PIN HEADS WEIGH IN ON 'BE SEEN BE SAFE'

 Shedding Some Light on “Be Seen, Be Safe”
“Be Seen, Be Safe” is a symptom of an auto-centric worldview where if a pedestrian or bicyclist is unseen by a driver then they must have been unseeable.(what kind of crazy logic is this?) They must have “come out of nowhere.” While it’s an obvious tacit admission that our law enforcement efforts are inadequate and our facilities are growing obsolete, it does little to protect riders and walkers from the myriad of dangers that result.(oh my lord, the car haters do go on and on and on) Until we stop trying to put high-viz vests onto straw men and address the real safety issues, I offer in lieu of “Be Seen, Be Safe” the following bit of more practical advice: Do whatever you can to avoid situations where you rely on a motorist’s sobriety, attentiveness, or lawfulness to ensure your safety. Ride or walk like you’re invisible.

Been Seen and Be Safe is nothing more than a publicity stunt, all these blogs take it as a serious campaign. It's the nanny state again. "They" will protect us from ourselves because they know what's best for us. 

PORTLAND TRANSPORT PIN HEADS OBJECT TO OREGONIAN ARTICLE

Who would have known? Portland's rail apologist blog takes exception to an OREGONIAN story on the street car: Make sure you read the comments at the Oregonian







I Beg Your Pardon, Streetcar Does Not Need to be Fixed

This year’s award for most inflammatory headline has to go to “Portland streetcar bottleneck needs $3.7 million fix less than a decade after tracks laid“.
The story refers to finally double-tracking a section of the alignment between 4th Ave and PSU Urban Center around what is known as the “Jasmine Block”. This is not a fix, it’s an investment in Streetcar’s expanded mission. (oh gawd get me a barf bag)