I won't make this long and drawn out for you...The proposed streetcar that will make its way into Lake Oswego will cost $450 million dollars. We all know that the ESTIMATED amount will never be correct...figure at least another 50 to 100 big ones. The studies (that they have spent a bloody fortune on) say that 400 Lake Oswegoians will be riding on this new roll out from TRI-METH! Let me grab a calculator, ok it reads $1,250,000 PER RIDER! The hard love fact is, this will make the Tram look like a brilliant idea. What are these people thinking? Do they really think people from 97034 & 97035 will be riding a dirty train with gang-bangers?
My numbers do not include operating expenses. The 400-500 million is just to build the stupid thing.
Who thinks people from lake Oswego will ride this? I'm all for streetcars where they are needed, but not in an area where there is a Mercedes, Beemer and fancy SUV in the garages
Posted by: Keen | February 28, 2011 at 06:42 AM
Who is paying the bill? The feds only pony up a portion of the millions. Tell me where the rest is coming from? I ran the numbers too. It will take 233 years to just break even. Fed is broke, get the money from GM, they have it. Its ours.
Posted by: Eastside Kid | February 28, 2011 at 06:44 AM
Now c'mon gang! LO is entitled to it's share of the spend. You got your eastside, westside, North Portland, and Milwaukie runs and a growing Portland Streetcar. Lake Oswego's time for a train has come.
(Tongue firmly planted in cheek)
Posted by: JoelinPDX | February 28, 2011 at 08:57 AM
The gang from LO that is already in place...it's called the Chamber of Commerce and City Hall...the ring leader is Jack Hoffman.
Posted by: SAY NO TO DRUGS | February 28, 2011 at 10:02 AM
It's all about building this sh*t so they can build "transit oriented development" along the routes.
The contracts go to developers like Homer Williams who built s. waterfront (and whose daughter is on tri-met's board).
And then they cut bus routes....
Posted by: Mike H | February 28, 2011 at 10:59 AM
Look for me (in my derby, monocle, tailcoat, spats and walkingstick) to proudly ride this train when I am giving the driver the day off and choose to leave my Maybach Daimler in my twelve car garage.
You can find me in the train's club car sipping my double Macallan and reading the WSJ.
Posted by: Farthington J. Warbuck IV | February 28, 2011 at 11:08 AM
They did this in Tualatin and after a year it still runs almost empty. It would be cheaper to just give each rider free cab fare. It's nuts to even pursue this especially in LO.
Posted by: Ed | February 28, 2011 at 11:12 AM
Farthington, old boy, my valet informs me that they won't be having a club car and that it may be populated by people even the household staff wouldn't toss a penny to.
Posted by: E. Pennington Gardner III | February 28, 2011 at 11:15 AM
What?!? No club car??
Well, dear boy, damn that, it's back to the Maybach then!
There's only so much slumming one person can stomach with such an abuse of my tax dollars staring me in my side-whiskered face!
Harumph! Harumph!
Posted by: Farthington J. Warbuck IV | February 28, 2011 at 11:24 AM
Brain Dead proposal from people that either don't know math or don't care one bit about the citizens of Oregon.
This is why Oregon is broke and doomed for decades to come. Stupid is as stupid does. A few select contractors will make millions and then the taxpayers will be stuck for operating costs that will include millions in subsidies.
This should be sidelined for 10 years and only revisited after that time to see if it pencils then. It should not be shoved down our throats.
Posted by: oregongrown | February 28, 2011 at 12:13 PM
As an LO resident for 16 years - I can tell ya this is NUTS!
Posted by: tombrooks | February 28, 2011 at 12:26 PM
Mr. Stump....... For once we agree!
Posted by: AC | February 28, 2011 at 12:41 PM
Uhm, after today’s commute, No "effing" way! Holy crap PDX drivers... you see a snowflake and slow to a crawl. 1 hour to go 10 miles! How about taking 1%-5% of that proposed money and building more than 1 lane that heads in the North our South bound direction on Rt 26 and I 405 interchanges. And another thing, 3 hour commutes from Hillsboro to the East Bank don’t work on Meth Amphetamine Xpress (MAX) either. What a recipe for disaster! Really, PDX one lane? That’s so 60's Portland, I know you can do better Mr. Sam Adams!
Posted by: Jeff Ackerson | February 28, 2011 at 01:34 PM
This will make the OHSU Tram look like childs play.
Posted by: Steve | February 28, 2011 at 01:51 PM
Sam adams is known as the lil'misses.
Posted by: Tony Columbo | February 28, 2011 at 01:55 PM
Dogooders are at it again.
Posted by: Gene "hat" Hatfield | February 28, 2011 at 03:43 PM
$450M = Just shy of 1//2 BILLION Dollars!
It's never been about whether we NEED this stuff.
It's been about politicians leaving a political legacy
while at the same time greasing the palms of contractors.
Posted by: Miken | February 28, 2011 at 05:50 PM
Miken- You are correct. My thoughts exactly.
Posted by: J. Trimbele | February 28, 2011 at 08:22 PM
Has it occurred to anyone that this transportation might be essential in the not-too-distant future? And it's good to build this infrastructure now? Gasoline will be (maybe) $7.50 a gallon in 10-years. I don't think that European cities have ever regretted having this transportation option.
Posted by: Raoul | March 01, 2011 at 09:31 AM
Raoul, old boy, has it occured to YOU that were the oil industry to stand up to the enviropussies and drill the snot out of our natural assets within the US and offshore, that we WOULDN'T be looking at gas at $7.00 a gal-or even $4.00??
Good God, man, when did Americans deevolve into a rank lot of mewling, cowering, gutless wonderments?
And whence the shift to wanting to make America more like EUROPE?? Didn't we kick their goose-stepping asses in the great World War Two?
Americans should be about grand successes, unstoppable industries, big cars and healthy portions--not pussified Priuses and a diet which is 80% soy.
Soy...which has been proven to be an ESTROGEN precursor.
No wonder Leftists are such raging Fembots.
Posted by: Farthington J. Warbuck IV | March 01, 2011 at 11:13 AM
If it is $20 bucks a gallon, Lake O folk will continue to drive their cars. This is one area where rail will be such a miserable bust.
Posted by: Eastside Kid | March 01, 2011 at 05:02 PM
What a sad, simplistic and short-sighted response Mr. Warbuck. Your solution is to "drill the snot" out of our natural assets? The rest is not even worth responding to. Sad. Very sad.
Posted by: Dave-o | March 01, 2011 at 05:16 PM
Dave-O, dear boy, my point is that the good ole US of A is replete with an abundance of energy assets which have not even begun to be tapped.
To have to touch hand to forelock, or say "Mother, may I?" to a noisesome rabble of "watermelon" enviros (green on the outside, RED to its center), or Arab oligarchs...just to have a supply of a staple energy source?
This should be REPUGNANT to any American.
As should the efforts to EUROPEANIZE America.
My condolences if such absolute truths, expressed simply for easy access, prove beyond your ken.
Perhaps they were read while grilling soyburgers on the hibachi after picking up the wee ones from indoor soccer practice?
Posted by: Farthington J. Warbuck IV | March 02, 2011 at 09:42 AM