Now you can twist the numbers, by only counting downtown Portland but 80% of our jobs and most of shopping is no longer in downtown Portland.

That is why most of downtown Portland development is in a special taxing district ( such as Urban renewal) and is subsidized . Transit users only pay 20% of the operation cost and none of the capital construction of all the streetcars, light rail lines and bus systeem.

Transit is not sustainable by way of the fare box or the users.

Most of the federal transit money comes from taxes or user fees on cars and trucks.
Local money comes from diverting urban renewal money and income taxes.

Urban renewal money comes from money that would have gone to schools, social services, fire and police.

Public Transit Market Share from 1900
Transit
1900 —100.00%
1905—-98.55%
1910—-93.77%
1915— 79.33%
1920— 50.25%
1925 —28.91%
1930 —21.06%
1935 —14.20%
1940 —35.00%
1950 —18.26%
1955 —10.43%
1960 — 7.11%
1965 — 5.19%
1970 — 3.63%
1975 — 2.90%
1980 — 2.82%
1981 — 2.68%
1982 — 2.51%
1983 — 2.46%
1984 — 2.48%
1985 — 2.42%
1986 — 2.40%
1987 — 2.32%
1988 — 2.23%
1989 — 2.06%
1990 — 1.90%
1991 — 1.86%
1992 — 1.76%
1993 — 1.67%
1994 — 1.72%
1995 — 1.71%
1996 — 1.67%
1997 — 1.66%
1998 — 1.70%
1999 — 1.74%
2000 — 1.70%
2001 — 1.74%
2002 — 1.69%
2003 — 1.61%
2004 — 1.57%
2005 — 1.51%
2006 — 1.56%
2007 — 1.58%
United States Urban Transport Statistics

US Urban Personal Vehicle & Public Transport Market Share from 1900

DATA

PERSONAL VEHICLE
YEAR MARKET SHARE
1900— 0.00%
1905— 1.45%
1910— 6.23%
1915— 20.67%
1920— 49.75%
1925— 71.09%
1930— 78.94%
1935— 85.80%
1940— 85.90%
1945— 65.00%
1950— 81.74%
1955— 89.57%
1960— 92.89%
1965— 94.81%
1970— 96.37%
1975— 97.10%
1980— 97.18%
1981— 97.32%
1982— 97.49%
1983— 97.54%
1984— 97.52%
1985— 97.58%
1986— 97.60%
1987— 97.68%
1988— 97.77%
1989— 97.94%
1990— 98.10%
1991— 98.14%
1992— 98.24%
1993— 98.33%
1994— 98.28%
1995— 98.29%
1996— 98.33%
1997— 98.34%
1998— 98.30%
1999— 98.26%
2000— 98.30%
2001— 98.26%
2002— 98.31%
2003— 98.39%
2004— 98.43%
2005— 98.49%
2006— 98.44%
2007— 98.42%

Data in Billions of Passenger Miles. Estimated from data in National Transportation Statistics, James Dunn, Driving Forces Table 4-3, FHWA Highway Statistics, National Transit Database and American Public Transportation Association.

Pre 1920 personal vehicle data estimated based upon vehicle miles, vehicle and fuel data.

2007 personal vehicle passenger miles estimated from total urban figure

With all do respect, you have valid points, but your ballot initiative is bad policy. I will not sign it, it is short-sighted. However, I agree with you about the need for tax reform and better tax policy, yet we need to continue to raise tax gas, auto fees, etc. until people get out of the car, etc. Let’s raise transportation-based taxes and lower income/corporate tax instead? Let’s pay $8-10/gallon and not 9-11% in income?

Furthermore, lightrail is the future. The car is not. Nearly every major city across the country ahd and continues to invest in lightrail, Phoenix, Seattle, Nashville, Los Angles (Los Angeles??), Charlotte, Dallas, etc. because they know it is necessary for the future demand and economic growth. Surely, we need to fix bridges, pave roads, but lightrail is what direction we are headed in, we need to build more, use it, and drive less. You are right, lightrail is only 3% ridership (Now it was 5-6% when gas was $4), but of those who continue to move to Oregon and bring money and ideas, ridership on MAX and SC is much higher because they moved here to get out of their cars and not breath smog. People also like to bicycle as well. Gas is less expensive now, and congestion is minimal, but if we don’t invest in alternative transportation, Portland is going to be another L.A., Seattle, Houston, etc. and we are going to rot away and die in our cars while driving 50 miles to and from work in our the sprawling, polluted mess that will be Portland in 50 years if we don’t have smart growth today? Is that what you want? I do not.

Long live the vision and energy of one of the greatest Oregon republicans, Gov. Tom McCall. He would not sign your petition.

Best,

MAX

There are always tough decisions to be made on priorities for using the people’s money, their taxes, with many competing needs and insufficient resources for all. It’s perfectly legitimate to question the spending decisions of each government body and, ultimately, the mechanism to change those spending priorities is called an election. But lumping all government together is intentionally misleading (or just ignorant). (I know, I know, the TriMet Board is not elected but appointed by the Governor. Now there’s an appropriate place for McIntire’s efforts: an initiative to change the TriMet charter to create an elected board. I’d sign that one.)

According to the Legislative Revenue Office, the State of Oregon collects almost $2 billion in Transportation taxes and fees every year from Oregonians from all sources. This is before the addition of the provisions of HB 2001. Only a tiny percentage of this money is actually put to work where it should be: building and maintaining roads that automobiles, motorcycles and over-the-road trucks use. The cost of the complete replacement of the Sellwood bridge constitutes about 12.5 percent of one year’s Transportation tax and fee collections.

Oregon has wasted billions of dollars on the construction of a light rail system that only serves 3 percent of the population while pursuing policies hostile to car, motorcycle and truck travel. Local governments routinely shift money they receive from transportation tax and fee receipts into non-transportation uses. Until the Oregon Department of Transportation and local governments quit wasting the money we’re already giving them, they do not deserve one more dime of taxpayer money.