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Initial Reactions to the TriMet Audit
The State audit of TriMet and the agency response are now available. There are no huge new revelations. But here are a few initial takeaways: Underfunded liabilities for both pensions and health benefits are confirmed as a significant financial challenge for TriMet Excess executive compensation is NOT identified as a source of financial strain, perhaps…
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Does He Mean It This Time?
Governor Kitzhaber has written to the Legislature, setting a deadline for a Columbia River Crossing funding deal. Get it done by March 15th, or he’ll pull the plug once and for all. Of course ODOT has given us “it must happen by” deadlines at least twice before, and nonetheless sallied onward. And the Governor has…
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Vindicated
Via Planetizen: Research out of the University of Washington shows that information tools that let riders know when the next bus is coming reduce perceived wait time compared to not knowing when the vehicle is arriving. Transit agencies can give customers improved satisfaction without major investments in additional service. Now I’d never say that TriMet…
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Oregonian still tone-deaf on Port of Portland
The Oregonian continues to demonstrate its tone-deafness regarding the Port of Portland. Last week, the newspaper revealed its “editorial agenda” for 2014, one plank of which is titled “Portland’s industrial lands scavenger hunt.” The title is misleading. The editorial’s real thrust is to complain bitterly about the city’s policy towards economic development, relying on the…