Trimess

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

An open letter to the union on health care

http://www.rosecitytransit.org/mystuff/other/healthcare/

Falling into line

Clackamas County commissioners expected to support $458 million Lake Oswego to Portland streetcar | OregonLive.com

May 31

5/31/11 from al m on Vimeo.

BIKE THIEF

Be on the lookout for this thief
http://www.koinlocal6.com/news/local/story/Suspected-bike-thief-caught-on-camera-on-MAX/d8Iq8jd9-EavU25HH-jerA.cspx

AM I DREAMING?

Technology & Unemployment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGDzKWbU3bY

Dick Cheney-Welfare Queen

63&Washington Park shuttle duplicate each other?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmchuff/5279136815/

King 5 News Bus Accident on Memorial Day Weekend 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-37Nn8_g7QE

Cyclist seriously injured after being dragged under city bus

http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110530/mtl_cyclist_110530/20110530/?hub=MontrealHome

ANOTHER TOUR BUS ROLLOVER!

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iZ5MDcTyhWoc2wcx9tgadmHch_-g?docId=aaca2117d6e64629849fd658b61e133b

Transit bus incidents

Bus Passenger Attacks With Knife | Corpus Christi, TX | KRISTV.com |

Video Here!

Seen at Merlo

Some interesting stuff that Adri has dug up

http://zehnkatzen.blogspot.com/2009/04/evolution-of-trimet-max-map-1-portland.html
http://zehnkatzen.blogspot.com/2009/04/evolution-of-trimet-max-map-2-mae-west.html
http://zehnkatzen.blogspot.com/2009/04/evolution-of-trimet-max-map-3-along-red.html

They do love Portland don't they?

http://www.orangeville.com/opinion/columns/article/1017255--portland-a-glimpse-of-the-future

Monday, May 30, 2011

THE DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE -2 PARTS


WHAT'S GOING ON AT ATU 757

I have been participating in reviewing some of the financial documents of our local and there are questions that need answering.

Here is just one example:
According to the March year to date financial report our union was $170,936.00 in the hole.
Now according to the April monthly report the union went a further $ 66,727.00 into the hole.
Obviously accounting standards will show that the year to date should show that our union is now $237,663 in the hole.
But our year to date report shows that the union is $282,122.00 in the hole!
There is $44,459.00 unaccounted for!
Where the hell is it?
We need answers, NOW!

Trimet general manager says people do not FOCUS on their jobs!

HR202

Making a difference


Stories of TriMet employees going the extra mile to make a difference in our community—and beyond.

The Subtlest Of Actions

I regret not tackling this earlier.
So, I looked on the Service Alerts today- it's Memorial Day- to see what to look forward to should I take the bus today. That, and I'm a geek and feel a need to know. I noticed that just down the street, line 19 would not be running to Lincoln Memorial due to the possibility of excessive traffic. 
Now that on it own seems like an inconvenience, but take a second and think about it. What a flimsy, flimsy excuse that is to cancel service to the Memorial Cemetery.
The Memorial Cemetery.

On Memorial DAY.

http://trimetopinionist.blogspot.com/2011/05/subtlest-of-actions.html 

Trimet's Bekki Witt

YouTube - Sometimes the Sky is Falling, Sometimes It Isn't: Challenges in Social Media

Steve Fung's movie of the week

Checking out the addition to the street car garage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqh7lhkCT4M

Millions Need Not Apply

Millions of Americans who lost their jobs to the recession and fell behind in payments to creditors are being penalized again, this time by companies that use credit records to screen job applicants. Five states have limited the use of credit histories by potential employers and about 20 are considering similar measures that deserve to become law

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/30/opinion/30mon3.html?partner=rss&emc=rss 

From a reader

Line 58 stops with transit tracker ID's

9976    Beaverton Transit Center
8271    SW Canyon & Broadway
13042    SW Canyon & 115th Ave
908    SW Canyon & 110th
906    SW Canyon & 107th
12405    SW Canyon & 103rd
899    SW Canyon & Walker

Blowback in Wisconsin

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/29/in-wisconsin-target-of-recall-stands-by-stance-on-/

Union victory in Illinois!

http://www.suntimes.com/5678933-417/unions-win-as-illinois-lawmakers-put-off-pension-reform-until-fall.html

PINK THING

Investigation of Astoria Transit District

Feds probe transit district’s cruise ship service - The Daily Astorian: Free

TOUR BUS CRASHES IN SEATTLE

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/122807234.html?skipthumb=Y

TriMet: See where it doesn't take you

http://trimetrider.blogspot.com/2011/05/trimet-see-where-it-doesnt-take-you.html

Nova Bus Plattsburgh wins $231 million MTA contract

http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/17740/20110530/nova-bus-plattsburgh-wins-231-million-mta-contract

Transit bus crashes

7 hurt as city bus, car crash in Los Angeles - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

The Netherlands decides to create black markets and crime

Dutch government to ban tourists from cannabis shops - Yahoo! News

Memorial Day: Enter Hitler, Release 2.0

Sarah Palin
    As the sage Robert Crumb once remarked about our homeland: "You can't make this shit up." 
      Sarah Palin entered the race for president this week (without stating it in so many words) with a national bus tour, itself kicked off with a motorcycle parade through Washington.
 

Sunday, May 29, 2011

The short history of early pedal powered machines

http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/05/history-of-pedal-powered-machines.html

DOES DAN CHRISTENSEN HAVE FREE SPEECH RIGHTS OR NOT?

Police state goes way back in Amerikan history

YouTube - Crips and Bloods: Made in America (2008)

Jack Bogdanki comments on the talking bus fiasco

They worked about as well as WES

Tri-Met has abandoned its odd experiment to have a robotic voice on the outside of its buses automatically announce each turn the bus makes. Apparently they had the squawk boxes hooked up to the steering wheel of the bus, set to go off on a full turn of the wheel, and the system couldn't tell whether the bus was turning or just pulling in or out of traffic.
It is not surprising that that didn't work. But assuming that one thinks it's a good idea, why not hook it up to the turn signal? The little lever that the bus driver uses to illuminate the signals could have two stops in each direction -- the first one without the announcement, and the second one with.
Of course, that would require the drivers to use the signals, and even learn new devices, which might defeat the purpose. Part of the original system seemed designed to warn pedestrians and cyclists even when the driver was screwing up -- as one did with horrible results in the incident that initiated the latest flap about dangerous turns.
In any event, we think the robots, which were on some of Tri-Met's lines for about three months, should get a week to say goodbye. Every time the wheel turns, they could say something in the nature of a valedictory. Like "I'm retiring with free medical care for life." Or "So long -- this bus route won't be here much longer, either." Or "As you could tell, I never liked dealing with you, but the pay was great."
Then they can be re-deployed on other government vehicles -- the mayor's pickup truck, Earl the Pearl's SUV, and Fireman Randy's flotilla of custom-built fireboats, to name a few.

WHO KNOWS WHAT THIS IS?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZgKc1ZQvA8

WHAT DOES MEMORIAL DAY REALLY MEAN?

2,489,335 DEAD AND WOUNDED
38,159 MISSING

“War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is. Revolution is when you decide that for yourself.”

Update on the police state vs the dancers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UyiaR1PDhQ

BLAST FROM THE PAST

ATU 757 NEGOTIATES CONTRACT WITH SALEM/KEIZER TRANSIT!

Salem-Keizer transit contract includes raise

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20110528/NEWS/105280321/Salem-Keizer-transit-contract-includes-raise?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News 

ALL TRANSIT DISTRICTS AROUND THE USA SEEM ABLE TO WORK WITH THEIR UNIONS-NOT TRIMET HOWEVER

It becomes more and more apparent to me just how tyrannical our management really is compared to the other transit districts around the country.  Now is the time for our management to get together with our union and settle this  dispute once of for all! 



How do we democratically settle the great transit debate?

The bus vs rail argument might have started here in Portland but it has spread around the country like wildfire!

Lazy TriMet Teens

http://www.portlandmercury.com/IAnonymousBlog/archives/2011/05/26/lazy-trimet-teens

LOTS OF GREAT FOOTAGE OF INSERVICE TRIMET RAIL

(something I am prohibited from doing by the way, cause I live in the LAND OF FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY!)

Transit executive criminals

DEAN CARBONARO
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/bronx/he_so_bus_ted_JGmUo4O3gwh2TB3SSl5mGN

Transit bus crashes

Woman hit by bus takes turn for worse - Winnipeg Free Press

Adam Kokesh Arrested!- True News from Freedomain Radio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2_iu0qH0fY

Deadly Mix: Hubris and Cowardice

Admitting failure in Iraq and Afghanistan is anathema to Official Washington, especially to the still-influential neocons whose status depends on maintaining the illusion of “victory” or at least limited success, even at the cost of more blood and treasure. But Daniel N. White says only a frank acknowledgement of failure can free America from even worse calamities ahead.

http://consortiumnews.com/2011/05/28/deadly-mix-hubris-and-cowardice/

Don't plan on taking Trimet to any Memorial Day Cemetary services

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/TriMet-route-changes-for-Memorial-Day-122801269.html

Land of the Free? BULLSHIT!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWeF6lwg4aY

'Nothing stops big banks from ripping off people again'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqyCjR9JEMA

Weekly report


Milwaukie boondoggle moves forward

http://www.oregoncitynewsonline.com/news/story.php?story_id=130627210526853200

http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?a=349922&c=50265

Remembering the worst bus crash in US history

http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_18150702

Treat Yourself to Lunch Today




This was the lunch at Nakwon on Watson Avenue in Beaverton.It is on the #76/78 line.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

THERE'S GONNA BE A PARTY ON THE MAX TONIGHT!


Part time bus driver positions

Looks like First Transit is looking for people, also Part time, like Trimet.
Nobody wants to hire full time employees anymore in this sick, unethical country of ours! 

TRIMET EMPLOYS 8 LAWYERS PLUS THE GENERAL COUNSEL!

The General Counsel (GC) is the Chief Legal executive within TriMet and represents the agency and its officials in all legal proceedings. The GC is accountable to the General Manager and oversees 8 staff attorneys and 5 support staff. Specific areas of accountability include:

What the heck to 9 attorneys do all day anyway?

TRIMET STILL HAS NOT POSTED THE COMPREHENSIVE APRIL RIDERSHIP FIGURES ON TRIMET.ORG !

But they have the gall to publish their rosy press releases showing how great the Max and WES is doing! The governor needs to send all the executive Trimet management to an ethical standards workshop!

Closest stop to Al's childhood home

This is the closest bus to my house, used to take this bus into Boston to stay with my Grandmother
This bus would take me to the trolley bus that took me to her house.
 But the Best way to get to Downtown Boston Combat Zone which all us kids growing up used to skip school and head into was the commuter rail to the south station stop where we took the Red Line into Downtown Boston to look for trouble
This was 44 years ago and the same transportation is available today!

Trimet takes me where I wanna go????(not worksafe!)

http://youtu.be/lxvIx1XhxVY

WalMart Transit System

http://www.flickr.com/photos/janet/5393902862/

I saw this bus (or one just like it) for the first time today on S.E. Holgate Boulevard headed towards the Eastport Plaza WalMart.  There are signs at the store entrance telling customers to call a toll-free number for shuttle info, but no other info - no brochures or anything inside the store.

Love or hate WalMart, I have to appreciate their ingenuity to bring customers to their store...especially in a city that claims to be so transit-friendly, WalMart is going out of their way to provide an additional service and bringing customers right to the front door instead of TriMet's 72 bus whose stop is 1,140 feet away (for the northbound stop, add another 270 feet for the southbound stop), or 1,170 feet away from the eastbound 17 stop (however the westbound 17 stop is a mere 540 feet away).  Of course, no idea who actually operates the bus, or how much the Operators get paid...

Closest Stop to Max's Childhood Home

Inspired by Erik, let's play a little game. Find the closest bus stop to your childhood home in Google's street view and post the picture. Of the 4 stops (each 1/2 mile away) from my parent's house, here's the only one that had a shelter. Lovely little gem isn't it? The sidewalk extends only the length of the bus stop, as the cars in the back indicate. Be sure to click the image to get the full picture.



Now it's your turn!

Major transit expansion in Paris France

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thetransportpolitic/~3/-9oYKaS0uCE/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

Speaking of safety

 American Public Transportation Association makes it's safety awards, an no, Trimet gets no award from them. I guess US News and World Report stands alone in its ratings.



The 2011 Bus Safety & Security Excellence Award winners are as follows:
Category I: Bus systems with fewer than 4 million passenger trips annually
Safety Excellence Award:
o GOLD Award for Safety – Southwest Transit – Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Category II: Bus systems with more than 4 million and fewer than 20 million
passenger trips annually
Safety Excellence Awards:
o GOLD Award for Safety – Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority – Des Moines, Iowa
o Certificate of Merit - Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority – Cincinnati, Ohio
Security Excellence Award:
o GOLD Award for Security – Pierce Transit – Lakewood, Washington
Category III: Bus systems with 20 million or more passenger trips annually
Safety Excellence Awards:
o GOLD Award for Safety – Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority – Cleveland,
Ohio
o Certificate of Merit for Safety – Maryland Transit Administration – Baltimore, Maryland
o Certificate of Merit for Safety – Orange County Transportation Authority – Orange,
California
Security Excellence Awards:
o GOLD Award for Security – New York City Transit – New York, New York
o Certificate of Merit- Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County – Houston, Texas
o Certificate of Merit- Regional Transportation District – Denver, Colorado
Category IV: Private contractors providing transportation management and
services to bus transit systems
Safety Excellence Award:
o GOLD Award for Safety – Forsythe Transportation, Arlington Transit – Arlington, Vir

Transit systems that need a better ethical roadmap ...

This article has a ring to it that sounds familiar!

Sound Transit fined over lobbying

OLYMPIA, Wash. —
The state Public Disclosure Commission has fined the Port of Seattle and Sound Transit for failing to report publicly funded lobbying of the Legislature.
The News Tribune reports the conservative watchdog group Freedom Foundation complained to the PDC last summer, and the agency approved a settlement Thursday with the Port of Seattle. It agreed to pay $3,750 for failing to comply with reporting requirements. Sound Transit agreed to pay $7,500 in another recent settlement.
The Port of Seattle didn't report $270,000 in expenses over more than four years. Sound Transit failed to disclose lobbying expenses worth $682,000 over three years.
Sound Transit called the lapse an administrative oversight caused by staff turnover. Staff changes also played a role in what the Port of Seattle called a lapse in procedures.
---
Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com

Transit buses do crash into rivers unfortunately

And what is the point in all these stories?
To show JUST HOW SAFE TRIMET ACTUALLY IS!
The concept that we are unsafe IS FALSE, A MEDIA CREATION EXEMPLIFIED BY A WEAK KNEED MANAGEMENT!


Transit buses do crash down the steps and into marathons unfortunately

Speeding bus hits 6 during Stockholm Marathon - latimes.com

Transit buses crash into stores unfortunately-dramtic video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYzsv28tk6Y

People do get killed by transit buses unfortunately

Pedestrian killed in bus accident - National - Video - 3 News

The transit bus

http://youtu.be/c5JZUsyigEc">How to build a transit bus

YouTube - How To Dispose of an Old Transit Bus

YouTube - Bus driving

YouTube - Bus stunt

YouTube - Birth of a 35' American Built Bus

Freedom my ass

Labor-market deregulation boils down to three things: weak unions, weak worker protection laws and weak overall employment. In addition to protecting wages and benefits, unions also protect jobs. Union contracts prevent management from indiscriminately firing workers and shifting the burden onto remaining employees. After decades of imposed decline, the United States currently has the fourth-lowest private sector union membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
America's low rate of union membership partly explains why unemployment rose so fast and, - thanks to hectic productivity growth - hiring has been so slow.
Proponents of labor-market flexibility argue that it's easier for the private sector to create jobs when the transactional costs associated with hiring and firing are reduced. Perhaps fortunately, legal protections for American workers cannot get any lower: US labor laws make it the easiest place in the word to fire or replace employees, according to the OECD.
Another consequence of labor-market flexibility has been the shift from full-time jobs to temporary positions. In 2010, 26 percent of all news jobs were temporary - compared with less than 11 percent in the early 1990's recovery and just 7.1 percent in the early 2000's.

Global financial crisis

http://themancommon.blogspot.com/2011/05/global-financial-crisis-on-edge-with.html

Trimet related photo's (scroll down)

Portland Trimet Images, Pics, Wallpapers, Photos

Trolley bus! (sort of...)

http://trimetrider.blogspot.com/2011/05/trolley-bus-sort-of.html

"Patriot" Act is reauthorized

(The power or propaganda)

Gil Scott Heron Dead

http://youtu.be/rGaRtqrlGy8

Beaverton Transit Center Graffiti




CHAOS IN EUROPE!

SPANISH POLICE BRUTALIZE CITIZENS!

BLOGGERS RIDE TRIMET ROUTE 84-PART 2-ON THE BUS

BLOGGERS RIDE THE 84-PART 2 from al m on Vimeo.

ON THE BUS

TOP 100 BUS FLEETS

http://www.metro-magazine.com/PhotoGallery/imageviewer.aspx?imageID=167

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada's MAX bus rapid transit system connects downtown Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Strip, Henderson and North Las Vegas.

Los Angeles, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Eugene, Ore., and Pittsburgh were rated as the nation’s leading cities for bus-based transportation because of their high-quality bus rapid transit systems (BRT), according to a new independent study, issued by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP).

http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/Story/2011/05/Report-names-best-bus-lines-in-the-U-S-.aspx 

Rail projects top $83 billion in U.S., Canada

http://www.metro-magazine.com/Article/Story/2011/06/Rail-projects-top-83-billion-in-US-Canada.aspx

Friday, May 27, 2011

BLOGGERS RIDE TRIMET ROUTE 84-PART 1-ERIK + JASON ARGUE ON THE MAX

BLOGGERS RIDE TRIMET ROUTE 84-PART 1 from al m on Vimeo.

On the Max with Jason and Erik, who argue all the way to Gresham

Follow up, Jeri Ellsworth vs Talking buses #Trimet … Jeri won

Flop of the day: an audible warning system intended to alert pedestrians that a TriMet bus was turning.
The transit agency announced Friday that after three months of testing the system, at a cost of $46,000, the tests had come to the end of the line. Announcements broadcast over external speaker systems on 10 buses didn’t activate when they were supposed to and did activate at inappropriate times, such as when buses were changing lanes.
“It was determined,” a TriMet news release said, “that the technology has not advanced enough to make it an effective tool to help alert pedestrians and people riding bikes that a bus is turning.”
The system was made by ProTran1 of New Jersey, and because the agency bought the book-sized units, they can’t be returned.
Spokeswoman Mary Fetsch said she didn’t know what TriMet would do with the units, but “if there are other transit agencies that would like to try it, we’d be happy to help them out.”
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/05/follow-up-jeri-ellsworth-vs-talking-buses-trimet-jeri-won.html

Max and Henry interview the lone 84 passenger (bloggers ride the 84)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD40bYbCVJY

Locating Marjama Nursery per Steve Fungs instructions (bloggers ride Trmet 84)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VhihGSHtZw

The Boneyard at Merlo





My hat is off to all the mechanics at the 3 garages
who keep the dinosaurs running by scrapping parts off the wrecked buses.

Arguing over the real reason for the "talking bus" project (bloggers ride Trimet route 84)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y-F9rU7YN4

That new "art" at Rockwood (bloggers ride the 84)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbCkxmtUEi8

Erik Halstead says something nice about Trimet (bloggers ride the 84)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F-O63HUxcU

Respect the union waterfront

Fixing the problem of illicit TriMet tickets not so easy

http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2011/05/fixing_the_problem_of_illicit.html

Trimet general manager says the "spring thaw" has arrived

http://www.thoughts.com/HR202/trimet-general-manager-says-the-spring-thaw-has-arrived

$100 BUCKS, MAYBE?

Not very impressive as far as I am concerned.

Complaints r us...

Complaints are coming in to the Trimet office by the hundreds about operator "misdeeds", most notably running red lights.

I'm not sure if the management is aware of it but with each silly complaint that comes in and routed to the individual another operators morale goes down the tubes.

Any experienced bus driver will tell you that it is IMPOSSIBLE to stop at every single red light that they encounter during a work shift.

On the west side there are no walk light countdown clocks and many signals wont change for quite awhile even after the walk light has stopped flashing.
This sets up a situation that forces bus operators to frequently run yellows, some of which might actually turn red before the bus is all the way through the intersection, technically a violation.

Making a fast stop is more hazardous than going through an intersection as stopping quickly causes passengers on the bus to fall and other consequences.

We operators are between a rock and a hard place nowadays, a blood thirsty public that has been prodded by the vampires of the mainstream press and a weak kneed management that finds it easier to blame its drivers than understanding the problem as we do!

The Silly Argument Over BRT and Rail

What is clear is that for the majority of American cities — excluding only a few in the Northeast — buses will remain the predominant mode of public transit for most riders, even after major expansions in train networks planned for cities from Charlotte to Phoenix. So even cities that choose to invest in rail projects must also spend on the improvement of their bus lines.

Click here for story

Pdxrailtransit's Blog

http://pdxrailtransit.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/atmospheric/atmospheric/

Hand Throw « Pdxrailtransit's Blog

http://pdxrailtransit.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/liner-up-movem-out/beavtcxover1/

BOJACK.ORG

Fairmont Boulevard as an OHSU park-and-hike? (Jack Bog's Blog)

Eye in the sky (Jack Bog's Blog)

Gatsby's got a secret (Jack Bog's Blog)

LaVonne wants power (Jack Bog's Blog)

You're only dancing on this earth for a short while (Jack Bog's Blog)

Portand cops on beatings: "We do things different" (Jack Bog's Blog)

More on those new Nextrip bus stop signs

This new signage – the first part of a larger initiative to update all bus stop signs – brings Nextrip information to each and every bus stop in the system. It’s a project that shows Metro’s commitment to the real time arrival system by making sure that all riders are aware of the service and have access to the neccessary information.

http://thesource.metro.net/2011/05/25/more-on-those-new-nextrip-bus-stop-signs/ 

What to Do at a Yellow Light? And Other Things American Drivers Don’t Know

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/26/what-to-do-at-a-yellow-light-and-other-things-american-drivers-dont-know/?hp

More on the internet "filter bubble"

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/5/27/eli_pariser_on_the_filter_bubble

Old TriMet fares and fare zones

Jason Mchuff

I Love the Bus

http://ilovethebus.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/secret-message/

Ambitious Ideas in Urban Transport

http://beyondprofit.com/ambitious-ideas-in-urban-transport/

Vermont Poised to Become 1st State to Enact Single-Payer Healthcare

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/5/26/vermont_poised_to_become_1st_state

The Battle for Wisconsin: Court Strikes Down Gov. Scott Walker’s Anti-Union Bill

A Wisconsin judge has struck down Gov. Scott Walker’s union-busting law because Republican legislators failed to provide sufficient public notice before passing the measure in March.

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/5/27/the_battle_for_wisconsin_court_strikes 

Wasting transit dollars

Faced with questions about how much its legal advisers have billed New Orleans taxpayers, the Regional Transit Authority has offered a spirited defense of its in-house general counsel and an outside law firm hired in 2008 that, in some cases, charged $800 an hour for its services.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/05/regional_transit_authority_def.html 

Porta Potties at BTC



Revelations From a Humdrum Transit-Fare Statistic (% riders pay for thier ride on mass transit)

Not only that, but the burden is also lighter for subway and bus riders in other American cities. Statistics kept by the Federal Transit Administration put it in the range of 20 to 45 percent in Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Washington. For New Yorkers, the percentage has risen and fallen. It soared as high as 88 percent back in 1997. 

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/revelations-from-a-humdrum-transit-fare-statistic/ 

Transit's priority should be neediest riders

Applicable to all transit districts regardless of size:

For me the choice between serving people in need and getting people out of cars is easy. The people who need public transportation should be Job One in Kitsap County — especially in bad economic times.

Vancouver BC mimic's Portland?

Vancouver plots pedestrian-first policy for 2040

CATO Institute (I know, right wingers but some of their stuff makes sense)

Randal O'Toole: Transportation: From the Top Down or Bottom Up?

Lowering performance standards

Even so, "on time" may not be what it sounds like. Trains are considered on time if they are two minutes later than scheduled during peak service -- or up to 50 percent of the wait time during off-peak times. That means if riders are expecting a 15-minute wait on a weekend, Metro considers the train on time if it arrives in 22 minutes.
Buses considered on-time can be two minutes early or seven minutes late.

Las Vegas "MAX" line is the best in the US

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/may/27/las-vegas-rapid-bus-lines-among-best-us-report-say/

Dangerous by Design 2011

http://t4america.org/resources/dangerousbydesign2011/map/

Mama, ducklings stop traffic on I-5

http://www.kgw.com/video/featured-videos/Mama-ducklings-stop-traffic-on-I-5-122503869.html

Twitter

Bike has accident on streetcar tracks

http://yfrog.com/1nfsqz

When Trimet Advertises for new drivers I bet they never show a pic like this.

http://twitpic.com/52f841

Trimet part of the one world government movement?

This piece sounds ‘alarmist’ – ‘it’s meant to be’

ROUTE 84 WHERE ARE YOU?

Four of the author's of this blog will be meeting tonight for a ride on TRIMET'S FAMOUS ROUTE 84!
Needless to say a full report is forthcoming!


VIOLENCE AGAINST BUS DRIVERS!

SEPTA: Attacks on drivers on the rise | 6abc.com

Transit ridership reports from around North America

http://busemergencynewsarchive.blogspot.com/2011/05/interesting-transit-news-from-north.html

Time to reboot the Sellwood Bridge?

Discussion
Given all of that--if the existing project constraints were mostly removed, and the region had $200 million to build a southern crossing wherever it liked--where would you put it, how would you fund it, who would run it, and what would it look like? To make this interesting, feel free to imagine other connecting infrastructure projects in the future, if you like.
And if you think that the $200 million ought to be spent elsewhere entirely, or pocketed--with no more vehicular crossing of the Willamette between Oregon City and downtown after the existing bridge reaches the end of its useful life, feel free to say that as well.

Portland Transport

No more "the bus is turning!" Horray!

Let us all rejoice.
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After nearly three months of testing an audible pedestrian warning system on 10 buses, TriMet today stopped the test because the announcement didn't activate at the appropriate time—either too soon or too late in the turn—but did activate at other times, such as when the bus was making a lane change.

The external announcement "Pedestrians, bus is turning" was in both English and Spanish and was triggered by a full rotation of the steering wheel, which caused the announcement to be too late into the turn. TriMet also tested having the announcement trigger at a half rotation of the steering wheel to test if it provided earlier warning. That activated the announcement too early, as well as during lane changes.

Review of an audible warning device was suggested as part of the comprehensive safety review initiated following last April's fatal bus crash. TriMet began the test on March 1, and after receiving feedback from operators, riders and TriMet safety and training staff, it was determined that the technology has not advanced enough to make it an effective tool to help alert pedestrians and people riding bikes that a bus is turning.

The system was not intended to change TriMet's legal and professional obligation to operate safely, be alert and scan the intersection before turning.

As the technology advances in this area, TriMet would be interested in testing an audible system in the future.

Press release (but I just posted the entire text above)

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Does it really have to be so big?


Columbia Park and Ride: Will span nearly two blocks at Columbia and Fifth streets and hold 570 vehicles.

Sounds like a good idea and a good compromise....

Leibenguth said such a system could be either "opt-out," which would give students the free pass unless they turned it down, or "opt-in," which would let students sign up for it.
Now how about free student passes for private schools in Portland? 

TriMet D40LF 2001 at Beaverton Transit Center

Who would have thought that this bus was delivered new to TriMet in 1998, and is now 13 years old?

That's right, this bus is eligible for FTA funding for replacement!!!

TriMet and "Psychopath" post on Facebook?

TriMet had an rather unusual Facebook post earlier today about a story on NPR about psychopaths...

Sorry this picture didn't turn out (I should have learned how to take a screen shot BEFORE I cleared this page), but here's the link that it linked to:

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/21/136462824/a-psychopath-walks-into-a-room-can-you-tell

This link has since been deleted and replaced with a story about a MAX maintenance technician who is serving in the National Guard...

TriMet Historical Bus Roster

http://www.reocities.com/~buslist/Portland_TriMet.html

Celebrating Carter's 7th Birthday with a ride on WES

Took Carter and Kaia out for a quick Tigard-Beaverton-Tigard ride on the ex-Alaska Railroad RDCs.  Here's our train on the Tigard Crossover entering Tigard Transit Center.

WES needs a wash