Leaks in the Cone of Silence
Discover more from Oregon Tolling Updates
Leaks in the Cone of Silence
Legislative Manipulation is leaking from the Cone of Silence... and we are "Lovin' it"
The last few days have been very busy. With bills needing to be asigned to a commettee by Friday, May 5th, this week should be a barn burner.
In our podcast, we will address why things got so out of hand. And by out of hand we mean, why did 31 Democrats and Repblicans get on board to sponsor HB 3614 and get it read on the floor without Rep. Susan McLain having the ability to stop it. Meanwhile, one of the most influential Senators in Salem has been silent even while his constituents are asking for his help.
Yep, gonna be a very interesting week in Salem.
In Short
Article 1 - We brought Jonathan Maus, Editor of BikePortland, back with a look at how HB 2098-2 (now HB 2098-4) changes the landscape for funding the I-5 IBR and the Rose Quarter project. Many of the legislative branch are nervous about the wording currently in place. There is a link at the bottom of the article in order to follow where the bill currently resides.
Remember, Rep. McLain said that the tolling bills were not moving forward and yet that same day she brought HB 2098 before the Transportation Committee.
Article 2 - With information such as, “Tolling I-205 is expected to add more than 3,000 vehicles a day to the rural Arndt Road, the equivalent of 10 years’ worth of traffic growth without tolling”… Clackamas County sent a clear and documented report to ODOT.
If you live along the I-205 tolling corridor this brief, of the Clackamas County report, is a must read.
Article 3 - HB 3614 is the newest bill to stop tolling in its tracks… for a bit of time. Read how 31 sponsors, from both sides of the isle, want the legislature to vote this House Bill in as a way to bring ODOT to the table.
This bill, being a transportation bill, did not have to go through normal protocal and therefore went around Susan McLain and the Joint Committee on Transportion.
Weekly Articles
Clackamas County gets after it with 36 pages of input for ODOT
Leaks in the Cone of Silence
As always, THANK YOU for continuing to research excellent information regarding the DEBACLE the I-205 TOLLING project will bring to citizens along the I-205 corridor.
Average citizens need to understand that if this isn't stopped HERE & NOW, it is merely the camel's nose getting into the tent and the TOLLING will get worse for EVERYBODY in the greater Portland metro area.
Generally, TOLLING is PROHIBITED on federal highways. Oregon has one of just 17 "exemptions" for a "test" program on tolling existing roads. We need to convince the Federal Highway Administration to KILL THE EXEMPTION on tolling Oregon roads.
The traffic diversion will be devastating for EVERY Clackamas County community. ODOT already WASTES so much of the people's money. We can't afford to let them waste even more!