I was in the area yesterday. I had an appointment at the 200 Market Building. I couldn’t find a street parking spot to save my life. I didn’t feel like driving around and around to find a spot so I parked in the garage in the basement of the building. I sure will do that again. Valet parking and my bill for an hour was only five bucks. I could have spent that much in gas and wear and tear on the car by driving around looking for a metered spot. No more hassles. I sure hate going anywhere downtown though. This banana republic regime has ruined the downtown core. We have to vote them out.

"This banana republic regime has ruined the downtown core."

You know that and I know that. So you know what the solutions are:
1) Time for another new 20-year plan
2) More PDC and slush fund money

All for a "vital" downtown.

I live in that area. People visiting us complain about the parking costs. One neighbor sold her place and moved because of it. It is even busy on Saturday when the Farmers Market is going strong. My sense is that they are desperate for money so are seeking to boost parking fees where demand is inelastic. That's why they went after the soccer people and are now going after students. What's next? Hospital patients?

At Christmas I've always gone to Scan Fair held at PSU. When I left in the afternoon I couldn't risk crossing Broadway as the Harley riders did their annual parade pretending to be good all-Americans. Add higher parking fees and I'll likely skip the event this year. Good-bye Portland.

My sense is that they are desperate for money so are seeking to boost parking fees where demand is inelastic.

That is my sense as well. How close are we to bankruptcy?

We will be pick pocketed out of here. Is that the plan?
Some simply cannot afford any more. Others will not have any discretionary funds left to support local businesses. Guess just stay at home and seethe as no money left for anything. Will we have to leave our homes, friends and family to get away from insanity? Get out of Dodge if one even can. All this a downward spiral thanks to the misfits we have in charge.

Enough already. We need a moratorium on just about everything until we get rational adults back in charge of decision making.

Will add that a great motivator for staying despite all, is decent drinking water.
Should the misfits take that too, I simply cannot swallow what they intend to do and with tears may have to leave our once beloved City of Roses.

New Name:
"City of Miserables."

There is a whole section on the "International Downtown Association's" web page devoted to this issue, entitled, "How to Increase Parking Revenues in Core Areas".
The "PLAN" is on going and international.
I am so cynical now that I am pretty sure that no matter who is elected it will make no difference in basic policies.
As for increased parking revenues it is everyplace, even Pill Hill. The solar meter was broken, I could not get a parking slip, I got a ticket, all the while my aged mother was being treated in the ER for 7 hours. I took a cell phone picture, wrote a letter of complaint and was basically told to pay up anyway, even though there was no other meter available in the area I parked. That was 3+ years ago.

Portland Native,
Cynical here too, after witnessing way too much around here.
Wonder how long it will take for us to pay to breath "cleansed" air?
We can all stay in our little "planned" cells, in our little "planned" neighbor units, all devised by little "planned" minds.
Am fed up with being propagandized, have they stopped teaching propaganda in the "planned" schools?

They have come around in my neighborhood to ask parents why children are not walking or biking to school? I talked to parents about this the other day and they said because it is not safe.

Please stop pestering the neighborhoods to "get in line" with the PLAN.

Jacks blog had a thread where families are asked to participate in a study in how they travel, hooking children up to GPS units 8 hrs a day. . ????

How much money is being spent on these cover stock flyers and all else to promote agendas? The city seems more into PR and marketing us rather than taking care of basic maintenance.

Clinamen wrote: "The city seems more into PR and marketing us rather than taking care of basic maintenance." If you worded it this way "The city seems more into PR and marketing us and enriching developers and other favored campaign contributors rather than taking care of basic maintenance.", I'd have to say Amen, brother.

Wouldn't it be easier to just close Broadway to vehicles, and make it a human powered highway?

If you get behind a bus and a double parked Fedex truck, it's nearly impassable as it is.

Enough already. We need a moratorium on just about everything until we get rational adults back in charge of decision making.

At this point, I'd settle for some smart high-school students.

"We need a moratorium on just about everything until we get rational adults back in charge of decision making."

Exactly.

The rational adults have all left the city of Portland!
No lone left but hipsters and members of the creative class.
Put a bird on it!

That's too bad. I remember there were a lot of lower-middle class people in some of the classes I took there a couple years ago and a lot were married with kids. PSU is not like a "college town" state college where the mean age is somewhere around 19 or 20; I think it's actually closer to 30 and a lot of students there have families. So they usually commute in from Clackamas county or Beaverton where the housing is actually affordable and they can support their families while going back to school for a 4-year degree. This demographic cannot easily relocate to Portland's super-expensive rental housing or rat-cage studio apartments where they can easily bike to campus or be close to what remains of Trimet's "frequent service" bus lines.

The sad thing about the push for these unnecessary fee hikes is they hit the low-income households the hardest and don't really do anything to encourage them to ride a bike or take super-slow transit because it is simply not possible when you have to juggle raising a family and going to school. Ever try getting home on Trimet to anywhere in Clackamas county after a 7PM class or a late night of studying? You might make it home in a couple of hours if you're lucky. And PSU already has very high parking costs ($300+ per term for a parking pass) and tuition is going up by almost 10% this fall. That may be enough to force many to just drop out.

The way I see it, the big problem with Tri-Met and Portland governing bodies in general is their archaic and out-of-date perception that Portland is the center of all things.

Their actions are changing that Portland is the center of all things, as many are fleeing or thinking of fleeing.
Fleeing to be free of insane plans.
Fleeing to be free of being fleeced further.
They can continue to PR and market with our money to promote coming here, and to push their agenda, but eventually the house of cards may fall down. By then, those who have profited will have left and those who cannot flee will be left with the spoils.
Ugly picture?
If we cannot turn this around and with this important election coming up and getting an entirely a new "think" set, I shudder to think how much longer we can continue on like this.

At the rate we are going, soon instead of saying Je t'adore about Portland, it will be Shutee the door!

I remember years ago I did not like the idea that Vera Katz was involved with Portland State, did she teach a class there after her "retirement?"

Now, I can see why I thought that then.
A University as I see it should be independent and independent in thinking, not so closely tied in with the city.

In my view, this is not healthy for our community. I question city influence when students are being sent out to neighborhoods to do what?
My concern is that any surveying, characterizing certain aspects and/or delivering flyers makes for wondering why and who they are working for?

The anti-car crowd has been taking advantage of PSU students for years. When I first heard that PSU agreed to put in millions for the goofy Green MAX Line, I called up the VP for Finance (now retiring) and asked her where the U was going to get the money. She told me, "It's not going to cost us anything. We're just going to raise parking rates."

I tell that story every year to the kids who call me for an alumni contribution. Of course they are shocked. I consider it an important part of their undergraduate education.

John Charles