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June 30, 2008
CRC City Club Forum Widely Covered
Friday's City Club program on the Columbia River Crossing has gotten a fair amount of press coverage:
- Rumble! It's the City Club Forum on the Columbia River Crossing Portland Mercury Blog
- Sparks, opinions fly in I-5 bridge project debate Portland Tribune
- Interstate 205 bridge over the Columbia River may get tolls Oregonian
- Issues pile up for I-5 bridge project Portland Tribune
The Mercury also has the audio file online (52M mp3).
My own impression is that Cortright clearly had the crowd with him, and was the stronger speaker. Rex gave the impression of being an apologist for something he'd prefer not to be doing...
Posted by Chris Smith at 7:58 AM | Comments (18) | Permalink
June 26, 2008
Encouraging New Transit Users
Via Planetizen:
Apparently for a variety of transit systems in the Bay Area, today was "try transit for free" day, trying to get new users to check it out.
Maybe TriMet should give this a shot?
Posted by Chris Smith at 8:46 PM | Comments (82) | Permalink
June 25, 2008
Our Drivers Greenest!
The Daily Journal of Commerce is reporting on a "Men's Health" magazine article ranking Portland 3rd in the nation for the "greenest drivers":
The magazine said it ranked 100 U.S. cities by using data including gas consumption, miles driven annually, air quality (ozone and particle pollutants), vehicle efficiency (size, age, and frequency of tune-ups), mass transit quality and usage.
I can see why we might be behind Burlington, VT, but I have trouble seeing how Seattle is #1?
Posted by Chris Smith at 9:46 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink
June 24, 2008
CRC at City Club on Friday
From City Club:
The I-5 bridge across the Columbia River is a major congestion point on the I-5 corridor. Anticipated population growth and commercial development, along with traffic safety issues and earthquake preparedness, are driving a public conversation around how to address these challenges.The Columbia River Crossing Project, a joint project of the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Washington State Department of Transportation, is recommending that $4.2 billion be spent to replace the bridge with additional lanes for automobiles, pedestrians and bicycles.
On June 27, join Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder and economist Joe Cortright, as they examine the viability of this proposal. Where will the money come from? What will be the size of the carbon footprint created by the new bridge and how will it impact the environment? Ultimately, how do we balance the practical demands of a growing region with environmental concerns?
Rex Burkholder was elected in 2004 for a second term to represent District 5 in Multnomah County. Burkholder helped found the Bicycle Transportation Alliance,chairs the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation and serves on other transportation committees. Joe Cortright is an economist with Impresa, a Portland consulting firm specializing in regional economic analysis, innovation and industry clusters. Cortright is also the chief economic analyst for the Oregon Business Plan, a private-sector effort to develop the state economy.
Reserve online here.
Posted by Chris Smith at 4:09 PM | Comments (15) | Permalink
Council Drinks CRC Kool-Aid wthout Benefit of Hearing
The Mercury and Oregonian are both reporting that all five Portland City Council members have signed on to a letter (the Mercury site includes a link to the letter) embracing the replacement bridge for the Columbia River Crossing along with a number of conditions that map pretty closely to the Metro resolution (independent analysis of greenhouse gases, selection of final bridge options to be driven by a more locally-focused oversight committee, etc.).
Of course, City Council won't actually hold a public hearing on the CRC until July 9th, nor do I believe they have had the benefit of a final recommendation from the Planning Commission on the topic...
Nice of them to make all this clear so we don't have to guess how Sam Adams will vote tonight at the task force meeting.
Posted by Chris Smith at 8:02 AM | Comments (21) | Permalink
June 23, 2008
Oregonian Delves into CRC Induced Demand Issue
Sunday's Oregonian includes a front page article on the question of whether widening the Columbia River Crossing to twelve lanes will trigger land use changes that will in turn help congest the bridge again (and negatively impact air qualify).
The Oregonian has learned that traffic forecasters involved in planning a new bridge, projected to cost $4.2 billion, were told to assume a new 12-lane bridge would not trigger any more growth than if the current bridge were simply left in place. Yet a 12-lane bridge would handle 40 percent more cars during afternoon rush hour, according to the forecasters' calculations.
Ignored is a finding by regional planners, in 2001, that eliminating the bridge's bottleneck threatened to push job and housing growth away from other parts of the metropolitan area and concentrate them in North Portland and across the river, in a rapidly expanding Clark County.
We discussed this issue here (and some of the same documents involved) 16 months ago.
In making their designs, bridge planners had assistance from specialists with the Metro regional government. Though Metro is nationally known for using sophisticated computer tools to study sprawl and the role of highways in it, Metro's modeling staff heeded requests by Columbia River Crossing staff to assume that all bridge solutions would have no influence on development patterns in North Portland and southwest Washington.
They did so, according to Metro's chief traffic forecaster, to be free of the complex forces driving growth as they designed the five bridge scenarios.
"Essentially that was a simplifying assumption to assess what the difference might be between the infrastructure changes," said Richard Walker, travel forecasting manager for Metro.
Maybe (and it's definitely arguable) you could reasonably ignore land use changes between say 10 lanes and 12 lanes, but to not look at land use impacts between the full project and the no-build is neither realistic nor responsible!
Posted by Chris Smith at 7:32 AM | Comments (19) | Permalink
June 20, 2008
CRC Poll You Can Participate In
The Business Journal has an online poll running on the CRC. Let them know how you feel.
Posted by Chris Smith at 9:29 AM | Comments (13) | Permalink
June 19, 2008
Another Survey Backs Bridge without Price
The Oregonian reports on a survey by Riley Research testing attitudes about the Columbia River Crossing.
The survey found broad support for a new bridge - but didn't ask about costs. That's a little like asking "would you like a world class education system?" without asking about the costs involved.
The interesting news however is that Clark County respondents appear to support a Light Rail component...
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (24) | Permalink
June 18, 2008
Another Economist Weighs in on the CRC
We've featured the critical insights of Joe Cortright here extensively. Now local economist Eric Hovee weighs in with comments submitted to the Columbia River Crossing project record. Some of his points (my paraphrasing) include:
- Look at the whole I-5 Corridor from Woodland to Wilsonville, and examine the impacts on connecting corridors as well.
- Evaluate added crossings, not just replacement crossings.
- Carefully coordinate the transit investments to impact land use.
- Examine the impacts of rising fuel prices.
Read Hovee's full remarks (PDF, 76K).
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:06 AM | Comments (55) | Permalink
June 17, 2008
Next Round of Open Houses on I-5/99W Connector
From the Oregonian:
All open houses are from 6 to 8:30 p.m.. Here's the schedule:
--June 24, Archer Glen Elementary School, 16155 S.W. Sunset Blvd., Sherwood
--June 25, Tualatin High School, 22300 S.W. Boones Ferry Road, Tualatin
--June 26, Wilsonville High School, 6800 S.W. Wilsonville Road, Wilsonville
Apparently they've narrowed it to six alternatives. No word on funding sources...
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink
June 16, 2008
Quiet Collapse of Prosperity
Via Planetizen:
U.S. mayors have testified to Congress that failure to maintain and invest in infrastructure is resulting in a decline in U.S. prosperity.
Posted by Chris Smith at 8:32 AM | Comments (8) | Permalink
June 13, 2008
More Violence on MAX
With another violent attack on MAX, today's Oregonian makes the connection - will this latest incident deter folks who are making the switch to transit because of high gas prices?
Posted by Chris Smith at 8:44 AM | Comments (63) | Permalink
June 11, 2008
CRC Financing Risks
Economist Joe Cortright has prepared a memo to local leaders on the financial risks (PDF, 51K) of the Columbia River Crossing project.
Beyond fundamental questions like where the local match is going to come from, the project may require an unprecedented amount of debt.
But perhaps scariest is the constraints that may be created by assuming that much of this debt will be repaid using tolling revenue. This has interesting implications:
- If peak oil drives gas prices hight enough that there is less traffic across the bridge than projected, toll revenues might not provide the revenue to repay the bonds. If that happens, what other revenue sources would be diverted to repay the bond holders?
- Since the bond holders will have a vested interest in maintaining traffic flow over the crossing, might the bond covenants restrict actions that could reduce traffic - like expanding transit service?
Meanwhile BikePortland is reporting on serious concerns coming from the Portland Planning Commission.
Posted by Chris Smith at 10:09 PM | Comments (7) | Permalink
June 10, 2008
Fregonese on Transportation
John Fregonese, one the nation's premier regional planners, spoke last night at the Portland Spaces/City Club "Bright Lights" series. Of course, transportation was a frequent topic. Some of John's thoughts:
- On transit in our region: buses are being neglected. He'd much rather forgo MAX on Barbur and Powell and provide much better bus service throughout the region, including creating more 'hubs' in the system besides downtown Portland (e.g., Beaverton, Gresham).
- On the CRC: he supports a replacement bridge, but thinks the current 12-lane concept is a product of the "transportation-industrial complex" and will not/should not be built. He likes Metro's call for more local control in the design.
- He believes Portland is now dense enough to "pedestrianize" (close to cars all or part of the day) some streets, starting with the park blocks.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (23) | Permalink
June 8, 2008
Transit and Fuel Prices
Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich has an interesting essay on the reaction of transit systems to higher fuel prices. There seem to be three potential responses:
- Raise fares to cover increases in fuel costs (the TriMet response)
- Cut service to control costs (does it get any stupider than this?)
- Recognize a market opportunity and expand service (are there any systems actually doing this?)
The last response is the correct policy, but we need a financing approach. Reich suggests making it part of the next stimulus package. Can we get that past the same folks who just defeated the global warming bill in the Senate?
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (62) | Permalink
June 6, 2008
Metro Backs Replacement I-5 Bridge, Adds Significant Conditions
I testified early and then had to leave the hearing, but you can read the Oregonian coverage here.
It appears that the compromise constructed by President David Bragdon held. It would require significant independent analysis (yeah!) and change the governance structure to provide much more local control.
Posted by Chris Smith at 7:56 AM | Comments (29) | Permalink
Public Day at the Carfree Cities Conference
The upcoming Carfree Cities conference includes a "public day" for the citizens of Portland. It's free of charge, but DOES require registration:
Towards Carfree Cities VIII: Rethinking Mobility, Rediscovering Proximity June 16th - 20thTowards Carfree Cities is an international conference making its North American debut in Portland this year. Hosted by Shift, the conference provides a forum to discuss diverse issues in sustainable transportation and urban livability. Free Public Day events are listed here. For a full program or to register for the entire conference (student and one-day rates available), see carfreeportland.org.
The conference is hosted by Shift, the World Carfree Network, Portland State University, The City of Portland, and Carfree City, USA.
Public Day
Tuesday, June 17th
9:00 - 4:30
Portland State University
Smith Memorial Student Union
1825 SW Broadway, 3rd FloorFree and open to the public. Donations accepted. Register in advance at carfreeportland.org/reg/pub so we can be sure to have enough chairs and coffee for everyone.
8:00 - 9:00 Breakfast and check-in
Morning sessions 9:00 - 12:00
Room1: Carfree Families
9:00 - 9:45 Carfree Family Stories - We're Not Supermen: How Mild
Mannered People Demotorize Metropolis
9:45 - 10:30 The Transportation Liberation Roadshow: How to Save
Money, Save Your Sanity, and Save the Planet by Not Driving
10:45 - 12:15 Workshop: Towards Carfree Families: Transportation Solutions for
Families in a Car-Oriented World.
Room 2: Portland's Freeways
9:00 - 10:30 The Mount Hood Freeway: Portland's Road Not Taken
10:45 - 12:15 The Columbia River Crossing: Moving Into the Future
Room 3: Hands-on Street Conversion Design WorkshopAfternoon Session 1:30 - 3:15
1:30 - 2:00 Introduction by Mia Birk, Principal, Alta Planning + Design
2:00 - 2:30 Keynote Speaker Andy Clarke, Executive Director, League of American Bicyclists
2:30 - 3:15 Keynote speaker Gil Peñalosa, Executive Director, Walk and Bike For Life.....or, if you're working all day, be sure to check out the:
Towards Carfree Cities Postcard Art Show
Opening Reception
Tuesday, June 17th
5:00 - 8:00 (Sprockettes at 7:00)
Portland City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave, in the atriumFree and open to the public. No registration required. Come one, come all!
Featuring:
• Laura Garzon's "The Real Deal: Retro/spectives on the Automobile", a collage series
confronting consumers with the ultimate effects of excessive auto use
• The world-renowned cartoons of Andy Singer
• The comic art of Roberta and Ken Avidor
• An enormous installation of carfree mail-art & postcards from around the world
in celebration of this conference
• Performance by bicycle dance troupe the Sprockettes
• Live music by Reptet
• Interactive art by artists Ashley Montague and Tiago DeJerk
•Pedal-powered refreshments in the parking spaces.
Posted by Chris Smith at 1:08 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink
June 5, 2008
Your Car in 60 Seconds
Stacked parking is here and spreading...
Posted by Chris Smith at 7:02 AM | Comments (11) | Permalink
June 4, 2008
KBOO Bike Show: Pedalpalooza and the Car Free Cities Conference
Listen to the show (mp3, 13.4 MB)
Fun bike action explodes in Portland! On some Pedalpalooza days there are 17 events from which to choose. Add the Cycle Seen art show, Toward Carfree Cities, Cirque du Cycling and Sunday Parkways to the mix and it gets a little awesomely ridiculous!
Posted by Chris Smith at 8:18 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
June 3, 2008
Public Health and Active Living
Portland State University
Center for Transportation Studies
Spring 2008 Transportation Seminar Series
Speaker: Dr. James Sallis, Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University; Director, Active Living Research
Co-Sponsored by the School of Community Health
Topic: Public Health and Active Living
When: Friday, June 6, 2008, 12:00-1:30pm
Where: PSU Urban Center Building, SW 6th and Mill, Room 204
Posted by Chris Smith at 6:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Coming Up on the KBOO Bike Show: Pedalpalooza and the Carfree Cities Conference
There is so much fun bike action about to explode in Portland! One some Pedalpalooza days there are 17 events from which to choose. Add the Cycle Seen art show, Toward Carfree Cities, Cirque du Cycling and Sunday Parkways to the mix and it gets a little awesomely ridiculous!
But before you get too overwhelmed with all the activities, tune in to the KBOO Bike Show and let us help you make sense of it all.
Organizers from Toward Carfree Cities and Cycle Seen will be with us live in the studio from 9-9:30 am.
From 9:30-10, it's a whirlwind presentation of Pedalpalooza events from the event hosts. We'll talk about the Labor History Ride, Women on Bikes, the Vancouver new bike shop ride and plenty of others.
9-10AM, Wednesday, June 4th
KBOO FM 90.7
Streamed live at KBOO.fm
Podcast here later that day
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
