City Council Live Blog - Third Bridge River Crossing Edition

Let's try writing a piece on the fly. New stuff will go at the top, so start reading from the bottom.

So the hearing was continued and no great conclusions made.  Councilors definitely seemed to want more public comment and analysis. It was great to see the No 3rd Bridge stickers.

8:35 - In response to Councilor Blasi's question, Julie Warncke appeals to the Alt Modes Study, as having investigated TSM/TDM measures.  But this is a house of cards!  The foundation of the Alt Modes Study is not sound, and they used faulty assumptions.  GIGO.  But how to make it clear to Councilors that there are these analytical problems behind the faulty conclusions.

8:26 - Councilor Nanke asks who would own and maintain the bridge.  Julie Warncke said they didn't know! 

8:22 - Councilor Bennett has some hard questions about how the process works.  He was especially interested in how Councilor Clem as the representative on the Oversight Team and on the SKATS Policy Committee was bound to follow, or free to ignore, Salem City Council.  Bennett also said that this is "our town, our bridge" and that "$700 million is a pretty big deal."  After Councilor Clem addressed the question, Bennett said so "we have a veto," and wanted to be clear that this was true. 

8:13 - Councilor Nanke suggests Council continue the hearing.  Council settles on December 10th.  This would be after the work session.  Interestingly, the continuation of the Bike and Walk Salem Hearing without a "date certain" was bad form!  Councilor Bennett says that the public should be invited again to give written or in person comment.  And makes clear this is not a quasi-judicial hearing and that outside contact is possible and even encouraged with constituents!

8:04 - Some memorable quotes:  Tolls would be "appalling,"  "There's no hope in Hope [Ave NW]," 4D would be an "attractive nuisance."  So far there are 17 NOs, 3 YESs, and a couple of unknowns. 

7:45 - John Miller of the Chamber of Commerce talked about being "astonished" by the Union Street Railroad Bridge. He was a skeptic, but now a fan! Councilor Bennett asks him what he thinks of the $700 million cost.   Not sure he answered the question.  Councilor Blasi asks for a specific position, and the Chamber supports 4D.

7:40 - Mike Erdman of the Home Builders Association has interesting perspectives.  Talks about growth mainly occurring in West Salem.  But the Home Builders Association will be displaced.  "It would be a significant disruption to our business." But it would be the price of progress, he said.  

Guest Councilor Dickey asked about restaurants and other businesses that might be more dependent on location than the Home Builders Assocaition.  Erdmann says his business is not so dependent on locations. 

City Council, November 5th - Salem River Crossing Hearing - Updated

Whether it's Governor Christie for the Republicans, Governor Cuomo for the Democrats, or Mayor Bloomberg for the Independents, there seems to be a consensus:

It's global warming, stupid.

You may recall a couple of years ago a note about the Nixon White House.

In a 1969 memo Daniel Moynihan, a Democrat working in the Republican administration of Richard Nixon, wrote about the "carbon dioxide problem" and urges the creation of a "world wide monitoring system." He warns that increasing CO2 could "raise the level of the sea by 10 feet. Goodbye New York. Goodbye Washington, for that matter."


Climate change should be bi-partisan, and there was a time in Oregon it would have been.

Republican Governor Tom McCall signs the Bike Bill in 1971

So that's a big wind-up to City Council on Monday night.

The big public hearing on the bridge takes place on Monday, and the issue doesn't seem much to be on the horizon of the public.

This afternoon critics of the bridge will talk. Hopefully lots of people turn out.

If you can't come to Council, email Citycouncil@cityofsalem.net!

Here's talking points:

Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the Proposed 3rd Bridge
1. The 3rd Bridge should not be approved by the City Council until there is a plan to pay for it.
2. The 3rd Bridge is unlikely to be paid primarily with federal or state dollars – the cost will be on us.
3. The 3rd Bridge proposal is based on outdated traffic counts and projections of growth.
4. The 3rd Bridge’s 75 acres of new right-of-way will dislocate over 160 homes and businesses.
5. The 3rd Bridge turns Pine and Hickory Streets in North Salem into major arterials.
6. The 3rd Bridge is $5.5 million over its original $2 million planning budget.
7. The 3rd Bridge will destroy the peace and tranquility of Wallace Marine Park.
8. The 3rd Bridge plan ignores solutions involving better transit and better bike lanes.
9. The 3rd Bridge creates visual and noise pollution for neighborhoods in Highland and West Salem that will find themselves under an elevated freeway.
10. The 3rd Bridge does not have support from a majority of the Task Force that worked for six years to research the options.

For more on the River Crossing see a summary critique and all breakfast blog notes tagged River Crossing.

Other Stuff

Minto Bridge and Path.  As feared, the City is not applying for ODOT bike/ped funds except for about $2 million for the bridge:

In order to increase the competitiveness of the "Enhance It" application for the Bridge, staff recommends this be the only 2012 "Enhance It" application the City and Agency apply for.

However, instructions from ODOT were clear:

The new "Enhance It" project selection process will determine the ODOT capital program (called the STIP) for federal fiscal years 2015 thru 2018....Don't limit yourself - this solicitation will set the ODOT capital program for 4 years. Submit as many projects as allowed.

As it stands, the City is delaying and bailing on the projects in Bike and Walk Salem. (But even the NY Times has observed the huge advantages of bikes in post-disaster mobility.)

Urban Renewal Funding Shuffle. In part because urban renewal funds were shifted to the Minto Bridge and Path, now the Building Rehabilitation and Restoration "Toolbox" Grant Program, from which the funds for Minto were taken, needs more funding.

Update, Monday Morning

And there's a very fine op-ed in the paper today, courtesy of the No 3rd Bridge folks!

12th and Mill: Not Getting Better?

In negotiations, the railroad has all the power. This is starkly demonstrated by the Quiet Zone "improvements" at 12th and Mill. As the work is going in, it increasingly looks a little like bubble wrap - protective and isolating overkill that will make the area less useful for everyone (except freight rail).

I was by recently at night, and the ways that bicycling users of the promenade will have to use narrow sidewalks, make tight 90-degree turns, and execute movements potentially unpredictable to others in car or on foot is concerning. If predictability at night is helpful, the confusing design may instead promote "urban deer." More than sub-optimal, this looks like folly all around!

The jumble at 12th and Mill

The logical north-south crossing of Mill at the terminus of the promenade has been deleted.  At the immediate terminus of the path, a person on bike must turn right or left.

Speed, not Dark, Kills: The Danger in the Streets isn't so Mysterious

The "danger in the street" or the "monster in the night"?

It's true that there's a significant uptick in crashes at the transitions between Daylight Savings and regular time.

And perhaps it's random noise, but you know, crashes here don't happen only at night, and they aren't just the mysterious result of sudden and unexpected danger in the roadway.

Most of them are preventable - aren't accidents really - and almost all of them involve cars.

The imagery in the SJ graphic, and the tendency of ODOT's public pronouncements, together efface the principal agent - the car and its driver - and minimize the role of speed.  They mystify more than is necessary. 

At 20mph almost all crashes are non-fatal. At 25 mph 5% are, at 30 mph 45% are fatal, and at 35 mph 65% are fatal. 

If we want to make people safe, reducing car speed should be at the top of the list!

City of Portland

The graphic and article also over-estimates the effect of dark. Here are two crashes this week in broad daylight and in places where a person should enjoy a reasonable expectation of being safe.

Drove into Quiznos

Ran over a kid on gravel shoulder on Hwy 99

It wasn't like the people on foot or on bike weren't taking care to be away from cars.

There's a radical asymmetery between people in cars and people on foot or on bike. One has a metal carapace, a powerful engine, and moves in space with enormous force. The others are puny in relation. We engineer cars and roads to be "forgiving," to forgive small errors and to make the resulting error-correction as harm-free as possible.

People on foot and on bike should enjoy the same level of engineering forgiveness - but the current standards displace blame and consequences disproportionately on the more vulnerable road user.

To say people on foot and on car share equal responsibility is forget this asymmetry, and too often results in blaming the victim. You know: The road is dangerous, and you should always assume the car driver doesn't see you and will hit you. It's your fault you got hit, weren't careful enough, didn't give the driver enough slack.

Critics of $687 Million Salem River Crossing to Talk Sunday

The Salem River Crossing has a public estimated cost of $687 million. Courthouse Square's total cost, including the $23 million repair that is scheduled to start next week, is less than 10% of this. By orders of magnitude, the Salem River Crossing should get 10x as much attention!

But it's big and complicated, and so far the paper and public haven't spent nearly enough ink or time analyzing it, looking at the arguments for and against it, and perhaps most importantly talking about the people and interests of those who are trying to drive it.  

A talk on Sunday, the No 3rd Bridge Briefing, aims to change all that.

"The color of the bike shed" was a mid-century example to talk about ways we focus too often on unimportant but easy to grasp details and neglect the big picture, the overly complicated, and the costly.

Sometimes really important stuff slides by without enough conversation and analysis because it's overwhelming.

The NO 3rd Bridge Briefing will make it simple.  It will be Sunday, November 4th at 3 p.m. in the Anderson A meeting room at the Salem Public Library

Jim Scheppke and Scott Bassett, organizers of the the presentation, have even distilled a top 10 list to make it easy!

Top Ten Reasons to Oppose the Proposed 3rd Bridge
1. The 3rd Bridge should not be approved by the City Council until there is a plan to pay for it.
2. The 3rd Bridge is unlikely to be paid primarily with federal or state dollars – the cost will be on us.
3. The 3rd Bridge proposal is based on outdated traffic counts and projections of growth.
4. The 3rd Bridge’s 75 acres of new right-of-way will dislocate over 160 homes and businesses.
5. The 3rd Bridge turns Pine and Hickory Streets in North Salem into major arterials.
6. The 3rd Bridge is $5.5 million over its original $2 million planning budget.
7. The 3rd Bridge will destroy the peace and tranquility of Wallace Marine Park.
8. The 3rd Bridge plan ignores solutions involving better transit and better bike lanes.
9. The 3rd Bridge creates visual and noise pollution for neighborhoods in Highland and West Salem that will find themselves under an elevated freeway.
10. The 3rd Bridge does not have support from a majority of the Task Force that worked for six years to research the options.

You may remember Scott Bassett's piece in May about the Salem River Crossing:

The talk will have three speakers, united in scepticism about the bridge, and each coming to the project with a different perspective.  According to Jim and Scott

The featured speaker will be Scott Bassett, a transportation policy analyst for fifteen years, who has been following the planning process for the 3rd Bridge. Bassett will describe in detail the 3rd Bridge plans that will be considered by the Salem City Council at a public hearing on November 5th at 6:30 p.m. He will also show how the need for a new bridge is now highly questionable in light of declining traffic on the existing bridges, and he will present his ideas on how to relieve congestion at peak hours without spending many hundreds of millions on a new bridge.

Also speaking at the briefing will be a member of the project Task Force who is not in favor of building a 3rd bridge. Doug Parrow, who represented the Bicycle Transportation Alliance on the Task Force, will give an insider’s perspective on the project, and explain why he believes better infrastructure for bike transportation is one answer to relieving traffic congestion.

Bob Krebs, a member of the project Oversight Team for the Salem-Keizer Transit District Board, will share how planning for the 3rd bridge will proceed from here. The District has not taken a position on the 3rd bridge. Krebs will also share his ideas about how better mass transit between West Salem and downtown might be a viable solution to relieve peak hour traffic congestion.

Following the presentation there will be time for audience members to have their questions about the 3rd Bridge answered by the expert panel. Panel members will also explain how citizens can participate most effectively at the Salem City Council public hearing on November 5th.

Mark your calendars for the talk on Sunday and City Council on Monday!

For more on the River Crossing see a summary critique and all breakfast blog notes tagged River Crossing.

Studded Tires: $40+ Million Annual Problem

Since it's legal to put on studded tires again, it's worth reminding ourselves that studded tires cause over $40 million in unnecessary damage to Oregon roads each year.

(Road Cores: Washington State Department of Transportation)

According to a story from 2011, the Oregon Department of Transportation

encourages drivers to consider other types of traction tires or chains because studded tires cause close to $50 million damage each year on city streets, county roads and state highways, according to the department. About $11 million is spent each year repairing studded tire damage.

As we debate the best uses for limited transportation dollars, isn't the wisest use and conservation of existing pavement a better and more economical solution than new pavement?

A proposed ballot initiative to ban studded tires stalled in the past year, but the issue will likely visit the 2013 Legislature. A "fair share" fee on studded tires may also be considered. 

If you're interested in making Oregon's roads last longer, check out Preserving Oregon's Roads.

Planning Commission with Two Vacancies

This is old news. From the City's release:

Open Positions on Planning Commission

The City has two key leadership positions on the Salem Planning Commission which will become vacant on December 31, 2012. Eligible candidates are encouraged to apply to be considered for the vacancies. Select candidates will be interviewed and two will be appointed by the City Council to serve a four-year term.

The seven member Planning Commission advises the City Council on the orderly development and growth of the City. The Commission makes decisions on certain land use applications and recommendations to City government on legislative land use issues. The Commission meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. For additional information on the Salem Planning Commission, contact Planning Administrator, Glenn Gross at 503-588-6173 or email ggross@cityofsalem.net.

Applications for the Salem Planning Commission and other boards and commissions are available on the City’s web page or from the Mayor and City Manager’s Office (503-588-6255).

Deadline for submitting an application on the Salem Planning Commission is Friday, November 23, 2012 5:00 p.m.

You may recall criticism (here and here) of the Planning Commission's composition, particularly with regard to over-representation by those working in real estate. Conversely, folks interested in transportation as it relates to land use are under-represented on the Commission. As we saw with Fairview, an interest in sustainability wasn't either. So here's an opportunity to make Salem better!