The Proposal for a 'Ultra-High-Speed' Transportation System Throughout Cascadia

Source: The Seattle Times

Traffic is major issue in and around the three major Pacific Northwest cities of Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. According to the INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard, Portland and Seattle rank in the top ten respectively for the worst cities in the US for traffic. As this problem affects time and money, people are looking at investing in greater transportation systems. The Washington State Department of Transportation conducted a report detailing a 'Ultra-High-Speed' train traveling throughout the region. This could help with traffic along with the environment and our economy for the future. However, taxpayers are skeptical of the estimates that will cost them. A commentator on the OregonLive suggests that this project would cost more than half a trillion to construct. Another says it wouldn't work out, citing California's proposed Central Valley bullet train.

What are your thoughts?

Do you think this advanced transportation system can be successful in the Pacific Northwest?

https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2019/07/report-high-speed-trains-between-vancouver-seattle-and-portland-would-be-cost-effective-transformative-sustainable.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2019/02/11/here-are-the-u-s-cities-suffering-the-worst-traffic-congestion/#a7a007e6e36c

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-07-28/california-redirects-funds-high-speed-rail-project

Transport and the Urban Environment

Some interesting perspective from the World Bank:

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTURBANTRANSPORT/Resources/chapter4.pdf

C. Hanis

Driving Doesn't Save Time It Squanders It

While there are many reasons people have for driving a car rather than using public transportation, the #1 reason is based on a misconception of time. When people consider how long it takes to drive somewhere, they usually just think of it in terms of travel time, not including all the actual time that went into actually obtaining and maintaining the car that gets you there. Even if they add the car payments, insurance, gas, maintenance and parking fees, they would still only be scratching the surface. There are other costs and risks associated with driving that we should consider before we get behind the wheel, and some we don't want to think about, such as:

the time it takes to stop and pump gas and/or clean the car
parking and/or traffic tickets
being subject to search by police
driving in foul weather
a carjacking
people will judge you by your car
vandalism 
theft
the risk of a DUI 
distracted driving
getting into an accident and/or injuring oneself and/or loved ones
lawyer fees
funeral costs
hospital bills
an act of God
getting treated like a taxi

If even some of those things happened to me, I would conclude that driving just isn't worth it. I could also conclude that as temperatures rise and the dawn of extinction nears, our #1 reason to use public transportation will become to combat climate change, as it should have been all along. Aside from being part of living a healthy and financially stable lifestyle, public transit allows us the time to spend on other things, like figuring out how to better spend all the money and lives we're going to save.

Safety on the Springwater Corridor

A number of recent incidents on the Southeast portion of the Springwater Corridor, in addition to its past history, raises serious questions about the long-term safety and usability of the multi-use path.

Already well-known for being unsafe to ride on after dark, the Corridor has now seen an afternoon assault and mugging of a 69-year old rider, Jay Hamlin, who was taken down by two men and dragged through a blackberry hedge to separate him from his carbon-frame Colnago C-60
racing bike.  In 2015, Vincent Rodarte was knocked out and robbed for his custom-built mountain bike.  Along with mugging and assaults along the Corridor, there is frequent sexual assault, drug use, prostitution, and blatant camping directly on the path, with some camps strewn with chopped-up parts of stolen bicycles.

Portland Police have stated that they do not have the manpower and resources required to effectively contain the situation on the Corridor.  Too, a recent Idaho court ruling has prompted Oregon to take a relaxed stance on what may be percieved as "punitive action towards homeless people", as stated by Officer Ryan Mele of the PPB.

In order to ensure safety for all users of the Corridor, the criminal element must be addressed.  Displacement of people from their homes via gentrification is forcing them to encamp along the Corridor, and the issue is being consistently ignored by city administrators.  Direct action must be taken in order to secure the Corridor for riders.

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/crime/bicyclist-attacked-11000-bike-stolen-on-springwater-corridor/283-59c1a044-2673-43d2-81e7-1a5eeb85709f

https://bikeportland.org/2016/01/14/camps-along-springwater-path-have-reached-boiling-point-172514

https://bikeportland.org/2014/12/30/bike-parts-spill-encampments-springwater-path-126833

Infrastructures and Cycling

Cycling by the means of transportation has grown in the United States over the past decade, but individuals still feel unsafe when commuting to their destination. The United States falls well far behind from being a safe place to cycle compared to Denmark, Netherlands, and other Dutch cities. Advanced cycling infrastructures in these cities make it safe and efficient for people to use cycling as a for of transportation. infrastructures such as bigger bike lanes, convenient routes, and greenways al play a big role in the safety of cyclist. This is something the United States lacks, also the common decency to share roads with individuals who are not in motor vehicles. Compared to other countries, the United States has less people on bikes but have more casualties and accidents. Wouldn't you think that less cyclists on the road mean less casualties and accidents? By creating safe infrastructures for cyclist will decrease both casualties and accidents.

https://usa.streetsblog.org/2015/02/27/safety-in-numbers-biking-is-safest-in-nations-with-the-most-people-on-bikes/

Here is another article that goes more in depth on how infrastructures in Dutch cities play a key role in keeping cyclists safe.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150324-how-to-get-a-city-cycling

Innovative Urban Transport Solutions

Some food for thought here:

https://civitas.eu/sites/default/files/civitas-plus-innovative-urban-transport-solutions-www-final.pdf

C. Hanis

The dark side behind the glamor of Hollywood - Homelessness

Los Angeles is one of the most famous cities in the world, with the glamor Hollywood. However, what the magnificent city hide is the grim reality of some of its residents - The homeless. There are 44,000 homeless people live in the city of angels who snuggle in cars, tents or makeshift huts. Many of them live along the banks of the Los Angeles River that flows from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach, extending over a distance of nearly 80 km. This problem has become so serious that the city has to declare a state of emergency and spend millions trying to deal with the crisis.

The new homeless population was announced by the Los Angeles Homeless Care Agency on June 4, showing that nearly 59,000 people live on streets across Los Angeles County, up 12% from the previous year; and 36,300 homeless within the city of Los Angeles, up 16% from last year. While those numbers shocked many Americans, who considered Los Angeles a flashy city, they were less surprising to millions of residents. For years, city dwellers have seen camps called Skid Row, where LA's homeless people are gathered, growing everywhere. This encroachment poses a series of public safety and health concerns, including the risk of fire and waste.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has lobbied strongly for the city initiative called the HHH draft with a budget of about $ 1.2 billion over the next 10 years for homeless buildings. In an interview with CNN, he described homelessness as "the biggest pain for me and the city". The crisis was considered the main reason Garcetti decided not to run for president in 2020. In the budget proposal for the fiscal year starting July 1, California Governor Gavin Newsom said he was looking for $ 1 billion to address the state's homeless crisis.

Links:

Eric Garcetti’s interview https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/10/21/sotu-garcetti-homeless.cnn

Gavin Newsom’s statement https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1146184362897104897

Anh Vu

Homeless Veterans in Oregon

Veteran homelessness continues to be a constant issue nationwide but also right here in Oregon. In this state alone, there are more than 1,400 currently documented, but many more remain unidentified as having served in military. Since President Obama had set forth an initiative to end veteran homelessness, the number has dropped 33% in the state of Oregon, but it is far from where it needs to be. Aside from shelter for a single night and a hot meal, there is currently no long term solution for this. In Portland alone, there are currently 422 registered veterans identified as homeless, which accounts for 11% of the total homeless in Multnomah County. The biggest problem is that these veterans are not getting the assistance they need in registering for VA benefits, and those that have are still backlogged in the system, remaining homeless for months or even years waiting for the benefits they are entitled to. In light of this, many of these individuals still rely heavily on OHP instead, which is quite limiting considering everything that could be offered through the VA. While this remains a perpetual problem for veterans living on the streets of Portland, the number only seems to be increasing each year.

-Jeremiah Cohen

Customized Van Life's Sustainability and Impact

Tiny home living has been the biggest environmental boom I've seen in the last few years where many between the ages of 21-35 have been ditching their homes or apartments to live in significantly smaller homes, in camper vans or mobile homes, and most recently I've been seeing a plethora of customized sprinter van homes on YouTube. The environmental concerns around the gas emissions may not be any more beneficial to do with consistent driving, even with the use of solar panels shrunken costs on waste production, the difference in your carbon footprint, and restricted water consumption. While diesel is more energy-efficient and regulated pollutants are far lower in diesel engines versus regular gas/petrol engines, however, they do produce higher emissions of NOx and even higher emissions of particle matter all of which still harshly affect the ozone layer, air conditions, and environmental health. The hashtag of van life has populated much more recently in the last 6 months flashing a "sustainable" idea on it all without touching the realities of its bad impacts and dirty details.

Below are some links that dig into the details of NOx versus CO2 emissions, van life's sustainability, and their effects as well as the difference between petrol gasoline and diesel gasoline. It is important to understand the pros and cons behind ideas of sustainable life changes. CHECK BELOW! A lot of key information gets missed behind the scenes of a popular hashtag.

http://www.air-quality.org.uk/26.php
https://www.epa.gov/no2-pollution
http://www.icopal-noxite.co.uk/nox-problem/nox-pollution.aspx
https://www.outsideonline.com/2392948/is-vanlife-ecofriendly
https://thisisrange.com/is-vanlife-sustainable-it-might-not-be-as-eco-friendly-as-you-thought/

Scandinavia: A Blueprint for Better Transportation Systems

When one thinks of modern transportation systems, Europe and Scandinavia leads the pack.
Not only have these systems been in place for some time, but they have also proven to be safe,
efficient, and beneficial to the environment. The United States trails behind in this regard, although
there has been a push in recent years for better transportation systems in communities throughout
the country. A closer examination of the policies and models that have been instituted in many of
these forward-thinking countries might very well aid in our own efforts to create more equitable and
efficient transportation goals. 

   

Take countries such as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark for example. These nations have transportation
strategies that are closely aligned with governmental goals of environmental safety and economic
development. From an environmental perspective, these countries have pledged to reduce toxic
emissions and their carbon footprint. Olso has pledged to phase out diesel-powered buses by 2020,
Sweden’s bus fleet will run on fossil-free fuel by the same timeframe, and Copenhagen has pledged
that their rail services will be the first to be CO2 free by 2025. While these policies provide a goal to
aim for, it’s the execution that allows these benchmarks to be realized. One of the main strategies that
has lead to increased public transit is franchising to the private sector. By franchising, companies
compete to create more efficient systems and are able to implement them more quickly. What’s more,
they have been able to reduce costs and expand service routes which allow citizens to see a direct
benefit to using these systems as a primary method of transportation. 

https://bit.ly/32pqZud

Other countries such as Colombia also boast vibrant, clean transportation systems. According to
thinkprogress.org, Colombia’s Metro de Medellin utilizes a network of metro cars that services
over a half million passengers daily. The data is staggering. In a single year, the private-public
partnership has lead to a reduction of CO2 by 175,000 tons per year. To put it in perspective, it is
the equivalent of planting 380,000 trees. In addition, low emission transportation saves over
$1.5 billion in respiratory health costs and $4 billion in traffic congestion and accidents.  

https://bit.ly/2KkQKWw

While there are many private companies in the United States that aim to increase public transportation
for the good of the environment and economy, finding a true partnership with local, state, and federal
agencies has been a difficult hurdle to overcome. According to Jonathan Levine, an urban planning
professor at the University of Michigan, one of the main problems lies in culture and ideology.
He writes: “In the United States, we have a bit of a tense role between government and the market
or government and society. In these [European] countries, there’s much more of a taken-for-granted
attitude that government is part and parcel of society and government is able to take actions that are
needed to support markets, to support private property and in general to support society.” In other words,
moves taken by these countries to provide clean, abundant transportation services are seen as socialistic,
a term which by American standards is not only uncomfortable but dangerous. Coupled with the fact
that infrastructure spending in the United States is at an all-time low, it’s no wonder that moving
forward with a progressive transportation system has been met with resistance in the halls of Congress.

https://bit.ly/30F6eJv

The bottom line is this: The rest of the world is moving forward to a cleaner future when it comes to
transportation. The United States is not, and in many ways is actually slipping backward.
Concise, attainable policy goals should be implemented to allow the United States to compete globally
in a world that has embraced a paradigm shift when it comes to environmentally-friendly transportation
options. But is there courage and the strength of will to make it happen? It remains to be seen.