Author: Chris Smith

  • We’re Not Alone!

    Speaking of bikes… When we launched this site, we were under the impression that we were starting the first transportation-related blog in the region. But we find that someone got there first, at least for one mode. Jonathan Maus has been running Bike Portland for a while now, moving it from Oregon Live to its…

  • Our Own Little Think Tank

    Rob Bertini at PSU passes on this press release about funding for the Center for Transportation Studies at PSU (in cooperation with U of O, OSU and OIT – how’s that for alphabet soup). What research questions would Portland Transport readers want CTS to study? This is only the beginning of news coming out the…

  • My Commute: Ride Connection

    When we think about commuting, we tend to think about trips from home to work. Or maybe home to school. But last week, I got exposed to another kind of commuting when I had the opportunity to do a ride-along with Ride Connection. Ride Connection is a unique organization that coordinates a network of over…

  • Be Safe Out There

    Today’s Portland Tribune features an article titled Walk, ride at your peril reporting about the nine pedestrian and cyclist fatalities this year so far. So today’s question is: are these just a statistical blip, or are there systematic issues going on involving the transportation system, or behavioral changes by drivers, pedestrians or cyclists?

  • Trend is Not Destiny

    Today I attended a joint meeting of MTAC (Metro Technical Advisory Committee) and TPAC (Transportation Policy Alternatives Committee – on which I am a citizen representative). The purpose of the meeting was to review the 2030 population forecasts, which will help drive the next update the Regional Transportation Plan and the next UGB (Urban Growth…