Rebirth of the 95X

Line 12-Barbur/Sandy Blvd

To help buses run closer to schedule and to improve efficiency, Line 12 would be changed so that it would run only between Tigard Transit Center and Parkrose/Sumner Transit Center. In Southwest, Line 94 would provide local service between Sherwood and Tigard in the off-peak hours, and during peak hours, would continue both local service to Tigard as well as express trips into Downtown Portland from Tigard.

Sounds like TriMet is just doing an about-face from 10 years ago, shutting down the 94 and bringing back the 95.  And didn't TriMet claim all these years that riders preferred the 94 over the 95?

At least TriMet is admitting (if so quietly) that cutting the 94 was an incredible mistake on its part, and that Tigard needs MORE - not less - service.

$32 per boarding ride for a commuter train? $7 for bus?

http://heraldnet.com/article/20120321/NEWS01/703219947/-1/News#Is-Sounder-worth-it

OCTA Ridership Survey

When has TriMet ever solicited the opinions of bus riders?

http://www.octa.net/pdf/bus2011.pdf

TriMet finds on eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GM-RTS-4-PAGE-BUS-SALES-BROCHURE-FEATURING-PORTLAND-OR-TRI-MET-/220889020095?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336e02f6bf

Why buy new buses...we can make the old ones look like new!

European City Invests in New Buses!

Portland claims it's going to be the "Most-European" City in America...

Here's what European cities do:  INVEST IN BUSES!!!

http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/Story/2012/03/London-launches-revamped-double-decker-bus.aspx

Las Vegas investing in bus service

http://www.metro-magazine.com/News/Story/2012/03/RTC-Southern-Nevada-to-install-150-solar-bus-shelters.aspx

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) announced its plans to install 150 new solar-powered bus shelters throughout the Las Vegas Valley as part of its federally funded transit amenities program.

(Wait...TriMet claims federal funds can't be used on bus amenities?)

“As a result, these 150 new bus shelters are estimated to save taxpayers about $54,000 a year in energy costs.”

(Whoa, a transit agency using federal funds to improve service AND cut costs????  Haven't I been saying that all along?)

The purchase and installation of the 150 new energy-saving shelters is funded by a $1.8 million formula grant from the Federal Transit  Administration FTA that must be allocated for transit enhancement projects such as transit shelters.

(You mean...there's a specific federal grant program that pays for bus shelters?!!!)

In total, the RTC has approximately 3,500 transit stops valley-wide and 1,500 stops have shelters.

(Let's see...1,500 of 3,500 is... 43% of bus stops have shelters, in a city in the high desert?!!!)

CLUSTERF*#K AT S.W. 4th and Harrison

Being that I work in the vicinity of S.W. 4th Avenue and Harrison in downtown Portland I am amazed that the amount of traffic that passes through this and the nearby intersections.

Today, I saw a rather disturbing incident:  An inbound 17 bus was making the left turn from 4th onto Harrison to get to the Mall.  A pedestrian in a wheelchair was trying to cross the street...however with the construction cones he had to slow down and navigate around them.  Meanwhile, a 43 bus was eastbound on Harrison on its outbound trip to Washington Square.

The 17 bus did not stop for the pedestrian and went through, as the pedestrian's signal had just changed from walk to flashing don't walk.  The 43 operator beeped her horn, fortunately alerting the pedestrian so he could stop.  But being he was in a wheelchair he couldn't easily get back onto the sidewalk.

Further, the 17 bus was then bogged down in a backup of traffic on Harrison, because a left-turning car onto 5th couldn't turn because of excessive pedestrian traffic.  So now the 17 was blocking the eastbound lane (and the 43 bus).  And as I looked back, the Operator of the 43 was shaking her head in disbelief.

This is not a one-time occurance; there's just too much traffic going on here, and too often there are turns that are next to impossible to make.  The right turn from Harrison onto 6th is a "no turn on red", but it's impossible due to the amount of pedestrian traffic to make a legal turn on green.  I've seen buses turn on red - because they have no choice not to.  Buses can't see around the corner if there's a stopped bus on Harrison and 4th, causing the issue of buses turning but then realizing when it's too late that they can't complete the turn.  And they can't back up, either.

What's truly, truly amazing...is that this is almost 100% avoidable.  And TriMet was supposed to have done its "turn by turn, stop by stop" analysis of each and every TriMet route and stop.  Clearly, that was A LIE.  Buses didn't used to use Harrison, and it's avoidable.  But they do now.  And they shouldn't.  Nor should the inbound 12/44 use Mill which has some of the same problems (they used to use Harrison, until it was realized that it's a bit illegal to make two lane changes in 200 feet.)

The solution should be that all buses coming from the south should travel on Barbur north to Caruthers, make the protected left turn there (where a left turn is prohibited if a pedestrian activates the crosswalk; further there is much less pedestrian traffic south of I-405), continue west on Broadway to 6th, and then have a straight-shot onto the Mall.  Buses coming off the Ross Island Bridge would simply follow Corbett, Kelly, Arthur, and Caruthers.

The problem:  TriMet created a design flaw with the transit mall.  Where the current MAX stop is between Harrison and Montgomery used to be a bus stop.  One where many bus routes stopped.  And the brilliance of TriMet eliminated that bus stop that worked very well, and moved buses all over the place.  TriMet also decided to re-route buses off of Clay and Market...I'm not quite sure why they did that either.

So, thanks to TriMet's insistence of light rail above all...TriMet in their predictable manner decided to short-change the bus system, create bus routes and bus stops that are blatantly dangerous...and then claimed it has reviewed it all.  Then explain why TriMet was almost on the front page of the news tomorrow, with the 17 bus nearly hitting a wheelchair at 11:50 AM today.  Yes, it would have been the Operator's fault...but TriMet could have helped eliminate the problem.  Instead, TriMet "plans" for light rail...and bus service is a haphazard after-thought.

Why buy new buses, when you can paint the old ones like new?

Fact-Checking McFarlane

The Portland to Milwaukie Light Rail will carry riders for:

·       $1.50 each

·       compared to nearly double what it costs on the bus system ($2.90)

So...if what McFarlane is saying is true, let's see the proof in the pudding.

How much does it cost for a Green Line rider between Gateway and Clackamas TC?

Now...now much does it cost for a 72 line rider between I-84 (the 82nd Avenue MAX station) and Clackamas TC?

McFarlane is citing the cost of one line, against the AVERAGE of all bus lines.  Which means, he's trying to compare ONE MAX line to the 84 Kelso/Boring line (because that one bus line that costs a Godawful amount of money throws the bus system average).  Clearly, that the AVERAGE is only $2.90 shows that there are many buses that aren't anywhere near as costly.

And, TriMet's CFO even confirmed to me that many bus lines are just as cost effective - or in some cases, MORE cost effective - than MAX.  Like the 72 bus.  MORE cost effective than MAX.  MORE cost effective than the Green Line.

Apples to apples, not apples to the whole freakin' damn orange tree orchard.

Did Neil McFarlane really say THIS?????

Those who know our business know that the MAX system has been the best thing that ever happened to the bus system…

Buses and Rail Vehicles in Eugene

Union Pacific Maintenance-of-Way "school" bus.  Due to a major maintenance blitz on UP's mainline, at least a dozen of these buses were spotted in Eugene and Albany, along with dozens of pieces of track equipment, a ballast train and a rail train.

Quality in Bus Stops

A "standard" bus stop in downtown Eugene in front of the Oregon Electric Station restaurant.  Note the artistic "people" that decorate the shelter.  Also note the bus stop sign with schedule information and two seats.

 

Quick:  What does the yellow highlighted (and red circled) text mean?

Chained up #94 bus on I-5 this evening

Now...WHY would you drive a chained up bus on I-5 knowing that you are going 25 MPH, and all those big trucks are doing 55?

Great Bus Stops of Portland

The sad part is that this isn't even in the automobile-centric suburbs of Beaverton and Lake Oswego - this is right smack in the middle of downtown Portland and the Portland State University campus.  Where are you supposed to board the bus?  If you're in a wheelchair or other mobility device, what are you supposed to do?  Wait in the right lane of 4th Avenue?

TriMet should not be tolerating this.  If this were a MAX stop, there'd be cops and tow trucks here PRONTO.  What is the difference between MAX and a bus?  There should be cops and tow trucks here PRONTO...and the idiot that actually authorized the placement of two parking spaces in front of the shelter should be fired.  This is Portland, for pete's sake!

New proposal for Lake Oswego-Portland transit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:River-Ride_-_Budapest.JPG

Merry Christmas!

Have a Merry Cherry Christmas, from Cherriots!

Busdude's website

TriMet Gillig Low Floor Bus with BRT Appearance Package

 

New Buses?

http://www.portlandtransituser.com/

Great news for bus riders! We’re adding 55 new buses to the fleet next year.
As riders can attest, many of our buses are overdue for replacement. (About 150 buses in our fleet are more than 18 years old.) They’re noisy and bumpy, and some don’t even have air conditioning. Not only are these older buses uncomfortable for riders and operators, they are becoming too unreliable and expensive for us to maintain.
That’s why, using grant funding and debt service, we’re replacing 55 of our oldest buses in 2012. We’re also planning for future bus purchases, starting with a “State of Good Repair” grant from the Federal Transit Administration that will fund an additional 14 buses in 2013.
The new buses are currently being designed at the Gillig factory in Hayward, California.
In addition to air conditioning, automatic stop announcements and low floors for easy boarding, they’ll feature:

• vinyl seats that are easier to clean
• LED lights on the mirrors that alert pedestrians and motorists of intent to turn
• an innovative electronic cooling system based on auto-racing technology
• a longer, more gradual boarding ramp capable of carrying heavier loads
• a streamlined front end

Four of the buses will be next-generation hybrid-electric vehicles, which we will test for performance, maintenance needs and fuel efficiency.
The electronic cooling system, dubbed “mini-hybrid” technology, is already in use on more than 100 of our buses and has been shown to improve fuel economy by more than 5 percent. It uses an electrified subsystem to operate at an optimal temperature range, as opposed to a standard hydraulic or mechanical fan system.
Our goal is to reduce the average age of our bus fleet from 13 1/2 years to 8 by 2020, and to replace all remaining high-floor buses (those with steps at the door) with low-floor vehicles by 2013.
A prototype bus is expected to arrive in Portland next spring, and the rest will begin shipping from the factory in the fall. Stay tuned for more details!

Of course...why is TriMet "testing" next-generation hybrids?  Is it that difficult for TriMet's crack team of product testers to take one of TriMet's many buses from Center Street over to the Transit Mall, get off the TriMet bus, walk a block or two to a C-Tran stop and board one of the many C-Tran hybrid buses?

The TriMet bus appears to be the identical model of bus as the C-Tran Hybrid bus (but minus the hybrid system, of course)...and also identical to Cherriots' newest buses (however Cherriots opted to not buy the buses with the "BRT Appearance Package" and have a more standardized front cap.)  Of course TriMet's crack test team could jump a WES train to Wilsonville and check out Cherriots' bus.