Comments on: Obama Falls Prey to Ribbon-Cutting Syndrome

By: peejay

peejay — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:04:11 +0000

Mike:

Portland may have spent $100 million on bike infrastructure, but now it’s about to give up all it has gained by building a $4.2 billion bridge replacement that will double the number of auto lanes and create more induced demand for cheap housing in the rural outskirts of Vancouver, WA. That’s what cracks me up about people who complain about the money that’s spent on a little paint on the side of a road. $4.2 billion? No problem! We can’t possibly allow congestion, can we?

By: JSD

JSD — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:17:14 +0000

Sheesh. Give the guy a break. It would be political suicide to full on embrace a national Livable Streets initiative at the expense of traditional highway and bridge expansion and spending.

The sorts of policy initiatives that we root for here have gotten a huge boost in the space of this guy’s first 80 days. In this sort of situation, words do matter. And so does a boatload of new money for transit spending and high speed rail. We’ve gotten both. The national conversation has to shift before we will really see dedication out of the administration. That process has started. But the administration can’t leave the projects that are ready for construction (yes, even highway expansion) for urban transit spending wholesale.

There has to be at least a semblance of balance. Yes, transit spending got a bit of the raw end of the deal. But that raw end is more than we’ve gotten out of any administration in recent memory. Combined. I’d hate to say we should be happy with what we got…

But we should be happy with what we got. Let’s use it as a base for a measured future shift. Not a wholesale radical change in modern transportation spending. We’ll incur the wrath of everyone not knowledgeable of what Livable Streets is all about. Compromise is a wondrous thing. And I think we’ll win in the end.

By: Anon

Anon — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:44:34 +0000

I think he’s still campaigning. It seems to be all he knows.

By: Mick

Mick — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:32:57 +0000

FAIL

By: Alex Ihnen

Alex Ihnen — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:24:55 +0000

I think there are many, many of these “shovel-ready” projects that got funding that we shouldn’t be championing. However, we need to understand that wholesale changes in infrastructure development are only going to come as a result of concerted effort over a period of many years. No need to get upset over the item discussed here.

By: Mike Lydon

Mike Lydon — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:53:53 +0000

Portland, Oregon funded 10 years worth of bicycle infrastructure–which now net 8% of transportation trips in that city–with approximately $100 million dollars. What’s the cost of this single interchange widening?

By: Jebediah Reed

Jebediah Reed — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:35:47 +0000

Very well said. It really would have been nice to highlight something a bit more inspiring. Based on a couple things I’ve read, it sounds like the highway in question isn’t particularly even in need of widening.

That said, the fact that it was big and the fact that it was in the state with the highest unemployment rate in the country probably sealed the deal.