Lars Larson: Portland’s ruse to soak Washington taxpayers

By Lars Larson
NW and national radio host,

Portland’s failing transit agency, Trimet, has decided to soak the taxpayers in Washington State to make up for its massive financial losses.

Despite billions spent on new trains and buses, transit ridership has steadily declined for the last decade.  You can’t blame the pandemic for that.

So, Trimet’s desperation leads them to pin their hopes on soaking CTran, the Vancouver transit agency, for tens of millions of dollars.

It plans a 1.9-mile light rail extension just inside the state of Washington.

In exchange, it wants CTran to fund almost 22 million in Operations and Maintenance costs for Trimet…and pay for a whole bunch of new light rail trains.

It’s a foolish investment that the CTran board should reject, especially considering the very low level of CTran express bus ridership.  Why spend a billion dollars a mile to build a new train and then

22 million a year to run it for a few hundred daily riders?

Answer?  Because Trimet is in money trouble.  And like any Ponzi scheme, you must find new rubes whose pockets can get picked.

Clark County put it to a vote in 95, 2012 and 2013…and every time, voters said “no”.

Put it to a vote one more time and kill it for good.