Passenger Trains > .

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/22/21 21:10 by F40PHR231.

Looks like Portland is trying to copy many European cities. What's next? Banning cars altogether? When I travel to the left coast, sometimes I feel like I'm in a completely different country.

Hooray for Portland!! Here in Ohio it is against state law to fund anything but highways from gas taxes. The 20% of the population who cannot drive; should not drive; are basically out in the cold with no transportation options.

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> Looks like Portland is trying to copy many
> European cities. What's next? Banning cars
> altogether? When I travel to the left coast,
> sometimes I feel like I'm in a completely
> different country.


Bruce, I assume you have been to Frankfurt, Vienna, Zurich, and Berlin, right? Good public transportartion, large tram systems, many cars too. (I have to post a 2008 pic from Frankfurt of a tram and a Mercedes sedan side-by-side at a streetlight....perfect example of modern Europe).

It's all about giving people a choice, and in many US cities, there is none (buses on 30 min headways don't count).

P.S. All you guys now need in Portland is for the Cascade Corridor to have 25-30 departures each way daily, and run under wire, and you're golden! :)

Very interesting setup, was going to ask about the track work setup as the lines cross each other leaving the station to the left in the diagram. But your pictures cleared that up, lots of custom track work! It looks nice, hope it gets the use they expect.

Nathan

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looks like Portland is trying to copy many
> European cities. What's next? Banning cars
> altogether? When I travel to the left coast,
> sometimes I feel like I'm in a completely
> different country.

I hate to feed the troll, but... I have a car in Chicago. It's awful to drive. There is one regular route I have that is 4 miles, and I can bike it faster than I can drive it, with less hassle. In the same sense, if I go downtown, it is almost always more sensible to ride the train. You *can* drive, but my train arrives the same time every day, the driving option is a crap-shoot.

As other people said - there are options. Are you opposed to options?

Wow. Portland is a model for every other city on earth to work towards. I can't believe wonderful things like this are happening in dysfunctional America: I guess that's because Portland (I almost typed Potland-not much difference there-the state of Oregon just legalized the stuff, and Portland is also the nation's cuisine capital) is almost all Democratic and has always been a nonconforming artists' city. SoWa is delightful, and Portland is so easy to get around in. I'm being a bit dreamy here because I long for Portland...

Tor in Eugene

For those not familiar with Portland the indusrial activity to the left in one of the pictures is a "shipyard" where barges are manufactured. Portland still has a lot of heavy industry. When visiting Portland by all means ride the aerial tram to the Medical campus. Impressive views ; you might see Mt Hood and other Cascade peaks.

Makes me sure I will never visit Oregon. Total nanny state. People are so dependent on govt. they need tiles on the ground to tell them where to walk and ride bikes. Ridiculous. Is this the way you want to live? Seriously? Not me.

Newman Wrote:
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> Makes me sure I will never visit Oregon. Total
> nanny state. People are so dependent on govt. they
> need tiles on the ground to tell them where to
> walk and ride bikes. Ridiculous. Is this the way
> you want to live? Seriously? Not me.

And stripes on the road to know where to drive, and stop signs at the corners to avoid collisions, etc. Yep, any place that has those things must be real nanny states <g>!

Newman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Makes me sure I will never visit Oregon. Total
> nanny state. People are so dependent on govt. they
> need tiles on the ground to tell them where to
> walk and ride bikes. Ridiculous. Is this the way
> you want to live? Seriously? Not me.


Do you take the same attitude to lanes on roads? Streetlights?

I'm serious!

Newman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Makes me sure I will never visit Oregon. Total
> nanny state. People are so dependent on govt. they
> need tiles on the ground to tell them where to
> walk and ride bikes. Ridiculous. Is this the way
> you want to live? Seriously? Not me.


This is probably the best laugh I've had on here in ages... Thanks!

A lot of good people in Portland might be not be laughing.

Thanks so much for posting and all the details.

We need more posts like this, showing new facilities, trackage up-dates etc.

Nice job, Chris. It has been way too long since my family last visited Portland. Maybe we can get back for HE in 2015.

Chris Donhost
Vacaville, CA