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April 30, 2009
$75M in Federal Funding Announced for Streetcar Loop
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today that the Portland Streetcar Loop project will receive $75M in Small Starts funding.
LaHood said "Portland is the model for providing integrated transit options" creating community livability.
Congressman Earl Blumenaur thanked LaHood, saying "you have broken the log jam" on funding for this project.
The funding is composed of $45M appropriated by Congress earlier this year and $30M of stimulus funds provided under the discretion of the Federal Transit Administration.
Posted by Chris Smith at 11:16 AM | Comments (117) | Permalink
CRC Sponsors Council to Take Up Tolling
From the press release:
Columbia River Crossing Project Sponsors Council meets May 4
VANCOUVER - The Columbia River Crossing Project Sponsors Council will begin a discussion of tolling at its next meeting on Monday, May 4.
The agenda includes an update on recent tolling legislation, a background presentation and discussion of lessons learned from tolling outreach on other northwest highways, and a beginning discussion on how to study and engage the public on tolling for the Columbia River Crossing project.
Multiple sources will be necessary to fund construction of the Columbia River Crossing project, including federal, state, regional and local sources, and tolls. Specific toll collection strategies have not been identified, but tolls would be collected electronically to avoid the need for toll booths.
The Project Sponsors Council also will begin discussing the concept of "performance measures" for ensuring optimal long-term performance of the Columbia River crossing. The need for such measures was identified during the March Project Sponsors Council meeting. A performance measurement technical group will be formed in June to develop performance measurements for consideration later this year.
The public meeting will be held 1:30 - 3 p.m. at the Clark County Public Services Center, sixth floor hearing room, 1300 Franklin Street, Vancouver. Meeting materials are available at: http://www.columbiarivercrossing.org/ProjectPartners/PSCMeetingMaterials.aspx.
Posted by Chris Smith at 1:14 AM | Comments (6) | Permalink
April 29, 2009
Could it be? Someone Finally Ready to Say NO to CRC
The Portland Mercury is blogging that the the $30M in the Governor's Transportation Package for continued Columbia River Crossing planning is under attachattack in the Legislature.
Be still my heart...
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:21 AM | Comments (11) | Permalink
April 28, 2009
Where's Waldo? Traffic Forecast Inflation
There's a great post on World Streets today about ways to inflate traffic forecasts (primarily to boost projections of toll revenue, but also potentially to justify projects).
Today's question: how many of these can you find in the Columbia River Crossing Draft Environmental Impact Statement?
Posted by Chris Smith at 8:28 AM | Comments (55) | Permalink
April 27, 2009
All Bikes at City Club This Week
From the City Club bulletin:
In Portland, bicycling is more than a way to get around - it's a way of life. According to the League of American Bicyclists, Portland is America's number-one major city for biking. A significant economic force, Portland's bicycle industry generated nearly $90 million and sustained approximately 1,000 jobs last year. Bicycling eases traffic congestion, improves air quality and enhances public health in the metro area. And by leveraging one of the community's most valuable public assets - the right-of-way space long allocated to cars - Portland is emerging as a model for sustainable urban living in the 21st century.
On May 1, City Club welcomes Jay Graves, owner of the Bike Gallery, Mia Birk, principal at Alta Planning & Design, and Jonathan Nicholas, a founder of Cycle Oregon, who will discuss bicycles and bicycling as an economic influence, an urban planning opportunity and a lifestyle.
City Club is also pleased to announce its first-ever bicycle exposition, in which eighteen local bike builders will be showcasing their one-of-a-kind, hand-made bicycles. Come early to enjoy the bikes and to speak with these artisans about their creations. Find a full list of attending bike builders here.
Tickets are going fast! Lunch is $16 for members; $20 for nonmembers. Registration closes April 29 at 2:00 p.m. unless tickets sell out sooner.To register for lunch, click here. To reserve a table, please call 503-228-7231 x100. Coffee/tea and general admission tickets are $5 and are available at the door.
Posted by Chris Smith at 6:57 AM | Comments (11) | Permalink
April 24, 2009
Duin Takes on CRC Design
Steve Duin's Thursday column in the O blasts the Columbia River Crossing design. Among other things he quotes members of the project design advisory committee who have figured out that like other citizens trying to influence the project, they're there for window dressing, not to actually change the DOTs' agenda:
Jeff Stuhr at Holst Architecture has also sat through this two-year charade and admits, "It's been painful to watch." Tedious wrangling over lanes and interchanges is the rage. "My big fear," Stuhr said, "is we'll never do any design work."
But my favorite quote comes from Metro President David Bragdon:
But the most daunting constraint, notes Metro Council President David Bragdon, "is the restriction on the imagination of the two state Departments of Transportation.
"You have two DOTs that are just driven to build huge slabs of concrete. That's what they do. That's what they've done for the last 40 years. They engineer the biggest, baddest thing they can, and think about the design later, the budget later, the community impacts later."
Amen, brother!
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:02 AM | Comments (22) | Permalink
April 23, 2009
Bus of the Future - in Stainless Steel
Passed on by regular commenter Ron Swaren:
An engineer has designed an electric bus that runs on battery power. Putting motors in each wheel makes a transmission and driveshaft unnecessary, and allows the bus to ride closer to the ground for ease of entry. Using stainless steel also reduces weight. The prototype increases fuel efficiency by four times over a more traditional city bus.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:21 AM | Comments (15) | Permalink
April 22, 2009
DeFazio on CRC: "I keep saying, make it smaller..."
OK, that's a paraphrase. Here's the full quote from Willamette Week:
What's your take on the Columbia River Crossing?
I have said from Day One, they should think small. And they have been thinking really big and really expensive. And I am not sure how that project moves forward and how they will fund it. I have raised concerns throughout the process--keep the price down. You can't solve all your problems with one project. That's what they seem to want to do.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:59 PM | Comments (24) | Permalink
A Year without a Car
A nice guest op-ed on OregonLive.com.
Living without owning a car is not a death sentence and doing it successfully is not rocket-science either.
Posted by Chris Smith at 7:44 AM | Comments (7) | Permalink
Land Use and Transportation Connect at Federal Level
I greatly enjoyed this Neil Peirce column over the weekend and am delighted to see this kind of cooperation between HUD and Transportation.
By coincidence, Rep. John Oliver, the Congressman mentioned, represents the district in Massachusetts where I grew up.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:04 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink
April 21, 2009
TriMet Finalizes Service Cuts
According to the release, the cuts are essentially the same as the proposal at the open hours, with 5 exceptions:
The proposal remains the same as presented at the April public hearings, except five lines (31, 63, 89, 152, 157) were changed to respond to rider concerns about connections to jobs, schools and other services.
Posted by Chris Smith at 7:35 AM | Comments (35) | Permalink
6.7 Miles Per Day Per Person
That's the plan.
That's how many passenger-car miles per person we have to average in 2050 to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80%. Today's number is 18.5, up from 17.4 in 1990.
That's just one metric from the new Climate Action Plan issued Friday by the City of Portland and Multnomah County. The plan calls for substantial restructuring of transportation and land use (including building out the Bicycle Master Plan and Streetcar System Plan being featured in open houses later this month).
I've picked out one number to stir the pot here, but in fact I think the plan is a masterpiece. It clearly and compellingly spells out the actions necessary on a broad array of fronts to combat (and prepare for) climate change.
I'll bet this one wins some awards!
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:58 AM | Comments (39) | Permalink
April 20, 2009
MAX Derailment Footage
I happened to be in the area shortly after todays MAX derailment. (So was our own Jason McHuff, as coincidence would have it).
As derailments go, it was both not serious and very serious. Not serious, thankfully, because there were no injuries or collisions, but very serious in that at least three trucks (wheel assemblies) of the train had come of the track and had gotten pretty well embedded into the brick and concrete.
Here's some high-definition footage I took. An interesting bit of overheard conversation: Note that the foreman is calling an emergency meeting of the various crew departments, and that he states that he has no idea how to get the train back on the tracks but will do whatever the other crew heads tell him needs to be done.
Posted by Bob Richardson at 7:52 PM | Comments (32) | Permalink
Adams Balks at CRC Design
Yet another case where the Columbia River Crossing project is ignoring values expressed by the local community. Will the Project Sponsors Council actually stand up on this one?
Posted by Chris Smith at 6:12 AM | Comments (11) | Permalink
Oregonian Calls for High Speed Rail
This editorial worries that Obama's plan doesn't cut it and pushes for the real thing.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:42 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink
April 17, 2009
Obama Talks Up High-Speed Rail
Nice to see Eugene to Vancouver on the map.
Posted by Chris Smith at 6:34 AM | Comments (5) | Permalink
Bend Your Legislator's Ear on the CRC
From the Coalition for a Livable Future:
Thanks to everyone that made it out to April 5th's Columbia River Crossing (CRC) Opposition and Alternatives Rally! Hundreds of people stood together to demand a viable alternative to the current 12-lane proposal to double the size of the 1-5 bridge from Portland to Vancouver. Together we voiced our concerns that a $4 Billion, 12 lane CRC is oversized and overpriced. It will cause more traffic, induce sprawl development, and increase air and global warming pollution, harming our health and environment.
Building off our successful postcard campaign, there are two important opportunities coming up to talk to our elected officials about the need for a viable alternative to a 12-lane CRC. Please make your voice heard at these events!
1. Focus the Nation. TOMORROW, Friday April 17th at PSU
This inter-generational town hall will span all levels of government representation-- from federal to city-- and will be the unveiling event for the Multnomah County Climate Action Plan from Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioner Jeff Cogen.
Featuring: Congressman Earl Blumenaeur, Representative Ben Cannon, Representative Jules Bailey, Mayor Sam Adams, Commissioner Jeff Cogen.
Location: Portland State University Hoffmann Hall
Date: Friday, April 17th at 6:00 PM**As policymakers convene to announce their progress on climate change, we need to tell them that a 12-lane CRC is a HUGE step in the wrong direction. Transportation is the single greatest producer of greenhouse gases, and a 12-lane CRC would become the 2nd largest contributer to greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon, INCREASING greenhouse gases 30% over today's levels. We need options that help us decrease our GHG, not a mega-bridge.**
2. Ways and Means Traveling Hearing
The State Legislature's Ways and Means Committee is working to prepare and balance the 2009-2011 budget for Legislative approval in the face of a budget hole estimated to grow from the current forecast of $3.1 billion to $4.4 billion. Ways and Means Committee members will be touring the state during the last two weeks in April to hear from the public about the proposed draft budget. For more information: http://www.leg.state.or.us/budget/
Local Ways and Means Hearing:
Tuesday, April 21 - Portland. Portland Community College -Cascade Campus. Auditorium, Moriarty Building. 705 N. Killingsworth Street. 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
** As the State looks at filling a $4.4 billion budget short fall, it is also considering spending $30 million over the next two years on the CRC. State legislators need to know that we should not fund any part of a 12-lane CRC--a project that will create more traffic, induce sprawl, and harm the health of the environment and communities around the bridge.**
Cant make it to either event? Take a minute to write a quick email to your legislators:
Please click: http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/home.htm
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:44 AM | Comments (33) | Permalink
April 15, 2009
Secretary LaHood Drops Hint About Releasing Streetcar Loop Funds
While praising Portland's Light Rail and Streetcar.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:44 PM | Comments (4) | Permalink
April 14, 2009
Putting Numbers to Transportation and Health
Portland State University
Center for Transportation Studies
Spring 2009 Transportation Seminar Series
Speaker: Jean Wolf, President, Co-Founder of Geostats
When: Friday, April 17, 2009, 12:00 - 1:00pm
Where: PSU Urban Center Building, SW 6th and Mill, Room 204
Posted by Chris Smith at 7:23 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Two Cycling CRC Opinions
Yesterday's Oregonian (if we broaden the definition to include the OregonLive.com site) had two different opinion pieces on the Columbia River Crossing, both touching on bikes.
On the op-ed page, BTA Executive Director Scott Bricker explains his organization's recent shift to the opposition column.
Meanwhile, in the online opinion space, Editorial Board member Mary Pitman Kitch (on the advice of Miguel Rosales who is designing the new Light Rail bridge over the Willamette) argues strongly that bikes and pedestrians should NOT be put underneath the main CRC bridge span.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:52 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink
April 13, 2009
Student Project Addresses Washington Park Access and Circulation
This is a project of a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning student at PSU:
Washington Park Transportation Survey
If you are concerned about transportation issues at Washington Park, have had trouble getting there or getting around, or would just like to provide your thoughts, you are invited to complete this Washington Park Transportation Survey. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and your answers will remain confidential.
An Open House will also be held on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM in the Skyline Room at the Oregon Zoo. There will be opportunities to express concerns and help develop solutions to transportation issues at the Park. Please drop by at any time.
This survey and upcoming Open House are part of an Access and Circulation plan being developed by Portland State graduate students in partnership with the Washington Park Alliance. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Brendon Haggerty at haggerty@pdx.edu.
To take the survey, please click here: www.tinyurl.com/WashingtonParkSurvey
Thank you for your time!
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:53 AM | Comments (13) | Permalink
April 9, 2009
Bikes and Streetcars, Oh My!
An upcoming series of open houses will look at both the Bicycle Master Plan and the Streetcar System Plan. I salute the Bureau of Transportation for giving citizens the opportunity to take these in together.
BICYCLE AND STREETCAR OPEN HOUSES
Portlanders examine long-range plans to shape transportation and livability
(PORTLAND, OR) - Imagine getting around Portland twenty years from now, with streetcars serving neighborhood business districts and an extensive network of bikeways so safe, comfortable, and attractive that more than a quarter of all trips are made on a bicycle.
That's a future that could come true if the City adopts a new Streetcar System Plan and a 2009 update to the 1996 Bicycle Master Plan.
The public is invited to help shape this transportation transformation at a series of six May open houses around the city to showcase the two long-range plans. Visit the open house event in your community to learn more about the City's strategic investment in green transportation:Southeast Portland
4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Franklin High School Cafeteria,
5405 SE Woodward St
Portland 97206East Portland
4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
David Douglas High School North Cafeteria
1500 SE 130th Ave
Portland 97233North Portland
4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Roosevelt High School Cafeteria,
6941 N. Central
Portland 97203Central City and Northwest Portland
4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Portland Building, Room C, 2nd Floor,
1120 SW 5th Ave
Portland 97210Northeast Portland
4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Grant High School Cafeteria,
2245 NE 36th Ave
Portland 97212Southwest Portland
4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Wilson High School Cafeteria,
1151 SW Vermont St
Portland 97219
At each event, you may drop in anytime between four and seven, and there will be brief remarks by a member of Mayor Adams's staff at 6:00 p.m. There will be bicycle parking, light refreshments, and certified childcare in English and Spanish.
The 1996 Bicycle Master Plan made Portland the top bicycling city in the nation and became recognized as a national model. Over the past dozen years, the City has successfully implemented many elements of the plan and created robust programs to encourage bicycling. The results: each year more people are choosing to bicycle! For example, in 2008, daily bicycle traffic over the Willamette River bridges was more than five times higher than in 1995, and 20% of all trips over the Hawthorne Bridge were made by bike. The Bicycle Master Plan 2009 update project is taking a fresh look at the next steps to make Portland a world-class bicycling city. The bicycle plan is expected to go to City Council in October, 2009.
The Streetcar System Plan looks at extending development-oriented transit throughout the City. Far outstripping the original ridership projections, the downtown streetcar now carries over 11,000 passengers per day, and ridership growth averages 15% per year. Construction of the Eastside Loop Streetcar will start this summer, with service beginning in 2011. Where else should streetcar service be located? The Streetcar System Plan is a big picture look at the City of Portland's transportation network and how streetcars might fit into this network in the future. The plan identifies a citywide network of potential streetcar corridors integrated with TriMet's existing and planned transit system. The streetcar plan is expected to go to Council in August, 2009.
According to Metro growth projections, the City of Portland's population is expected to grow from 575,000 to approximately 725,000 by the year 2030. In that same time, the region's population may grow from 1.9 million to 3 million people. As the City of Portland prepares for this growth, new cleaner, greener transportation and development strategies must be a part of the solution. Both the Streetcar System Plan and the Bicycle Master Plan are key elements of the transportation strategy in the proposed City-County Climate Action Plan, and are being coordinated with the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability's Portland Plan process. In addition to proposing new networks, these two planning efforts include funding and implementation strategies.
For more information on the Bicycle Master Plan, visit http://portlandonline.com/transportation/BicycleMasterPlan, e-mail bicyclemasterplan@pdxtrans.org, or call 503-823-4638.
For more information on the Streetcar System Plan, visit http://portlandonline.com/transportation/StreetcarSystemPlan, e-mail portlandstreetcarplan@pdxtrans.org, or call 503-823-5611.
Posted by Chris Smith at 7:12 AM | Comments (11) | Permalink
Federal Transit Administrator Named
I am told that as a Senate staffer, Rogoff was very helpful in obtaining Federal support for Seattle's streetcar.
Peter M. Rogoff, Nominee for Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Department of Transportation
Peter M. Rogoff has served for 22 years on the staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee, including 14 years as the Democratic Staff Director of its Transportation Subcommittee. He is an acknowledged expert in the area of federal infrastructure budgeting and finance, having had an active role in the financing of each of the last three comprehensive surface transportation reauthorization bills dating back to the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. He was instrumental in the establishment of new user fee regimes to finance expanded security measures following the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Rogoff has had an instrumental role in advising policy makers on the operating and capital needs of Amtrak, including the initiation and financing of high speed Acela service, as well as the financing of dozens of new light rail and bus rapid transit systems across the United States. Rogoff has been active in overseeing and reforming troubled procurements in the FAA, Coast Guard, FTA, and FHWA. He was the principal staff strategist for both the .08 blood alcohol content (BAC) law and the youth drunk driving "zero tolerance" law. Together, these laws are credited with saving tens of thousands of lives. Rogoff has also been centrally involved in efforts to strengthen safety inspections of substandard trucks, cargo vessels, and pipelines. Rogoff is a recipient of the U.S. Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award and the Lester P. Lamm Memorial Award for outstanding leadership and dedication to U.S. highway transportation programs. He earned his MBA degree, with honors, at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and his B.A. degree in American Studies at Amherst College.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:42 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink
April 8, 2009
Great Program, Great Jobs
After last summer's successful Sunday Parkways event, there will be three events this year (release below).
And they're hiring event coordinators:
Job Announcement - Sunday Parkways Short Term Volunteer Coordinators
The City of Portland Transportation Options is looking for 4 coordinators short term from May 14 to August 19 to help train and manage volunteers for our three summer Sunday Parkways events on June 21, July 19 and August 16. Volunteers will be stationed along a 7-8 mile Sunday Parkways routes at intersections directing traffic to detours and escorting cars to their driveways. We need self-starters, motivated people who have some experience working with volunteers and/or events. Must be able to ride your own or one of our bicycles to monitor volunteers along the route on the day of the event.
Hours 32 per week Tuesday through Fridays or 36-40 hours Wednesdays through Saturdays and/or Sundays on specific weeks.Please send resume and cover letter to: Linda Ginenthal, Transportation Options, 1120 SW 5th Ave, Portland OR 97204 or email Linda.Ginenthal@pdxtrans.org by Friday, April 17, 2009, 4pm. $15.69 per hour, no benefits. Women and people of color strongly encouraged to apply. EEO employer. For more information about Sunday Parkways, www.GettingAroundPortland.org and click on Sunday Parkways.
Release:
(Portland, Oregon) - After a spectacular debut performance of Sunday Parkways in June 2008, Portland asked for more. And the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation and Kaiser Permanente are delivering three Sunday Parkways events this summer.
• June 21 in North Portland - 9 AM to 4 PM
• July 19 in Northeast Portland - 9 AM to 4 PM
• August 16 in Southeast Portland - 9 AM to 4 PM
See attached route maps.
Sunday Parkways is about connecting neighborhoods and people: walkers, runners, bikers, seniors, adults, and children enjoying neighborhood streets filled with surprises, performers, physical activities, and food - all in a car-free environment.
A remarkable 15,000 Portland area residents and 300 volunteers participated in last year's first successful Sunday Parkways in the U.S. Modeled after Bogotá, Colombia's Ciclovias held every Sunday on 70 miles of streets, Sunday Parkways generated a lot of support from North Portland neighbors and businesses.
After the first Sunday Parkways, largely supported by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, community partners stepped up to provide financial and in-kind donations and promotional support to bring Sunday Parkways back to Portland. Generous contributions from Kaiser Permanente, a Presenting Donor, METRO, and ORbike in addition to Mayor Adam's dedication to the event are principally responsible for the ability of City Transportation staff to create this year's events. See below for a list of all agency and business sponsors.
Mayor Adams committed PBOT after last year's success to expand the event. "This event is so right for Portland. A community meeting on the streets, enjoying the best of what the city has to offer. Everyone should be able to enjoy their neighborhood in a car-free way."
"Sunday Parkways is a result of many community partners working together to make Portland a healthier and more livable community," said Nancy Stevens, Community Benefit Director, at Kaiser Permanente. "It's like bringing your gym to the street in front of your house," she continued.
Neighbors are all invited to celebrate Portland as America's most walk- and bike-friendly city by walking, biking, skateboarding, running, and rolling on seven to nine miles of traffic-free streets connecting beautiful Portland parks. Come and enjoy the music, activities (such as hula hooping, yoga, kids' circus), food, and more at one or all three Sunday Parkways this summer.
Mayor Sam Adams added, "Sunday Parkways is a great way to get Portlanders out enjoying their neighborhoods - I'm not sure these local streets have ever seen so many smiles. And that's a fine definition of success."
North Portland neighbor and mom Shannon Long said, "I LOVE Sunday Parkways! I had a great time last year, and I think it motivated my daughter to learn to ride a bike." She is joining the 400 volunteers who will help PBOT monitor intersections at each Sunday Parkways so residents along the route can get in and out of their driveways safely.
All arterials will remain open to motor vehicle traffic including TriMet bus and MAX routes. Police and certified flaggers will be on hand to keep traffic moving and Sunday Parkways revelers safe along the routes.
For more information about Sunday Parkways, go to www.GettingAroundPortland.org and click on Sunday Parkways or call organizers at 503-823-5358.
Business and Agency Sponsors To Date
Presenting Donor: Kaiser Permanente
Major Sponsor: Metro, Drive Less, Save More
Promoter: Good Sport Promotion ORbike
Supporters: Bureau of Environmental Services, Northwest Health Foundation
Contributors: Bike Gallery, OnPoint Credit Union, Yakima
Friends: Clif Bar, Milagros, River City Bikes
Donors: Zipcar, LIFE Fellowship Evangelical Church, NW Natural, REI, Inc.
###
Posted by Chris Smith at 6:50 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink
CRC to Survey 70,000 Drivers
The release doesn't specify, but I'm assuming this must be driven by photos of license plates?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 7, 2009CONTACTS
Carley Francis, 360-816-8869
CRC Public Information Officer
New survey helps refine traffic models
CRC project asks for drivers to return formsVANCOUVER - The Columbia River Crossing project is conducting additional analysis of traffic across the Columbia River and asks for assistance from drivers.
About 70,000 owners of vehicles that crossed the Columbia River on I-5 or I-205 during daylight hours on Tuesday, March 10, will receive a short survey in the mail, part of what traffic engineers call an "origin and destination" study.
"These studies, which help identify types of trips and the distances people travel, are very important in our ongoing traffic modeling," said Project Director Doug Ficco. "The more people that fill out the survey, the better our traffic modeling will be."
The nine-question survey asks for information about the drivers' purpose for the trip, how often they make the trip, length of trip and county of residence.Results from this survey will be used to verify and refine traffic projections. A similar survey of weekend travel is planned to occur later this spring.
Currently, I-5 across the Columbia River experiences up to six hours of congestion each day. On average 135,000 vehicles cross the Columbia River on I-5 each weekday. By 2030, 184,000 vehicles are predicted to use the I-5 bridge, if no action is taken.
CRC is a bi-state project to reduce congestion, enhance mobility and improve safety on I-5 between SR 500 in Vancouver and Columbia Boulevard in Portland. The project will replace the I-5 bridge, extend light rail to Vancouver, improve seven interchanges, and enhance the bicycle and pedestrian path between the two cities. Cost estimates for the project range from $3.1 to $4.2 billion, a portion of which would be financed by tolls. More information may found at: http://www.columbiarivercrossing.org.
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Posted by Chris Smith at 12:48 AM | Comments (7) | Permalink
April 7, 2009
Fuel Cell Research and Electric Vehicles
Portland State University
Center for Transportation Studies
Spring 2009 Transportation Seminar Series
Speaker: Scott Samuelson, Director, National Fuel Cell Research Center, UC Irvine
Topic: Electric Vehicles
When: Friday, April 10, 2009, 12:00 - 1:00pm
Where: PSU Urban Center Building, SW 6th and Mill, Room 204
Posted by Chris Smith at 5:16 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Bridge Model at City Hall
via the "Portland Spaces" magazine e-mail list:
The Proposed Willamette River Crossing on View at City Hall
The Architecture Foundation of Oregon, the Portland chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and Portland Spaces magazine invite the public to view a model of the first new Portland bridge over the Willamette River in over 35 years and the first pedestrian/bike/transit-only bridge in the United States--the proposed Willamette River Crossing of the Portland-to-Milwaukie MAX light-rail line. Public comments will be solicited, and an e-mail data bank will be created to keep the wider public informed of the progress of the design as the bridge proceeds.
The beautifully crafted scale model will be on view at Portland City Hall beginning Tuesday, April 7, from 6 to 9 p.m., with a reception and 7 p.m. lecture by the bridge's designer, Miguel Rosales. It will be on display at City Hall throughout the month of April and then will be moved to other sites (to be determined over the coming months).
After a lengthy study of more than 10 possible bridge types by the Willamette Bridge Advisory Group (appointed by TriMet and led by former Mayor Vera Katz), this bridge was selected as the preferred alternative. The Portland Design Commission unanimously supported the decision. The bridge, a joint venture of Rosales + Partners and Schlaich Bergermann and Partner LP which Rosales calls the "hybrid," will be an unprecedented combination of the cable-stay and suspension designs. TriMet is now further studying the proposed bridge's design and cost before proceeding with preliminary engineering.
Miguel Rosales is president and principal designer of Rosales + Partners, a transportation architecture firm based in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the lead architect and urban designer for Boston's Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge over the Charles River and for the Liberty Bridge in Greenville, South Carolina. His current major US bridge projects include the East End Bridge over the Ohio River in Louisville, Kentucky; a new pedestrian bridge over the Trinity River in Fort Worth, Texas; and four pedestrian bridges across the Belt Shore Parkway in New York City. He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Institute of Architects/American Architectural Foundation, and MIT to research bridge and infrastructure design, and he is the recipient of several awards, including a 1993 Young Architects Design Award from Progressive Architecture magazine.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:14 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink
April 6, 2009
CRC Opposition Rally Photos
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Posted by Chris Smith at 12:59 AM | Comments (14) | Permalink
April 3, 2009
Back of Blogger's Head Featured in 3rd CRC Video
Yes, there I am, bald spot and all...
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:09 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink
April 1, 2009
Transportation and Land Value
OK, slightly geeky, but still interesting...
Topic: Transport, Land Use, and Value
Abstract: This presentation considers co-evolutionary process between the development of land and transport networks. Using data from the rail and Underground in London and the streetcar system in the Twin Cities, the empirical relationship is established statistically under several different contexts, and hypotheses about the positive feedback nature of the interaction are tested. Using insights from empirical observation, a numerical simulation is constructed to more formally test the relationship, and to understand the extent to which allowing networks to vary in response to land use (and land use to vary in response to network) affects the spatial organization of each. Models of network growth which fix land use, and models of land use which fix network growth, underestimate the degree of hierarchy that emerges in the system. Given transportation creates land value, and recognizing the problem of underfunding transport infrastructure, new funding sources can be used to increase transport investment, create additional land value, and improve social welfare.
Portland State University
Center for Transportation Studies
Spring 2009 Transportation Seminar Series
Speaker: David Levinson
Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the
University of Minnesota and Director of the Networks, Economics,
and Urban Systems (NEXUS) research group
Topic: Transport, Land Use, and Value
When: Friday, April 3, 2009, 12:00 - 1:00pm
Where: PSU Urban Center Building, SW 6th and Mill, Room 204
Posted by Chris Smith at 10:52 PM | Comments (10) | Permalink
KBOO Bike Show: Columbia River Crossing
Listen to the show (mp3, 27.6MB)
Metro Councilor Robert Liberty, Activist Jim Howell and BTA Advocate Michelle Poyourow discuss opposition to, and alternatives for, the 12-lane Columbia River Crossing project.
Posted by Chris Smith at 4:20 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink
General Motors Sold to Consortium of Transit Agencies, including TriMet
Big news today: As published in both today's Wall Street Journal and Oregonian [Update, this news first broke due to investigative reporting by Willamette Week.], as part of the recently announced federal bailout package for automakers, control of General Motors has been transferred via receivership to a group of government agencies with expertise in transportation management:
The once-titan manufacturer's well-known brands and lesser-known operating units will eventually be divided into component parts, but for the time being are held as a single entity designated National Car Lines. Not limited to just GM, government officials briefed on the plan state that NCL is structured as a holding company for the express purpose of acquiring automakers throughout the United States.
In what is thought by some observers to be a related move, Oregon Iron Works, in a televised press conference this morning, announced plans to outsource streetcar and naval craft production to Michigan.
Posted by Bob Richardson at 1:16 AM | Comments (7) | Permalink
CRC on Today's KBOO Bike Show
Tune-in, call-in!
11AM-Noon, Wednesday, April 1st
KBOO FM 90.7
Streamed live at KBOO.fm
Podcast here later that day
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:51 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink
Streetcar vs. Trolley-buses in Seattle
I hadn't previously been aware of it, but apparently there is a pretty vigorous debate in Seattle about the advantages of Trolley-buses (electrified buses) vs. Streetcars.
Posted by Chris Smith at 12:13 AM | Comments (38) | Permalink
