Note: I'm currently on a family trip and not working normal hours. Email and message responses will be delayed and story and posting volumes here and on our social media accounts will not be at their usual levels until I return to Portland September 4th. Thanks for your patience and understanding. - Jonathan Maus, BikePortland Publisher and Editor
“A disproportionate share of… dollars available for transportation projects… are being allocated to… bicycle, pedestrian, and commuter infrastructure while critical freight-related projects go unfunded.” — From a BEST coalition document As I detailed on Wednesday, active transportation advocates are mobilizing to thwart an attempt by freight and business advocates to get a larger piece of … Read more
Freight or bikes? A Metro committee is being pulled both ways.(Photo © J. Maus) Next week, Metro’s 17-member Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) will vote on a policy direction that will guide them in handing out $20-24 million in federal transportation funds. With scarce transportation dollars at stake these days, freight and active … Read more
Streetcar and bike parking in South Waterfront.(Photo © J. Maus) Last week, Metro Council approved funding for the South Waterfront Transportation Management Association (TMA). The new TMA will be funded to the tune of $300,000 (half from Metro, other half matched by neighborhood businesses and residents of the area) over three years and is set … Read more
Detail of new edition of Metro’s Bike There! map. Metro has reason to be proud of their Bike There! map. In a word, it’s awesome. It’s one of those maps that gets me inspired to explore new places every time I unfold it. Given the extensive coverage and user-friendly details, it’s no surprise they want … Read more
Beaverton resident Jim Parsons on the Fanno Creek Trail.(Photo © J. Maus) Metro has acquired rights for a trail easement across two properties in central Tigard that will allow them to add length to the popular Fanno Creek Greenway Trail. It’s not a huge piece of the trail, but it helps close a glaring gap … Read more
If Metro wants federal funds for active transportation projects, they’ve got to adjust their approach.(Photo © J. Maus) With the US Department of Transportation’s announcement of TIGER II, a $600 million extension of the stimulus funded TIGER grant program, local active transportation advocates are considering another round of applications. Our regional Metropolitan Planning Organization, Metro, … Read more
Bob Stacey Rex Burkholder(Photos © J. Maus)
Detail of trail system plan. View larger version here.
Dar k blue = cycle tracks.(Graphic: Metro) U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced that funding decisions for their stimulus minded Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program will be made no later than February 17th. To refresh your memory, last fall Metro submitted a TIGER grant request for $98 million in active … Read more
Cover of 2007 edition. Metro’s excellent Bike There! map is set for its first major update since 2007. Metro’s project manager and cartographer for the update, Matthew Hampton, checked in with us last week to share more about what’s in store. Hampton created the last two versions of the map and says he and his … Read more
Metro’s RTP contains a $20 billion list of transportation projects.(Photo © J. Maus) This morning, Metro’s Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation voted 14-3 in support of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). Portland Mayor Sam Adams had an amendment to the plan rejected 11-5 and was one of the three “no” votes. The RTP contains … Read more
Metro is getting heat for their transportation plan.(Photo © J. Maus) Metro’s update to the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) — which will guide $20 billion of investments in our regional transportation infrastructure over the next 25 years — is coming under fire from advocacy groups, Portland Mayor Sam Adams, and others. Among Metro’s stated … Read more
Comment of the Week: Gratitude for N/NE Broadway project