A reader pointed out to me that Google has a custom search engine tool that lets you define specific web sites to be searched. He wondered if we couldn’t create a custom search engine for Portland Transport.
I find the idea intriguing, but it seems to me we could go a couple of ways. We could pull together local transportation-oriented sites and create a regional tool.
Or we could gather the best of transportation policy sites worldwide and have a policy-oriented tool.
Either way, this would be a collaborative project, with contributors adding points to sites of value.
What do you think? Would you use such a tool? What flavor would appeal to your needs?
7 responses to “A Transportation Policy Search Engine?”
I find the idea intriguing, but it seems to me we could go a couple of ways. We could pull together local transportation-oriented sites and create a regional tool.
Or we could gather the best of transportation policy sites worldwide and have a policy-oriented tool.
JK: Why not both? Give people a choice (Portland is all about choices aren’t we?)
Choice of travel mode. Choice of lot sizes (well most of use used to have this choice – and you still do it you have a spare million or so. Thanks to the artificial shortage of land created by Metro.)
Thanks
JK
pull together local transportation-oriented sites
Well, I have been working on a growing page of links to transit ones (and some others). It used to just be a collection of bookmarks but I thought it would be better to share.
http://home.comcast.net/~jmchuff/links.htm
I’m hoping in the near future to turn it into a full web site with old maps, pictures, brochures, etc.
And I’d be amenable to the choice of driving if motorists had to pay for, say, the asthma of those who live near Minnesota Street (I-5) in NoPo. Smaller lots result in a more efficient use of land, meaning it you can reach more people with the same amount of travel (and infrastructure)
And I’d be amenable to the choice of driving if motorists had to pay for, say, the asthma of those who live near Minnesota Street (I-5) in NoPo. Smaller lots result in a more efficient use of land, meaning it you can reach more people with the same amount of travel (and infrastructure)
JK: Can we wait until someone proves that cars cause asthma? Last I heard, asthma goes UP as general pollution goes DOWN.
Particle emissions for buses my be a different story though. See: ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/big_rig_cleanup/rolling-smokestacks-cleaning-up-americas-trucks-and-buses.html
Thanks
JK
And I’d be amenable to the choice of driving if motorists had to pay for, say, the asthma of those who live near Minnesota Street (I-5) in NoPo. Smaller lots result in a more efficient use of land, meaning it you can reach more people with the same amount of travel (and infrastructure)
JK: Can we wait until someone proves that cars cause asthma? Last I heard, asthma goes UP as general pollution goes DOWN.
Particle emissions from buses my be a different story though. See: ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/big_rig_cleanup/rolling-smokestacks-cleaning-up-americas-trucks-and-buses.html
Thanks
JK
Why not both?
I think there is a need for a variety of searches for universal transportation information – including one that focuses on land use and transportation alternatives. But since this is Portland Transport it seems like the thing folks come here for, and have unique expertise, is local Portland transportation information. I created a test site, I just added the links from Jason’s site to the sites searched. People can try it out, here is a link .
So if folks want to set up and maintain different flavors of these that the audience finds useful, I’m happy to give them a place on the sidebar.
Chris –
There is actually code google provides that would allow you to put a search bar on Portland Transport and have the search results appear as a page on the Portland Transport site.
BTW – the test search includes Portland Transport so you can search posts here as well. But the results are google results ranked by google and don’t always include every page of the sites searched.