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Civility in the Public Realm
In the O last week, Maxine Bernstein writes about a campaign to encourage civility downtown, including on MAX. What kind of encouragement would help promote civility (presumably including less swearing) on transit? As you know, Portland Transport places a high value on civility.
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Taxi Reform Update
As regular readers may recall, I have argued before that we should liberalize the onerous and anti-competitive regulations surrounding taxi service in Portland. Last year, the city took an important first step in revising those regulations and expanding service when it undertook a series of reforms aimed at improving worker conditions and approved new permits,…
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Valuing our Alleys
Portland’s 200-foot blocks have made us famous for being pedestrian-friendly, but they also mean that alleys are not common in Portland. Alleys can provide a lot of valuable use for access to things that we don’t necessarily want to put by our front doors – parking, dumpsters, etc. In some cities, alleys have become opportunities…
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Metro mulls question of TriMet takeover
The question of whether or not Metro should take over TriMet has come up again, with state Rep. Chris Gorsek (D-Troutdale) sponsors HB3316, which would mandate that Metro exercise its authority to do exactly that. Metro councilors expressed a lack of interest and doing so, and have expressed an opinion that a Metro takeover of…
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TriMet responds to article on FY14 budget, pay raise controversy
The recent article on the FY14 budget and the controversy over pay raises included therein, that many feel were not adequately disclosed to the community, has prompted a response from TriMet, disputing the claim that TriMet accounting procedures are improper. Agency spokesperson Mary Fetsch writes: TriMet’s financial statements are annually audited by Moss Adams. This…