I'm having a hard time accepting that my taxes (directly or indirectly) paid for you writing this kind of stuff.

Can you tell the public how it's justified? It's this kind of activities that increase resentment and ridicule of local government.

I agree with Citizen 99. It is drivel even if done for free.

Citizen 99,

This blog post was written by the Transportation Options Division w/in PBOT. The goal of this division is to reach people with marketing and educational information about how they get around.

I think the idea is to write blog content that people will read so they increase the amount of people who visit their blog which will then increase the amount of people who they can market their information to.

put another way... you can't communicate with people if they don't visit your website, and you need fun/entertaining content to get them to visit your website.

just my .02.

"It's wonderful," he said. "Instead of driving and being stressed out in traffic, you can work on your scene, you can do your exercises or whatever on the bus."

Ya, it's too bad that bus services in the PDX area are being cannibalized in favor of train mania.

Do you people even pay attention to the news?

Why are you being paid, with my tax dollars, to pump out garbage?

I have to pay Waste Management for garbage removal, and at the same time, pay people like you to provide more garbage.

You're a perfect example of the need to shrink government.

Isn't it curious that a person who runs a bicycle/transportation blog (Jonathan Maus) immediately rushes here to defend this?

"and you need fun/entertaining content to get them to visit your website."

No, you don't. Marketing is NOT part of the PBOT mission. Entertainment is NOT part ofthe PBOT mission. PBOT exists solely to provide essential services, not an outlet for random pop culture blogging efforts by very well-paid public employees. My tax dollars were never intended to be used for either purpose, and it's insulting to hear someone like Maus come here and try to make something so superficial into something that's necessary.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts and comments.

The point of our blog is to encourage Portland commuters to consider all of their transportation options. To do so we provide a wide range of stories. The Mad Men story is indeed fluffy, but it is more the exception than our regular practice.

We had 125,000 hits to our blog in the last 12 months and we hope that you will continue to read and share your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Steve Hoyt-McBeth
SmartTrips Business Project Manager

"The point of our blog is to encourage Portland commuters to consider all of their transportation options."

I don't think you're being honest, given that the vast majority of archived "blog posts" here are about...bicycles.

And this post we're commenting on, like you said, is "fluffy".

But if what you say is true, then I'm keenly interested to know how writing "Not only do I appreciate a fellow man who knows how to dress, I am also endeared to one of either gender who knows how to write" and teh accompanying photo encourages citizens to "consider all of their transportation options".

Isn't it curious that a person who runs a bicycle/transportation blog (Jonathan Maus) immediately rushes here to defend this?

"and you need fun/entertaining content to get them to visit your website."

No, you don't. Marketing is NOT part of the PBOT mission. Entertainment is NOT part ofthe PBOT mission. PBOT exists solely to provide essential services, not an outlet for random pop culture blogging efforts by very well-paid public employees. My tax dollars were never intended to be used for either purpose, and it's insulting to hear someone like Maus come here and try to make something so superficial into something that's necessary.

"Vincent Kartheiser...commutes by public transit to rehearsals and auditions"

Wow. What does that mean for me, a Portland area resident?

When I get the P.R. fluff from Portland's Transportation planners, I hear lots of great stuff about the wonderful MAX light rail and Portland Streetcar system.

When the word "bus" is mentioned, the Transportation folks utter something under their breath and then change the topic.

If PBOT really wants to focus the public's attention towards ALL of the available transportation options, realize this: The Portland Streetcar doesn't go to Multnomah Village. Nor does a MAX line. Neither go to Gabriel Park, or PCC Sylvania. In fact PBOT actually refused to publish a transit plan for Southwest Portland because the S.W. neighborhoods were not in support of rail development but rather improvements to the network of buses that today, right now, this minute, are serving S.W. Portland.

And it's not just Southwest, but Linnton, St. Johns, Sellwood, Cully...the list of Portland neighborhoods where people live, shop and work but are served only by buses is a long list. The list of rail served neighborhoods is not so long.

PBOT: If you want to encourage transit...don't lead us to a service that doesn't serve the majority of Portland (and regional) residents that may or may not show up in 10, 15 years...there's a bus system that is hated by political leaders, but everyday normal folks like myself use it. And more people WOULD use it, if the City of Portland, Metro, TriMet, etc. would actually promote and educate the people on it.

Who cares if "WES Works!" if you live in Northeast Portland? Who cares if "Green Means Go!" if you live in Multnomah? I want the 1, 12, 38, 39, 43, 44, 45, 61, 65 and 94 buses to work.

WTF? Over

Another reason to vote no on Tri-Met, Fire Truck, and the Oregon Historical Society property tax increases.

There is still plenty of fat on the hog that is public employment, and even more wasteful subsidies on disasters like WES, the OHSU Tram, and PGE Park.

JUST VOTE NO on new bond measures!!!

"In the future, everybody will be anonymous for 15 minutes." Use your real name, Citizen 99.

How does the public verify 125,000 trips to this blog took place by the public?

There's no way to. That's the CoP's typical shell game, find stats to report out that cannot be disputed.

Does anyone know how much debt this city is actually holding, how much our debt is increasing by year, and how much this debt has increased over the last 20 years?

I bet you will never find out the real data, that is until we become insolvent.

This city is filled with people who are bankrupt in every sense of the word. Shameful.

And just in case you think its only Hollywood movie stars choosing transportation options, here's an article about an NFL player bike commuting to football practice!

http://tinyurl.com/2blp4o2

Portland exists only to amuse those of us who have left.