Friday afternoon at rush hour, a slight drizzle fell on the endless pack of cars racing along 82nd Avenue. Carfree activist Elly Blue was outside the MAX stop near I-84 and NE Halsey, wearing a giant chicken suit and striding back and forth across 82nd Avenue in the crosswalk. “Why did the chicken cross the […]
Transportation
Posted inTransportation
Young Woman Dies on TriMet Tracks
A west-bound Blue Line MAX struck and killed a pedestrian this morning at around 10:30 AM, just outside the Baseline station. This is the 26th death-by-MAX to occur in Portland since the first light rail line opened in 1986. Two of those deaths were ruled suicides, but this one, at least initially, appears the be […]
Posted inTransportation
Freeway Fantasy of the Day: Rip I-5 Out of the East Side
That’s architect Rick Potestio’s idea for how to improve Portland’s freeway system. Potestio’s plan is one of five idealized versions of the Columbia River Crossing project put forward in an innovative show from PDXplore that combines architects and artistically-inclined transportation nerds. The show “Crossing the Columbia: What Does it Mean?” is currently up at Pacific […]
Posted inTransportation
Adams on CRC: “We Need Due Diligence, Not a Do Over”
Mayor Sam Adams just released his response to yesterday’s letter from the Oregon and Washington Governors which said basically, “CRC OR BUST!” Adams’ says their gung ho sentiment and plan to convene an expert panel on the Columbia River Crossing bridge project are “disappointing.” From his letter: We are asking for due diligence, not a […]
Posted inTransportation
Governors Want the CRC to More Closely Resemble WA’s Divisive, Expensive Freeway Projects
Oh good, it’s a letter from Oregon and Washington Governors Ted Kulongoski and Christine Gregoire about the Columbia River Crossing Project! Spurred by a strong coalition of local politicians who say plans for a new $3 billion I-5 bridge have “unacceptable impacts”, the two Governors released a letter this morning saying, essentially, “CRC OR BUST!” […]
Posted inTransportation
82nd Avenue Fence is “Berlin Wall.”
The first volley from new carfree activist group the People’s Department of Transportation is a video spoofing the ludicrousness of the recently-erected “safety fence” across 82nd Avenue. The People’s Department of Transportation, headed up by BikePortland managing editor and Carfree Cities activist Elly Blue, has jumped on the former acronym for Portland’s official city transportation […]
Posted inTransportation
TriMet Cut Details: 4 Bus Lines Doomed
To make up for the $27 million budget gap revealed announced yesterday, TriMet this morning spelled out a budget-slashing plan that would cut four bus lines, increase frequent service wait times by two to three minutes and add a nickle to the cost of bus and MAX fares. The proposal would also cut administrative salaries […]
Posted inTransportation
TriMet Facing $27 Million in Budget Cuts
Just received this alarming two-sentence email from the TriMet newsroom: TriMet faces $27 million in cuts for [Fiscal Year]11 budget; will be discussed tomorrow at 10:15 a.m. No other details available tonight. Thanks for the details, TriMet. These cuts could be much larger than the ones the agency underwent last year. In 2009/2010, TriMet made […]
Posted inNews
Gettin’ Laid: Eastside Streetcar Tracks
Exciting news! Or bad news, if you hate streetcars! Today the first rails went in for the Eastside extension of the Portland Streetcar. The rails are being welded together in a staging area up the hill on Lloyd Boulevard, and installed on NE Grand Ave. The stretch directly in front of Metro headquarters is already […]
Posted inTransportation
New CRC Will Need $1 Billion From States
Ah, another morning spent in Vancouver’s Corporate Woods, the meeting place of the mighty Columbia River Crossing (CRC) Project Sponsors Council. You know what I love about CRC meetings? There is always free Starbucks and bottled water. These items flow freely in Corporate Woods. Over a dozen protesters biked to the meeting this morning, but […]
Posted inTransportation
BREAKING: Top Local Leaders Demand New CRC Plan in Letter to Governor
Portland and Vancouver Mayors Sam Adams and Tim Leavitt and Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart have joined forces with Metro President David Bragdon, issuing a strongly-worded letter this week to the Oregon and Washington governors that seeks to assert more local control over the Columbia River Crossing bridge. Though the local leaders, who are members […]
Posted inTransportation
NYC Follows TriMet’s Lead on Open Source
New York City’s public transit system took a big step toward the future today, going 180 degrees on its old policy of keeping transit data behind locked doors. As of today, info about NYC’s ridership stats and arrival times will be available to anyone who wants to use the data to make software apps for […]