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The Future of Light Rail
In Sunday’s Oregonian, Jim Mayer has a provocative article about the future of Light Rail. There’s also an accompanying diagram (PDF, 1.4M) of potential future rail expansion opportunities. The article recounts the system’s successes, including carrying 25% of east/west commuters to and from downtown and the impact on compact development. The real success story has…
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Eastside Streetcar Shows Strong Support
The Transit Alternatives Analysis for the eastside is moving toward a recommendation on a “Locally Preferred Alternative” this summer. The recommendation will encompass both a modal choice (Streetcar vs. Bus in this case) and the alignment of streets to be used. Following Wednesday evening’s public hearing (which in turn followed an open house last month…
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AORTA Testimony on Eastside Transit
Delivered May 10th at the public hearing on the Eastside Transit Alternatives Analysis. AORTA asserts that all reasonable alternatives for an eastside circulator have not been fully analyzed. The Draft Evaluation Report states in Chapter 2, regarding the No-Build Alternative (page 2-1 paragraph 4), “A ‘best bus’ alternative with further bus system enhancements would not…
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Officially Respectible: Bicycle Commuting Featured in Wall Street Journal
This must be what mainstream feels like. Thursday’s Wall Street Journal has an article (sorry, no link, you need a password) in the “Personal Journal” section talking about efforts by cities to attract people to bicycle commuting. The focus is on incentives and end-of-trip facilities. Portland gets a mention, but not a very accurate one:…
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Updated bus relocation plan unveiled
TriMet today unveiled an updated plan to relocate buses off the Portland Mall during construction of the Portland Mall Light Rail project. The project is part of the 8.3-mile I-205/Portland Mall Light Rail extension set to begin construction in mid-January 2007. After receiving hundreds of public comments and completing additional traffic analysis, TriMet updated its…