COTW: Don't Drive Here

Stumptown is really proud of it's bicyclists and that pride is apparent in their attitude, but the dirty secret is that most people rather not drive because gas prices are so high. Below is a chart showing Stumptown (aka Portland, OR) compared to the national average and Baltimore, another trendy neoliberal enclave. US Person wants to know: are Portloonians paying through the pump for the town's byzantine politics? Needless to say US does not accept the standard explanation that there are no refineries nearby. The town moto, "keep Portland weird", is amusing, but it's getting too damn expensive. Only in "Rip City" would the local politicians consider charging an old lady who doesn't own a car and uses public transportation the same road use "fee" as a sucessful business owner who drives his private car to work every day on city streets. That's Portland progressive taxation!