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Western Conference Semifinals Open Thread
The Portland Trail Blazers have won a playoff series for the first time since the Clinton Administration, so it’s time for another open thread. (Plus, the calender says its May…) A draft revision of the Oregon Rail Plan is now available for public review. This plan covers all varieties of freight rail, Amtrak and inter-city…
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The Rise and Fall of the Suburbs
I’m in the middle of reading Benjamin Ross’, “Dead End: Suburban Sprawl and the Rebirth of American Urbanism” Did you know that the evolutionary path of suburbs went from the Streetcar suburb (which became inner-ring neighborhoods in many cities, including Portland) to the Railroad suburb, very separate from its city, which in turn became the template…
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In Support of a Street Improvement Fee
On Thursday, I’ll be joining what I hope will be a large group of transportation enthusiasts and activists in attending PBOT’s Our Streets Town Hall. Motivated by a series of missed opportunities that have made our 2030 bicycle plan look more like a naïve aspiration than a realistic, achievable goal, and appalled by a recent…
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Peering a Little Further into Our Driverless Future
Two interesting pieces from Atlantic Cities about driverless cars: A ride-along in a Google car in an urban environment (good news – it takes corners slowly!) A suggestion that the question of who is liable when a driverless car crashes is addressed reasonably well within the current state of product liability law (sadly they call…
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How Well Do Protected Bike Lanes Work?
PSU Transportation Seminar: Speaker: Professor’s Chris Monsere and Jennifer Dill, Portland State University Topics: Highlights from the Green Lane: A Comprehensive Evaluation of Protected Cycling Facilities When: Friday, May 2, 2014, 12-1 p.m. Where: PSU Urban Center Building, SW 6th and Mill, Room 204 Summary: Cycling is on the rise across the U.S. and its popularity has grown beyond the usual…