Day: August 4, 2009

Waiting for the light to change
at SE Grand Ave.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Bike traffic in Portland seems to be at an all-time high this year. A few weeks back I shared a glimpse of bike traffic in N. Williams and I’ve been amazed at what I’ve seen in other areas as well. I can’t wait for the results of the City of Portland’s annual bike counts, especially if they show we’ve continued our current rate of increase (bridge bike traffic was up 28% last year).

This morning I got an email from reader Mike Wright. Mike is a 39-year old business analyst who lives in the Richmond Neighborhood near SE 42nd and Taggart. He rides over the Hawthorne Bridge everyday. Here’s how he described the scene as he rolled up to the intersection of SE 6th and Hawthorne at about 7:30 am this morning:

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Tom Coburn

John McCain

Seeking to position themselves in the upcoming (and ongoing) debate of a new federal transportation bill, and on the heels of an $7 billion transfer from the general fund to keep the bankrupt Highway Trust Fund solvent, Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and John McCain (R-AZ) have published a report (PDF here) that blasts Government expenditures on bike, pedestrian and other non-highway projects.

The report, titled, Out of Gas: Congress Raids the Highway Trust Fund for Pet Projects While Bridges and Roads Crumble, was released in response to a report (commissioned by Coburn and McCain, download PDF here) by the Governmental Accountability Office that $78 billion in funds from the Highway Trust Fund between 2004 and 2008 has been spent, “for purposes other than construction and maintenance of highways and bridges.”

In their report, McCain and Coburn said continued bailouts of the Highway Fund and the transportation system won’t help. Instead, they write, “Congress must begin by reprioritizing funds.”

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