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TriMet Grapples with Energy Costs
TriMet’s board has adopted a corrective action plan to deal with increased diesel fuel costs (about $5M over budget for the year). In addition to conservation measures, the plan includes a 15 cent fare increase… On a more hopeful note, in conjunction with the Bonneville Power Administration, TriMet has installed a fuel cell at its…
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Toll Roads Back in the News
Yesterday’s Oregonian included an article by James Mayer (unfortunately it does not appear to be online) indicating that ODOT has selected an Australian company as a preferred partner for toll roads, possibly including the Newberg-Dundee bypass and an added lane on the southern end of I-205. Today the Oregonian’s “question of the week” is also…
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On Being a Transit-Assisted Pedestrian
I don’t think of myself as a transit rider, although I certainly ride transit frequently. I don’t even think of myself primarily as a bicycle rider, although when I go to the office, it’s most often on my bike. My primary identification is as a pedestrian. Most of my travel around the city is on…
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Peak Oil? Thinking Globally, Acting Locally
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita highlighted the vulnerability of the world’s oil supply to disruptions and the resulting price shocks. Link to book at Amazon.com Link to book at Powell’s Link to book at Multnomah County Library List Price: Matthew Simmons, author of Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy,…
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Social Justice and Transportation
Last week I received an announcement for the Cascade Policy Institute’s Wheels to Wealth conference, subtitled “the role of auto ownership in reducing poverty”. My immediate reaction was that owning a car might be more of a financial burden than a benefit for a low income person, but I also thought about my own situation.…