Comments on: Oregon projects pushed for federal funding

By: Michael Strick-9

Michael Strick-9 — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 05:22:38 +0000

Of course these greasy politicians are pushing for more light rail. Guess who finances their campaigns? The companies that make rail cars and the rail unions! http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/fec/?id=494&cycle=2009-2010 and http://watchdog.net/p/earl_blumenauer . Tri Met is millions in debt, has to raise rates, cut services, but there's always money for more light rail!

By: nativePDX

nativePDX — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:54:01 +0000

Neighborhood roads are paid for by developers of a development and the people that buy into that development. Try to buy a piece of property that is landlocked with no road access, it is virtually worthless. 98% of all trips in the Tri-Met area are on roads, not streetcar or light rail lines.

Freeways are paid for by auto and truck user fees and paid for by the auto and truck users. The federal money that they propose to spend on the streetcar line, comes from auto and truck user fees.

Tri-Met only collects 20% of their operating cost from the transit users and none of the capital construction. So 80% of the operating cost and 100% of the capital construction of streetcars, light rail and new buses has to be subsidized so less than 3% of all the trips in the Tri-Met area can ride transit.

No wonder why we are going broke, building unsustainable projects like this streetcar line.

By: Jayson

Jayson — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:08:01 +0000

As usual, some people will confuse the issue of how transportation infrastructure is paid for. Gas taxes pay for about 30-40% of the cost of road construction and maintenance. The rest is other taxes and developers. Since roads don’t pay for themselves, it’s a pointless argument to make that streetcars, which relieve capacity on roads aren’t a worthy investment of tax dollars. Allowing unrestricted mobility and access to commerce is one way we promote economic growth as a policy. It’s ridiculous to pit one mode against another, as if we all need to travel only one way. Transit, roads, multi-use paths are all part of one transportation system.

In the case of a streetcar adjacent to Hwy 43, there’s no way to widen the roadway, without spending billions of dollars to cut into solid rock hillside or cantilever structures over the the hillside and purchase million dollar homes and bulldoze businesses. Doing any of these also triggers requirements to open up fish-bearing streams and restore the natural ecology in some of these areas that was decimated when Hwy 43 was first built. A streetcar can narrowly and quietly fit within existing railroad right of way, which is reserved for that purpose. Seems like a no-brainer to anyone who actually looks into the issue of congestion on Hwy 43, which is why ODOT is a partner in the project.

By: pdxnative

pdxnative — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 02:34:34 +0000

This money come comes from auto and truck users fees and we are going to build a street car with it. Then later they talk about raining the fuel tax!

98% of all trips are on roads and we need to start adding capasity to our road systeem as our population grows.

We don’t need more streetcars, paid for by auto and truck taxes!