Saturday, February 18, 2006
Peter Newman fired, coming to USA
Peter Newman, the Australian smart-growth planner who practically invented the concept of "auto dependency," has been fired by the government of New South Wales, which had employed him as "Sustainability Commissioner." In that job he had managed to stop the construction of at least one major highway in Sydney and he was helping to develop a "metropolitan strategy" for the city.
But he had openly criticized his government employers for not doing more to discourage sprawl. The state's planning minister called him last week to let him know "his services were no longer required."
Newman's research on "auto dependency" compared auto driving in Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. He claimed that it proved that higher density cities had less driving. In fact, he completely ignored his own data showing that auto driving was rising and densities declining in virtually every city in the world.
Americans should watch out: Newman plans to come to the United States in June "to speak to state governments about sustainability."
But he had openly criticized his government employers for not doing more to discourage sprawl. The state's planning minister called him last week to let him know "his services were no longer required."
Newman's research on "auto dependency" compared auto driving in Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. He claimed that it proved that higher density cities had less driving. In fact, he completely ignored his own data showing that auto driving was rising and densities declining in virtually every city in the world.
Americans should watch out: Newman plans to come to the United States in June "to speak to state governments about sustainability."
Monday, February 13, 2006
Transit agency plans to mess up transit mall
In the 1970s, Portland built a bus mall that destroyed most of the businesses that once thrived on downtown fifth and sixth avenues. Now Portland's transit agency wants to make it even worse by running light-rail trains on the mall.
How will this make it worse? Despite the claim that light rail is "high-capacity transit," the trains will actually reduce the capacity of the mall to move transit riders. Buses will have to go at slower speeds, more than a third of the bus routes will have to be moved to other streets (which destroys the one positive feature of the mall: the ease of transferring from one line to another), and any increase in bus service in routes left on the mall will also have to go elsewhere.
Ron Buel, the pro-transit activist who once worked as Neil Goldschmidt's top aide (before Goldschmidt started molesting his children's babysitter, not that it matters), opposes the rail project, saying "the emperor has no clothes." Portland State University planning Professor Gerald Mildner calls it "insanity." Oh yes, taxpayers voted down the project in 1998.
But it will probably get built anyway. Who cares about the needs of transit riders? This is about making Portland a world-class city. Who cares about pedestrian safety? If anyone gets killed by a 200,000-pound light-rail train, it was probably their fault anyway.
Who cares about the costs? Portland will just use tax-increment financing to divert property taxes that would ordinarily pay for schools. Who cares about schools? Portland's mayor just proposed an income tax to make up the shortfall in school funding from all of the diversions to light rail and transit-oriented developments -- a tax that polls say would get about a third of the vote. Besides, all the smart parents have moved their families to the suburbs, where they can afford a home with a yard.
How will this make it worse? Despite the claim that light rail is "high-capacity transit," the trains will actually reduce the capacity of the mall to move transit riders. Buses will have to go at slower speeds, more than a third of the bus routes will have to be moved to other streets (which destroys the one positive feature of the mall: the ease of transferring from one line to another), and any increase in bus service in routes left on the mall will also have to go elsewhere.
Ron Buel, the pro-transit activist who once worked as Neil Goldschmidt's top aide (before Goldschmidt started molesting his children's babysitter, not that it matters), opposes the rail project, saying "the emperor has no clothes." Portland State University planning Professor Gerald Mildner calls it "insanity." Oh yes, taxpayers voted down the project in 1998.
But it will probably get built anyway. Who cares about the needs of transit riders? This is about making Portland a world-class city. Who cares about pedestrian safety? If anyone gets killed by a 200,000-pound light-rail train, it was probably their fault anyway.
Who cares about the costs? Portland will just use tax-increment financing to divert property taxes that would ordinarily pay for schools. Who cares about schools? Portland's mayor just proposed an income tax to make up the shortfall in school funding from all of the diversions to light rail and transit-oriented developments -- a tax that polls say would get about a third of the vote. Besides, all the smart parents have moved their families to the suburbs, where they can afford a home with a yard.
