“We cannot continue to have children dodging cars to get to school. I cannot be mourning with another family again.” – Khanh Pham , Oregon State House Rep Our world was sepia-toned this weekend as smoke from nearby wildfires settled into the Willamette Valley. But the hazy air and wind didn’t deter dozens of people … Read more
Its aim is to make sure every voter has some influence, in proportion to the popularity of their choices. You know an issue is hot when you go to a Labor Day weekend party and people are talking about it. The issue is Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), and it will be on the ballot this … Read more
“What are the serious actions that the city is willing to take?” – Janet Weil, Extinction Rebellion PDX “Deeds not words” was the message a group of activists with Extinction Rebellion PDX had for Portland City Council at their meeting this morning where they voted to approve the city’s Climate Emergency Work Plan. The work … Read more
The Multnomah County Circuit Court has ruled against the Portland Business Alliance (PBA) challenge to a voting and governance measure slated for November’s ballot. The PBA had argued that the broad package of changes referred to the ballot by the Charter Review Commission violated the state constitution’s single-subject requirement. In today’s ruling, Judge Stephen K. … Read more
The bill isn’t a complete loss for bike advocates, and there’s an expectation they’ll have another swing at the ball before the end of this year. The much-ballyhooed, $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that’s on its way to President Biden’s desk as I write this, is an unprecedented win on the front of the … Read more
I’ve been wondering for a while now: “What happened to Chloe Eudaly?” Now I know. The former Portland City Commissioner and head of the transportation bureau left office with some very choice words for “the bike community” (and for me personally, but whatever) after losing a re-election bid to Mingus Mapps in 2020. After that, … Read more
Mingus Mapps drew the charter reform battle lines more clearly yesterday when the city commissioner announced he would craft an alternative to the proposal put forward last month by the city appointed Charter Review Commission. In an email to supporters Tuesday, Mapps laid out a path to challenging the commission’s plan. It is a deft … Read more
“Induced demand only matters if you’re creating an induced demand for carbon-based vehicles that pollute.” – Ted Wheeler, mayor of Portland Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has some interesting ideas about induced demand. In fact, if you care about building healthy and vibrant cities, his ideas are downright troubling. For the uninitiated, induced demand is a … Read more
Back in April, before Oregon primary voters decided who would be up for the general gubernatorial election in November, we reported on a concerning comment from from one of the candidates. Former Oregon state senator Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose) told radio host Lars Larson she didn’t want any transit, bike or pedestrian facilities on a new … Read more
“I don’t want to sound like ‘Johnny-one-note’ with our cycling agenda, but burning calories instead of fossil fuel is something that will make a difference right now.” -Earl Blumenauer Thanks to inflation and the war in Ukraine, gas prices have hit record highs, and in the car-dependent United States, a lot of people across the … Read more
Our city hamstrings itself by putting city commissioners — who possibly have no management experience, background or interest in a bureau — in charge of running them. Portland took another step toward good governance with the recent Charter Commission vote to advance their reforms to the November ballot. This City Council appointed, 20-member group of … Read more
Over the past two days, a group of transportation bigwigs from around the region have rubbed shoulders with the most powerful decision makers in America. Members of Metro’s Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) arrived in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to take part in an Oregon tradition that’s nearly four decades old.