Out on a Walkabout in Parkrose

Jim,

I agree. As a partial step, but a cheap one, I hope you are supporting my state legislative bills:

http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=117736170173983400

Yours,

Sam

Interesting article. A couple random thoughts come to mind:

First, I agree that we need to get cars off of narrow shoulders, but can it be done without financial burden on people? I could go for free tow to closest exit off of the freeway. Anyway, I hope you included language protecting the towee from price gouging so characteristic of the local tow vultures. The last thing a person with a broken car needs is a $500 tow bill for a $20 job.

As to speed of tow for cars blocking traffic, maybe we should pre-position a few tow trucks during rush hours with a goal of seeing how fast they can remove the car - target: drive time +5 minutes.

In places with wide shoulder, there is no reason for a fast tow if the car is, say, 30 feet off of the driving lane. Give them a day or two to fix the car.

BTW how does a truck hit a parked car while avoiding another car - did he not see the parked car?
Why do police do stops on the freeways when it is so dangerous?

Thanks
JK

Sam,
I totally agree with Jim on this one. “The last thing a person with a broken car needs is a $500 tow bill for a $20 job.”

Over at Blue Oregon there is a discussion on Amanda Fritz’s summary of latest report from Portland's City Auditor One of the points made is as follows: “Average employee compensation rose 6% over the ten years, but wages/benefits for public safety employees rose 12% while that of all other employees went up only 1%. Over ten years. One percent over ten years is not very much.”

Any tow should not exceed $20.00 and drop the car where it can be accessible to the owner, not behind a tow company’s fence where the vehicle would accrue storage charges. Free tows would be better.
The summary of the auditor’s report is also reason enough not to implement any additional taxes on motorists, be it increases in fuel taxes, tolls, congestion pricing or adding to parking fees.

Furthermore, instead of siphoning off the taxes motorists pay for roads, alternative forms of transport must do a better job of paying their own way. Transit fares must better reflect the costs of providing the cost of providing the service; if the bicycle community wants bicycle infrastructure, they need to be willing to tax themselves to fund it; and PDOT needs to stop wasting transportation dollars on curb extensions, land development and streetcars, and then claim poverty when it comes to the backlog of street maintenance.

I thought your main premise was that vehicles pay for vehicle infrastructure, bikes pay for bike infrastructure, etc.

Doesn't NOT making the motorist causing $12,000/min delays pay thier way fly in the face of this logic?

Nice!

Gridlock, I mean Karlock,

JK: No you don't, jerk.

Thanks
JK