A TriMet Rider: July 8, 2011

The natives are getting restless over in Clackamas County: while the Dear Leaders try to finagle ways to come up with "their share" to fund the mystery light rail line to nowhere, citizens are increasingly vocal in their demand that it be put to a vote. It's just not supposed to work this way: the Dear Ones decide, and the sheeple are just supposed to go along. After all, that's the way it works in Havana on the Willamette, and it looks to be going that way across the stream in Vancouver.

http://maxredline.typepad.com/maxredline/2011/07/the-heat-is-on.html

Really??

Clackamas County commissioners to consider putting Milwaukie light rail to public vote
NOW they are doing this?

TriMet's bike love; Toronto's backward bikeman; new BTA logo: Bicycle roundup

http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2011/07/trimets_bike_love_torontos_bac.html

On liars' budgets

A fellow who has studied major transportation projects worldwide for years finds depressing new statistics all the time:

On average, urban and intercity rail projects run over budget by 45 percent, roads by 20 percent, and bridges and tunnels by 34 percent.
And the averages tell only part of the story. Rail projects are especially prone to cost underestimation. Seventy-five percent run at least 24 percent over projections, while 25 percent go over budget by at least 60 percent, Flyvbjerg finds.
By comparison, 75 percent of roads exceed cost estimates by at least 5 percent, and 25 percent do so by at least 32 percent....
Promoters of rail and toll-road projects also tend to substantially overstate future use, making those projects look more appealing to whoever is footing the bill. Rail projects attract only about half the expected passengers, on average, while in new research still in progress, Flyvbjerg finds that toll roads (including road bridges and tunnels) fall 20 percent short. (Non-toll roads also miss their traffic projections, but their errors go in both directions.)

The most recent story, here, is worth looking at. Then again, it's nothing new to Portlanders, who are taken to the cleaners time and again. All aboard for Milwaukie!

http://bojack.org/2011/07/on_liars_budgets.html

Well this is depressing

http://rantingsofatrimetbusdriver.blogspot.com/2011/07/informed-consent.html

Peers to Tokyo Electric: Stop hiding the truth

http://bojack.org/2011/07/peers_to_tokyo_electric_stop_h.html

TriMet’s New Transit Bridge to the Last Century

Despite the vast expense, few people will ever benefit from Milwaukie light rail. TriMet estimates that in the opening year of 2015, the line will carry an average of 13,000 weekday “boardings.” Of those, 4,500 will be former bus rides diverted to light rail. Since each rider typically makes two “boardings” per day, the number of actual new transit customers will be around 4,250. So in construction costs alone, we will spend more than $352,941 per new rider.
http://trimetgooglealerts.blogspot.com/2011/07/trimets-new-transit-bridge-to-last.html