Weaning the States off cars
- 15 Aug 06, 09:45 PM
In the land where car is king Portland Oregon is something of an anomaly. The city has developed its infrastructure with a series of public/private finance schemes coupled with targeted urban regeneration.
The local transport department even sought to prove how robust the city's transport is by challenging a group of residents to ditch their SUVs and station wagons and get on their bikes, city buses, trains and trams.
Sayeeda Warsi, vice chair of the Conservative Party and our reporter tonight, believes that the city鈥檚 integrated transport scheme is way ahead of anything the UK has to offer in terms of urban living, public health and limiting environmental impact. Read her piece - and watch the film here.
We went there as part of our search for the best public services in the world, and Portland鈥檚 transport scheme seemed to fit that bill. Sayeeda Warsi, a self-confessed petrolhead, was convinced. Are you? Do you know of somewhere with a better approach?
