Happy Election Day, Oregon! If you haven't already, return your ballot in its signed envelope to a designated dropbox. We'll have full coverage of contested primaries for governor, Congress and labor commissioner, as well as updates on other races, after 8, sos.oregon.gov/voting/Pages...

Oregon Secretary of State

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Can someone please explain to me why large boarding islands like this one are not just all sized for level boarding? I figure there is some easy explanation, but I can't figure it out.

Rebecca Saltzman@rebeccaforec.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Protected bike lanes bring huge improvements not just for people biking, but also for walking and taking transit. Just caught the 6 and loved the bus boarding island, part of Telegraph protected bike lane project. A huge space to wait, and the bus didn’t need to pull out of or back into traffic.

Heat pumps are the most efficient heating technology ever invented. They harvest and compress pre existing heat in the air, ground or water and transport it where it is needed. That energy is all around us. And it does not have to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

I just boarded a Cherriots bus to go home and I'm delighted to report that the operator is telling us about how this line used to be a streetcar line. It ran from downtown to the state's only penitentiary.

Had a bit of a fowl ride to work

"Counts of bicycle traffic since the bike lanes were installed showed that traffic increased sixfold. Engineers also didn’t find any major congestion issues with automobiles after the revamp." Medford traffic flows faster but also kills more people than in Bend. Lots of strip malls, too.

Medford removing controversial bike lanes on Main Street

The Medford City Council voted this week to abandon its controversial bike lanes on Main Street, just three years after installing them.

opb.org

@aortarail.org, can you send a letter to Santa for me?

Ian Davidson@iandavidson.bsky.social · 7mo ago

All I want for Christmas is this.

All I want for Christmas is this.

It was great to talk with @wilsonxcassie.bsky.social about the importance of transit in Salem, Keizer, and beyond. Now, more than ever, public transit is a ready-made solution for so many of Oregon's problems, whether that is slowing economic growth or low school attendance rates. Let's fund it!

1000 Friends of Oregon@1000oregon.bsky.social · 8mo ago

New Transit Talks! @wilsonxcassie.bsky.social heads to Salem to ride @cherriots.bsky.social with board vice president @iandavidson.bsky.social where they talk free transit for youth and statewide investment in public transportation. Watch the full episode: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2_l...

I unironically love the proposed name University of the Northwest

OPB@opb.org · 8mo ago

Declining enrollment and budget woes vex colleges across the country these days, but leaders at Pacific and Willamette say they’re not pursuing the partnership due to financial challenges. They say the partnership will lead to better services and expanded career pathways for students.

A new study reports that almost half of all urban and suburban US car owners are open to living car free. We need to significantly increase the level of transit service across the US to enable people make that *choice*. Without adequate service, we force people into $$ depreciating assets (cars).

Jarrett Walker@humantransit.bsky.social · 8mo ago

An astonishing percentage of Americans are open to car-free living. The problem isn't attitudes. The problem is the failure to invest in viable options. humantransit.org/2025/12/many...

It's Vote at Home, folks. The place I feel safest is my *home*. Voting in my *home* affords me the luxury of time to consider the issues and candidates on the ballot. Stop focusing on how the vote gets there and focus on where the vote happens. #orpol #orleg #Oregon

Central Oregon Daily News@codaily.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Mail-in voting is under new pressure as Oregon lawmakers, national activists and the Supreme Court weigh major changes to how and when ballots are counted. Election officials say the system remains secure but acknowledge the message is harder to sell.

For the life of me I do not understand Sound Transit station naming convention.

90,000 in Marion and Polk County depend on SNAP. In two days, because of failures at the highest level of our federal government, our neighbors will not receive SNAP food assistance. In response, beginning November 1, 2025, Cherriots riders traveling to and from food banks may ride at no cost.

I can and will celebrate in my heart! I don't have to travel to Bend to celebrate Blockbuster.

The Oregonian@oregonian.com · 10mo ago

The last Blockbuster on earth is having a block party to celebrate the company’s four-decade history later this month. Click the link for more details: https://www.oregonlive.com/retail/2025/10/blockbuster-turns-40-this-month-and-bend-is-the-only-place-you-can-celebrate.html  Photo via AirBNB

I thought I would only spend two hours responding to questions, but I ultimately spent four and a half hours fielding questions. Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful questions!

Ian Davidson@iandavidson.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Tomorrow, I will be answering your questions about the service enhancements Cherriots is proposing over at r/SALEM. Our proposed service enhancements are decades overdue and would *finally* begin to provide the level of service we need. You can post your questions now: bit.ly/IanDavidsonAMA

Tomorrow, I will be answering your questions about the service enhancements Cherriots is proposing over at r/SALEM. Our proposed service enhancements are decades overdue and would *finally* begin to provide the level of service we need. You can post your questions now: bit.ly/IanDavidsonAMA

Oh, and 13 other people boarded the bus so it's not just this tired transit board member needing later weekday service. We have more work to do to provide the service our community needs, but I'm so encouraged by the progress we're making.

Ian Davidson@iandavidson.bsky.social · last yr.

Tonight's Cherriots board meeting ran late so I caught the 10 pm bus home. That would not have been possible when I first joined the board since our buses stopped running at 9 pm. Now, thanks to state investment, our buses run until 11 pm. Transit investments change lives and communities. #orleg

Tonight's Cherriots board meeting ran late so I caught the 10 pm bus home. That would not have been possible when I first joined the board since our buses stopped running at 9 pm. Now, thanks to state investment, our buses run until 11 pm. Transit investments change lives and communities. #orleg

It's always very gratifying to see the incredible work of #TeamCherriots recognized, especially when benchmarked among some of the best transit agencies in the United States. This time, Cherriots took home gold, silver, and bronze medals from the latest TransDash Performance Summit Awards 🧵 1/3

I'm in Bend for work and just spotted one of the many bus stop improvement that @ericlint.com helped make a reality in Central Oregon. I'm very excited to see a similar work kick off in the mid-valley.

Which improvements are most important for public transit in Salem and Keizer? Cherriots wants to know if you’d favor expanded services and routes. How about bikeshare? Or maybe more frequent bus service downtown? Take the survey at bit.ly/3Za1jkw #TransitForTomorrow #SalemOregon #KeizerOregon

483 employees and almost 1000 positions overall were eliminated at ODOT today. Even when the OR Leg acts the damage has been done. Next time an elected suggests that public transportation isn’t a “core service,” ask them about the tens of millions of rides each year. Are those all luxury trips?

On my bus ride home today, I saw a couple board with luggage. I started a conversation and learned they were on their way to celebrate their honeymoon! They were connecting to the 60X to celebrate in Lincoln City. That trip couldn't have happened without state transit funding. #orleg

Here’s what failure to pass HB 2025 means for @trimet.org, sorry for lack of alt text, but high level: 27% cut of service in two years, 45 of 79 bus lines #orleg

As my colleague and friend RJ's beautiful story conveys, transit's value is in providing you access to opportunities you would not have otherwise. Whether that's education, treatment, economic self-reliance, or something else, transit, when adequately funded, can get you there! #orleg

Khanh Pham for Oregon@khanhphamfororegon.com · last yr.

"Transit isn't just live changing. It's life saving." Thank you so much to Cherriots Board Member RJ Navarro for sharing your story at our SMART Framework Press Conference this week. We must ensure Oregon's transportation package avoids any cuts to transit service statewide. #orleg

What's most surprising about this is not that Kermit was asked to speak at a commencement, but, based on his robes, he apparently has a PhD!

The New York Times@nytimes.com · last yr.

“Life is better when we leap together.” Kermit the Frog delivered a commencement speech at the University of Maryland on Thursday, the alma mater of his creator, Jim Henson. nyti.ms/4dwMuhQ

My walk home from the bus was interrupted by this car. Lucky for me, I could easily navigate around it. The sidewalks are bad enough in my neighborhood, we don't need cars parking on the sidewalk!

In case you didn't attend the Ride of Silence last night, check out this photo gallery from the Statesman Journal: Salem Ride of Silence honors injured, killed cyclists www.statesmanjournal.com/picture-gall...

Fare-free transit for youth 18 and younger in Salem-Keizer is in jeopardy! Tell the SKPS Budget Committee to continue to support the program! All public comment must be submitted by 12 pm on 5/13/2025. You can submit written or verbal comment here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... #SalemOR #KeizerOR