What should we Expect from a Public Bikes Program?

News has been filtering out that operators of a public bike system will go to Council on November 13th for final approval of an agreement.

story on the front page today

The installation would occur over the winter and bike rentals themselves launch in early spring.

The SJ reports that the concept has been scaled back to about 30 bikes at six or seven stations.

Excitement will run high, but just for context, we should be clear about expectations.

Parking Reform Should Lead Congestion Task Force Recommendations

In advance of the November 5th Council Work Session, the final materials for the Congestion Relief Task Force have been published. (Summary here; final report, which is mostly appendices here. The Work Session immediately follows the Our Salem meeting at the Library.)

A quickie plus/minus assessment

The menu of "short term actions" has 15 items, and on the whole, if Council actually commits to them equally, and does not shuffle some off for inferior implementation or for greenwashy signalling by words only, it's possible to conclude this is a reasonable and balanced compromise. It's far from perfect, and still doesn't address greenhouse gases sufficiently. But if you squint and look at the totality, it's in the range of things on which reasonable people can disagree and has nothing outrageous in it.

Finally, there is a plan on the table
that is responsive to these policies

And, in fact, it looks like something that it should not have taken a decade and a failed process to yield. It looks like a plan that fairly directly follows from policy J.12 on transportation in our Comprehensive Plan:

The implementation of transportation system and demand management measures, enhanced transit service, and provision for bicycle and pedestrian facilities shall be pursued as a first choice for accommodating travel demand and relieving congestion in a travel corridor, before widening projects are constructed.

The proposal here is solidly in the range of the kind of program that should have been first out of the gate during the SRC process! It's what we should have developed between 2006-2008 and started to implement at the start of the Great Recession.

Airport Stories miss on Climate and History of Failure for Subsidies

Back in June, about the time we we in the middle of the cyanotoxins and drinking water crisis, the Chamber and its allies floated a proposal for subsidizing commercial service at the airport.

This week, it looks like the Chamber is cranking up the propaganda machine for another round.

Today's front page,
chart and comment added

A couple of days ago Salem Reporter had a very sympathetic and rather one-sided piece about it, "Salem businesses in pursuit of commercial airliner."

Today's front-pager, also largely sympathetic, frames it up as rivalry - and fear of missing out - with the Aurora airport.

Both pieces minimize the full history of subsidy and failure for commercial service to Salem and, even worse, both pieces utterly miss on climate, passing on any discussion at all.

French Prairie Bridge at Wilsonville Moves Ahead

BikePortland's got a nice post with an update on the French Prarie Bridge project.

That's not something we've been following here, especially as it had seemed more "wish list" than likely, but things are moving along with a little more than $1M budgeted for preliminary engineering, so go read their note and check out the official project page.

There's an online Open House and opportunity to comment, also.

This would help connect the north end of the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway at Champoeg and make for easier transitions across the river to points and trails further north.

Another California Winery Makes Climate Hedge Here in Valley

These stories in today's paper are not unrelated!

Earlier this year

See here and here and here for more on the ways vineyard land is a canary - or klaxon - for us.

Tussle over Field Near McNary High Hides Committment to Autoism

When I first saw yesterday's piece on McNary High and the prospect of eminent domain, I though, Geez, the neighbors just built a lovely new church.

But that land and building isn't in play at all. Instead the conflict is over an undeveloped, empty field.

Current conditions: contested field, top center;
ball field to become parking, lower left

According to the article

The school district wants to acquire about six acres of the church's land, located on the 5300 block of River Road N in Keizer. Their plan is to move McNary's athletic fields and parking lot to address traffic and safety issues near the school's entrance on the southern side.

Officials say this is a necessity because the current setup puts students, pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers and others in danger when entering or exiting the school's main parking lot.

The existing parking lots would be taken out to make way for building expansions outlined in the nearly $620 million capital-construction bond approved earlier this year and more parking would be added in other sections of the campus.

And it's a little hard to see what really is going on.

Council Policy Agenda Town Hall, Planning Commission, Downtown Advisory Board Meet this Week

The City's hosting a Town Hall on Wednesday the 24th to solicit ideas for the 2019 Council Policy Agenda. On Tuesday and Thursday are a couple of other meetings to note.

Council's 2018 Policy Agenda

Our local 350.org chapter strongly suggests that we make a Climate Action Plan - to move beyond the "inventory" in the 2018 Agenda - the center for 2019.

Come to this town hall meeting to tell our City Council that we need to stay on track with a Climate Action Plan for Salem. Salem is one of the only major cities in Oregon without one. Development of a Climate Action Plan needs to be funded in the next City budget for 2019-20.

That would be a fine center. Other goals like Safe Routes to Schools, better bike lanes, improved transit, more housing in the city center all fall easily under the umbrella of a Climate Action Plan and follow naturally from it.

The Town Hall's at Broadway Commons, 1300 Broadway St NE, at 6pm on Wednesday the 24th.