What is the best way to move people?
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Submitted by Bruce Hecht
I was working with some out of town buyers in the recent past, they were moving to Portland
Oregon for a number of reasons, but the main one was, the way Oregonians think!
In the news lately, there is a city in the West planning to widen a current freeway to 24 lanes wide! Other states that are currently expanding freeways now are New Jersey and California. Is this a good idea? The debate is on.
In Portland, Oregon, we have chosen over the past 30 years to think more GREEN. We have gone in a direction of developing ways to move people without wasting precious land and covering it with concrete.
Portland is lucky to have an affordable transportation system, Trimet, considered to be one of the best in the nation. Already in the works is plan for the new, approved, already under construction Light Rail Train that will run from Wilsonville, Oregon, North to Beaverton, Oregon, with many stops along the way.
Is a 24 lane freeway the best choice for solving transportation woes? At this point,it is still up for discussion. It will be interesting to see how it plays out for major cities around the nation. Waste the land, think smarter, or move more people through rush hour slowly?
Time will tell if Light Rail Trains or more lanes are the answer to moving people, saving oil consumption or rethinking how we live?