Facing a $12 million to $17 million budget shortfall next year, Portland’s TriMet transit agency is cutting bus service for lack of funds. But it has enough funds to spend $250,000 on a giant sculpture of a deer with a baby face.
The agency has already cut bus service by 13 percent and light-rail service by 10 percent in the last two years. Yet it is spending at least $3 million on “art” as part of its $200-million-per-mile light-rail line to Milwaukie, one of the most wasteful rail projects ever. As a matter of policy, TriMet spends 1.5 percent of its capital expenditures on art, even though it is not required to do so.
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After all, the most important thing is to keep Portland weird, not to actually provide transportation to people who need it. In furtherance of that goal, TriMet recently hired a multicultural manager and a transit equity manager, no doubt paying both more than $100,000 a year.
TriMet asked the public for ideas to help it close its budget gap. Most of the ideas involved taxing someone else such as auto drivers or out-of-town visitors. How about ending capital-intensive projects and focusing on providing efficient transit service on routes and schedules that fill up the buses so that losses are minimized? I bet they never thought of that one.
While not having any interest in defending this monstrous sculpture, something that is sorely lacking in so much of American construction projects is a sense of beauty and aesthetics.
Compare the Washington Metro, where a small amount of thought went into this, to subways and els in Chicago or Boston. Or look at the original designs of the Autobahn, which were integrated into that natural surroundings of the countryside and used native materials, compared to the monotonous US interstate system and its green painted steel bridges.
“In order to love our country, our country must be lovely.”
Life is about more than doing everything the cheapest and most unimaginative way.
The Antiplanner wrote:
Yet it is spending at least $3 million on “art†as part of its $200-million-per-mile light-rail line to Milwaukie, one of the most wasteful rail projects ever.
Please remind me again which light rail line in Portland is not wasteful?
HA HA HA HA !!!! That thing will scare little children so bad they’ll never want to ride any train ever again!!!! O MY! HA HA HA HA !!!!
Design is critically important, very much so. I just rode the Washington DC system this morning…. what a dreary, dark, miserable underground it is, and the mildew-smelling dirty old train didn’t help.
Meanwhile, I’m still laughing at this awful sculpture…..
Andrew wrote:
Compare the Washington Metro, where a small amount of thought went into this, to subways and els in Chicago or Boston. Or look at the original designs of the Autobahn, which were integrated into that natural surroundings of the countryside and used native materials, compared to the monotonous US interstate system and its green painted steel bridges.
Compare to Maryland’s new InterCounty Connector (ICC) toll road (Route 200), where some money was spent on landscape architects to design a road to Interstate standards, but still lays reasonably “light on the land.” The bridges and other structures on the ICC are also designed to be modern yet visually appealing to drivers.
The Washington Post is reporting that most of the unopened ICC will open to traffic in November 2011.
“Compare to Maryland’s new InterCounty Connector…”
You mean the one that has been on the books since the late 60’s? I think there is a way to integrate aesthetics without sacrificing reasonableness.
bennett wrote:
You mean the one that has been on the books since the late 60?s? I think there is a way to integrate aesthetics without sacrificing reasonableness.
The earliest plans for what is now the InterCounty Connector apparently go back to the 1950’s, though I have not seen planning maps that far back.
That it has taken this long to build is due to “paralysis by analysis” and a lot of dishonesty cranked out by people (including more than a few elected officials) and groups opposed to this highway projects (and any and all highway projects anywhere).
Having said the above, it’s also obvious that thanks to the delay, this may be the greenest highway ever built in the United States in terms of environmental sensitivity in its design and construction, though that is no consolation for those opposed to it – for one of their fears was that the road would be state-of-the-art in design and construction, since it serves as “proof of concept” that highways (even big ones, the ICC is mostly six lanes, designed to Interstate standards) can be green.
And that sensitivity was not cheap either.
focusing on providing efficient transit service on routes and schedules
My God what a Neanderthal. You actually want these folks doing real work. Shame on you.
I don’t know the details of this Portland arts project, but the arts community has been brilliant in siphoning off funds from capital projects with laws requiring a “small” fraction of a percent be spent on art projects. It sounds so small, until you realize that is a tiny percent of a huge number.
I actually appreciate some of the art in public buildings, though most of it is boring and uninspiring. Selecting art by government committee is a recipe for boredom. Art on highways seems rather stupid to me, but it is probably cheaper than landscaping upkeep costs.
But my kudos to art funders who figured out this maneuver and thereby secured lots of funds for their special interest.
Eh….put a bird on it.
Wow, MJ. That is so funny. I will be laughing from your comment for days. Thanks!
Sandy Teal posted:
Wow, MJ. That is so funny. I will be laughing from your comment for days. Thanks!
I second your comment, Sandy. Mentioning IFC’s Portlandia TV series always brings a smile to my face (and yes, thanks to the American Dream Coalition having held one of its meetings there, I actually know something about the place).
Thanks to MJ for that reference.
According to the IFC Web site, Portlandia will be returning for a second season.
Bambi meets Buddha, WTF.
Perhaps it should be a Golden Calf
bennett said:
“Compare to Maryland’s new InterCounty Connector…â€
You mean the one that has been on the books since the late 60?s? I think there is a way to integrate aesthetics without sacrificing reasonableness.
THWM: Though tolls are over going to cover a quarter of costs of ICC, taxpays will be picking up the other 3/4.
At least with Amtrak, passengers pick up 80% of the tab.