John Charles letter to the Oregon Transportation Commission
February 14, 2011 Oregon Transportation Commission Salem, OR 97301 RE: Feb. 16th meeting,…
Read Blog DetailCategory: Transportation
TriMet Throws Bus Replacement Funding Under the Bus
UPDATE: Read the full letter below FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 14, 2011 Contact: John A….
Read Blog DetailLake Oswego Streetcar Proposal: John Charles Testifies in Favor of a Less Expensive Solution
Lake Oswego politicians want to spend more than $400 million in tax dollars…
Read Blog DetailJohn tells TriMet Board, “Milwaukie Light Rail: You Will Own the Problem”
TriMet Board Meeting is currently considering which would be a thumbs up to…
Read Blog DetailAnalysis of Measure 26-119
$125 Million in General Obligation Bonds for TriMet By John A. Charles, Jr….
Read Blog DetailNew TriMet Lines Expand Liabilities
[audio:QuickPoint6-30-10Laura.mp3] Click the play button to hear the audio commentary by Laura Lewis…
Read Blog DetailExcessive Cost of the Milwaukie Light Rail Line
By John Charles Testimony before the Metro Council Regarding the Milwaukie Light Rail…
Read Blog DetailWestside Commuter Rail: A Financial Train Wreck
Westside Commuter Rail: A Financial Train Wreck By John A. Charles, Jr. Download…
Read Blog DetailEnding Highway Gridlock in Portland
The Portland region is rated the 24th most congested metropolitan area in the…
Read Blog DetailJohn A. Charles, Jr. featured in KATU 2 story on the “cash for clunkers” program
The federal government’s ‘Cash for clunkers’ program aims to boost cars sales and…
Read Blog DetailJohn A. Charles, Jr. featured in KGW-TV story on TriMet’s WES commuter trains
Watch this great KGW-TV exposé of TriMet’s commuter rail “financial train wreck” featuring…
Read Blog DetailJohn A. Charles, Jr. featured on KATU 2story on TriMet’s gold-platedemployee benefits.
Watch this great KATU-TV exposé of TriMet’s “most generous in the country” benefits…
Read Blog DetailThere’s No Such Thing as a Free Ride
[audio:QuickPoint 7-1-09.mp3] Click the play button to hear the audio Quick Point. Why…
Read Blog DetailNew Report Documents Massive Cost of Proposed High-Speed Rail Program
For Release June 24, 2009 For more information, contact: Randal O’Toole, 541-595-1460 or…
Read Blog DetailFree-Flow Driving over the New Columbia River Bridge
[audio:QP3_11_09.mp3] Click the play button to hear the audio commentary Political leaders from…
Read Blog DetailConceptual Approaches to Road Finance Reform
Roads should be funded primarily by user fees. However, it is not necessary…
Read Blog DetailCan Transit Agencies Learn to Embrace Car Ownership?
Summary Cascade Policy Institute submitted an innovative proposal to TriMet to cancel TriMet’s…
Read Blog DetailHey Buddy, Can You Spare a Charge?
Summary Advocates of plug-in vehicles profess that they will reduce air pollution, dependence…
Read Blog DetailDriver’s License or Good Citizen’s Card?
Summary The driver’s license was originally created to ensure public safety by setting…
Read Blog DetailWestside MAX at 10: Measuring the Vision Against Implementation
The Westside light rail line opened on September 12, 1998. Westside MAX was…
Read Blog DetailC-Tran’s New Hybrid Buses: When Going “Green” Costs Lots of Green!
Summary Clark County’s new hybrid buses are costing lots of green for local…
Read Blog DetailPortland Continues Taxi Cartel
Imagine an industry where two companies control 75% of the market, price-competition is…
Read Blog DetailA Corvette or a Toy Train?
I drive a car. Odds are, you do too. In fact, given the…
Read Blog DetailCarfree Dreaming in Portland
In three weeks Portland State University will proudly host the annual “Towards Carfree…
Read Blog DetailA New Day for Portland Transportation: Spending Should Match Utilization
Observers of Portland transportation have long criticized local politicians for spending billions of…
Read Blog DetailPaying a High Price for "Fareless" Rides
TriMet has always taken credit for promoting economic development along light rail lines,…
Read Blog DetailHidden in Plain Sight: Portland’s Disappearing Street Maintenance Fund
Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams and Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler have proposed…
Read Blog DetailWheels to Wealth: A Pilot Project to Examine the Feasibility of Promoting Low-Income Auto Ownership as a Transit Strategy
Synopsis Wheels to Wealth is a proposal with a dual purpose: First, to…
Read Blog DetailPilot study initiative to explore the transportation needs of the low-income population in the Portland tri-county area
The population composition of the Portland area has changed in the last 5 years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2000, 8.5% of families and 13.1% of individuals in Portland were below the federal poverty level. In 2005, 11.8% of families and 17.8% of individuals in Portland were below the poverty level. The minority population also has increased, both in Portland and statewide.
The demographic group known as the working poor is also growing. Following the welfare reforms of 1996, though Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cases have gone down comparably, a significant pool of working poor are still struggling to reach family-wage jobs.
The proposed Wheels to Wealth initiative is an attempt to incorporate the working poor, and the minority population, in the regional transportation plan by giving them better access to job markets and consumer services. . . . Read more!
Read Blog DetailResponse to TriMet comments on Cascade’s pilot project proposal
To: TPAC We appreciated the time allocated by TPAC recently to consider our…
Read Blog DetailPortlanders See Through the “Bike vs. Car” Racket
The Wheels to Wealth program is finally communicating with an audience it always wanted to reach out to. Program Director Sreya Sarkar took part in a debate in SE Portland that attracted the biking community of Portland.
As part of their monthly Debate Club series, the Bus Project and the Portland Mercury hosted a . . . Read more!
Read Blog DetailPortland’s Transportation Future: Back to the Past?
In the optimistic decades of the 1950s and 60s, Americans had bold visions…
Read Blog DetailBe wary of funding “Mess Transit”
Testimony before the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development…
Read Blog DetailPortland’s highway system: there is no there there
The Federal Highway Administration has apparently reached its limit with Portland’s fantasy transportation…
Read Blog DetailForward into the Past
This week TriMet began construction on its next light-rail project which will shut…
Read Blog DetailThe Market has Spoken: Light Rail Can’t Compete
The most recent downtown employer survey by the Portland Business Alliance contains important…
Read Blog DetailPay Less, Drive More
Last Wednesday the Bush administration announced new fuel economy standards for light trucks…
Read Blog DetailSaying No to Basketball and Trams
Finally, something we can all agree on. Pro-government and anti-tax activists alike are…
Read Blog DetailLast Hand of the Game
There may be hope for the Portland City Council yet. After being thoroughly…
Read Blog DetailFailing Grade for PSU and Light Rail
On Thursday, July 8, a Metro committee will finalize the funding plan for…
Read Blog DetailDoor to door transit for less
On May 1, Portland’s North Interstate light rail line opened for business. The…
Read Blog DetailThe high cost of transit math
Last week we discovered that the Washington County commuter rail line, which is…
Read Blog DetailODOT embraces congestion
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) just announced its intention to increase traffic…
Read Blog DetailCheck your wallets
During the 2003 session of the Oregon legislature, TriMet submitted legislation authorizing the…
Read Blog DetailThe Mythical World of Transit-Oriented Development: Steele Park in Washington County, Oregon
Introduction During the past decade, Portland-area planners have embraced Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) as…
Read Blog DetailMetro Brew: More pork, less mobility
On June 12 a powerful Metro committee, JPACT, will decide how to spend…
Read Blog DetailLegislature should reject TriMet tax request
TriMet, Portland’s transit agency, is seeking authorization from the state legislature to raise…
Read Blog DetailOHSU Tram: Forward into the Past!
The recent decision by the Portland City Council to build a tram from…
Read Blog DetailI-5 Partnership locks in traffic
The I-5 Partnership, representing the states of Oregon and Washington, will adopt final…
Read Blog Detail