~
What is funny is that the clown Sam Adams, down at Portland's city hall,
can always find the money for light rail, street cars, aerial trams,
bike paths and a new bus mall, but to fix a pothole there is not a dime
to be found.
~
article from The (Portland) Oregonian - August 24, 2007
Portlanders would be more likely to vote for new fees for transportation
if the money would pay for synchronizing traffic signals, repairing
Willamette River bridges and reducing conflicts between bicyclists and
pedestrians.
They would be less likely to support fees to install more speed bumps
and red light cameras or to pave gravel streets.
Those are some of the conclusions of a public opinion survey released
Thursday by the Portland Office of Transportation. The Portland firm
Davis, Hibbitts & Midghall conducted a telephone survey Aug. 15 for the
city, contacting 900 likely voters. The margin of error was plus or
minus 3.3 percentage points.
The poll appears to lend support to a proposal by City Commissioner Sam
Adams for new fees and taxes to pay for underfunded street maintenance.
The city estimates it has a backlog of about $422 million in overdue
street maintenance. Multnomah County estimates it has a $325 million
backlog in bridge maintenance, including replacement of the Sellwood
Bridge.
"Portland voters want to prioritize their money on the backlog of
maintenance and safety on streets and roads and bridges that are used by
everybody," said Adams, who manages the city transportation office.
Adams has proposed sending a package of new taxes and fees to voters in
May, asking for money for street maintenance. Separately, the Metro
Council and other governments in the Portland area are considering a
ballot package for the November 2008 election that would provide money
for construction of new roads and transit projects.
Both efforts come as concern grows over a backlog in transportation
projects nationwide. With gas tax rates holding at the same level since
1993, inflation has chipped away at the spending power of transportation
dollars in Oregon and across the nation. That has prompted states and
local governments to consider raising money locally to pay for projects.
The poll was conducted two weeks after an interstate bridge collapsed in
Minneapolis.
Linda Nettekoven, vice chairwoman of Hosford Abernethy Neighborhood
Development Association, said she was glad the survey came so soon after
the Minneapolis incident. The timing may have helped capture concern
about bridge safety, said Nettekoven, a member of a committee studying
the possibility of a proposal for the ballot.
"It's interesting to know that people were concerned," she said. "When
you added Willamette River bridges, support goes up. It's not generic
bridges; it's the ones at the core of the city."
The poll also found that most voters did not strongly oppose any of 23
possible taxes or fees that might pay for transportation projects. It
found that voters oppose a city gas tax of 5 cents a gallon but split on
a 3 cent rate.
A majority supports a street maintenance and safety fee that could be
charged per household and per business. A majority also supports a
graduated county vehicle registration fee, not to exceed $27 a year per
vehicle.
The survey also found support for promoting transit and penalizing
owners of cars that use more gas. It did not ask voters whether they
support widening existing streets.
There's not enough money or political support to go there, Adams said.
"There are few arterials in the city which we could expand without
affecting the adjacent properties and communities," he said. "Not only
would they be expensive, but imagine widening Sandy, Division, Belmont,
Morrison. . . . There would be a lot of pushback."
~