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Today in Cycling History
From the Critical Mass list via SHIFT: July 25, 1896 – 6,000 bicycle parade down Market Street, San Francisco, in demand for good roads (be careful what you ask for) July 25, 1997 – 6,000 bicycle parade takes over San Francisco (corrupt Mayor, police attack with mass media uproar conveniently masking major transportation scandals) July…
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Reader Calls for Gorge Train
This comment showed up on our discussion of a possible Wine Train: I live in Mt Hood, Oregon and would like to work with folks interested in getting rail transport between Hood River (maybe also the Dalles) and Portland, who is working on this? How can I help? It seems that a total overhaul of…
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Auditor to PDOT: Fix Road Fixes
Yesterday’s Oregonian reports that the City Auditor has told PDOT it’s not spending its road maintence dollars as effectively as possible. It’s the old adage: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Apparently PDOT is spending so much resource rebuilding the really bad roads that it underspends keeping the new ones from…
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Inelastic Demand
This week’s Business Week has an article (“Can’t Stop Guzzling”) that suggests that higher gas prices are NOT reducing driving, except perhaps among lower income drivers. The Oregonian’s Jim Mayer finds the same effect looking at vacation travel in Oregon. One theory I’ve heard before is that changes in driving behavior will only occur if…
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TOD Tax Credit Expanded, but Under Review
Portland City Council is reviewing a number of its tax abatement programs. In fact, there is now a moratorium on the multi-unit housing abatement. The abatement for Transit-Oriented Develop is also being reviewed, but is still available. In fact, the eligible areas have been expanded to include more Light Rail stations. The TOD program is…