-
Town halls to focus on funding for bridge repairs
Multnomah County has scheduled a series of town hall meetings to present information on the condition of its Willamette River bridges and a proposal to fund their repair. County Chair Ted Wheeler will share information on the county’s 20-year capital shortfall of $490 million for its six bridges across the Willamette. Bridge repair needs range…
-
Finding the Choice Riders
This post is a response to some comments on the open suggestions thread that run along the lines of “why are we shafting bus riders by putting all our resources into rail?” While I’m an enthusiastic supporter of continuing to expand the rail system (because it helps drive the long-term land use pattern that I…
-
Task Force Looks at Tolling I-5 Crossing
The Oregonian reports that tolls for a new Columbia Crossing could be as high as $5/day for peak period crossings. Outside of peak hours the rate would be significantly lower. Will the driving public accept this kind of toll structure for a new bridge? In news elsewhere, IBM has apparently patented the idea of variable…
-
Internet Strengthens Cities?
An article from Wired Magazine suggests that the Internet is a sort of social super-glue, facilitating connections between people. As a result, they want more face-to-face contact and find it in cities. In big cities, our communication tools are especially helpful because they keep us from getting lost in the crowd (which is not something…