October 2010 Archives

Study shows CRC project could cost up to $10 billion (not $3.6)

You might want to ask for
twice that much.
(Photo © J. Maus)

CRC project staff and Departments of Transportation in both Oregon and Washington have been putting the estimated cost of the new I-5 bridge and highway expansion project at about $3.6 billion; but a new study shows that the the project could end up costing as much as $10 billion.

The report was commissioned by Plaid Pantry CEO Chris Girard and the research was done by economist Joe Cortright for Impresa, Inc. Here’s an excerpt by Girard taken from the report’s cover letter (emphasis mine):

The report documents the unfortunate fact that the proposed CRC project’s real costs are more than double the widely-accepted figure of $3.6 billion. In reality the current design for the project will cost in the range of $8 billion to $10 billion, or more, and there is no available source of revenue to pay for it. The financing plan is a guess at best, and the revenue projections are significantly flawed with bad assumptions and unacceptable risk at every step. The numbers and analysis underpinning this project simply do not add up to a happy ending.

Kidical Mass in downtown Portland in June 2008.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Kidical Mass rides again! And what better way to make a comeback than a ride to a mass performance of Michael Jackson’s Thriller a week before Halloween?!

The popular event (with the catchy name) that started in Eugene and came to Portland via the BTA for the first time in June of 2008, has been resurrected by Portlander Katie Proctor.

The ride will take place on Saturday, October 23rd and will coincide with Thrill The World PDX, a mass zombie dance that will happen in Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. “Come as a zombie or in your Halloween costume, and come prepared to dance!” says Katie.

Katie, a self-described “Portland mom and bike geek,” sees Kidical Mass as much more than just another ride…

Traffic at Williams this morning.
(Photos © J. Maus)

It’s Day Three of the new bike signal at Broadway and Williams in North Portland. When PBOT turned on the signal Wednesday, some safety issues became apparent, so they immediately came up with a list of fixes that we shared with you yesterday.

Buffered Bike Lane with a bike symbol and arrow pointing forward

Year: 2008
Brand: Giant
Model: OCR 1 W
Color:Silver/black
Size:Small
Serial: GN816548
Photo: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/ocr.1.w/1243/29269/
Stolen in Portland, OR 97217
Stolen:2010-10-15
Stolen From: From in front of home (on roof rack of car) on Omaha Avenue, between N Bryant and N Buffalo
Neighborhood: Arbor Lodge
Owner: Lizzie Rubado
OwnerEmail: lizzierubado@gmail.com
Reward: $200
Description: Silver with black accents. Silver fenders, rear rack, front light, rear light mounted on rear rack, seat post bag, shimano redals, odometer mount, two water bottle cages
Police record with: Portland PD
Police reference#: T10006849
This registrant has documented proof of ownership of this bike

Black Shogun

Brand: Shogun
Color:Black
Stolen in Portland, OR 97214
Stolen:2010-10-14
Stolen From: SE 27th and Pine, Brick apartment building on the corner of the block.
Owner: Gabe Gendreau
OwnerEmail: gabegendreau@gmail.com
Description: An older bike, black, handlebar tape is red. Has front and back fenders, a rack over the back tire, front and back lights. It had a ‘Meat Cheese Bread’ sticker a little bit under the seat, and on the front in front of the handlebars a little sticker of Elvis with a gold jacket. The front fender is a little crooked and squeaks.
This registrant does not have proof of ownership of this bike

Event: Bikestation Hillsboro Grand Opening (10/20/10)

Event Name: Bikestation Hillsboro Grand Opening
Event Start Date: 20 October 2010
Start Time: 3:30:00 PM
Web Site: http://www.bikestation.com/hillsboro
Event Description: Join Us for the Bikestation Hillsboro Grand Opening Celebration! Bikestation Hillsboro is on the ground floor of the new Intermodal Transit Facility (ITF), near Tuality Hospital and SE 8th Ave Blue Train MAX stop. The address is 265 SE 8th Avenue, Hillsboro, OR 97123. Open House Tours start at 3:30pm and the Dedication Ceremony starts at 5pm. Enjoy complimentary beverages and appetizers, and complimentary Bikestation parking (until 6pm). Take a tour of the Bikestation facility; test ride your daily commute routine; learn about daily, monthly and annual membership options; and enter a raffle to win prizes donated by Bike Gallery! This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Shelly Cobb: scobb(at)bikestation(dot)com.

Would we be more considerate road users without traffic lights?

No lights, no problem.
Still from video, watch it below.

Gridlock and road rage are an unfortunate part of American traffic culture. How much do traffic lights have to do with that? Would we be more considerate of other road users without them? A small town in England decided to find out.

About a year ago, the small coastal town of Portishead, England embarked on an experiment. In order to relieve congestion that was choking their downtown with long delays, traffic engineers decided to turn off the traffic signals. Not surprisingly, there was negative outcry from citizens about the idea; but the results of the experiment, captured in the video below, were surprising.

This morning, crews stood at the
signal to make sure people knew
it was there.
(Photo: Kristin Bott)

As I reported yesterday, the new bike signals installed on Broadway at N. Williams have been turned on. Unfortunately, they weren’t quite ready for prime time and there were safety concerns that became apparent once everything went live. This morning, PBOT shared a list of changes they plan to make at the intersection immediately.

The issue of most concern to PBOT was that road users (mostly people on bikes) were not aware of the new bike signal. This is serious, because with the bike lane now to the right of two right-turn lanes, there’s potential for collisions if people do not comply with the signals (learn more about how the new signal works in this post).

— This article was written by Portlander Steve Gutmann. He works for the Portland Sustainability Institute and formerly worked for EcoSecurities and Flexcar.

On September 29th, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation that will — for the first time — allow individuals in California to have their personal cars become car-sharing vehicles without invalidating their personal auto insurance. This legislation clears the way for “peer to peer,” (P2P) or personal vehicle car-sharing in California, and a similar effort is underway here in Oregon. This could dramatically accelerate the already rapid growth of car-sharing nationwide.

But why should you (a bike-riding audience) care?

This (or a 29er MTB version) could
be yours for just $20. Seriously.
(Photo: Cyclepath)

Cyclepath, a bike shop in Northeast Portland, has stepped up to support bike advocacy in Portland. They’re currently holding a raffle with a very tempting prize to bike lovers — the Grand Prize winner will choose from a Moots cyclocross or 29-inch mountain bike fully decked-out with high-end parts and worth about $7,000.

Only 1,000 tickets will be sold and 100% of the proceeds will be evenly split between the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and the Northwest Trail Alliance. There are also several very nice runner-up prizes.

Portland Fox TV affiliate station KPTV has published an article on their website titled, No Texting In Car? Doesn’t Work For Mom: Car Becomes Mobile Office. The article is written by Laura Lewis Brown, a syndicated columnist who writes for LifeWhile.com.

The article is a bit shocking given the massive national effort to combat distracted driving and the well-known consequences that can come from texting while driving. A friend of mine on Facebook (a mom who rides her kids around town on bicycles) saw the article and wrote via a status update, “I am speechless! Is this a joke? What planet is this woman from?”

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

“1 in 55 Americans will die in a car crash*. My job is to say it out loud. Why do we allow these deaths to occur?”
— Peter Jacobsen, P.E., public health consultant and researcher

As I mentioned yesterday, public health consultant and research Peter Jacobsen, P.E., will be in Portland Friday to spread the word about the “Vision Zero” traffic safety philosophy.

(You might recall Jacobsen as the researcher behind the widely regarded and influential “Safety in Numbers” concept. Learn more about that in a recent column on Grist.com by Portland’s very own Elly Blue.)

In a nutshell, the Vision Zero concept is about a total re-thinking of the way we approach street design and traffic engineering polices and practices. To learn more about it, I interviewed Jacobsen over the phone yesterday.

Study shows CRC project could cost up to $10 billion (not $3.6)

Kidical Mass rises from grave with ‘ThrilleRide’

Checking in on the Broadway/Williams bike signal

Silver/black Giant OCR 1 W 2008

Black Shogun

Event: Bikestation Hillsboro Grand Opening (10/20/10)

Would we be more considerate road users without traffic lights?

PBOT: Changes coming to new bike signal on Broadway

Guest Article: ‘Peer to peer’ car-sharing and its potential in Oregon

Local shop steps up for advocacy with benefit raffle

Columnist, mom: I should be able to text and drive in “my mobile office”

“Why do we allow these deaths to occur?” – A Q&A with Peter Jacobsen

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From the Archives

With six kids and no car, this mom does it all by bike