OLCV Talk

CRC MegaBridge Railroads Bikes

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance has an excellent summary of what's happened to the proposed bicycle and pedestrian facilities in the design of the region's largest-ever infrastructure project, the Columbia River Crossing multi-billion-dollar MegaBridge.

In short: they've gone from 12 and 26 feet wide to a single dark underbridge design, mostly 16 feet wide.

Check out Michelle's explanation of the process, and how bicyclists have been systematically cut as the design has gone forward.

An ironic start to the Bike Commute Challenge month.

House Passes OCN Priority TriMet/Lane Transit Funding Bill, 32-28

Moments ago, the Oregon House voted 32-28 to pass Senate Bill 34A, an OCN priority bill that will allow TriMet and Lane Transit District to raise funding to keep up with increasing demand for transit.

Oregonians desperately need transportation choices, especially those one million Oregonians who are too young, old, poor or infirm to drive. This bill helps provide those choices.

It is the second OCN Priority bill to head to the Governor's desk to be signed into law.

For Portlanders Who Give Up a Car: $9,201 a Year

Portlanders who give up one car in their household save $9,201 a year, the 12th-most in the United States, according to a new study by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

From the press release:

Taking public transportation is an economical way to travel as individuals seek to “ride out” the recession. Riding public transportation also reduces carbon emissions and mitigates America's dependence on foreign oil.

“In these uncertain economic times, individuals are looking for ways to do more with less,” said APTA President William W. Millar.  “Riding public transportation is one way to immediately save a significant amount of money.  You can save money and save the planet.”

The Transit Savings Report, released monthly by the American Public Transportation Association examines how much individuals can save annually by taking public transportation rather than driving and having one less car in the household.

Read more.

Senate Passes Transit Funding Bill, 20-9 -- Hooray!

The Oregon Senate just passed Senate Bill 34 on a 20-9 vote (Sen. Winters and Sen. Nelson joined all 18 Democrats in support of the bill).

The bill, one of the conservation community's Priorities for a Healthy Oregon, will help Oregon communities to provide more transportation freedom.

Senate Bill 34 allows Oregon’s largest metro areas to enhance transportation choices.

SB 34 allows TriMet (Portland metro) and Lane Transit District (Eugene-Springfield) to increase revenue once the economy improves.

The bill allows a ten year phased-in increase of one-tenth of one percent in payroll fees, from 0.7% to 0.8%, to help ensure everyone has transportation choices.

Reasons to support Senate Bill 34:

• All Oregonians deserve the ability to travel and have transportation choices.
• One quarter of Oregonians – roughly one million people – are too poor, too young, too old, or too infirm to drive.
• About 38% of Oregon’s global warming emissions come from transportation. Single-occupant vehicles are the source of the majority of this pollution.
• Creating affordable choices can save money for struggling Oregonians. About 20% of household budgets go to transportation. In many households, transportation outstrips housing as the single largest expense.
• Federal matching funds require local transit agencies to demonstrate the ability to cover operating costs for the next 20 years.

The bill now heads to the House for consideration.

OPB Traffic Reports Sponsored by MegaBridge?

On my morning commute to Salem, I noticed the OPB traffic report saying that traffic was slow in Delta Park on I-5 and that, paraphrased "Your commute will be an additional 19 minutes." Which made me wonder: what's the baseline?

What physical length of commute are they expecting (as most people using the I-5 corridor aren't traveling the full distance), and what time? Are they comparing it to an average day's rush hour commute, which they should, or a commute with no other cars on the road, which I bet they are?  (There are side issues about presuming people are driving, and the strange psychology where people communicate about distance in time, i.e. "I live 10 minutes away," that deserve other ponderings.)

If traffic reports were honest, they'd report on days where your commute would be faster than average, but I have yet to hear one say "Your commute will be 7 minutes faster than average."

Setting car-free, congestion-free road speeds as the baseline creates a sort of perverse sense of the world, that drivers believe that they deserve to drive as fast as possible. Which then creates political pressure for overinvestments in hugely expensive projects like the $5000-per-household, $4.2 billion MegaBridge.

OPB, step up and lead on this. Change your traffic reports. You've done it before when people complained about warning lawbreakers about enforcements on the carpool lane. Time to do it again.

No Analysis on Global Warming Pollution? No Problem

From the Portland Mercury on the support from the Portland City Council for a 12-lane, $4 billion MegaBridge, aka the Columbia River Crossing, despite not receiving items that it had previously conditioned its support on:

"There really was a lot of things we talked about in July that never happened," said [City Commissioner Dan] Saltzman. "There was never an analysis of induced demand or greenhouse gases, but I'm not going to beat my head against the wall here."

Thank you, Commissioner Amanda Fritz, for voting no.

Coming: Morrison Bridge Bike Lane!

A tidbit from my past life in the bike advocacy movement: Portland's Morrison Bridge will get a bike lane by the end of 2009. A contract has been awarded and construction is expected to start this spring and finish by the end of the year.

Of the eleven Portland bridges over the Willamette, only four have good bike connections. Southeast Portland is chock full of bicyclists, and forcing cyclists to go out of their way to cross the river has long been a headache. Some bold people cross the bridge anyway, crossing dangerous on and off ramps to I-5.

As I understand it, the two-way bike lane will be on the south side of the bridge.

More about the project from Multnomah County, which manages the bridge.

Hooray!

Countdown to 2009

Countdown to the 2009 Legislative Session that is...

The first day of session is January 12 and we can't wait to get to work.

We'll be working on critical environmental legislation as a member of the Oregon Conservation Network (OCN), a coalition of fifty of Oregon’s leading environmental groups. 

Implement Global Warming Solutions We must take action to reduce global warming pollution, which if left unchecked will lead to increased forest fires, water shortages, and major disruptions to our economy. The Legislature should place a mandatory, declining cap on global warming pollution.

Promote Water Conservation Farmers, fishermen, cities, businesses and local communities all need adequate water supplies to thrive. It’s our responsibility to ensure a legacy of healthy rivers for everyone and everything that depends on them

Preserve Oregon’s Coastal Legacy Global warming, pollution, increasing population, and coastal development are taking a toll – and our ocean’s future health is at risk. The Legislature should create a system of marine protected areas and reserves in Oregon’s Territorial Sea.

Increase Transportation Options As the Oregon Legislature considers new transportation investments, we must make sure to use more efficient land use planning and invest in transportation options. This will reduce the amount of time Oregonians spend in traffic, improve our health, and reduce the amount we spend on gas.

Ensure New Energy Supplies are Responsible Liquefied natural gas (LNG) emits 20-30% more global warming pollution than domestic natural gas. LNG terminals planned for Oregon would mainly send gas to California, which has rejected LNG because of safety and environmental concerns.

Stop the Spread of Invasive Species Oregon must take action to stop the spread of invasive plant, animal, and aquatic species. The Legislature should require boats entering the state be cleaned, to prevent the introduction of invasive snails and mussels into Oregon’s waterways.

Learn more about our Priorities for a Healthy Oregon.

To stay up to date on our priorities and other environmental bills during the session, sign up for SalemWatch, our legislative e-newsletter.