“Southwest is the DIY part of Portland… there’s almost no bus service and no cycling or walking infrastructure.”
Welcome to the Comment of the Week, where we highlight good comments in order to inspire more of them. You can help us choose our next one by replying with “comment of the week” to any comment you think deserves recognition.
Sometimes I wish I could pick an entire comment thread for the Comment of the Week. Our article last week about the hapless BikePortland reader who followed an Apple Maps walking route onto a busy and unwalkable southwest collector street inspired some very fine comments. Maybe the archetypal Babe in the Woods narrative brought out the best in people.
I focused on warning about map apps, and plugging the SW Trails PDX organization, but many southwest readers might have been feeling something more visceral. Fred, in a comment which has a “just chatting with a neighbor over the fence” quality, captures these feelings.
Here’s what Fred wrote:
Thanks, Lisa, for pointing out the paucity of walking and cycling infrastructure in Southwest. Every time I hear people from East Portland complaining about their lack of … everything, I have to laugh. Southwest is the DIY part of Portland: maintain your own streets and get yourself places b/c there’s almost no bus service and no cycling or walking infrastructure. No wonder almost everyone drives everywhere and just a few intrepid souls walk and cycle.
Thank you Fred! You can read Fred’s Comment, and the other excellent comments too, under the original article.