Raise the Hammer

Yes, Hillsboro is Oregon's fourth-largest city, but it is serviced by TriMet's MAX Blue. The analogy would hold if the TTC were running LRT from McMaster to Eastgate.

Metrolinx is too new and ineffectual to be a meaningful part of the analogy, and FWIW, they're not even using Portland as an instructive example of a funding strategy, concentrating instead on Vancouver, Montreal, Chicago, NYC, London and Paris.

http://www.bigmove.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/BigConversationKit-sml.pdf

This may reflect an internal analysis that tells them the political appetite is for a certain combination of funding options (based on the four North American systems profiles, Metrolinx would be funded by fares, gas tax, property tax, retail tax and road tolls).

TriMet is apparently 55% funded by payroll tax:

"As of 2012, the payroll tax rate was $0.007018 per dollar, meaning that affected employers must pay TriMet 0.7018 percent of each worker's gross payroll for services performed inside the service area."

http://portlandafoot.org/w/TriMet_payroll_tax
http://portlandafoot.org/w/TriMet_service_area

"According to TriMet's 2010 report by the Citizens Advisory Committee on the Budget, another 22 percent or so came from fares, 16 percent from state and federal operating grants and 9 percent from miscellaneous other sources, including sales of advertising."

http://portlandafoot.org/w/TriMet_budget

In March 2010, a review of HSR operations noted that HSR cash and ticket fares were 25% lower than the average in the peer group. (Pass systems were average.)


http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/9D868772-92BE-4A69-B874-42A1081726CD/0/TTRFinalReport.pdf

Of the HSR, IBI notes that "Direct operating costs will be $93,758,000 in 2014 compared to $63,801,000 in 2008," a 32% increase that I am guessing will have to be offset somehow, most likely by some combination of by increased city/provincial/federal funding, tax levies, fare increases -- or simply more resolute measures to curb "fare leakage":

"While praising the overall efficiency of the HSR, IBI notes that average fares are low because of the large number of riders getting discounted or free trips. They calculate that '44 percent of all passengers have a discounted fare other than an adult monthly pass' and note that 'free boardings for persons with personal mobility devices are potentially subject to abuse.'

Reducing this fare 'leakage,' IBI suggests, could be an alternative to fare increases. And they urge 'discounts for social programs should be treated as such and not funded entirely from the HSR budget.'"

http://www.hamiltoncatch.org/view_article.php?id=648

As to whether other Oregonian cities have adopted similarly broad menus of traffic-taming measures, I can't say. I would imagine that Portland's influence would be strongest closest to home. Can anyone report on traffic engineering in Eurgene, Salen, Greshham, etc?