[sustran] Another Response to Cox on New Urbanism, Portland and , THE , ECONOMIST

[Wendell Cox]

>Sorry for the delay in responding. I have been away. It is not
>just a matter of personal taste when I say that Portland is better
>for people who like to use transit. It is simply a fact that Portland
>proper has more frequent and denser transit service than Seattle
>proper. In the Seattle area, transit service is disproportionately
>allocated to peak-hour peak direction service to suburbs. Also, Seattle
>has very few places where transit is sped up with preferential treatment.
>Also, Seattle is most assuredly a less "lovely" place to drive with
>the limited travel corridors. The Texas Transportation Institute 
>consistently rate Seattle in the top 6 for time lost due to congestion
>delays.  So it is not just my subjective judgement when I say that
>Portland is better in certain respects.  Eric

As regards preferential treatment of transit, the downtown bus tunnel does a
pretty good job of that in Seattle. Actually, when you consider service area
population, service intensity in Seattle (Tri-Met v. King Co Metro) is at
least as high as Portland (VM/pop). Seattle has implemental a number of HOV
corridors with bus service --- Portland has none. Portland's light rail line
--- while having preferential treatment --- operates at 15 mph ---
considerably slower than express buses on mixed flow  motorways. I suspect
that in miles of priority right of way Seattle is now well ahead of Portland.

Most of the TTI based difference in traffic congestion simply reflects the
relationship that existed in 1982, when the first data was collected. Light
rail and UGB have had nothing to do with this.

Portland is delightful and so is Seattle. And none of it has to do with
progressive planning or urban growth boundaries. Maybe someday it will...
but I doubt it.

Best regards,
Wendell Cox 
WENDELL COX CONSULTANCY
International Public Policy, Economics, Labour, Transport & Strategic Planning
The Public Purpose: Internet Public Policy Journal
http://www.publicpurpose.com
Voice +1 618 632 8507; Fax  +1 618 632 8538
P.O. Box 841- Belleville, Illinois 62222 USA

"To facilitate the ideal of government as the servant  of the people by
identifying and implementing strategies to achieve public purposes at a cost
that is no higher than necessary."