together with cost considerations and technical criteria will help JPACT and Metro staff to develop a draft final list of funding recommendations. Final action is scheduled for March, pending state compliance and air-quality-conformity determinations.

For technical questions about the transportation priorities process, programs or projects, call Ted Leybold, MTIP project manager, 503-797-1759. For questions about public involvement, call Pat Emmerson, 503-797-1551.

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:09 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Transportation History Blogged

Scott Cohen has started a new blog on the history of transportation in Portland.

Welcome to the blogosphere, Scott.

Check it out.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

January 10, 2007

Not Your Father's RTP ... or ... Losing LOS

A few months ago I asked JPACT chair Rex Burkholder "I understand the idea behind an outcomes-based RTP process, but when is the process going to feel different?"

As of this week's TPAC workshop reviewing the draft of Chapter 1 (goals, objectives, policies) [PDF, 887K] it definitely feels different. From the intro memo, here are a few of the differences:

• There are just two system maps - one for the design of the street system, and one for the design of the transit system. The merging of other modal system maps is discussed below.

  Rationale for change: This consolidation emphasizes a systems perspective rather than a modal perspective for the design, management and governance of the regional transportation system.



• The motor vehicle functional classification system is dropped, with the remaining design and performance objectives for this system merged with street design objectives and a street design classification map.

  Rationale for change: The current two system map perspective for the design and function of the regional street system has been confusing, and in many cases ignored, during local implementation.



• The current motor vehicle level-of-service (LOS) policy is updated, and replaced with multimodal design objectives set forth in the system design section and a multi-modal corridor performance measure set forth in the system management section.

  Rationale for change: The current LOS policy is not realistically attainable given other desired outcomes for land use, the economy, equity, fiscal stewardship and the environment. Recent amendments to the Oregon Transportation Plan also recognize the issues inherent with traditional approaches to dealing with congestion. This change moves the RTP away from level-of-service as the primary tool used to determine transportation needs and how big to size the system. The updated Chapter 1 uses aggregate, multi-modal system design objectives and a person-trip capacity measure to inform sizing of the transportation system over time. Reliability of the system,
  particularly for freight and goods movement, is also emphasized through travel time objectives and performance measures. The traditional level-of-service measures (e.g., demand-to-capacity ratios and travel speeds) would continue to be used as a diagnostic tool to identify problem areas, monitor performance of the system and inform phasing of transportation investments needed to complete the system over time. More specific strategies will be developed for how to achieve these objectives.



• The regional freight functional classification system is dropped, and replaced with a regional freight corridors map that simply informs design and management objectives for critical freight access routes that includes road, rail, air and waterways.

  Rationale for change: The focus of the RTP should be ensuring critical freight access routes are provided and that they be reliable and designed to facilitate efficient freight and goods movement. A functional classification system map is not needed to accomplish these objectives. More specific strategies will be developed for how to achieve these objectives.



• The regional bicycle and pedestrian classification systems are dropped, and replaced with design objectives that expected to be implemented for all streets in the region.

  Rationale for change: The current system map approach for the design and function of the regional bicycle and pedestrian systems has been confusing, and in some cases ignored, during local implementation. The focus of the RTP should be ensuring a safe, continuous and attractive network of bikeways and pedestrian facilities on all streets in the region. A functional classification system map is not needed to accomplish these objectives. The regional street design

Posted by Chris Smith at 6:41 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

Streetcar Makes USA Today

We've gone