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| BEFORE (Photo:Oregonian) |
Portland’s financially struggling light rail agency, TriMet, has
begun clear cutting an entire street to make room for an unfunded light rail line.
The move is about as cynical as it gets. By felling the tree canopy along SW Lincoln Street near Portland State University, the agency is attempting to create a sense of inevitability about the light rail line coming through.
The battle over funding is just getting going.
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| AFTER (Photo:John Charles) |
This potential light rail line is supposed to hook up with a Milwaukie light rail line.
But Clackamas County voters have voted to put the kibosh on a car tax for their light rail contribution and, in fact, are on the ballot for another vote on urban renewal funds being used for light rail or any project without the consent of the governed.
From John Charles of the Cascade Policy Institute:
This is very sad, it’s hard to understand why we are spending $205 million a mile just to wreck a street.
Or, to be more precise, the cost is as follows: distance from 1st to 4th on Lincoln = 907 feet, which means the destruction of just this street is costing us $35.2 million. What would you do to actually IMPROVE transit for $35 million for 3 short blocks?
Good question.
Light rail: it’s a religion.
Tell ’em where you saw it. Http://www.victoriataft.com
