Carless in Portland

In case you haven't seen it yet, the Press Herald ran a story today about the steady decline in car ownership in the city. To summarize, the statistics show that the number of passenger vehicles registered in Portland has been declining for several years while ridership on the local bus system has gone up. The article features some brief profiles of car-free individuals, such as city councilor David Marshall. It's nice to be reminded that I'm not alone and I look forward to some possible follow up stories on the subject. I wouldn't mind being interviewed as well as someone who has lived a generally successful life here without a car since 2008. As noted on the Rights of Way blog, the city's housing and transportation policies are "focused overwhelmingly on building cheap or free parking" despite the trend that people are driving less and demanding better/safer/healthier/more sustainable neighborhoods.

Franklin Street Sidewalk - Part 1

If you've travelled in this area the last few weeks you've probably noticed a new sidewalk has been created on the eastern side of Franklin Street between Middle and Congress Streets (highlighted in Orange below):

While this is a very small step in comparison to the possible re-design of the street proposed by the Franklin Reclamation Authority it is a step (or should I say... sidewalk) in the right direction. There still exists a gap in the sidewalk on the Western side of this stretch of Franklin Street, as well as the Eastern Side between Congress and Marginal Way. It's also worth noting that the footpath connecting Federal Street is still not blocked but is also not accommodated (no crosswalks or maintenance or paving) by the city.

Here are a few shots of the new sidewalk. Consider it a small step towards the future Franklin Street.

Bike to the Movies

A popular bike rack outside of the Nickelodeon Cinemas.