Each mile of streetcar rails that the City of Portland adds also adds 114 miles of road paving to the Portland backlog. Portland’s current backlog could pave a two-lane road from Portland to San Francisco, California. And the brain-trust in Portland's City Council continues to pursue bright, shiny streetcars.
In addition to the huge construction costs, CoPo's streetcars operate at a huge loss: by itself, CoPo subsidizes the tiny streetcar lines currently in place to the tune of $2 million tax dollars a year - while TriMet also kicks in unspecified funds to the operation.
Roads just aren't sexy enough for the alleged "mayor" of Portland - and if there's one thing we know about Sam Adams, only sex is important. So far, there are no plans to extend streetcar tracks through City Hall restrooms, but that's doubtless on the agenda.
