I just wanted to throw together a montage of videos from the Green Line opening.
The Green Line green people invade Portland. This is, to note, NOT TriMet but a community group organizing. This is why I say private enterprise HAS to get involved to really make things lively and successful. Without, nobody cares.
bobrpdx put together this video, which shows the First Ride Event. The following is Part 1.
I am truly impressed by the Phoenix Community’s ongoing support of the light rail system. Phoenix almost, maybe it does, outdo Portland in support of light rail these days. Either way, it seems oddly amazing that a city known as a blight* upon America, is working so hard and diligently to become an impressive and modern city. All of the below sites can be found by a simple search on Google of Phoenix Rail Life.
Here’s a look at some of the Phoenix Community’s efforts:
This is something that I think Portland should really endeavor to improve, and which I would be more than happy to kick off. Is there anyone else out there who could kick in some assistance? Hit me up at adron [@] adronbhall [dot] com.
* I didn’t come up with that adjective, a local Portland resident tossed me the word blight when I asked for a description of Phoenix, Arizona while riding about on our newly opened Green Line.
After work, just for kicks, I decided to check out how that Green Line Ridership was for the 6:18pm Departure from PSU. I headed out of office a few minutes before I took up a stand at the north bound Pioneer Square Stop. There was a Wackenhut Transit Security staffer standing on the platform, who walked by me and directed a guy to stop sitting on the MAX stop curb. The individual was sitting there, not bothering a soul, with his legs in the street. I could understand the reasoning, but, the way the security guy said it, “There’s plenty of courthouse you don’t need to sit there” made him out as rather crass. No smoothness about that action.
A few moments later a beautiful young lady was asking some of the street kids where Satyricon is, which surprisingly none of them knew. So I asked her as she walked her model self my direction, "did they tell you where it is?" to which she replied, "naw, they didn’t know". I smiled and gave a quick direction of, “either jump on the MAX coming and get off the third stop from here, or just keep walking”. She replied with a smile, “oh cool, thanks, but I think I’ll walk I need to walk”. When she walked away toward Satyricon I was fine with that. She was, after all, one of those painstakingly beautiful young ladies.
After she waltzed off I boarded the Green Line at 6:20pm. In short order we began rolling and came to the next stop. There she boarded and spotted me. I told her, “you sure didn’t make it very far” with some jest. She pulled the cranked ear phones thrashing metal from the speaker buds and said, “I know, but do you see what I’m wearing”. She pulled up her high heeled boots she was wearing and displayed them to me as she walked over. She sat down and we chatted about the bands that where playing. Crew (?spelling) and two others. Local bands, and jeez it made me feel geezerly not knowing what the heck was up with the younger scene. It seems if it isn’t one of the big metal acts out of Europe I tend not to have a clue as to what a band is.
We rolled on, I pointed out Satyricon to the young lady to which she bounced off, euphoric as to achieving her destination. Again, we rolled on from there, to the next stop, on through the turn at Union Station and across the cross over and stopped at the light. There we stopped and waited a moment for the signal to turn. The Steele Bridge held steady to our left as a Union Pacific freight inched across the bridge. Her horns starting to blare, causing some of the nearby runners to pay a little more attention.
We pulled up onto the bridge without delay as the signal switched and made it across and into the Rose Quarter. This was definitely smoother than opening day. At this point the train started to gain a number of passengers, but barely any where heading to Clackamas. Most were conversing and I was able to ascertain that about 5-6 people on the car I was on were heading to Clackamas, or along that line. Everyone else aboard, which numbered about 40 people, were headed somewhere within the Banfield Corridor between Lloyd Center out to Gateway Transit Center.
Clearing the Lloyd Center stop we cruised out at top speed toward 42nd Avenue. Without a blink we pulled in and gained a half dozen riders and shed about the same. The time read 6:42pm as we made our way, passing or passing traffic on I-84. At this time of day, and with the sour job market a factor, there was little traffic along I-84. The interesting bit is, if one were to do the math, with our three lines carrying passengers, the MAX with its one track was matching the number of people in that 3 lanes of Interstate Traffic. When in full use, the 3 lanes absolutely carries more than the single lane of light rail traffic, but right the fact was there wasn’t that many people traveling along the corridor.
We pulled into Gateway and there were several officers, passengers, and others loitering about waiting for buses, light rail, or to depart across the way toward the shopping areas. We got rid of a few passengers but gained an easy 20 at this stop. That put us up to an easy 55-60 people.
The traffic on I-205 was a slightly different story than the I-84 traffic. It wasn’t much different, but it was a little lighter along this corridor. Considering the traffic, general activity, and almost chaos of just 1-2 years ago this lower traffic demand is surreal.
The Green Line LRV Set made it about 1000ft from Gateway and stopped. It appeared that a fare inspector detrained or maybe he was already there? I’m not sure, but it was somewhat strange that he was standing there between the LRV Set as we rolled away after stopping.
At the next stop the friendly Mexican Family detrained. They were smiling and talking in their native language, which always puts my mono-lingual mind at a disadvantage. I did however pick up a few of the kind words and chit chat they were having among themselves. It is refreshing to hear conversation like this, calm, caring, among a family. The one factual bit I had picked up, was that they were headed to Target.
We pulled into the Division Station in a few seconds and on into the Powell Station. I was going to detrain at the Powell Station, but I decided to head on down and detrain at the Foster Station and jump on a #14, which I would then take and switch to Powell and get a #9 at that point. Being I have seen the Powell Street Stop before, and its rather long transfer path, I figured it was time to check out the Foster Stop and see how that stop area was shaping up.
I took a walk down to the Lents/Foster stop area, and began my wait for the #14 west bound. I walked along Foster instead of immediately boarding the waiting #14. I must admit, this is a super easy and comfortable transfer point with the #14, and #10 if it is there, sit waiting to depart. Often one can board the bus there and wait inside the bus. This will be a bonus for people transferring here when it gets cold.
The area has a somewhat small town center feel to it, not sure if it is considered a town center, but sure seems that it is. There are several shops and such, a bakery around the corner, and a cafe just a block or so down the street from the stop.
The #14 came along in no less than a minute or so of my reaching the first bus stop I came to. I stepped aboard with one other waiting passenger. She was a strangely frumpy thing, but smiled with the warmth of a friendly stranger. By approximately 60th we had about 11 people aboard. As we pulled into the newly growing and lively 60th street area we gained a few more.
This area, has really surprised me over the last 2 years. 2 Years ago there was barely 1-2 store fronts out of 20+ that had operative businesses. Now, in the depth of this new depression, this street had maybe 2-3 empty store fronts out of the 20+ that are along this street. In addition, along the edges of the area, around 63rd running east and 58th running west, store fronts have been rebuilt. These places now host operating businesses. Overall it makes for a truly growing and lively area. Food choices from Vietnamese Bakery to Hawaiian Barbecue.
We rolled by the famous Devil’s Point and onto the transfer point at Powell for the #9. I strolled off of the bus and over to the 52nd & Powell stop for my transfer point wait time. I checked via transit tracker to see what the ETA was, which shot me back a 6 minute estimate. I decided that was fine to just wait, if it had been 10 or more minutes, I’d have pulled the laptop out and continued typing at this very entry.
The homeward bound #9 arrived with one of the regular drivers.
He nodded as I boarded with my pass, and I walked around the guy continuing to count change for his fare. I took a seat and whipped the laptop out for this last segment of my trip.
After barely a paragraph or two I found myself in another conversation with a few of the riders. The topic was of a general nature about what was along this route. I gladly provided some tidbits about what they where looking for.
Wanderlust quenched I arrived home, and that was my commute home, around about east side Portland.
The downtown Portland transit mall is sort of like BRT. It has dedicated right of way solely for use by the buses and light rail. Outside of the transit mall we have several other places leading into town where the buses break off from traffic and are in bus only lanes. These lanes work exceptionally well in most places.
Powell Street – Powell Street leading to the Powell and Milwaukee, and from Powell and Milwaukee to about 800ft. before the Ross Island Bridge both have areas of bus only right of way. The lanes are however not separated by any physical device, and often there are wandering cars or trucks that roll into the lane causing delays and such.
Hawthorne/Madison – Leading up to the Hawthorne Bridge there is a lane for almost the length of Madison that has a bus only lane for certain hours of the day. I believe it ends at 9:00am, but it also works very effectively against congestion.
I ponder where else there might be places for BRT style break outs like this. Are there any other routes in the area that could directly benefit from dedicated lanes, or possibly even separated dedicated BRT style right of ways?
While heading home tonight on the #9 at the end of fare-less square a, gasp, fare inspector boarded and checked everyone’s fare. Of course, as expected everyone on the bus had valid fare. I think 95% of fare evasion occurs on the MAX, since it is inherently more vulnerable. The inspector was one of the newer guys for sure, I haven’t seen him before and I think at some point I’ve met every fare inspector on the system that has been working more than 3-4 years.
The fare inspector popping on and off the bus was cool, but what got me writing this entry is pondering what the return on investment is for one form of transport over another. The obvious answer is simply, it depends. Measuring transport based solely on one measurement, such as per rider, per mile, per gallon, or otherwise doesn’t really tell one anything about returns. A person, a town or city, or society gets when people travel by one mode or don’t travel by a particular mode varies depending on too many factors that I won’t even begin to list them.
For instance, New York gains billions by slight changes in subway efficiency or a couple lines being shut down for a few days. Meanwhile, Portland loses service during the winter for days on end, and it doesn’t cause a blip on anyone’s radar outside of Portland.
Another thought, what happens if a couple major Interstates shutdown. Let’s say the I-405 shuts down in LA. The city becomes crippled beyond operation, at least, that segment of LA, which is by far a vast segment of LA. If one Interstate shuts down like that in New York, barely a word would be mentioned outside the city. But if part of the subway system is shut down, it would make world news. Why? Because in LA the Interstates are the primary mode of transport, in New York the transit is how one gets in and out of that city.
In both cities, one mode over another would obviously add or subtract differing positives and negatives. If New York had an Interstate cut into its heart, it would probably lose more money than it could ever gain from Interstate access. But add a Subway, and local values skyrocket and billions are netted just from the ridership. Do the same in LA and nobody notices. Just ask an average American about the subways in LA, they probably won’t even know they have one.
Either which way, it makes one ponder what are the best avenues of investment for the Portland area. Overall I see TriMet & Metro making some good steps in the right direction, but there are some that do concern me.
Transit Sleuth 