Author: Chris Smith

  • An Open Letter to the Skeptics

    We’re still early in the life of this site. I’d like to clarify its purpose and ask for the help of our users in achieving that purpose. This site unquestionably has a point of view. The agenda is not hidden. The contributors in large part are advocates for, or responsible for implementing, alternative modes of…

  • My Commute: Chris Smith

    Editor’s Note: We hope to make ‘My Commute’ or ‘My Trip’ a regular Sunday feature. We’re looking for stories of how people get around the region in creative or noteworthy ways. Readers are invited to submit their stories to webmaster@portlandtransport.com. Perhaps the most salient feature of my commute is that most days, I don’t! I…

  • The Ultimate in Low Energy Mobility

    Of course, getting there without going anywhere is the ultimate in mobility. The effort to get a City-wide WiFi Cloud is having a public workshop on July 28th.

  • How Fast Is That Streetcar Anyway?

    The perception has been shared here and elsewhere that the Streetcar is slow. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that a person walking can keep up with the Streetcar. First we need to look at the purpose the Streetcar was constructed for. It was designed to be a circulator in the city…

  • London Transportation Bombings

    I was relieved to find in my inbox this morning a message from my sister-in-law in London that she and my brother, who works in the financial district, are OK. I suspect my brother will be walking home this evening. After the first sense of relief, my next two thoughts were: – What steps can…