Here a few shots from the Sunday rally protesting the form of, and process behind, the Columbia River Crossing mega-bridge that is currently in the planning process. It was encouraging, to be sure, but I was disappointed that I couldn't get a single one of my friends to join me. This is one of those issues, I worry, that people will sleepwalk through until it is too late. Right now, the distant prospect of moving the I-5 bottleneck south from the bridge into N and NE Portland, potentially sending overflow traffic onto arterial streets and worsening air pollution, doesn't seem to be enough to motivate many of the folks that I know. And I didn't even mention the potential for worsening sprawl on the Washington side of the river. Or the mammoth cost. Or the probable uninspiring design.

I eagerly await the first lawsuit.

My favorite sign of the day was the Randy Leonard one, which only those who have been following this story (another link here) will understand. Pretty funny.

I am thankful for elected leaders like Metro Councilor Liberty (pictured below) and City Councilor Fritz (I hereby rescind the skepticism I expressed about her during the election last Fall) who are willing to stick their necks out politically to make the right call rather than capitulate to backroom "compromises" and union/freight/DOT pressure, as Adams and Leonard have.

The last picture is from that hand-painted sign just east of the Hawthorne bridge that has gotten some media attention recently. It seemed apropos on my ride to work that afternoon.