Portland is well known as a haven for bicyclists, and its mass transportation options include an extensive and interconnected bus and light rail system as well as a growing streetcar line that traverses the downtown area.

Apparently, at least one of the City Commissioners foresees the day when a "web of streetcars" covers the city–just like they used to many years ago.

Amidst all the talk of transportation alternatives, however, the river that divides Portland is often seen as more of an obstacle than an opportunity. Today's Oregonian featured an opinion piece titled The ready river of transit at our core, which begged the obvious question:

What would Portland look like if we made the incredible Willamette River our most visible and sustainable transportation mode?

A recent feasibility study by the local Office of Transportation found that a

central city circulator–another term for a river-based bus line connecting what are now disparate close-in neighborhoods–is feasible right now.

According to the author, Peter Wilcox:

Creating a public-private system like the streetcar's requires only that the city set standards for docks, begin including sustainable river transit in political visions and plans, and agree on ways to go after the same available dock and shoreside facility funds that other cities are using.

"River buses" sure sound like a good option to me.

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