Last time I checked, the city limits of Portland don't actually stretch all the way to Astoria. Does he know which office he is running for?

"The more quixotic the nonsense you spew, the better your prospects in a Portland election."

Portland gets what they deserve.

As usual Charlie fails to think an idea through. More than usual this time.

Those 1000 jobs aren't green or sustainable. They are expendable.

As usual Charlie fails to think an idea through.

Nah. Charlie doubles-down in the last sentence. He'll make it happen if he wants just to prove a point. NO ONE ships via rail any more. That's why they stripped out all those tracks in Northwest and built condos instead. The railroads can pound sand.

Paul Allen has been trying for YEARS to buy those grain silos down next to the Steel Bridge so he can knock them down and give the Rose Quarter an uninterrupted view of the Willamette and the city. The owners of the business, however, are perfectly content making the money they're making so they continue to decline.

Seems to me the railroad is also perfectly content making money along that route. The difference is Paul can't make their life hell like a mayor of Portland can. If Charlie decides this will be done, he will get it done. Jobs or no jobs. Profitable company or no profitable company.

Just when I thought I might vote for the guy.

"NO ONE ships via rail any more."

You're kidding? Rail--now on the upswing--is a basic driver of our economy. Just listen for the nightly toots! Incidentally, how much cargo can one get onto your bike, Bean?

It's those old grain silos that help make Portland the largest exporter of wheat in the nation.

Uttering words is just another trick a politician can perform with their mouth's to get elected.

Oops, wrong possessive pronoun case.

Here is video of the February forum at PSC:

vimeo.com/38555200

More videos are at PortlandPolitic.com

Thanks
JK

WHERE THE ***K DO THESE PEOPLE COME FROM?
HALES, ADAMS, KATZ....THEY ARE KILLING THE GOOSE AND JUST WORRIED ABOUT THE FEATHERS!

They are all stooges for real estate and construction money, and government employee unions. And the city has no one in mainstream media who (a) has a brain and guts and (b) isn't in on the scam. So we muddle on, with awful "leadership," decade after decade. Smith = government employees, and Hales = developer weasels. Pick your poison.

I didn't bother reading beyond the headline, but I've ridden Portland to Astoria and vice versa. It's perfectly safe on the existing roads.

There's a perfectly good, unused railroad grade a bit to the south between Banks and Tillamook. The only train traffic is a steam excursion train operating on just five miles of track between Garibaldi and Rockaway Beach; the Port of Tillamook Bay is even looking at "rails with trails" there. But in the Coast Range the line is washed out and likely will never see another train again.

It would also connect to the Banks-Vernonia State Park, another old railroad grade. And possibly an extension south from Forest Grove to McMinnville - another abandoned railroad grade. From McMinnville go northeast to Newberg, over Rex Hill and to Sherwood and Tualatin. (Where it'd connect with the Fanno Creek Greenway.)

I could actually get behind that project, since it uses railroad grades that are embargoed or abandoned, or in the case of McMinnville-Sherwood serves just the largely shuttered newsprint mill in Newberg and doesn't regularly ship by rail. East of Sherwood the bike route can shift onto Herman Road alongside the tracks.

Of course, there's no funding for it, since the bike groups refuse to pay taxes for their own benefit and demand that motorists pay taxes to benefit the bikers. Imagine if bicyclists had to pay a $25 annual fee...that could raise quite a bit of money each year.

NO ONE ships via rail any more.

That paragraph was meant to be read in Charlie's voice and did not reflect my opinion at all. The silos AND rail are both integral parts of the local economy. Unfortunately, food carts and pan handlers are more visible.

No one ships by rail anymore?

I wonder how all those imports travel between the Port of Portland and the mid west? And how do most of our exports from the heartland find their way to Asia and points beyond?

Tractor-Trailers and our highways simply don't have the capacity to do all this, nor handle some of the freight that moves into out out of our ports on the west coast.

They are not all only stooges for the developer/real estate set. It's the Green Party, environmentalist, Gaia worshipers. I think it is more catering to Mother Earth Utopia followers that have moved here since the early 90's. People from other cities with their environmental degrees figured out Pac NW is last frontier. Their chance to foist their far left egalitarian social experiments down a placid publics' throat.

A $25 fee to create safe alternative for cyclists?? How absurd. Bikes do not cause problems on roads and actually relieve congestion for commuters. Unless you happen to live in one of the rural counties. On that note steer clear of Yamhill County this weekend. There is a "Bike Event" on the major highways that will clog our roads with thousands of cyclists. Most of whom have no interest in "Sharing the road".

FYI Bike Event translated means: Extremely large group of pompous cyclists utilizing major thoroughfares with utter disregard for people who actually live, work, and survive in the local area. A group whose only goal is to look cool in tight shorts and Lance Armstrong jerseys while laughing at locals trying to pass them on tight country roads. Payment for the delays and white knuckles they cause is a latte at the local Dutch Brothers and a hearty middle finger while heading back to PDX.

Well, gee whiz! If "no one ships by rail anymore" then maybe those proposed coal trains from Wyoming through the Columbia River Gorge, to the ports on the lower Columbia River will just go away.
Hales is an idiot, and if I ever get the chance to see him in person I will tell him so!

"entitled cyclist set" is getting a bit old. I agree with you on a lot of things, but I didn't see anywhere in the article that people like the Bicycle Transportation Alliance were all over this, or that bicyclists have even been clamoring for such a trail in the first place.

As a bike commuter (who also owns three cars,) all I want is to be safe on the streets that I'm legally allowed to be on. Statements like this like this merely flame the divide between bikers, cars and pedestrians. Most of who all actually have the same goals, get to work, put food on the table, and enjoy life.

But I guess some people in this city aren't going to be happy until every single bicycle rider is run down and all the bike lanes are returned to "more useful" lanes for extra cars.

They are not all only stooges for the developer/real estate set. It's the Green Party, environmentalist, Gaia worshipers....

In my opinion, a strange alliance, is it grant money or the boards and/or bylaws of various organizations that keep them in check? It seems the "greenies" are fine with botching up the zone within the UGB as long as we "save" outside? So we end up living our lives in a sacrifice zone? I guess it will have to play out to the bitter end to see results and even then some environmentalists knowingly will go along with plans. Meanwhile it looks like more of the prior "protected" neighborhoods are being invaded by "smart growth plans!"

Char-Lie's bike path plan would destroy 1,000 jobs

The job Charlie cares about is one, his!

They are not all only stooges for the developer/real estate set. It's the Green Party, environmentalist, Gaia worshipers....

Ever read Ecotopia? I believe that a lot of our problems stem from people who read that back in the '70's and want to make it so.

NoCal, Oregon, Washington all secede from the USA and form the nation of "Ecotopia"....

As Erik mentioned, there are several other more viable options but none of these are located in the City of Portland or even in Multnomah County. Any "path" that ran that length would traverse a smidge of Multnomah, and Columbia and Clatsop Counties. No Portland mayor has that kind of unilateral authority, even if the railroad wanted to cede its water grade, actively used accessway. This is pure pie in the sky.

The route of original Hwy. 30 (what was originally the west half of the Columbia River Highway) could not -- with few exceptions -- take the railroad's line or even cross the railroad tracks at grade. However if Charlie really wanted to create some bike routes in Columbia County, he could work with the County, the feds and the State to refurbish the old, abandoned highway portion at Little Jack Falls, high over Prescott (still owned by the State of Oregon) or help gather scratch so that Columbia County could complete and open a recreation and picnicking site at Beaver Falls (between Alston and Clatskanie on the route of old Hwy. 30, now Beaver Falls Road), designate the 10 mile corridor a scenic bike route and get cudoes for historic designation besides; Beaver Falls was the site of Simon Benson's original logging operation and when Highway 30 was realigned in the 1950s, the State gave the property at Beaver Falls back to Columbia County for a nominal fee on the condition that it be developed as a park. Columbia County's economy is precarious and their road dept. can barely manage to repair winter road damage in the heights above Rainier each year.

Hey, maybe Charlie could promise to bring in the dough and be elected major of Rainier or St. Helens!

IRRC a few years back when asked, Hales wasn't interested in coming back into the city, but indicated interest in being Governor! I haven't found the exact article, believe it was in WW, does anyone else recall this interest?
It may be that both these Mayoral candidates are using this campaign as a stepping stone,
Charlie for Governor and Jefferson for Congress!
Heaven help us either way.

Why doesn't Charlie just run for mayor of either, well, maybe both Rainer and St. Helens? Residency doesn't seem to be an issue with him.

After Sam we will probably get another mayor that wants to run the state, and sometimes dictate federal policies too.

Here’s a good story. An acquaintance of mine who lives on the Washington Side of the Columbia Gorge was driving on SR14 when he came up on a group of about twelve bicyclists riding three abreast, He was the second car behind, oh yes, an unmarked sheriff’s car. When the line of cars behind the bicyclists reached seven cars, the deputy gave a short blip of his siren only to receive the finger from one of the bicyclists. Blipping the siren again, the deputy again received the finger from the same bicyclist and one more. The deputy then got on the loud speaker and instructed the bicycling pack to pull over.

Knowing the deputy, the individual who I know also pulled over right behind the deputy’s car. The bicyclist who gave the deputy the finger (twice) at first refused to show his driver’s license with some backtalk. The deputy asked if he wanted to go to jail. By this time my acquaintance was leaning against the front of the sheriff’s car acting as a witness. Eventually, each bicyclist was cited for obstructing traffic (and not pulling over to let other traffic pass). Two of the bicyclists, including the finger master, were found to have unpaid traffic citations and ended up in the back of the sheriff’s car on their way to jail until they paid the fines.

To put it bluntly: serves them right! When are bicyclists going to do more than freeload and bestow arrogant lip service? Bicyclists need to obey all the traffic laws and pay for any and all bicycle specific and focused infrastructure, period!. A good start would be a annual bicycle license fee at a cost of half of that of a car license.

The Simpsons is a great resource to find out what's wrong with Portland. "Marge versus the Monorail" is a classic example.

Maybe Char-Lie needs to watch THIS classic example, "The Old Union Pacific doesn't come by anymore..."

http://youtu.be/gLCnXBZGbSs

A $25 fee to create safe alternative for cyclists?? How absurd. Bikes do not cause problems on roads and actually relieve congestion for commuters.

Bicycling has not relieved congestion.

Statistically, the increase in bicycling commuters has directly corresponded with the DECREASE in TriMet ridership.

Bicyclists aren't making the roads less congested, but it means I'm (very) slightly more likely to be able to ride the bus.

I also find it interesting that the bicyclists squirm anytime that it's suggested they pay a fee, but they have no problem coming up with all sorts of fees and taxes on everyone else. Exactly why is it absurd that bicyclists pay a fee - whose revenues would be guaranteed to benefit primarily themselves? If bicycle registration is so ridiculous, then they ought to be first in line to consider absolishing these other absurd government agencies:

1. Driver and Motor Vehicle Services
2. Department of Aviation
3. Oregon State Marine Board
4. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
5. Oregon Health Licensing Agency (and about 30 subboards to this agency)
6. Racing Commission
7. Tax Practitioners Board

Because all of these boards and agencies exist largely or solely just to license people or their implements, and with very little or no enforcement action. They are nothing more than extensions of the Department of Revenue...and heck, let's phase that one out, an agency whose sole existence is to collect money - and nothing else. I think it's absurd I have to pay thousands in taxes each year so that some rogue bicyclist can live in a government-funded, property-tax exempt high-rise in downtown, while having a government job (or gets a government scholarship to study at PSU), gets a "free" TriMet pass (that I paid for), and ride on streets that motorists - not bicyclists - pay for...and of course they get to use the wide range of PSU recreational facilities below cost that I can't touch, gets free Internet access and free telephone and utility service...

I imagine this will cause a furor, I wondered if bikes should have license plates
like autos.

If I recall correctly, bikes in Corvallis used to be registered and have plates . . . But then that may have been a college town thing.

It's unfortunate that the rise of bike culture in Portland has meant an increase in clueless and egotistical bike riders (I won't call them bicyclists). As a responsible past bike commuter and recreational club cyclist and a past member of Portland's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, I feel disgust every time I see one of these morons speeding up the middle of a sidewalk scattering pedestrians, riding without a helmet or (at night) without lights), blowing stop signs and lights and acting like they're big enough to back up foul language and fingers if a multi-ton vehicle takes offense.

When people see enough of these morons, the responsible bicyclists get undeservedly treated to the bile and distain that only the baddies thoroughly deserve.

Licensing may be inevitable and it will bring income that may or may not be used appropriately by the powers that be. As far as citing anyone for breaking the rules of the road, I think it's probably as high a priority as door-to-door checking for unlicensed pets. It ain't gonna happen.

In Multnomah County, if you take your pet to the vet, the County then sends you a nice little note advising that you have to pay up.

If I recall correctly, bikes in Corvallis used to be registered and have plates

McMinnville requires it too, although the "license" was just a sticker affixed to the bike (and it couldn't be read from a distance, it was about one inch by two inches, bore the city logo and a serial number), cost $3, was a one-time fee (now it is apparently good for three years), and the revenue went straight to the Police Department. The sole purpose was that if the bike was lost/stolen and turned up at the city's impound lot they could contact the owner. That was it.

There was also no enforcement mechanism and no fine for not getting the sticker, although it was "required". It was largely ignored.

(Ordinance 10.36.020. Link here for the application form.)

Apparently Tigard used to require bicycle registration and even insurance; code 10.36.020 through 10.36.070, however it appears that these codes were all repealed in 2003.