The BBC reports that Oregon has been developing infrastructure systems while the rest of America (world?) falls behind. Couterbalancing the lure of cheap petroleum and giant personal automobiles with reasonable public transportation, the state now seems to have come out ahead of the rest of the nation:

Over the last 10 years, public transport use has gone up by 65% and they have managed to avoid a predicted 40% increase in congestion.

And, incredibly for a city in the world’s most car dependent nation, they’re eradicating over 62 million car trips a year, which means car use is growing at the slowest rate anywhere in the United States.

[…]

The benefits of a car-free diet for public health and the environment are huge. At a time when greenhouse gas emissions America wide have risen by 13%, in Portland they’re down to pre 1990 levels.

Sounds good. But is the 65% increase due to population growth, or people choosing public transportation over their cars, or both? Some other benefits are also brought to light:

But Portland isn’t just about successfully getting people out of their cars. What’s really clear, is the extent to which transport is the absolute bedrock of community development.

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It’s great to see public and private sector working hand in hand delivering the best public transport for its community.

Sitting on the light rail on my way to the airport I notice a cycle lane running beside me – all the way to the terminal.

Cycling traffic has increased by 257% in the city over the last ten years and members of the cycling community I spoke to told me they feel they have a lot of support from local government in making the city even more bike friendly.

Building bike-routes in America that actually go somewhere? Now there’s a novel idea. I will never forget trying to ride a bike to work in Orange County, only to find that the paths would abruptly end on the side of a giant thoroughfare. Fences and barbed-wire were in place just to make sure you could tell that you were never meant to be able to get to the other side.