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August 30, 2010

Playing Down the Need for Speed

The critical path to safety has to include slowing cars down, particularly on neighborhood streets.

EnzymePDX looks at Sweden's effort to eliminate road deaths, and compares it to Mayor Adam's effort to get City control over local speed limits.

Simultaneously, StreetFilms looks at the "20's Plenty" campaign in the UK.

Posted by Chris Smith at 9:39 PM | Comments (10) | Permalink

August 27, 2010

Bicycles IN Airports

We all know that PDX has made it manageable (I won't quite say easy, yet) to take a bike to or from the airport.

But I'm now returning from an extended trip to the east coast (if you've noticed my post volume is down a bit, now you know why) and on this trip I've been somewhat intrigued to see security personally tooling around the terminals (inside, on the carpet) on bicycles in multiple airports, including PDX.

Is this a new trend, or am I just noticing it?

Posted by Chris Smith at 2:41 PM | Comments (7) | Permalink

August 25, 2010

Connect Oregon III Hands Out $97M

Mostly to freight projects, with some transit and a few aviation projects.

Posted by Chris Smith at 7:17 PM | Comments (3) | Permalink

August 24, 2010

Park Your Scooter by the Month?

Since the City of Portland introduced SmartMeters (pay stations) for on-street parking several years ago, one of the ongoing complaints is that you can't securely attach the sticker to a motorcycle or scooter. Someone can easily come along and steal your sticker.

PBOT now has an answer, a monthly permit you can buy in lieu of using the meters.

You're still restricted by the maximum time limit in the zone, but for $40 per month you can park all you want.

My question: is $40 a good price for this? How often would you need to park your scooter or hog to make it worthwhile?

Posted by Chris Smith at 9:31 PM | Comments (4) | Permalink

August 23, 2010

Pedaling Toward a Healthier Planet

That's the subtitle of Mia Birk's new book "Joyride".

Mia is CEO of Alta Planning and was Bicycle Coordinator for the City of Portland during the period when much of today's bicycle network was conceived and initially implemented.

The book is constructed as autobiography, but in fact serves as a very insightful history of how Portland became the cycling city that it is. It's easy to take what we have today for granted, but as Mia documents, each improvement was a hard-won victory.

Ride on, Mia.

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:22 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 22, 2010

The Tyranny of Absolutes

There's been a lot of buzz online about TriMet's decision to end service for the #15 on Thurman St., routing the bus to Montgomery Park instead. Steve Duin of the Oregonian has the best piece I've seen on the decision.

I'm saddened. Like almost everyone else who has held the position of chair of the Transportation Committee in NW Portland (the NWDA neighborhood) I was called on to defend the need for this service during my tenure. So let's be clear, it's no surprise that the turnaround required a movement that is not allowed by TriMet's operations manual - this is and was well known. Nonetheless, each time this was evaluated, that fact was set aside because of the value of the service to the route's riders and the neighborhood.

I certainly appreciate TriMet's recently renewed and enhanced emphasis on safety. But even setting aside TriMet's utter lack of notice to the neighborhood, I can't support this decision.

This is fundamentally a risk/benefit analysis. What TriMet is essentially saying is "we've increased the standard for what kind of risks we'll accept, and this doesn't pass muster" (my words, not theirs).

But what's missing in that approach are two factors:

1) We have ample history hereto measure the risks, and they appear to be very, very low, even if the movement is sensibly prohibited as standard procedure.

2) The benefit of the service, for which there are no reasonable alternatives.

I'm always leery of any decision process where one factor in the analysis swamps all other consideration.

In this case application of an absolute rule without analysis in context is not appropriate.

Posted by Chris Smith at 5:47 PM | Comments (46) | Permalink

August 18, 2010

Transit Score Debuts

The good folks at Front Seat, who brought us Walk Score, have now added Transit Score to their evaluation of your favorite address. It includes some very cool multi-modal comparison tools for your commute trip.

There's been a lot of coverage around the web, so I won't go into details, but I was struck that it appears to be a pretty high bar. My NW Portland address (with a 95 Walk Score) only rates a 59 Transit Score, despite access to 4 transit lines within blocks. I think to get a high score, you have to be on a high capacity line (e.g., MAX).

I've got a project in the works to use Transit Score to try to answer some of those nagging transit equity questions in the region. More on that later!

Posted by Chris Smith at 5:36 AM | Comments (11) | Permalink

August 17, 2010

A Truly Independent CRC Panel

Metro Councilor Robert Liberty has put together a diverse panel to discuss alternatives to the Columbia River Crossing, to be convened on September 14th. Don't miss it. Full details below...

Metro Councilor Robert Liberty Convenes Panel Discussion of Alternatives to Current Columbia River Crossing Proposal 7 to 9 PM Tuesday September 14, 2010

The Columbia River Crossing project is a $2.6 to $3.6 billion proposal to widen I-5, rebuild and replace freeway interchanges and extend light rail between Vancouver and North Portland .

The Columbia River Crossing project in its current form is facing very serious financial and political challenges.

Metro Councilor Robert Liberty believes it is important to begin a community discussion of some alternatives to the current proposal, in the event it is infeasible.

Over the last several months he has solicited suggestions of alternative approaches to the problems which the current CRC is supposed to address. He has asked a panel of experts and community leaders to gather for a group discussion of the merits of these proposals.

The panel discussion will be held on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 from 7 to 9 PM in the Portland Building auditorium, 1120 SW Fifth Avenue in downtown Portland. The location adjoins the transit mall and can be accessed by all TriMet buses and light rail vehicles.

Confirmed panelists are:

• Gary Toth, Senior Director, Transportation Initiatives with the Project for Public Spaces & former Director, Project Planning and Development, New Jersey Department of Transportation
  
• Mary Nolan, Oregon House Majority Leader
  
• Chris Girard, President/CEO of Plaid Pantry
  
• Keith Lawton, transportation consultant; previously Transportation Planner, Metro, Portland, Oregon 1975 - 2004.
  

Additional panelists may be participating.

Councilor Liberty will moderate the panel discussion.

The panelists will not endorse a particular proposal but illuminate the strengths and weaknesses of each alternative and its elements.

The event is free and open to the public. Space is limited.

Posted by Chris Smith at 6:15 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

Transit Tracker by Txt Msg

We've offered a variant of this for years, but I'm glad to see to it go mainstream from TriMet.

Posted by Chris Smith at 6:05 AM | Comments (3) | Permalink

August 16, 2010

Jarrett Walker - "A Field Guide to Transit Quarrels"

Late last month, Jarrett Walker of HumanTransit.org gave a great talk at Metro. PortlandTransport was there to record the event.

Jarrett is an international consultant in public transit network design and policy. Originally from Portland, he is now based in Sydney, Australia.

His presentation, "A Field Guide to Transit Quarrels", deals with the language and conceptualization issues we face when thinking about transit (or any complex issue, for that matter), including the tension between "vision" and factually-based analysis.

The entire video is just over an hour, including the Q&A session, and for YouTube purposes, we've broken it in to five parts. These videos are available in HD via YouTube (check the embedded player for resolution and full-screen choices) which makes the PowerPoint slides quite a bit easier to read.

Part 1: Introductions

Part 2: The Spectrum of Authorities

Part 3: Balancing Claims

Part 4: Example and Conclusions

Part 5: Q&A

Posted by Bob Richardson at 4:10 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Bike, Take the Bus, Live Longer

Via Planetizen.

(walking counts too)

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:39 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 12, 2010

The TriMet Ballot Measure

From my perspective, this sort of came out of the blue. Portland Afoot has been doing a very good job of following the details.

But there's one bit of logic in the timing that I can understand. TriMet is applying a "maintain existing revenue streams" approach. This was applied with lottery bonds. When the West Side MAX lottery bonds were paid off, TriMet convinced the legislature to continue the same bond repayment stream, now directing it to the bridge for the Milwaukie project.

I'm assuming the same logic applies here: the voters have been giving TriMet $8/100,000 for years, TriMet would like them not to stop.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:48 AM | Comments (108) | Permalink

August 11, 2010

Rent Yourself an Electric Vehicle

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is going to roll out electric vehicles next year in Portland and other select markets. Check out their press release.

Posted by Chris Smith at 7:32 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 10, 2010

First CRC Hurdle Cleared?

Yesterday, I described four hurdles that I thought a Columbia River Crossing project within the current boundaries defined by the project team (i.e., without take some significant steps backward to examine more alternatives) must clear.

Today at the Project Sponsors Council meeting, a resolution appears to have been reached, at least in principal, to the first hurdle. From the press release following the meeting:

Use performance indicators to inform traffic management recommendations made by a mobility council. Indicators for commuter, freight, and transit mobility; safety; greenhouse gas emissions; and overall benefit/cost ratio supported today's recommendations.

Are the sponsors convinced that their ability to 'recommend' as a "Mobility Council" is sufficient, or will they hold out for more specific control?

BTW - I think in some quarters my post yesterday was read as an endorsement of the 10/8 compromise. Let me be clear, I was handicapping the process as I see it, but that doesn't mean I endorse the compromise. I remain an advocate for a supplemental bridge approach as the more fiscally and environmentally appropriate solution.

Which leads us to the question of where the environmental community fits in the process. They (we) certainly are not silent - a post on Blue Oregon and the BTA Blog (I imagine it will show up elsewhere as well) by a coalition of environmental groups reminds us:

This decision will be with us for a century or more. Rather than build the wrong project at great expense, we can develop a financially responsible solution that:

(1) includes only as many lanes as we will need and no more,

(2) uses aggressive policy strategies to manage congestion and thereby save billions in construction dollars,

(3) includes good options for public transit, walking and biking,

(4) positively impacts the health of residents, and

(5) is in line with the global warming reduction plans approved by Washington, Oregon and many local jurisdictions.

But where are the environmental arguments going to get any leverage? If Mayor Adams has signed off on a design based on assumptions about travel that clearly contradict the Climate Action Plan, who is going to get in the way of this project on environmental grounds? The Legislature? I'd hate to think that was our last line of defense.

But there are 3 more hurdles - and one more I forgot to mention yesterday - the near certainty of a legal challenge to how the project has conformed with the requirements of the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:02 AM | Comments (8) | Permalink

August 9, 2010

Four Hoops for the CRC

I've been mulling over the recommendations of the Columbia River Crossing Independent Review Panel, and the reactions to the report in the community, thinking about how this thing is going to move forward. It seems to me that there are two likely outcomes:

1) Collapse of the project, and a restart at some point in the future
2) A 10-lane bridge, initially striped for 8 lanes

While the Oregonian continues to argue for bigger, I don't think that's likely - if only because of the realities of finance, and because at least some local leaders haven't completely forgotten the Climate Action Plan and the idea that even with many more people, we're going to have to drive fewer miles (each and in total).

But I also think that short of collapse of the current project, a more climate-sensible approach like a supplemental bridge (or bridges) is unlikely.

So what would it take to get to the 'possible' project to really happen? I see several hurdles:

1) Generate agreement on who's in charge. My belief is that unless the DOT's give real control over ongoing performance of the bridge to local officials in the form of some kind of Performance Management Council, this project is over. I'm dubious however that this is going to happen, at least before Oregon has a new Governor. (Note that this is different from who manages construction.)

2) The project team has to get real about the design and the costs. They have a budget estimate that relates to a different design than the one they're promoting, and the new design is untested.

3) Vancouver has to sign off on Light Rail and Tolls. This will take the form of November's ballot on transit operating funds for Light Rail. Don't kid yourself that the campaign will not in large part be about tolls.

4) The Legislatures in both states are going to have to come up with several hundred million dollars each, and given the current economic climate, that may be the hardest of all the hurdles. Watch the 2011 sessions carefully for the fireworks.

Should we start a pool on the outcomes? Anyone care to design a CRC 'bracket'? Are there more hoops I haven't identified? (I didn't forget about Federal funding, but I'm assuming that if the three above things happen, that will follow.)

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:33 AM | Comments (21) | Permalink

August 5, 2010

CRC Compromise Approaching?

Metro President David Bragdon and Portland Mayor Sam Adams released a joint statement earlier today calling for a Columbia River Crossing project that builds a bridge capable of holding 10 lanes with full shoulders, but only striping the bridge for 8 lanes at opening. They also call for a revised interchange strategy for Hayden Island to protect Island livability (lots more detail - read it!).

But the two leaders also have an accompanying set of guidelines that gets to what is likely to be the heart of the matter - who manages the performance of the bridge? And their answer is a locally representative group, NOT the state DOTs.

Will the Governors give up this control to move the project forward? This is going to be interesting to watch.

But for fans of a supplemental bridge approach (yours truly included) who believe the first principle of sustainability is to not throw away existing assets, this compromise is far from perfect.

Posted by Chris Smith at 8:23 PM | Comments (45) | Permalink

Outside Perspective on our Bike Plans

Last week, I had the opportunity to sit in on a presentation (PDF, 1.7M) by Dr. Eric France, the director of preventative medicine for Kaiser in Colorado. Dr. France spent much of the summer here in Portland learning about our bicycle efforts.

The whole presentation was great, and Dr. France's observations about the health benefits of active transportation are very compelling.

But the point I want to emphasize is his observations about how we're going about implementing the Bicycle Master Plan. Here are a few questions and suggestions from the presentation we should give careful thought to:

• Do all businesses, city institutions, residents know and support this vision?
• Is there a clear communication strategy to align everyone with this vision?
• Who is the leadership team that oversees executing on the strategy? The city? The chamber of commerce?
• Should we have a "Bike Summit for the 2030 Plan" involving all players?
• Role of Health?
• Is there an organizing body for all bicycle transit efforts in Portland?
• If business owns and pushes this agenda, the battle is won
• What is Portland‟s Brand regarding active transportation?
• One easy website to get me started?

He goes on to suggest that the way to sell the Bicycle Plan to the business community is on the basis of health and health care cost reductions. I couldn't agree more!

Posted by Chris Smith at 4:09 AM | Comments (7) | Permalink

August 4, 2010

KBOO Bike Show: Racing and Differently Abled Cyclists

Listen to the show (mp3, 25.7MB)

This month host Tori Bortman visits the first half hour with Kenji Sugahara, Director of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) and Lindsay Kandra, Portland Coordinator for the OBRA High School Cyclocross Program to talk about this exciting piolot program and how it plans to make Oregon's young adults happier, healthier and more muddy.

In the second half host Lindsay Caron looks at a part of the cycling community... often overlooked: the disabled. She's joined by Oregon Disability Sports executive director and some other abled cyclists to talk about their riding experiences and life on wheels from a different perspective.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:48 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

August 3, 2010

Open Thread for August, 2010

Because that's what Tuesdays are for.

Posted by Bob Richardson at 5:49 PM | Comments (182) | Permalink

Putting Speed at the Top of the Agenda

The City of Portland is likely to put getting local control over speed limits at the top of its Legislative Agenda for the next session. BikePortland.org has excellent coverage.

I couldn't agree more. The idea that speeds on local streets should be controlled by a committee in Salem that doesn't even meet any more is simply outdated and doesn't allow a proper focus on safety.

Posted by Chris Smith at 7:47 AM | Comments (8) | Permalink

Digging Deeper in the CRC IRP Report

Most of the local press coverage tends to present the Independent Review Panel report on the Columbia River Crossing as an "endorsement" or "approval" of the project.

While there is no question that IPR concurs that a project is necessary, the report is actually fairly critical, not the rubber stamp that many of skeptics feared. Sarah Mirk at the Mercury does her usual excellent job of honing in on the key points:

• The $3.6 billion cost estimate of the bridge is not accurate. The design of the bridge has changed significantly since the project staff did an in-depth cost estimate validation process, so the pricetag for the current design hasn't been seriously fact checked.
• The local "consensus" about the bridge doesn't agree on much. The locally preferred alternative that politicians and highway planning bigwigs OK'd in 2008 "reflected a very low level of agreement between the parties"... which is why the project is stalled over serious disagreement now.
• The environmental impact analysis is seriously incomplete. The bridge has changed so much (especially in regard to its footprint on Hayden Island) since the first environmental impact statement that the panel recommends drafting a new supplemental one. Also unresolved? Environmental justice issues.
• The bridge is an untested, experimental design. The CRC staff identified nine bridges around the world that are similar to the "open web" design proposed for the CRC. But the review panel said that none of those nine are actually similar enough to use as a model, writing, "The open-web design is unique with no history of construction or performance." That means the bridge would have to be thoroughly tested, a process that could cost $600,000 and take three years.
• Widening the bridge could just make the Rose Quarter the new traffic pinch point. The review panel noted that concerns about pushing traffic south into the Rose Quarter are still unresolved.

I'd also point out that as I read the report, while it clearly says a project is necessary (I agree - as do many of the skeptics), I don't actually read anything that says a supplemental bridge approach is out of the question.

Posted by Chris Smith at 12:13 AM | Comments (14) | Permalink

August 2, 2010

CRC Project Sponsors Council Ready to Slip its Leash?

August 9th is the last scheduled meeting of the Columbia River Crossing project "Sponsors Council", the group of local elected and agency officials that has been about the only check on this project. In the view of the project, the Council has served its purpose and is finished.

Indeed, I'm told the project has gone so far as to stop reimbursing the local jurisdictions for the time their staff is spending working on the Crossing.

But the Council doesn't agree. A consensus in the Council seems to be emerging that some kind of "Mobility Management" governance structure is going to be needed to manage performance of the bridge over its life - and that's too important to the local communities to leave to the DOTs.

It's hard to be a member of a group that is staffed by entity that doesn't believe the group needs to exist! So perhaps it's time for the Project Sponsor's Council to separate from the CRC project itself and form its own mission and staffing? That would certainly change some of the project dynamics, in a very good way, I think.

By the way, there's another public input opportunity prior to the Project Sponsors Council Meeting:

PORTLAND - The Columbia River Crossing Project Sponsors Council encourages testimony Thursday, Aug. 5, at a public meeting on draft recommendations related to several project elements, including the Hayden Island interchange and I-5 bridge.

Residents, businesses and interested community members are invited to attend the meeting to learn about the draft recommendations and provide input directly to PSC co-chair Steve Horenstein. The recommendations are the result of assignments from the PSC to the Integrated Project Sponsors Council Staff (IPS) group to collaboratively address several questions. Meeting topics include project performance measures, techniques to manage traffic after construction, transportation and land-use modeling, the number of I-5 bridge lanes, and the latest design concept for the Hayden Island interchange.

Earlier Hayden Island interchange concepts were presented to island residents and stakeholders at two public meetings in June. The concepts have continued to evolve as a result of stakeholder input and the latest concept will be discussed Aug. 5.

After a brief presentation, attendees can share their opinions about the draft recommendations. Comments can be given verbally, in writing or online.

Public Meeting

Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010

5 to 8 p.m. (Presentation at 6 p.m.; public testimony to follow)

Jantzen Beach SuperCenter, Community Room (Across from the food court.)

1405 Jantzen Beach Center, Portland

Comments received will help inform PSC members as they discuss the recommendations at their Aug. 9 meeting.

Posted by Chris Smith at 5:56 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink

August 1, 2010

Coming Up on the KBOO Bike Show: Racing and Differently Abled Cyclists

This month host Tori Bortman visits the first half hour with Kenji Sugahara, Director of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) and Lindsay Kandra, Portland Coordinator for the OBRA High School Cyclocross Program to talk about this exciting piolot program and how it plans to make Oregon's young adults happier, healthier and more muddy.

In the second half host Lindsay Caron will take a look at a part of the cycling community... often overlooked: the disabled. She'll be joined by Oregon Disability Sports executive director and some other abled cyclists to talk about their riding experiences and life on wheels from a different perspective.

11AM-Noon, Wednesday, August 4th
KBOO FM 90.7
Streamed live at KBOO.fm
Podcast here later that day

Posted by Chris Smith at 10:05 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink