Equity for people with Disability

Did you know that people with disabilities in Oregon are 13 percent of Oregon's population, which is more than the U.S disabled population percentage of 12 percent (Benton County, 2011). It is so important for them to have a reliable, affordable and accessible transportation service to help them reach their work, school and community in their daily life. By 2030,elderly senior population will grew by 123% in Oregon and the current resources will need to be backed up to keep with this increase (Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TRIMET), 2012).

VMT at a Federal Level??? Op-Ed

There has been much talk in class about the raising of funds to support our highway network as well as non-motorized projects. Since the conception of the highway trust fund it rolled out miles after miles of creating the suburbs. After the creation of the suburbs came the creation of the second ring suburbs and subsequently sprawl. With Oregon leading the way into a much cleaner Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) tax I cannot help but feels some hesitation. Will non-motorized activities get a cut of these new taxes collected?

With all sorts of taxes becoming more unpopular and the fuel taxes remaining at the same price and not adjusted to inflation thing are getting tight. This situation escalated by the reality of more and more people shifting to more fuel efficient cars or electric or partially electric vehicles. The question of equity also comes into play as too the older cheaper cars that use more gas are more likely to pay more in gas tax than a newer more fuel efficient car.

Fig: 1 Impacts  of inflation and fuel economy on federal motor fuel exercise tax [1]

Future of Transportation

The United States Government needs to address the issue of the future of transportation and decide what a national system will look like.  As I see it, there are three choices: continue as we are until we run out of oil, move to electric or biofuels but maintain the current road infrastructure, or move to a system which involves investing in new infrastructure such as a dual-mode or guideway system.

Op-ed: Land Use and Transportation planning should be integrated

What has shaped our built environment? Is it the land use planning or is it the transportation planning? I argue that both of them are critical to our built environment yet in most cases the planning and decision making processes are usually separate and there are times the two groups don’t even talk to each other to put plans together.

A Utah Transit Authority Front Runner Train leaves the South Jordan  Station on its way to Downtown Salt Lake City and Ogden. The area around the station is not designed to be pedestrian or transit friendly in anyway shape or form. 

In March, my neighborhood had its meeting and one of the speakers during the meeting was from the Portland Department of Transportation who was talking about the Barbur Transportation and the Barbur Concept plans that are in the process of being studied and approved. However, the most interesting statement he made, or actually should I say the most disturbing statement that this person made during the meeting was that the transportation planners and the land use planners don’ t often talk. Seriously?