TriMet has a rule to fold up your baby stroller when boarding the MAX. Those who have boarded MAX with a baby stroller know that this request is a tough one. The crowding on the MAX, your stroller condition & amount of goods that you have with the stroller & other factors play to a decision that many make: to find room & park your baby stroller wherever there is space.

Another TriMet rule is - if you have your baby stroller and are by a priority seating area, you need to move for seniors and people with disabilities. Whether this happens or not, it limits the space to put a baby stroller on the MAX.

With these rules & restrictions, the overarching question here is: what do you do if you board a MAX train with a baby stroller?

Simply put, TriMet’s rule to have to fold your stroller is absurd. Think about it - you get on the train and within seconds it’s moving, making you unsteady. So now you’re supposed to unseat your child and fold up a stroller while the MAX quickly accelerates, which always seems to result in some folks losing their balance.

But it’s not like people follow this rule; I’ve never seen someone fold a stroller. And I’ve seen lots of strollers while riding.

I already wrote about Activistas already talking about this issue in the past. What do you think?

I love seeing other people’s opinions on TriMet & public transportation in Portland. Here’s yet another example of someone’s appreciation for TriMet:

“One amazing thing about Portland is that there a very cheap and well established public transport that can bring you anywhere you want to go. We live 5 minutes walk away from the trimet train that is in the free zone and we can take it free to go anywhere downtown and back. However, not all trimet stops are free, just a few, but it can bring you all over town for a small fair of 2$ and you save gas and live green.”

You got that right! I know for myself personally using TriMet may not be the most convenient mode of transportation to & from my workplace… but I feel like I’m living a bit more ‘green’ because of it.

On another note, her Fresno, California list is pretty much spot on from what I’ve experienced visiting there

What is the correct way of spelling out Portland’s public transportation system? Judging by their logo, it’s hard to really get a sense of how you should type it out:

However, if you investigate the TriMet site a bit further… and click on over to their linking to TriMet page, you’ll see that they clearly describe how their name should be written:

Please do not include a hyphen in the TriMet name or URL:
Correct: “Visit TriMet online at trimet.org”
Incorrect: “Visit Tri-Met online at tri-met.org”

I’ve seen it written with a hyphen… and I’m here to say that you shouldn’t be typing it that way (Lewis & Clark College, Oregon Live, Friends of Forest Park, Rev. Chuck Currie, Jack Bog & Ben DuPree). Remember: no hyphen!

I am all for keeping my body as clean as possible. Some may say I have a little OCD. But, some of the ways we clean ourselves should be kept in the home, behind closed doors.

I am talking to you Mr. “Rides line 8 every morning and Q-Tips his ears on the bus”. I am almost to the point of vomiting when I see that you are going to be on the bus with me. Without fail, you sit down in the priority seating area and begin to go to down on your ears with the Q-Tips. You only pause to inspect your findings left on the Q-Tip. Really man, I love that you are keeping your ear canals clean, I do too. But I would beg of you to do that before you leave the house. I can’t keep from looking, its like a train wreck. STOP!

-brewcaster

I understand the average rider’s worry that they may miss their stop. But I want to raise awareness and safety concerns about a certain practice I have been noticing/getting annoyed by. I am referring to the common activity of half the riders all jumping up, pushing and shoving their way closer to the exit, WAYYYY before the stop.

I have yet to EVER witness a rider not able to get off when they wanted to. The drivers watch to make sure that all riders attempting to exit are able to do so. It can be a little annoying and sometimes downright dangerous as people push and maneuver around each other as a bus/train is applying brakes. Half the time the person you are trying to get around may be getting off at the same stop!

So please, wait until the bus/train reaches its stop before running for the doors. I don’t mind if you want to stand up, but please don’t start crowding an already crowded aisle.

You will get off, I promise.

-brewcaster

This photo is an example of an area on the Max you are not supposed to stand. On the Max I believe this to be a pretty “light rule”. True, standing here may impede the ramp from extending, but I have yet to see that happen. When the train is full, sometimes you gotta stand here.

But MORE IMPORTANTLY, there is a similar area on the buses where you should not be standing unless the next stop is yours. I want to encourage riders to not stand in the little area where the back door is. It makes it very difficult for riders to exit around you in a space meant for a single person to walk through.

Don’t be that guy (or girl, but that seems to be rare)

-brewcaster