As I Ride the Yellow Line and think about things I need to get done, one thought resounds as I hack away on the light rail. The air conditioning blowing on a hot day like this is nice, the thought of the 190+ blog entries that sit in my queue incomplete because I’ve been somewhat demoralized about so many things related to transit and other matters as of the last few years. Even though transit, bicycling, low car options and other life improving realities exist in Portland, New York, Seattle and so many other places in the US, it seems sometimes like meager and nonexistent progress. The vast majority (albeit shrinking) of Americans still are not just auto-users, but auto-dependent. In other words, just to live and sustain their lives in any way they must have an operational car at almost every hour of the day. Without it they would suffer immensely.

These people in America, the vast majority, have this one vast single point of failure that the nation spends hundreds of billions of dollars (excluding any military expenditures) on to make it as pain free and easy as possible. Yes, that’s hundreds of billions per year. With that it just seems that the nation is hopelessly spiraling toward a future of ongoing problems related to the automobile and no solutions in sight.

But I’ve stepped back recently and started to look at the progress we do have for what it is. Progress in a long story of resolving the massive catastrophe that is auto-dependence. Portland is still, albeit some steam being lost in the last 2-3 years, moving forward as a leader, if not the leader in alternate modes of transportation and increasing options for everybody. The city, when compared to other cities in the country is doing a spectacular job still!

With that thought I realized I really ought to get back to doing what I really love to do, which is blogging the movement forward that Portland is regularly making. Not just Portland though, all of Cascadia with a few notes on other places I visit. I enjoy, so I really ought to get back to it. I just have to endeavor to avoid the negatives that come with following these topics to closely at the political level. For in the politics, there’s a whole metric shit ton of horrible politics based on fear, uncertainty, doubt and an altogether feeling of loss and failure. I’m impressed to this day that some can move forward through the process with all the workings against making progress. To them, I commend them on their efforts.

With that, I make this as the day I officially resume blogging. It won’t be everyday, but I’ll see what I can do. After all, I have over 190+ blog entries that I just need to wrap up!

Cheers, have a safe trip and enjoy the ride (everybody on all the modes)!