Trimess

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Streetcars, light rail, and bridges more important than the future of Portland youth

In TriMet's current budget, and way of thinking, there's plenty of money for the $1.5 billion Portland-Milwaukie light-rail project and a groovy new bridge over the Willamette.
There's cash on hand for the Lake Oswego streetcar, staffing for the constipated Columbia River Crossing and start-up costs for the eastside streetcar. There's $53 million for bus maintenance, a million for media relations and government affairs, and $10 million in the mysterious file drawer labeled "Contingency."
But for YouthPass, the essential bus ride to school for more than 10,000 Portland teenagers?

Steve Duin

3 comments:

Ross Wrede said...

Duin really hit it with this column.

He points out where Neil's head is at. He doesn't think that TriMet is a public SERVICE agency, rather it is a mechanism to subsidize private business with expensive capital projects with dubious public benefit.

Al M said...

Exactamundo!

Al M said...

I don't suppose a means test is a particularly bad thing I guess on further consideration.