Mr. Blumenaur pressed his magic earmark button to get WES after the FTA said it didn’t meet basic standards for federal funding. So we got WES and it’s ridership is less than half of what TriMet predicted in October. Costing over $100,000 each week, TriMet is eliminating at least 1,000 combined bus and MAX service hours to make up for the WES deficit, all this beyond the cuts needed for the drop in payroll taxes and extra fuel costs. Every one of these routes without exception provides transportation at a lower cost per ride than WES. All this is when no part of WES is even in his district.
Now the congressman has pressed the button again, this time for the Lake Oswego streetcar extension, (surprise!) no part of which lies in his district.
Some of us have argued about this project before and no need to do it again here and at this time. The concern right now is that a headlong rush on the streetcar project will preclude us from getting better and likely cheaper transit. Since local governments are doing an end run around federal funding for the DEIS we won’t even be getting the little bit of review that would normally accompany a DEIS funding request.
The CRC request is somewhat interesting, it’s only asking for the LRT portion as a new start project at $750 mil. Maybe Washington will make a request for some of the road/ped portions, but it does seem odd that the only request being made is for the rail portion.
“The CRC request is somewhat interesting, it’s only asking for the LRT portion as a new start project at $750 mil.”
That goes along with his (noted elsewhere) hypocritical bias against the taxpaying motoring public. It is also interesting that he is requesting money for Metro’s the drive less save more oratory. In other words, spend the dollars on hot air instead of useable infrastructure.
In other words, spend the dollars on hot air instead of useable infrastructure.
I’d rather see the money they use on that campaign used for either operating a few more bus lines, or upgrading their fleet/stops at least.
I appreciate the effort TriMet makes to share information with people sometimes, but do you really need to remind people that if they drive less, their cost of driving will decrease?
4 responses to “Earl’s Earmarks”
Mr. Blumenaur pressed his magic earmark button to get WES after the FTA said it didn’t meet basic standards for federal funding. So we got WES and it’s ridership is less than half of what TriMet predicted in October. Costing over $100,000 each week, TriMet is eliminating at least 1,000 combined bus and MAX service hours to make up for the WES deficit, all this beyond the cuts needed for the drop in payroll taxes and extra fuel costs. Every one of these routes without exception provides transportation at a lower cost per ride than WES. All this is when no part of WES is even in his district.
Now the congressman has pressed the button again, this time for the Lake Oswego streetcar extension, (surprise!) no part of which lies in his district.
Some of us have argued about this project before and no need to do it again here and at this time. The concern right now is that a headlong rush on the streetcar project will preclude us from getting better and likely cheaper transit. Since local governments are doing an end run around federal funding for the DEIS we won’t even be getting the little bit of review that would normally accompany a DEIS funding request.
This is not good.
The CRC request is somewhat interesting, it’s only asking for the LRT portion as a new start project at $750 mil. Maybe Washington will make a request for some of the road/ped portions, but it does seem odd that the only request being made is for the rail portion.
“The CRC request is somewhat interesting, it’s only asking for the LRT portion as a new start project at $750 mil.”
That goes along with his (noted elsewhere) hypocritical bias against the taxpaying motoring public. It is also interesting that he is requesting money for Metro’s the drive less save more oratory. In other words, spend the dollars on hot air instead of useable infrastructure.
In other words, spend the dollars on hot air instead of useable infrastructure.
I’d rather see the money they use on that campaign used for either operating a few more bus lines, or upgrading their fleet/stops at least.
I appreciate the effort TriMet makes to share information with people sometimes, but do you really need to remind people that if they drive less, their cost of driving will decrease?