Portland Transport

Author: Chris Smith

  • Initial Reactions to the TriMet Audit

    The State audit of TriMet and the agency response are now available. There are no huge new revelations. But here are a few initial takeaways: Underfunded liabilities for both pensions and health benefits are confirmed as a significant financial challenge for TriMet Excess executive compensation is NOT identified as a source of financial strain, perhaps…

  • Does He Mean It This Time?

    Governor Kitzhaber has written to the Legislature, setting a deadline for a Columbia River Crossing funding deal. Get it done by March 15th, or he’ll pull the plug once and for all. Of course ODOT has given us “it must happen by” deadlines at least twice before, and nonetheless sallied onward. And the Governor has…

  • Greening the Planet with Open Source Software

    Occasional Portland Transport contributor Garlynn Woodsong is the presenter at the next PSU Transportation Seminar: Speakers: Garlynn Woodsong, Calthorpe Associates Topics: Regional Planning, Greenhouse Gases, and UrbanFootprint open source software When: Friday, January 31, 2014, 12-1 p.m. Where: PSU Urban Center Building, SW 6th and Mill, Room 204 Abstracts: Since about 2008, the planning world has been experiencing a paradigm…

  • Vindicated

    Via Planetizen: Research out of the University of Washington shows that information tools that let riders know when the next bus is coming reduce perceived wait time compared to not knowing when the vehicle is arriving. Transit agencies can give customers improved satisfaction without major investments in additional service. Now I’d never say that TriMet…

  • CRC Deconstructed

    Coincident with today’s legislative hearings on the Columbia River Crossing, 1000 Friends of Oregon has released “CRC Facts”, a 22-page deconstruction of the project’s flaws.