Lots Of Things Going On In The World Of TriMet…

So, obviously, I haven’t been updating very regularly lately and I apologize. Real world comes before TriMetiquette world and, frankly, while I’ve been very busy in the real world, it’s been a “good” kind of busy. Just busy with work, helping my wife get through grad school (not doing her homework or anything, but just being incredibly supportive) and other little side-projects.But boy has there been a lot going on in the world of TriMet! Many very unfortunate circumstances, budget / line cuts, etc. While this doesn’t really fall under the “riding etiquette” kind of realm, I feel like there should be somewhere that readers might comment. So go ahead and comment here, if you would like, about anything that has happened with TriMet in the last two months or so.

In any case, I’ve been seeing more and more improper riding etiquette on TriMet as of late, which should help springboard this neat little TriMet blog back to life again.The funny thing is that, with this being a blog specifically about “TriMet riding etiquette”, I get a lot of comments that are, well, fairly negative. I just approved one that accused me of being a spoiled little brat of a child.  I get others that tell me that I’m a cranky old man. I’m not that old (yet…) but, with the kind of mentality with TriMrt riders these days, I definitely am feeling more cranky with how disrespectful some people can be.

Anyway, I’ll keep on bearing this verbal assault by those that feel spitting on the ground at and around MAX and bus stations isn’t a big deal (I’m sorry, it’s disgusting and it is a big deal), those that like to light-up at MAX stations when it explicitly says not to (it’s OK that you smoke… but not where you’re not supposed to) and otherwise. No, I don’t feel like I’m “holier than thou” or better than anyone, just because I want to help Portland public transportation riders enjoy their ride more… I want to help people like me who do ride public transportation to enjoy their rides like they should be enjoying them.Here’s to more public transportation riding etiquette in Q2, Q3 and Q4 of 2010!

Riding Etiquette: Help Other Passengers

A couple of mornings ago, I was involved in an incident that included a gal who fell off her wheelchair while on the ramp exiting the bus. It was a rainy, windy morning and it appeared as if her wheelchair wheels got caught in a crack that was right in front of the front of the ramp. Of course, when it happened everyone on the bus kinda looked there… and to my amazement, then everyone sat back into their seats, wondering how long this was going to take.

This kind of response is absolutely ridiculous.

I popped right up, assessed the situation from inside the bus (“OK, the gal is on her side, it looks as if her leg is wedged beneath the ramp…”), saw that the driver and another person who was waiting for the bus were the only two people assisting, and immediately went outside to help. I helped her by holding an umbrella over her so she wouldn’t get wet while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

So ok, enough good for me… now it’s the other riders’ turn.

To think I was the only bus rider who popped up to help is ridiculous. Everyone else was concerned with maintaining their seat position! I even heard grumblings of, “When can we go?” and “”When is the next bus coming? Come on…” I get that this situation was making us a bit later than usual… but come on people!

So good riding etiquette? Help other passengers. Offer help if you see someone who might need it. Who knows – it may even make you feel a little good

Do You Want To Be TriMet’s New General Manager?

With Fred Hansen announcing that he’s going to leave in June, it was kind of funny to see a “General Manager (CEO)” job opening posting on TriMet’s website. Starting salary? You can expect to make right around what Fred made in 2009, which was over $250,000.

Anyway, I’m hoping that with Fred’s vision of light-rail being predominately focused on and developed during his tenure, the next General Manager can focus a bit more on the bus system.

Anyone thinking about applying?

Riding TriMet on St. Patrick’s Day 2010

If you plan on riding TriMet on St. Patrick’s Day, which I would strongly recommend if you plan on boozing it up out there, please note that TriMet services will be on usual schedules for a Wednesday. Remember to carry $2 – $2.30 of cash / change (depending on where you’re going) if you’re planning on using the bus for a two-hour period.

Some riding etiquette for those who are planning on making the most of their St. Patty’s Day:

• If you’re going to blow chunks, please choose an appropriate seat. Your best bet would be to go for a seat towards the front to make use of the driver’s small trash bucket or, if you’re on a bus route that has frequent stops, one near the exit door so you can poke your head out, toss your cookies, and get back to riding in a good manner
• Wearing green will not give you a discount on TriMet
• If you pinch a driver because he / she is not wearing green, you may find yourself chatting with some Transit Police folks
• Irish TriMet Bomb: due to budget cuts, you’ll need to cut the usual 3 / 4 pint of Guinness into 1 / 2 of a pint and only add 1 / 4 of a shot of Baileys and 1 / 4 of a shot of whiskey instead of the usual 1 / 2 shots

Safe travels out there! And if you’re still looking for something to, why don’t you check out PDX Pipeline’s Portland St. Patrick’s Day Party Picks.

C-TRAN has car theft problem at Fisher’s Landing Transit Center

C-TRAN has a huge car theft problem at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center park and ride which they apparently don’t wish to address.

Last night, my brother’s car was stolen from the parking lot at that transit center between 7:30am and 5:30pm. If you look at this map of the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center,  he parked his car on the East side of the parking lot (so, towards the bottom of the image). Apparently, this section of the parking lot lacks the light that the North and South parts of the parking lot have and, thus, are the last spots remaining if you’re running late and most of the crowd has parked.

Now, I understand that you may be thinking, “So this Mr. TriMetiquette guy’s brother has his car stolen and he wants to blow it out of proportion!” Fair enough. But when my brother was looking for his car, a gal pulled up next to him and asked if his car had been stolen… to which he replied it had. Apparently, her car had been stolen only a week ago from the same parking lot.

So what can C-TRAN do to combat this problem?

Install More Light Fixtures

The way the parking lot is set-up now, there are lots of bushes and shrubbery around where car prowlers can easily hide. I understand that they want the park and ride to look nice and not look like a flat slab of concrete. But I was there last night waiting for the cops with my brother and there were portions of the parking lot that had barely any light. That’s unacceptable.

Install Security Cameras

I don’t see this happening. Both TriMet and C-TRAN have the blanket “(Transit Agency) is not responsible for blahblahblah” on their websites. I know that they don’t wish to really be held responsible for any personal belongings being lost… but you could at least try to upkeep your park and ride parking lots in a fashion that doesn’t cater to car prowlers.

Has Your Car Been Stolen At A Park And Ride?

Please write up a comment if your car or personal belongings have been stolen at a park and ride location, either at a TriMet one or a C-TRAN one. Let me know what park and ride location it was as well as some general comments (such as maybe you thought the lighting wasn’t enough of a deterrent for car prowlers, etc.).

Another fiscal year, another round of bus / MAX cuts (plus bonus fare increase)

TriMet is proposing, yet again, for another round of budget cuts for this fiscal year. Here are the proposed service cuts / line discontinuations / frequency reductions and fare increase. Here’s the short version:

Fare Increase

There will be an overall fare increase of $0.05 to “help keep pace with inflation.”

Bus Service Cuts

These are the changes TriMet is proposing for bus routes:

• Discontinuing lines – 27, 65, 154 and 157
• Discontinuing Saturday and / or Sunday service – 32, 45 and 80
• Discontinuing portions of routes – 33, 43, 53 and 67
• Weekday time between buses increased by 2-3 minutes during mid-day and by 2-10 minutes in the evenings – 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 17, 20, 33, 57, 70 and 71
• Weekday time between buses increased by 2-10 minutes throughout the day – 16, 24, 32, 43, 44, 52, 58, 62, 68, 73 and 77
• Weekend time between buses increased by up to 6 minutes – 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 20, 33, 54, 56, 57, 71 and 75
• Specific trips eliminated because of low ridership during certain times – 1, 51, 85, 92, 94 and 99
• Begin service one trip later in the morning and/or stop service one trip earlier in the evening – 8, 9, 24, 28, 32, 45, 48, 51, 55, 70, 73, 65, 87, 88 and 155

MAX Service Cuts

The start and end times of MAX service and rush hour service will remain the same. The time between trains will be increased from 15 minutes to 17 minutes on all lines during midday, evening and weekend trips. In the early morning and late evening, the time between trains will be increased by up to 4 minutes.

Personal Thoughts

As a predominately bus rider, the service cuts to the bus system seem a bit more drastic than the last round. Some of the lines I typically ride (15, 19, 20) are directly affected with these proposed cuts. As someone who also boards on the SE side of the Willamette river during rush hour times, the proposed cut to the 20-Burnside bus will make an already under-serviced route even more so. Most of the time, I have to wait… and wait… and wait just because the bus is too packed to even board. With the proposed cut to frequency, this will make this line even worse. This is comparison to the 19-Glisan bus, which usually has two buses literally two minutes apart around 5:20pm with the first still having room and the second bus having two riders on it. Why are there no cuts for the 19-Glisan route?

The 12-Sandy bus traveling East is also an extremely crowded line that will only be seeing worse conditions with these cuts… not to mention the 14 and 15.

As much as I wouldn’t like to include this as a possible scenario, but I wonder how much of a budget cut (if at all) TriMet would need to make it the WES was never conceived? Just a thought.

In any case, I encourage all of you to voice your opinions by contacting TriMet (as I will be doing). Feedback needs to be received by April 23rd. Here is how you may do so:

Web: Feedback form
Comment line: 503-962-5806
Fax: 503-962-6469
Mail: TriMet-MK2, 4012 SE 17th Ave., Portland, OR 97202
TTY: 503-238-5811 (7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays)