The Sunday Oregonian did a hatchet job on Portland’s transportation budget, essentially claiming that we have taken our eye off the ball on job 1 – paving streets for cars.
This morning the Mayor has an op-ed piece defending the spending decisions, reminding us that they were framed on a basis of prioritizing safety and transportation choices, and making the case that those have been very successfully delivered.
What the Mayor does not mention is what I think the real issue is: dramatically over-forecasting likely revenues from gas taxes.
2 responses to “Sam Strikes Back”
BTW – the Mercury has a fact-check piece on the original Oregonian take on the budget: http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2012/02/27/yes-pbots-budget-is-abysmal-no-its-not-because-pbots-crazy-for-bikes
If nothing else, permitting streets to develop Volkswagen-sized potholes is cheaper than installing speed bumps and other traffic calming devices. :)
That said, I’m surprised we haven’t heard a bunch of complaints from the Fire Department about how poorly-maintained streets will put the public in grave danger by slowing emergency response times. (Cue Randy Leonard).