If you’d like to get involved with grassroots opposition to the CRC and learn more about healthy alternatives for our region, don’t miss these upcoming opportunities to volunteer with Stop the CRC! They need help tabling at the Muddy Boot Organic Festival all weekend, and the Vancouver Peace & Justice Fair on Saturday.
Muddy Boot Organic Festival
September 12th & 13th
12:00 – 6:00 pm both days
St. Philip Neri Church
2408 SE 16th Avenue (near 18th & Division)
Portland, Oregon
The theme of this year’s Muddy Boot is “2009: Connecting Communities in a Changing Climate”. Stop the CRC! will have a booth for both days of the event and they’re looking for volunteers to help with tabling.
Bonus! Don’t miss Saturday’s panel discussion on all things bicycle from 2:00 – 3:30. Talk about bike fun, bike safety, bike commuting and more with speakers from Clever Cycles, PBOT, Shift, and yours truly from the BTA.
Click on the image to download the flyer.
Vancouver Peace & Justice Fair
Saturday, September 12th
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Esther Short Park
8th and Columbia St, Vancouver
Email volunteer@stopthecrc.org to get on board with any or all of these events.
I believe our best alternative is to keep the existing bridges and build a new 4 or 6 lane bridge plus bike/pedestrian lanes, all of which are open. Limit the new bridge to commercial traffic, public transportation, and HPV’s.. No private automobiles.
This would solve our existing problems and add considerably to our infra-structure without creating new ones such as Washington sprawl and even more congestion. It has also been proven numerous times that you can not build your way out of congestion. If you build it, they will come. This might also make it more appealing to the Federal government for funds.
However, it concerns me to hear numerous conversations on CRC and very little on Sellwood. That thing is a disaster waiting to happen. I’m afraid to walk or ride across it anymore, not that it was ever a fun experience anyway.
Funding there is going to be near impossible. East county (Gresham, Fairview,Wood Village, Troutdale and Corbett) have already expressed serious reservations about contributing to it’s construction and Clackamas and Washington will turn deaf ears too. Tri-County needs to take over ownership and share the load.
Put tolls on all bridges starting now. Maybe even charge HPV’s!
Arna,
I respectfully disagree with your part of your opinion.
1) Leaving the existing pair of I-5 bridges as they are, and re-dedicating their use, is not an option. It doesn’t do anything to address structural shortcomings nor marine navigational hazards. It makes no more sense to leave the Interstate Bridges untouched as it does to leave the Sellwood Bridge untouched — they are both one in the same: structually inadequate for further long-term use. Both are disasters in the making. The only real difference is who pays to replace them (Feds vs County).
2) I agree that providing pedestrian/bike and lanes dedicated to public transportation on a new bridge are hugely important.
3) I also agree that tolls may be necessary. I don’t like tolls on bridges, but understand and appreciate the benefits they bring. If/when the new bridge becomes tolled, I’ll kick the dirt for about a week before I cross the river and pay up anyway.
4) I’m not sure how I feel about charging HPVs. I think you open a huge can of worms by doing that. I’m not sure where to draw the line on tolls. Do you charge walkers too?
Its important to remember that we’re not building a new bridge for pedestrian, public transit, and private traffic 5 years from now….we’re do so for 50 years down the road. The long-term cost of maintaining the new structure and navigating the waters under it, is just as important as how and what it carries across the river.