Oregon Street Talk is back at it again, this time calling for the abolishment of TriMet. While the post is certainly a long one, a couple of things stood out to me:
- “Now tell me, TriMet has been hiring hundreds of new operators (seen those “FIND your calling” ads?)”
Hundreds? Really? Last time I checked the webpage which that ad tells you to go to, there aren’t any open job positions for new operators. Heck, there’s only one job opening right now. And I keep an eye out on the page and there have been like, five open positions in the last two / three months. Hundreds of new operators? Just because there’s an ad telling people to check out there careers page doesn’t mean they’re hiring hundreds of bus & rail operators.
- “In addition to the continuing holy war on the Fareless Square…”
You’re really going to go there?
- “… spending an embarrasingly [sic] colossal amount of money on expensive toys such as the MAX Green Line light rail…”
I wouldn’t characterize the MAX Green Line as being an “expensive toy”, rather, I see it as an expansion to bring public transportation to more Portland citizens. With rising gas prices, do you think more people would use accessible public transportation? And why limit the range of public transportation you serve in the face of rising gas prices? The Green Line makes light-rail transportation possible for a wider segment of Portland - why is this a bad thing?
- “The proposed fare increase is unnecessary, and we ought not to tolerate the mismanagement and irresponsible spending spree any further.”
Is TriMet immune to rising gas prices? Do they still pay the $1.00 / gallon luxury we had back in the day?
- “TriMet has not even considered cutting down on excessive services (such as 4-Division and 8-Jackson Park running every 3-5 minutes in the morning when buses are half empty)”
Both of those bus lines are labeled as being “Frequent Service” ones. Simply put, they’ve been seen as being ones which service a higher amount of riders compared to other lines. While you’re close with the 4-Division line as running every 3 - 5 minutes in the morning (this is the case when the morning commute is the busiest, which according to the bus schedule only really happens between 7 - 7:30), the 8-Jackson Park line doesn’t come close to a “3-5 minute” schedule. I would recommend emailing TriMet and letting them know about this so they can factor that in when they change bus line schedules in the future.
- “Oh, by the way, there probably is something dirty going on between TriMet and Stacy & Witbeck.”
Huh? Where did this come from? Well, the last time I checked, the only ‘dirtiness’ that is happening is Stacy & Witbeck employees getting a little dirty by doing construction the Portland Mall & Commuter Rail. Why must we assume something ‘dirty’ is happening because of this?
I understand your want to present some negative opinions, but many of them are just silly.
3 comments ↓
Where do they get this stuff? Talk about justifying an agenda by putting a (major!) spin on reality. Your comments are valid and make much more sense than the original article.
I wonder if this is the same person that has been spamming PDX’s craigslist with rants about tri-met.
I read three paragraphs and closed the tab. They have nothing constructive to say…
“I wouldn’t characterize the MAX Green Line as being an “expensive toy”, rather, I see it as an expansion to bring public transportation to more Portland citizens.”
How does the Green Line “expand…public transportation to more Portland citizens”?
At each of the proposed Green Line stations, there is existing TriMet bus service to each location.
And it should be noted that at Johnson Creek Boulevard and south, the Green Line is not within the City of Portland but within unincorporated Clackamas County.
In short, the Green Line is basically constructed to placate Clackamas County lawmakers who were tired of paying TriMet for transit improvements (well, specifically, light rail lines) in Washington and Multnomah Counties and to favor developers who may (or may not, as the situation is in Beaverton) build projects along the line.
TriMet would have been wiser by looking about 18 blocks to the west and making significant, worthy projects to its own busiest bus line, the 72 Killingsworth/82nd Avenue. Instead, TriMet is forced to run busses on an insane 7 minute headway (this means paying an Operator every seven minutes; paying for fuel every seven minutes).
It should also be noted that much of the expected ridership will be driving single-occupant motor vehicles that will take advantage of TriMet subsidized free parking at a new parking garage at Clackamas Town Center, instead of improving local collector bus service in the area which would provide closer to door-to-door transit service.
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