Harry, I saw in your post my chance to jump in and confirm to FW that public transportation is alive and well in Portland, Oregon and spreading to Seattle and Las Vegas. Please pardon my boasting, but perhaps some who read this will see something that would work in their community, too. The West has a long way to go before it can compete with mass transportation in Japan and Europe, but we really enjoy our progressive reputation for planning, building and then actually using! a light rain line (above ground) integrated with citywide bus lines. One pass lets you ride the whole system or you can buy segmented tickets. The All Zone pass currently sells for $55 a month and can be purchased online or mail or in any of many retail outlets, with a discount for annual purchases. Seniors and teens have cheaper rates. Fewer teens driving? What a great idea! The week of 9/11 the secondary line from the east-west light rail line to the airport opened up and it's been very handy for air travelers since the new airport parking garage lost 200 feet of parking close to the terminal for security reasons. You can now leave the airport on a light train and go directly downtown to your hotel for $1.55 or out to your car at a park and ride in the suburbs - just like in Europe or Japan! There is a 3rd secondary line under construction now and hopes are it will someday be extended over the Columbia River into Vancouver, WA to reduce heavy commuter traffic on the interstate bridge. Currently, the city is arguing about a tram from the Willamette river up to the hospital complex atop Marquam Hill, with some neighbors afraid that their airspace will be invaded by peek-a-boo commuters <smile> but last summer's launch of a rebuilt trolley line has been loved to death by students, workers, seniors living in downtown apartments and tourists. In fact, Portland likes to say it's been described as "European" but some would argue not. The MAX light rail is so popular for commuters, partly because it helps people without cars commute to jobs, but also with tax incentives many companies subsidize or pay outright for the monthly passes so their workers do a public commute and they don't have to fiddle with parking. Maybe that's why so many Portlanders read more books and our bookstores do well. In addition, the city bought a fleet of Toyota Prius and I have seen ads for those new car-share companies in town. Besides Fareless Square, a 20 block area where the MAX is free (great for hopping to a restaurant for lunch) parking has actually been discouraged downtown for years so the public will ride into downtown from park and ride stops, as they do especially for Blazer games and concerts at the Rose Garden, the revamped PGE ballpark and entertainment on the riverfront like the 5-day Blues Festival or New Year's Eve in Pioneer Square. Currently, there is a planning debate about whether to tear up several blocks of older underused buildings downtown (which need seismic retrofitting) between the South and North Park blocks, and build a wide tree-lined retail boulevard like those in Paris and Buenos Aires. In June, hundreds of families ride the train into the Coliseum for their high school graduation ceremonies, rather than fighting the traffic. As with sports events and concerts, people go out to eat, drink a little, and ride a train home. So restaurants and the police like this, too. I booked Amtrak trips for engineers and friends traveling from a branch office in Portland to the home office in Seattle who'd rather ride and read or nap and it still costs less than driving the 3 hours between the two cities, or from Portland south to Salem and Eugene. Bikes and baby strollers allowed. Like so many other cities, Portland is a city of bridges over (two) rivers so that transportation has always been an issue, unlike flat places like Houston (where I've also lived) that could just continually annex and pave roads wherever. City and state leaders here took a chance years ago when they could build light rail cheaper before the city tripled in size. Houston should have been so smart but they defeated a proposal ten years ago and now the cost is astronomical. As they say, problems present opportunities. Due to progressive planning 20 years ago, we have a "livable" downtown, the Urban Growth Boundary for extended land planning, and innovative village and small town developments being built in the little flat land we have left, often along the light rail line because it has proved to be commercially successful, especially for urban blight neighborhoods. Good thing, too, because our roads are in terrible shape and there is little money to fix them. Just wish they had that kind of progressive thinking in Salem now with our state budget problems. Guess you win some and you lose some. I met an older woman on the bus a couple of years ago who doesn't own a car but simply rents one once a month for shopping, errands and trips. She avoids spending all that money on a purchase, insurance, upkeep and parking. I envied her. You can piggyback your bike on the front of a city bus or in certain cars of the light rail train (with a permit) and many do. Portland is supposed to one of the most bike-friendly cities in the US. SUVs are wildly popular up here but on our icy hilly roads, we've had some well-publicized rollover accidents. Since we pay more for gas than elsewhere in the US, economy has become an issue in this environmentally-charged region. By the way, I'm hoping to replace my Toyota Camry with a Prius someday but I think those little Vespa's are way cool. No, I'm not paid by the Portland Tourist Bureau, but maybe I should be. Karen
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Harry Pollard Sent: Monday, July 22, 2002 11:14 AM To: Christoph Reuss; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Americanization Christoph wrote: >Harry Pollard wrote: > > Two of my daughters have SUVs and they wouldn't part with them. They love > > them, perhaps because they feel safe in them and the cars behave well on > > the road. ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^ > >The safety is only perceived. SUVs aren't safe, not for their occupants >and much less for other traffic participants. So SUVs don't "behave well" >either, except perhaps from the perspective of a reckless bubba. See >Harry, that's precisely the problem with Americanization -- the attitude >that only oneself has to feel[sic!] safe, and "screw the rest". I checked with one of my daughters. She wouldn't part with her SUW (that's a Sports Utility Wagon) for anything. It's solid, heavy, has a low center of gravity. has front and side air bags, lots of bells and whistles - handles extremely well - and gets 28 mpg (about 34 to the imperial gallon). She says she drives very carefully and the only dangers she has faced are from other drivers. So perhaps the danger you perceive is simply perceived - by you. On the other hand, our roads generally are probably a lot better than yours. They are deteriorating unfortunately for economic reasons, but are mostly still very good., The lanes on motorways, highways, and city streets, are wide. So, heavy and solid personal vehicles are probably a nuisance - as you mention below. In most cases, one can overtake a bicycle safely while staying within the lane. There again many streets and roads have a bicycle lane, particularly in the Pacific Northwest - Washington and Oregon. During my recent trip up there, I cannot recall seeing them used by cyclists. Maybe I just didn't notice. Also, your gasoline prices reflect the heavy costs of your bureaucracies. If I had to pay your prices, I would worry about gas guzzling. On my recent 3,500 mile trip over 25 days we paid around one pound 22 pence for an imperial gallon on which my Toyota station-wagon would travel about 36 miles at 70 mph plus. What is the price now in Britain - perhaps 3-4 times as much? I have no idea what you pay in Switzerland, but I would suspect that a small, economical, car would be sensible. It's not a big issue here - at the moment. >HARRY: The best form of transport for Los Angeles and many other American cities > is the automobile. I certainly wouldn't criticize people who decide to get > the best car they can afford and which will give them enjoyment while they > ride. CHRIS: Harry, Harry, can you spell "externalized costs" ? HARRY: Try not to be clever, Chris. Public transit operates most efficiently and economically when connecting high population densities. Los Angeles and other American cities have a dense center surrounded by umpteen square miles of relative emptiness. If public transit runs out there, people get out, climb into their cars and drive home - maybe 20-30 miles away. So, they usually feel that they might as well stay in their cars into the city. Harry _____________________________________________ > > Chris, there are plenty of alternatives to SUVs in the US. > >The most efficient (gas-saving) European cars are _not_ on the US market, >"because they wouldn't sell anyway". > > > However, could it be that the SUVs are enjoyed by those who buy them? Might > > they have checked with others who own them, find they are liked and decide > > to look at one for themselves? > >Small light cars, hybrid vehicles, human-powered vehicles and bikes can be >even more enjoyable (and even healthy), not only for the driver but even >more for other traffic participants and the environment. But unfortunately, >the presence of SUVs spoils the fun and makes the use of light vehicles >very risky. (E.g. SUVs are too wide for most roads when overtaking a >bicycle, but unlike trucks, SUV drivers are not trained (or don't care) >to take that into account.) What kind of freedom is that when antisocial >(SUV) drivers take away the freedom of social (bike) drivers? That's the >US kind of "freedom". > > > > The best form of transport for Los Angeles and many other American cities > > is the automobile. I certainly wouldn't criticize people who decide to get > > the best car they can afford and which will give them enjoyment while they > > ride. > >Harry, Harry, can you spell "externalized costs" ? > >Chris ****************************** Harry Pollard Henry George School of LA Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: (818) 352-4141 Fax: (818) 353-2242 *******************************
