Transportation

During the political season some can feel pressured to make inaccurate or misleading statements for perceived gain, and regrettably the current season is no exception. Many inaccuracies have been uttered about the proposed new crossing at NW Flanders Street over Interstate 405 that would reuse the center span of the existing Sauvie Island Bridge. This is a terrific project as the facts clarify.

Commissioner Adams was at City Hall to congratulate Rob Widmer of Widmer Brothers Brewing who crossed the finish line Thursday five minutes ahead of his brother, Kurt, who drove.

The event, a Bicycle Commuter Challenge, kicked off National Bike Month by showcasing the efficiency of riding your bike to work instead of commuting by car. Two paths from the Cadillac Cafe in Northeast Portland to City Hall on SW 4th Avenue were traveled by bicyclists. Rob arrived after 16 minutes of following the same route as Kurt, who traveled by car and arrived after 21 minutes, while Kim Seymour, of David Evans and Associates, biked along the NE Tillamook bike boulevard and the Eastbank Esplanade, a low-traffic route, arriving just 2 minutes later than Kurt.

Symbol of our success!The Portland Office of Transportation (PDOT) and its bicycle community partners earned Portland the “Platinum” Level Bicycle Friendly Community award from the League of American Bicyclists. The coveted "Platinum” designation of “Bicycle Friendly Community,” recognizes those communities that have quality conditions for bicyclists and cycling safety. Portland is the first large U.S. city to gain the designation and joins Davis, California, as the only other Platinum city in the country.

“When Portland received the Gold award in 2003,” said Andy Clarke, President of the League, “we challenged the community to increase ridership to get to Platinum. Bold leadership, community-wide involvement, and a lot of hard work have resulted in a 144% increase in bicycle use since the 2000 Census – impressive results by any standard.”

The League’s reviewers noted that Portland has coupled modestWeather is no barrrier in Portland when you want to ride. but smart investments in infrastructure, with outstanding education, promotion, and encouragement activities to make cycling a practical and safe option for many more Portlanders than ever before. Education and enforcement programs are now helping drivers and pedestrians interact more safely and predictably with the increasing numbers of cyclists on the road. Only 0.7 % of the Office of Transportation's budget is spent on bike infrastructure. However this small investment yields significant ridership. currently 6% of trips taken are by bike.

Bike boxes are a hit, but some community education on their usage is needed. City of Portland and the Office of Transportation along with Portland's own Matt Giraud made a video to clear up a few questions that bicyclists and motorists may have.

By Dylan Riviera

To direct growth in the coming decades, Portland is embarking on a back-to-the-future course, to a time in the early 20th century when streetcars were as commonplace as buses are today.

What: A press event for Portland's new bike boxes
When: Thursday, March 27 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Where: Clever Cycles, 908 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

The Bike Box celebrates its day in the limelight tomorrow, Thursday, March 27 at 10 a.m. Sam, along with State Representative Jackie Dingfelder and Metro Councilor Rex Burkholder host this press and community event.

Portland's Streetcar Connecting CommunitiesAre you interested in learning more about the streetcars in Portland? How about a streetcar corridor in your community? In either case, come to the Streetcar System Plan Workshop in your district. The outcome of these meetings will be a community decision about whether to take on a two-month study of potential streetcar corridors in each district or decide that it’s not a priority for the community at this time.

The “Awareness Test” was created by Transport of London as part of their cycle safety campaign.

Try it out for yourself at DoTheTest.co.uk (you can skip the intro).

Officials begin collecting information on how residents aim to share the cost of pedestrian improvements

By Shasta Kearns Moore

Efforts by businesses in the Columbia corridor helped keep project on radar screen of local agenciesLike a two-lane blacktop tourniquet, Northeast Columbia Boulevard to Lombard Street impeded the smooth flow of traffic near Portland International Airport. With freight and everyday commuters stuck at choke points, the business community and the city recognized the need to improve Portland's most important east-west arterial for freight traffic.

Today, at my request, city council referred the "Safe, Sound & Green Streets" program back to my office with an expectation that we will refer the program to voters in November 2008.

You have heard from me many times that Safe, Sound & Green Streets will be an important step forward for Portland when implemented. For the first time in nearly two decades, Portlanders will have stable funding to meet basic safety and maintenance needs on major streets.

A program of this consequence should be enacted by a unanimous city council. Until last week, my council colleagues were united in supporting safer streets as a matter of leadership. At council proceedings, transportation staff, community leaders, and all who have participated to date appreciated council's acknowledgment of the painstaking analytical and public outreach effort.

That effort has earned support from an 89-person stakeholder committee covering a range of transportation interests, the editorial boards of The Oregonian, The Portland Tribune and The Portland Business Journal, and untold numbers of Portlanders who responded to our citywide notices and attended one of the 21 town hall meetings we hosted in every corner of the city.

In addition, we worked in good faith to reach a compromise to address the concerns of convenience stores and the petroleum representatives.

Regrettably, the influence of oil industry representatives has taken its toll. I no longer have unanimous council support to enact the program.

I now propose that city council refer the Safe, Sound & Green initiative to the November general election ballot.

Portlanders can trust that oil industry representatives will embark upon a monumental misinformation campaign. Watch the money: they will spend much more on television ads and other venues to kill Safe, Sound & Green than they would have spent to simply pay their fair share to return Portland's major streets to working order.

As the champion of Safe, Sound & Green, it's true that I worry about holding onto the factual high ground during this tsunami of misinformation.

This is Portland, however. Portlanders have a proud history of supporting well-articulated, reasonable investments in their community. It's part of what makes us the best city in the country. Safe, Sound & Green will save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and--most importantly--save lives.

The general election in November 2008 is virtually guaranteed to ensure the highest voter turnout in the city's history. As a result, the best possible conversation that engages the maximum number of Portlanders about Safe, Sound & Green will occur over the next nine months. In spite of all the oil industry dollars to be spent, I am confident Portland will prevail.

I want to thank my colleagues for their continued support in addressing the transportation concerns facing our city. And I want to thank all of you.

Links to learn more:

• Safe, Sound & Green (Project maps, finances, history)
• Safe, Sound & Green Streets Stakeholder List
• Street fee will pay off in safety, The Portland Tribune
• Moving beyond a gas tax, The Oregonian
• We can pay now or pay later, The Portland Business Journal
• Recent news articles about Safe, Sound & Green

Oregon’s elected officials have a pointed message for their constituents: Pony up. It’s the only way to unclog roads and repair streets.

Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams are all calling for significant investments in transportation. Not tomorrow, but now.

Like it or not, they’re right...[read more. subscription required]

By WILLIAM YARDLEY

SEATTLE - State and local governments in many parts of the country are struggling to pay for roads, bridges and other building projects because of rising construction costs, adding another burden to budgets already stressed by the troubled housing market.