Oh the cuts! The only people who are truly affected by these cuts don't read this blog. It's just so, so, fucking tiresome to read about and hear absolute retards say that this city has such wonderful, amazing public transportation.
It doesn't.
Sure it does, compared to like second rate, nationally unimportant cities that have none.
If you're downtown and need to get to the airport, like the average NYT writer, it's amazing! Oh the Max! So useful! Unbelievable!
But, if you're the average schlub who needs to get around, especially on the outer east side, fuck 'em! A trip that would take at most 15 minutes by car and takes 2 hours if you rely on the buses (that any city has!!), well, fuck you! Your time is unimportant. Don't you know--Portland has the most amazing public transit system in the country. No matter that you may wait 20-30 minutes for a bus on a busy Friday night, and that bus will not adequately hook up with its transfer. No worries here! We have time to kill! '
To complain woud be un-Portland---why do you need to be somewhere? Just chill man! Don't you know---Portland has the most amazing public transport in the country! (Mind you, I always take it---unlike the majority of the insanely deluded fuckos who spout such ridiculous bullshit and never have to rely on it). But it's just so great!
For fuck's sake, in Boston, I used to see Michael Dukasis on the bus almost every day taking the bus downtown to his job. Does Sam Adams, who lives in Kenton, and could easily take the Max to work take it downtown on a regular basis? Fuck no! He takes his car to work or has someone drive him.
But, whatever. Doesn't matter. It's so much easier for the dupes in this city to parrot the idiots who exclaim that Portland has "the most amazing public transportation on the planet" to feel smug when they never have to rely on it to get to work. And why would they? When you can get in your Prius and silently glide wherever you need to go, avoiding the hoi polloi who who need to ride the buses, it's an easy choice. And, really, who can blame them. An hour and a half ride on the bus vs. a 10 minute car trip with no parking issues, who would choose the bus? Only those who have no choice---and the smug bastards who want to feel good about themselves for taking the bus and riding with the "real people."
Fuck you, fuck Trimet, and fuck anyone who has the idiocy to think that the public transportation in this city is "amazing." Sure, it's good if compared to a podunk city that has nothing, which is what I imagine people who love it compare it to. But compared to any real city-- Boston, NYC, SF, Chicago---Tokyo, London, Paris----fuck, Amsterdam, which actually has a real bike culture, it's a joke.
And that's the point. Portland is a second-tier, nationally irrelevant city that has a bus system somewhat better than other burgs in its category and a feel-good light rail that is useful for tourists getting from the airport to the center of the city and for those who live in the suburbs and work for the gov't or for some other really important concern dontown and want to feel good about not driving and can make sure to tell their co-workers that they commute by public transport. Big fucking deal. So very, very useful to the majority here who need to get around the city,
It wouldn't bother me if people just owned up to it. I mean, why take Trimet when you can drive? This city is so easy to drive and park in, and only those who have no choice, or are trying to make a smug, personal statement take the bus. It's just when I hear people go on and on about the public transportation in this city, and how it's just so great it makes me crazy. I wonder if they just lap up whatever PR the city pumps out and just buy into it, or if they've just never lived in a city that really has great public transport. I guess if one's moved here from a small town in the midwest, it's fascinating. But the idiotic boosterism is hard to understand
It doesn't.
Sure it does, compared to like second rate, nationally unimportant cities that have none.
If you're downtown and need to get to the airport, like the average NYT writer, it's amazing! Oh the Max! So useful! Unbelievable!
But, if you're the average schlub who needs to get around, especially on the outer east side, fuck 'em! A trip that would take at most 15 minutes by car and takes 2 hours if you rely on the buses (that any city has!!), well, fuck you! Your time is unimportant. Don't you know--Portland has the most amazing public transit system in the country. No matter that you may wait 20-30 minutes for a bus on a busy Friday night, and that bus will not adequately hook up with its transfer. No worries here! We have time to kill! '
To complain woud be un-Portland---why do you need to be somewhere? Just chill man! Don't you know---Portland has the most amazing public transport in the country! (Mind you, I always take it---unlike the majority of the insanely deluded fuckos who spout such ridiculous bullshit and never have to rely on it). But it's just so great!
For fuck's sake, in Boston, I used to see Michael Dukasis on the bus almost every day taking the bus downtown to his job. Does Sam Adams, who lives in Kenton, and could easily take the Max to work take it downtown on a regular basis? Fuck no! He takes his car to work or has someone drive him.
But, whatever. Doesn't matter. It's so much easier for the dupes in this city to parrot the idiots who exclaim that Portland has "the most amazing public transportation on the planet" to feel smug when they never have to rely on it to get to work. And why would they? When you can get in your Prius and silently glide wherever you need to go, avoiding the hoi polloi who who need to ride the buses, it's an easy choice. And, really, who can blame them. An hour and a half ride on the bus vs. a 10 minute car trip with no parking issues, who would choose the bus? Only those who have no choice---and the smug bastards who want to feel good about themselves for taking the bus and riding with the "real people."
Fuck you, fuck Trimet, and fuck anyone who has the idiocy to think that the public transportation in this city is "amazing." Sure, it's good if compared to a podunk city that has nothing, which is what I imagine people who love it compare it to. But compared to any real city-- Boston, NYC, SF, Chicago---Tokyo, London, Paris----fuck, Amsterdam, which actually has a real bike culture, it's a joke.
And that's the point. Portland is a second-tier, nationally irrelevant city that has a bus system somewhat better than other burgs in its category and a feel-good light rail that is useful for tourists getting from the airport to the center of the city and for those who live in the suburbs and work for the gov't or for some other really important concern dontown and want to feel good about not driving and can make sure to tell their co-workers that they commute by public transport. Big fucking deal. So very, very useful to the majority here who need to get around the city,
It wouldn't bother me if people just owned up to it. I mean, why take Trimet when you can drive? This city is so easy to drive and park in, and only those who have no choice, or are trying to make a smug, personal statement take the bus. It's just when I hear people go on and on about the public transportation in this city, and how it's just so great it makes me crazy. I wonder if they just lap up whatever PR the city pumps out and just buy into it, or if they've just never lived in a city that really has great public transport. I guess if one's moved here from a small town in the midwest, it's fascinating. But the idiotic boosterism is hard to understand
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