Your TriMet & Portland Public Transportation News Blog

Want to hear first-hand about TriMet’s plans on the I-205 / Portland Mall Light Rail & WES (Westside Express Service) Commuter Rail projects? Well, this month’s your lucky… month because TriMet is having a couple of open house meetings for us, the public, to attend.

Monday, May 19, 2008, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Portland Mall Information Center
519 SW 6th Avenue
Portland, OR 97204

Monday, May 19, 2008, 4-7 p.m.
Public Works Building, Richard Brown Auditorium
8777 SW Burnham St.
Tigard, OR 97223

Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 4-7 p.m.
OIT Conference Center
7740 SE Harmony Rd.
Milwaukie, OR 97222

More info about these meetings and, if you can’t attend but wish to get the lowdown on what went down, you can view the resources that will be at the meetings online right here.

Here’s a story of an out-of-towner that had a wonderfully positive experience using TriMet to get around Portland. He says:

“TriMet puts San Diego MTS to shame. This may be due in large part to the fact that TriMet gets three times the budget than MTS ($741m versus $239m), yet serves an area half the size, with half the people.

Also, Portland has a well-planned street grid. San Diego’s street grid was designed by a drunk six-year-old monkey playing SimCity 2000.”

Hey!  When I played SimCity 2000, my street grid was all over the place for Christiantown (based off of my name, not the religion).  And my residents loved it!

Anyway, awesome to hear of your experience - TriMet certainly is one of the best public transportation systems in the U.S.

Do you often ride TriMet with your son or daughter?  Well, Activistas would like to hear from you!  They’re planning on having several individuals meet with TriMet officials in late May to discuss their experiences with bringing young children to ride with them on a regular basis.  The main point they’re trying to get across is the cumbersome requirement of having to fold baby strollers when riding (among other ideas that they’ve come up with on how to improve TriMet and make it more family-friendly).

If you’re interested, check out their site and contact them.

TriMetiquette reader Bjorn informed me of the news:

“Unfortunate news about TriMet bus line 15“

That is unfortunate!  I’m all about having a bus driver who tries to make the usually-packed 15 fun, well, as enjoyable a ride as possible.  It’s really sad to hear that someone took offense to that particular bus driver’s jokes, which were probably only said over the speaker to honestly make those riding have a better day.

Anyone experience this driver first-hand?  I believe Julian over at PDX Pipeline has ridden on his bus before… hopefully he pipes up.

I recently started bike commuting my 7.2 miles to work. I found it takes a lot less time, a lot less hassle, and gives me a nice workout. Occasionally when my legs start screaming at me, I will stop off and take the max halfway home. Nothing feels better to see an open bike hanger as the train approaches. At the same time, nothing sucks more than when one is not available. I hate imposing on others by dragging my bike into the “other” areas and taking up so much space.

What do you think TriMet can do to accommodate more bicycles on the max? Should they? How do you feel about bikes mixing with standing passengers?

-brewcaster

Guide dogs & TriMet - you see an occasional rider with one.  The dogs, themselves, are always obedient and not distracted (which every guide dog SHOULD be).

Read a story over at the Courageous Heart about a woman and her guide dog… and it’s written as a day in the life of an individual with a guide dog riding the bus & MAX.  And I have to say, seems like it’s always a fun (yet eventful) adventure.

My fiancee’s sister trains dogs… and downtown Portland, Oregon is a popular training ground for guide-dogs.  There’s even a guide dog campus located in Boring.

Definitely worth a read - it’s a really well-written story.

TriMetiquette reader Ethan wrote me this:

“I always wonder what is the correct way to tell a bus that is coming to a multi-bus stop that you are waiting for a different bus:

1) head shake
2) hand wave
3) other?

Good question! Personally, when I’m waiting for a bus, if a bus I’m waiting to board is coming, I don’t do anything. However, if a bus is coming that I’m not waiting for… and if I’m the only person at the stop… I’ll wave them to go on by.

But with multiple people waiting there at the stop? I’d almost say just don’t do anything. I really do wonder if there’s been a scenario when someone has sorta waved a bus by but another person was wanting to board that bus at the stop.

The Oregon Humane Society is having their 21st annual Doggie Dash on May 10.  And, good news - your dog (however big or small) can ride MAX with you if you bring your official Dash registration papers to the event and your dog’s Dash big on the way home from it.

Even though I see non-guide dogs riding MAX from time to time (that’s a no-no people: only guide dogs are allowed to be on the MAX excluding this special day), I think the MAX trains will be ‘gone to the dogs’ on May 10.

Starting June 1st, seven Trimet bus lines will be detoured due to the Steel Bridge construction.  The affected bus lines are:

• 4 - Fessenden
• 8 - NE 15th Ave
• 10 - NE 33th Ave
• 33 - Fremont
• 35 - Greeley
• 44 - Mock’s Crest
• 77 - Broadway / Halsey

Luckily, TriMet has some specific info along with a handy-dandy map in case you want to see how those lines will be affected come June 1st.

See? There are kind & courteous people on the TriMet bus and MAX. fyberduck over at the qfa reminds us that, while public transportation does have its share of… rude & some people doing disgusting things… there are some good folks riding.

One of her stories:

“This morning, as I traversed the deep and murky waters of public transportation, a young mother with a toddler and itty-bitty baby got on the bus. There weren’t any seats in the front (not that anyone were going to give up, anyway), so she made her way to the back of the bus. I noticed that the seat across the aisle from me was empty, so I jumped up and intended to offer her my seat so her son could sit opposite her. Well, apparently this wasn’t just my idea. The man opposite scooted over, the man next to me got up, and we all managed to rearrange ourselves neatly by the time the family got to our bench that they could sit down without a fuss.”

Good stuff… thanks for sharing!