Gerard Mildner’s Post

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Professor Emeritus, School of Business Administration at Portland State University

An excellent article by Anthony Effinger in Willamette Week explaining the history behind the City of Portland's ongoing struggles with potholes and unrepaired streets. According to Effinger, Portland's street problems date to the 1990's, when Mayor Vera Katz prioritized sending more money on Portland schools, the Sellwood Bridge, and other projects over repairing roads. Effinger notes that Katz never acquired a driver's license and was less concerned about road conditions than other Portlanders. The last comment seems a bit overblown, as Portland potholes remain a problem for pedestrians, bicyclists, and even bus passengers. Moreover, part of Portland's road maintenance problems arrived with the annexation of the mid-county area, which has (or had) some of the highest concentration of unpaved streets (along with hilly areas in Southwest Portland). See here for that data. https://lnkd.in/gKSN5SGZ The timing of the article is the May 21 primary election where City of Portland voters will decide whether to extend the city's 10% gasoline tax, which will determine if the city can continue its efforts to repair potholes. City Commissioner Mingus Mapps is leading this effort and deserves credit. In the article, Mapps and others note that a gasoline tax is an imperfect instrument and will eventually be replaced by some system of road tolls and mileage fees. However, the state legislature will need to tackle that issue rather than cities. Former City Commissioner Steve Novick attempted to address the road repair issue with a utility tax, and that failed effort played a role in Novick losing re-election to activist Chloe Eudaly back in 2016. The City should consider more widespread adoption of local improvement districts to repair roads in the neighborhoods where unpaved roads are most prevalent. While that will be a burden to property owners, they will benefit from improved neighborhood conditions. Effinger's article also discusses the mechanics of water freezing and thawing as the main culprits for Portland's poor road conditions (ranked 66th worst among US cities). He highlights the 2024's week-long cold snap and suggests that climate change may lead to more problems in the future. Left out of that discussion is the role of studded snow tires, which Oregon drivers are permitted to use five months in the year. Studded tires provided similar traction as snow tires, but tends to cause greater damage to roads. Many states with significant snow and ice conditions prohibit studded tires - Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Vermont, along with many sunbelt states. Oregon's legislature needs to assist the City of Portland (and ultimately its drivers) by adopting a policy against studded tires. https://lnkd.in/ghpuQCgK

Portland Officials Neglected Street Paving for Decades. Now Your Tires Pay the Price.

Portland Officials Neglected Street Paving for Decades. Now Your Tires Pay the Price.

wweek.com

Jody Cienfuegos

National Account Manager | Stakeholder Relations, Customer Success

6mo

Funny just had a new tire put on today because of a pothole! I hit so hard I'm glad I didn't crack my rim! So many streets are like an obstacle course. There is no time like the present to get started on this problem!

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