Entries Tagged 'Public Transportation Culture' ↓

Feel like having a cut-out TriMet bus toy at home, at the office or even in the kitchen?  Then print this image out, cut it out & fold it up!  All you need is a little bit of tape and viola - you’ll have your very own TriMet paper bus.  I have a couple of these crashing into each other at work.  And yes, I’ll admit: I do play with them… rumbling bus noises included.

This is one of them in action:

Christian is going to be gone from July 13 - July 28 on a honeymoon.  This post is part of a series looking at TriMetiquette’s Flickr photostream while he’s gone.

Indeed, this is a picture of a TriMet tow truck towing a TriMet bus.  Phew!  I know - it’s like a “peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” situation.

Christian is going to be gone from July 13 - July 28 on a honeymoon.  This post is part of a series looking at TriMetiquette’s Flickr photostream while he’s gone.

As I sat there on a nearly empty bus riding home after work, I thought to myself, “It’s almost like a metallic jungle in here!”

Definitely a whole heck of a lot of metal going on in the bus.  Something I really didn’t notice until that evening I snapped this pic.

Christian is going to be gone from July 13 - July 28 on a honeymoon.  This post is part of a series looking at TriMetiquette’s Flickr photostream while he’s gone.

The Portland 6th Avenue Street Fair is taking place on July 19th this year between SW Washington and Taylor from 11:30 to 8 p.m. There seems to be a lot of action going on; from food to live music, that Saturday is sure to please. Details:

Enjoy the outdoors and live music at:

Red Star Roast House and Tavern, SW 5th & Washington

* Laurie Martinson’s piano student showcase, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
* Laurie Martinson’s piano student showcase, 2-3 p.m.
* Michael Allen Harrison, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
* Tom Grant, 5-6 p.m.
* Outside dining and beer garden, all day

Porto Terra Tuscan Grill & Bar, SW 6th & Taylor

* John Bunzow, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
* Terry Robb, 2-3 p.m.
* Jon Koonce, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
* Warren Pash, 5-6 p.m.
* Outside dining and beer garden, all day

Saks Fifth Avenue, SW 5th & Taylor

* Hoop Shine, Noon-1 p.m.
* DJ Rick, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
* KingNik Duo, 5-6 p.m.
* DJ Rev. Shines, 6:30-8 p.m.

Check out some of the events and activities for you to enjoy:

* Summer sales from Pioneer Place retailers
* Cosmetic makeovers and product samples from Macy’s
* Painting demonstration by local artist Gene Gill
* Beautiful vintage boat, provided by the Maritime Heritage Festival
* Portland Parks and Recreation’s “Rec’n'Roll” bus, featuring craft activities and a climbing wall for kids
* Outdoor dining and beer garden at Porto Terra Tuscan Grill and Bar and the Red Star Roast House and Tavern
* Hoops action with the Portland Trail Blazers
* Face painters and balloon souvenirs for kids
* Music and dancing to DJ Rick
* DJ Rev. Shines

For more info, go to The Next Big Thing Downtown’s page about the Street Fair.

Read this very entertaining post over at Portland Octopus that gives ten tips about how to ride public transportation in Portland. I found tip #9 to be particularly noteworthy:

“9. Your purse/backpack/grocery bag is not a person and therefore is not entitled to sit next to you. Ways to tell if you’re sitting next to a person or inanimate object: Does it have legs and arms, a head or feet? (Person.) Is there a Jansport label sewn on it? (Not a person.) Is it talking? (Person.) Are you sure? (See No. 10.)”

Nice list!

All Portlanders have probably heard about the recent attacks on MAX trains. In all of the recent instances, there was never a true ‘motive’ for those victims to be attacked; they were at the wrong place at, unfortunately, the wrong time.

With these attacks happening recently, you’re probably asking yourself, “Well, if I ride the MAX, how can I go about making sure I’m safe?” Here are some tips you can use to make sure you’re riding with no fear:

1. Ride with a buddy.  I typically ride during work “rush hours” but I know if my fiancee ever wants to ride later at night, I’ll always accompany her.
2. Know where the ‘contact the operator’ intercoms are.  If you feel like something fishy is going on, it’s best to contact the operator so that individual can contact transit police instead of confronting it yourself.
3. If you have a purse, make sure you have it secured in your lap around an arm.  Don’t just place it on your lap; loop it around your forearm a bit to make sure it can’t be easily swiped.
4. Don’t listen to music when riding late at night.  This can make you more aware of any situations.  Of course, listen to it if you feel you’re in a seat where you’re able to survey all around you; if you’re not in this position, however, listening to music could make you an unsuspecting victim.
5. Pick the best seat. If you’re feeling unnerved, don’t sit down where your back is to the rest of the train; choose a seat where you’re able to look around.

Those are some tips that can help you be more aware & safe when riding the MAX.  Anyone else have any tips they’d like to share?

I use TriMet.org to access the Transit Tracker function on my iPhone when I’m waiting at a stop.  It’s serviceable.

I’ve found a faster solution - a more iPhone-friendly way to view TriMet’s Transit Tracker functionality.  It’s http://trimet.onmyiphone.net.  It’s cool because the page loads are quicker than accessing TriMet’s site and the interface is built like an official iPhone app’s interface.

Pretty slick…

How cool is this - you can watch a webcam that shows the Steel Bridge & the site for the future construction of connecting the MAX green line.  It’s a typical three / five second refresh webcam image.  Right now, all you’ll be seeing is our delightful early Summer Portland weather & MAX trains whizzing on by… later during the summer, you’ll be able to watch construction crews connecting the MAX green line to the existing MAX system.

And I’m serious - I’m digging this mid-60s cloudy weather.  You can’t have sun, sun, sun in the beginning of the summer… because by the end, you’re all bored by it.

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.

I’ve been keeping an eye out on Oregon Street Talk, a blog that’s about:

“The Oregon Street Talk seeks to provide a “street-level” vantage point to issues and current affairs, as well as to provide useful information and resources.”

I’ve refrained from mentioning anything from this resource, but their latest post, calling out a TriMet bus operator as being a ‘dimwit’ (amongst seemingly other ‘dimwits’ who seem to drive TriMet buses), shows their obvious disposition against TriMet for all of the wrong reasons.

How did the TriMet operator start “an absolutely unnecessary confrontation that was not even worth $1.75″? The individual presented a fraudulent ticket transfer; the individual was the one ’starting’ the confrontation by not paying like every one else. Why shouldn’t have the operator have asked the individual to exit the bus?

Then again, this rush-to-judgment and calling out of Portland’s public transportation system comes from the person who calls the June 1 construction rerouting a “chance to divide and conquer the Fareless Square in a way no one could think of in the past” and says that TriMet was out to get them after a Committee to End Homeless meeting simply because they wanted “to harass them and gave interdictions/citations for frivolous ‘violations.’”

Give it a rest…

Edited to add - looks like Oregon Street Talk took down the post.  Good for them…