East Portland Representative Jefferson Smith has an interesting idea for how to make the MAX safer: not more tickets. Not more cops. Instead, more Fred Meyer style greeters. Smith sponsored a bill creating a pilot program of volunteer MAX greeters which, last week, passed the state house. If the bill (HB 3047) gets through the […]
Transportation
Posted inTransportation
Stop Talking About That Damn Bridge Design!!
Governor Kulongoski wants us to stop all this incessant chatter about what the Columbia River Crossing Bridge is going to look like. “We have lost sight of what the bridge is really all about — jobs, lots of jobs,” said Kulongoski this morning at a press conference staged at the Expo Center light rail stop. […]
Posted inTransportation
Behold! The Transit Mall’s $2000 Trash Cans!
The transit mall downtown is opening for genuine MAX traffic soon and it is lookin’ good. Really good. The kind of good only lots of money can buy. There’s been a lot of discussion at the city over the cost of the the “furniture elements” of the transit mall – the trashcans, bus shelters, benches […]
Posted inTransportation
Streetcar VS. SUV
Tipster Ryan sends in this hilarious photo. At first glance I thought it answered the age-old question “Streetcar vs. SUV: Who will win?!” but then, looking at it again… is the streetcar off its tracks? This got brutal. Ryan writes: Some lady got her car smashed by the big orange slug. Must have been moving […]
Posted inTransportation
Our Beautiful $4.2 Billion Bridge!
We’ve been talking for months about how much the Columbia River Crossing bridge is going to cost and how much traffic it will create, but what will our beloved megabridge actually look like? The group tasked with choosing the look of the CRC – the “Urban Design Advisory Group” – met Friday morning. This is […]
Posted inTransportation
US Rep Criticizes 12-Lane CRC Plan
Big news in the world of the Portland-Vancouver $4.2 billion bridge: a U.S. Representative has joined the chorus of voices criticizing the financing plan for the 12 lane bridge. “I didn’t invent mathematics, but I try to listen to it. And if the numbers aren’t there, the numbers aren’t there,” said Representative Brian Baird (D-Vancouver) […]
Posted inNews
Rally Protests 12-Lane Bridge Budget & Impact
The weather was definitely working in favor of the people opposing the 12-lane Columbia River Crossing bridge. An estimated 400 people turned out to the noon waterfront “Opportunities and Alternatives” rally against the planned bridge. But hundreds more wandered past taking in the protest signs along with the sunshine and enjoying the greenery on what […]
Posted inPolitics
12-Lane CRC Rally This Weekend!
It’s coming: When City Council approved the $4.2 billion 12-lane Columbia River Crossing Bridge at the end of February, a (very small) handful of transit activists immediately met up at a north Portland bar to figure out how to protest the fat, car-friendly bridge. The group decided to go with a positive message, slating an […]
Posted inTransportation
Today’s Traffic Update!
Hello! Wm. Steven Humphrey here, blogging from high over Portland in the Mercury Traffic Blog Copter with today’s Mercury Traffic Blog Copter Traffic Commute Update! It’s barely 2 pm, and I-5 northbound is already backing up from Fremont to the bridge. Here’s some video of Vancouver residents getting an early jump on the commute—but as […]
Posted inPolitics
Oregonian Slams BTA for CRC Stance
Today’s Oregonian editorial “Betting on the Wrong Bridge” issues a harsh critique of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance for speaking out against the 12-lane Columbia River Crossing: It takes less strength to demolish a fragile political alliance than to cement and sustain one. Unfortunately, the 5,000-member organization has chosen exactly the wrong place to plant its […]
Posted inTransportation
TriMet Cuts Five Bus Lines
On the same day New York City announces its “disasterous for commuters” transit cuts, TriMet released its final proposed MAX and bus cuts. The big difference between the final cuts and the ones proposed a month ago is that TriMet is only completely axing five bus lines instead of twelve but also MAX service will […]
Posted inGreen
BTA Clarifies Anti-12 Lane Bridge Position, Other Green Groups Still AWOL
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance finally issued an official written condemnation of the Columbia River Crossing bridge. The bike advocacy group’s initial position on Mayor Adam’s 12 lane bridge proposal was a little muddled, thanks to wishy-washy comments BTA executive director made on BikePortland.org. Taking no firm stance for or against the 12-lane commuter bridge, Bricker […]