Friday, October 30, 2009

Fair fare inspection?

From Portland Tribune, "Keepin’ it fare"

TriMet fare inspector Dick Sirianni was finishing a recent run through a MAX car when he confronted a passenger who didn’t have a ticket or a pass. The passenger did, however, have an excuse.

“He said, ‘My snake ate it,’ ” Sirianni recalls.

The passenger pointed to a box on the seat beside him. Then he removed the lid and showed Sirianni a living, breathing snake.

“I said, ‘That’s fine, close the lid. You can ride,’ ” Sirianni says.

And yet, Sirianni really had no proof that the snake had, in fact, eaten the man’s ticket.

“I don’t care,” Sirianni says. “If he tells me the snake ate it and he can show me the snake, he can ride.”

A measure of discretion and a whole lot of uncertainty confront the 30 or so TriMet employees who are fare inspecting on any given day. The inspectors occasionally ride buses, but most of their business is done on MAX, for the simple reason that buses aren’t run on the honor system – bus drivers are there to take fares from passengers.

But the honor system became a little less honorable this spring, when TriMet doubled the number of inspectors and supervisors checking for fares. In addition, during the past year and a half, police officers have increased their MAX rides, too, often accompanying the inspectors.

Surprisingly, adding more fare inspectors hasn’t resulted in significantly more citations and exclusions. Comparing April (the month before the inspections increased) to July, the number of citations has gone up only slightly, and the number of exclusions has actually decreased. Warnings have increased.

The trend during the past four years is equally surprising – until you consider historical events. From 2005 to 2008, warnings dropped from 18,461 to 14,572. Citations also decreased, from 8,945 to 5,278. Exclusions, however, dramatically rose, from 458 to 3,266.

The big increase in citations and exclusions began occurring at the end of 2007 and through 2008, precisely when police presence was stepped up after the November 2007 baseball-bat beating of a passenger at a MAX stop in Gresham.

Shelly Lomax, TriMet’s director of operations support, says riders may be adjusting to the new reality, which likely explains why they haven’t been issued more citations and exclusions since the inspection force was increased in May.

“The more we’re out there, the more people expect us to be out there,” Lomax says. “We’ve done a pretty good job getting the word out that people have to be expected to pay.”

Southeast Portland resident Ted Fritzler offers a slight variation on this explanation. Fritzler, a frequent MAX rider, estimates about half the passengers who ride trains actually have paid for fares, based on what he knows about his friends and what he sees when he rides.

Fritzler says regular riders know which lines are likely to include inspectors on board, and when. He frequently sees riders jump off trains when they see inspectors start to board.

Verbal judo

During the past 18 months, 58 police officers from a variety of Portland-area departments have been assigned to TriMet’s transit police division. They spend the majority of their time on the trains.

“Fare inspection is the gateway to everything else,” says inspector Gary Radford. When passengers can’t produce proof they paid for their ride, inspectors run a quick background check to see if they have previous citations, or have even been excluded from riding TriMet due to previous run-ins. Inevitably, a handful of those checks show exclusions. If the police are riding along, they take the passengers into custody.

But usually, inspectors hear a variety of excuses from riders without fares, and it’s up to them to decide who gets a $115 citation, who walks away with only a written warning and who gets an exclusion. Passenger attitude has a lot to do with who gets which penalty, inspectors say.

“The reality is to try and change people’s behavior,” Radford says. “I say, ‘Why didn’t you pay?’ If they say, ‘I didn’t have the time,’ that’s not a good excuse. I’ll write them up in a heartbeat.”

A too-obvious excuse may not work, but sometimes, passengers can get too clever. Radford recalls a man in his 20s getting off the train at the Northeast 82nd Avenue stop. When asked for his ticket, the passenger said, “Oh, I just gave it to that elderly woman on the train,” according to Radford.

Radford says the man then went over to the woman he had pointed out and started haranguing her, asking what she had done with the ticket he had given her. But the woman was having none of it.

“She said, ‘Who are you?’ ” Radford relates, and produced her own monthly pass. That was just before Radford took the man off the train and gave him a citation.

“If you give me an excuse that’s plausible, I’ll let you go,” Radford says.

Inspector Sandy Raney says every time she hears, “I just threw my ticket into the garbage,” she makes the passenger take her to the garbage can and retrieve it – if they’re on the platform. If the conversation takes place on the train, Raney points out that MAX trains don’t have trash bins. Then she asks the passenger if they would rather have a citation for theft of services, the technical classification for riding without a fare, or a citation for littering.

Not infrequently, Raney says, mothers with young children on board will say they gave their tickets to the children to hold. What usually follows, Raney says, is the mother turning around and blaming the children for losing the tickets.

Another common excuse, according to Raney, is: “They said at the jail I could get on for free.” And, “I’m new in town” is even more frequent.

Radford recalls a rider who, when asked for his fare, replied with a question of his own.

“The guy said, ‘Have you ever started chewing on something and all of a sudden it was gone?’ He pulls out this wad of chewed up paper and says, ‘This is it.’ I said, “You can pull it apart, I’m not touching it.’ I let him go,” Radford says.

Sometimes, letting passengers go is not an option. Radford once attacked by a woman passenger who slashed his jaw with a straight razor she had hidden up her arm.

“She was probably going to get a ticket,” Radford says. “Instead she’s got two years in prison.”

Radford would like TriMet to provide more self-defense training and maybe even Kevlar vests for inspectors, many of whom have been attacked, he says, in one form or another.

Lomax says that only a handful of attacks occur against inspectors each year, and that TriMet encourages its inspectors to use “verbal judo” to deflect the problem passengers.

Sirianni recalls confronting a woman bus passenger without proper fare who refused to disembark and began physically resisting attempts to remove her. Per policy, he ordered everyone off the bus and took it out of service.

But that can make the other passengers angry, according to inspector Tim Moore. Sometimes, angry enough to take action against the fare evaders themselves.

“We’ve actually had other passengers pick people up and throw them off the bus,” Moore says.

Traditional turnstiles?

On a recent Thursday morning, the four-person inspection crew is riding back and forth, with the Gateway Transit Center as their base. On board, they find Dave Lemke, who says he just arrived in Portland a week ago from Arizona. Lemke doesn’t have a ticket.

“I figured I was just going a couple of stops and it didn’t matter,” Lemke says.

The inspectors let Lemke off with a written warning, which gets recorded in case Lemke is caught again. But the passenger still doesn’t think the TriMet honor system with occasional fare inspectors is fair. He says he prefers a traditional train system with locked station turnstiles that require riders to pay before they can board.

“The reason they want it like this is they make money,” Lemke says.

But the money isn’t that good. In the 2008-09 fiscal year, which ended June 30, TriMet took in $179,000 in fines and court fees from rider citations, after splitting the money with state and county agencies.

Moore says he’s heard just about every excuse imaginable, but what really puzzles him is that some riders who have been issued exclusions continue to ride MAX – and they still don’t even pay their fares.

Moore says he recently asked for fares from a man in his 20s and a woman who turned out to be the man’s mother. Neither of them had a fare. When Moore called in the IDs, he discovered that the mother had a restraining order against her son.

Apparently, Moore says, they had resolved their conflict, but had forgotten to lift the restraining order. Both were taken to jail, which wouldn’t have happened if they’d just bought tickets.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Winterizing TriMet and Portland

From KGW.com, "Portland gets plows & de-icers ready for winter"

.... The City is responsible for about 3,500 miles of streets and Mayor Sam Adams said 50 trucks were earmarked for clearing snow, if necessary. He added that city crews will be ready to go at a moment’s notice and de-icers will also be used on local streets.

The City and TriMet have worked together to take lessons from last year’s arctic blast and make sure this year goes even smoother.

“We went over all the TriMet routes, we double-checked, prioritized and we were coordinated in the same way,” Mayor Adams said. “We also made sure that we on an operational level, we increased our communications.”

The mayor also wanted to send out a message to the public – that the best thing residents can do to prepare for the winter is to make sure they have a snow shovel. He added that anyone who lives on a hill should make sure they have tire chains.
From KXL.com, "Tri-Met unhappy with ads on buses"

Tri-Met is running ads from a controversial group and it doesn't even want to.

The ads are from YourGroceryWorkers.com; the group advocates for workers who have been fired from Fred Meyer. This type of advertising goes against Tri-Met's policy.

"Our intent is to allow advertising that is commercial in nature and we'd describe that as promotion of goods or services."

Drew Blevin said that policy is under legal review, so until it's resolved, Tri-Met has to allow the advertisements.

Melinda Merrill with Fred Meyer is upset the website bought these ads, but she doesn't know if they'll take any recourse. "I'm not sure what our response will be."
From Oregonlive.com, "TriMet: Welcome aboard, cover your cough"

A note from the office of Dr. TriMet: "It’s flu season: Cover your coughs and sneezes. Let’s fight the flu, together."



To fight the flu in all of its various strains, TriMet said today that it is pushing flu prevention information with signs inside buses and trains this winter. (See a picture of the "channel card" above). It has also launched a special web site.

"Channel card installation on TriMet’s 654 buses and 127 MAX vehicles will be completed in the coming week," spokeswoman Bekki Witt said.

Witt said bus and MAX operators have also been given flu prevention information and are encouraged to get a seasonal flu shot.

Witt said the transit agency decided to place the placards in vehicles because of the emergence of the H1N1 virus and expectations of a harsher-than-usual flu season. "We have them going at least through March," Witt said. "We consider it a public space, much like a grocery store or library."

TriMet's list of "preventative measures" looks a lot like the one in most offices:

• Get a flu shot.
• Don't spread the flu! Stay home if you're sick.
• When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with either a tissue or your upper sleeve—not your hands. Dispose of tissues in the trash.
• Wash your hands frequently and/or use hand sanitizing gels or wipes.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.

If only TriMet would provide a hand-sanitizer station at the front of each bus. Those bus seats and hand rails have got to be a one-way ticket to germville.

WES parts to harvest from trains made in 1953.

From Portland Tribune, "TriMet adds ‘new’ rail cars to backup WES"

When mechanical problems knocked out TriMet’s WES commuter rail service Wednesday morning, the transit agency had no place to turn for a replacement train. That all changes at the end of this year.

TriMet has purchased two rail diesel cars from the Alaska Railroad that will be in service by summer 2010 on the westside commuter line as replacement cars when something goes wrong with the new Colorado Railcar trains.

TriMet spent $150,000 for the two cars that were built in 1953 by the Budd Co. of Troy, Mich. Budd Co. built stainless steel streamlined passenger railroad cars for nearly 40 years beginning in the 1930s.

Transit agency spokeswoman Bekki Witt said the rail cars will be delivered by the end of this year and should be ready for WES service next summer. The Alaska Railroad cars were used for passenger service until March, she said.

The new Colorado Railcar trains purchased last year by TriMet were modeled after the 1953 Budd Co. cars, Witt said.

For the third time in about a month, morning WES commuters had to take shuttle buses Wednesday between Wilsonville and Beaverton because of an electrical component failure on one of the rail cars. The component was replaced but the programming wasn’t complete in time for Wednesday morning’s commute.

Four of the 16 morning WES trips were on shuttle buses. The problems were corrected in time for Wednesday afternoon’s commute.

Mechanical troubles seem more glaring on WES because right now TriMet doesn’t have backup rail cars, Witt said. The WES system has bugs just like buses and light-rail trains, she said, but equipment problems have a larger impact on the commuter rail line.

“It is just more noticeable with WES because we do not have spare vehicles and must supplement train service with shuttle buses when a WES vehicle is out for repair,” Witt said.

The 14.7-mile $166 million westside commuter system opened in February as one of the nation’s first suburb-to-suburb rail lines.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Community Input on Bridge to TriMet

From DJC Oregon, "Portland cycling community weighs in on new bridge

The level of involvement of Portland bikers in the design of the new Willamette River Bridge impressed the architect....
....
But besides providing a route for the future MAX orange line, the newest bridge to span the Willamette in 35 years will give Southeast cyclists and pedestrians a more direct route to destinations such as Portland State University and Oregon Health and Science University.
....
“There are different widths needed for people biking side by side, and people walking side by side,” said Poyourow. “We asked TriMet to make those paths as wide as possible. Fourteen feet was the minimum we requested, and that’s what they are doing on each side of the bridge.”
....
On the east-side bridge connection, TriMet hopes to connect the bridge into the Springwater Corridor, a multi-use trail that winds from Powell Boulevard up into Gresham and Boring.
....
MacDonald will be in Portland on Wednesday to present different configurations for how the bike paths will link into trails on either side of the river. Another meeting of the Willamette River Bridge’s Advisory Committee will be held on Nov. 10 from 3 to 5 p.m. at David Evans and Associates, 2100 S.W. River Parkway, in Portland.

Can afford a pistol, not a car.

From KPTV.com "Shooting Injures Teen In Happy Valley"

A shooting near Clackamas Town Center injured one teenager and triggered a manhunt around the popular mall Sunday night.

....

A K-9 was used in the search for the shooter, who is believed to have run north from the intersection before cutting behind several business complexes toward 82nd Avenue.

Deputies said there were unconfirmed reports that he may have boarded a bus in the area of 82nd Avenue and Causey Street, which led police to stop a TriMet bus. The stop did not result in any arrests.

Racism?

From KGW.com, "Woman alleges racial profiling on MAX train"

A Gresham woman said she watched as federal officers engaged in racial profiling on a MAX train and now the Department of Homeland Security is investigating.

Maria Lopez, a 21-year-old Puerto Rican woman, said on Tuesday night, the agents boarded a train she was riding on, and focused on Hispanics. She said one agent walked up to an elderly Latina woman and asked for her ID. When she didn’t produce it, the agent escorted her off the train.

“I think it’s crap. We are hard working people, we come from a good place, we aren't doing anything wrong," Lopez told KGW.

TriMet officials said they have a strong relationship with the Transportation Safety Administration and the federal agency denied any role in the alleged incident.

A spokesperson said the officer asked the woman for her MAX fare and it is also their job is to look for anything suspicious.

"Free Rail Zone"

From Blog.Oregonlive.com, "Prepare to ride 'Free Rail Zone'"

Come January, Fareless Square will become the "Free Rail Zone."

That was quick.

TriMet announced the name change this morning, just a couple weeks after it asked riders to help them come up with a new moniker.

Of course, it appears TriMet already had three finalists in mind before it went to the public for ideas.

The TriMet survey asked: “If it were up to you to name it, what would you call the area where you can ride MAX and streetcars for free? (Four words or less, please).”

Of course, after you entered your suggestion and hit the “Next” button, TriMet asked what you thought of three possible names: Fareless Zone, Free Rail Zone and Fareless Rail Zone.

Spokeswoman Bekki Witt said TriMet received 300 or so suggestions. So, did they mean nothing in the final analysis?

"We thought we might get something we hadn't thought of," Witt said.

In the end, Free Rail Zone came out the winner.

On Jan. 3, 2010, Fareless Square will become a free zone for MAX and Portland Streetcar only. Bus riders will have to pay fare from downtown to the Lloyd Center.

About 56 percent of respondents liked Free Rail Zone, while 33 percent liked Fareless Rail Zone and 11 percent preferred Fareless Zone, Witt said.

"The goal with the new name is to clearly describe what service is free in downtown Portland and the Lloyd District," Witt said.

TriMet will add new Free Rail Zone emblems on customer information displays at rail stations within the zone boundary.

Still, there was some good suggestions from readers. A couple of our favorites: "Rose City Line" and "Stephen Colbert Square."

----------------------

From KPTV.com, "Fareless Square Gets New Name"

PORTLAND, Ore. -- TriMet decided Monday on a new name for Fareless Square.

Starting Jan. 3, 2010, the zone where passengers can ride the MAX and Portland Streetcar for free will be known as Free Rail Zone.

Currently, bus, MAX and Portland Streetcar rides are free in Fareless Square, which encompasses the downtown area and some MAX stops on the east side of the Willamette River.

After the change, bus rides will no longer be free; however, passengers can still use the MAX and streetcar in the 1.35 square-mile zone.

TriMet conducted an online survey in early October to seek feedback on the new name. About 56 percent of people voted for Free Rail Zone, 33 percent voted for Fareless Rail Zone and 11 percent preferred Fareless Zone.

TriMet spokeswoman Becki Witt said the goal of the new name is to clearly describe what service is free in downtown and the Lloyd District.

This winter, TriMet will add new free rail zone emblems on customer information displays at rail stations.

----------------------

From Beaverton Valley Times, "TriMet turns Fareless Square into ‘Free Rail Zone’"

TriMet’s Fareless Square, a three-decade program providing free bus and train rides in downtown Portland that comes to an end in January, is now the Free Rail Zone.

Beginning Jan. 3, only MAX light-rail rides in downtown will be free. Bus riders will have to pay fare even downtown.

TriMet selected the new name through a public poll. About 56 percent of those who answered the poll favored “Free Rail Zone” over “Fareless Rail Zone” (favored by 33 percent) and “Fareless Zone” (11 percent liked that one).

TriMet will add new Free Rail Zone emblems on customer information displays at rail stations within the zone that covers most of downtown and parts of the Lloyd District. (Click here to see a Fareless Square map.)

Fareless Square was created 34 years ago to help address air quality issues downtown as well as reducing car trips in the area. At that time, the transit system consisted only of buses, but has since expanded to four MAX lines and the Portland Streetcar.

With the opening of the new Green Line to Clackamas Town Center, most of the MAX trains run north and south, along the same route as the former bus mall. TriMet estimates that about 95 percent of the trips taken in Fareless Square could be on MAX trains instead of buses.

As part of the change, TriMet created a new annual pass for senior citizens and people with disabilities for travel on buses in the new Free Rail Zone.

--------------------------

From Portland Business Journal, "Fareless Square renamed"

TriMet’s Fareless Square will be renamed the Free Rail Zone in January.

In August, Tri-Met’s board voted 6-1 to stop free bus rides within Fareless Square, which stretches essentially from Pioneer Courthouse Square east to the Willamette River. The change takes effect Jan. 3.

Fareless Square has existed for 34 years. The move was designed to address air quality issues, reduce car trips downtown and increase transit use.

TriMet says its new Green Line train service running along downtown’s Fifth and Sixth avenues, which is free for downtown riders, makes up for the lost bus service.

The agency that oversees Portland’s transportation system estimates that 95 percent of all fareless bus trips can be instead taken on the new MAX trains or on the city’s streetcar system.

Starting Jan. 3, Free Rail Zone will become a free zone only for MAX and Portland Streetcar.

TriMet conducted an online survey in early October, seeking feedback on new names. About 56 percent of respondents liked Free Rail Zone, while 33 percent liked Fareless Rail Zone and 11 percent preferred Fareless Zone.

This winter, TriMet will add new Free Rail Zone emblems on customer information displays at rail stations within the zone boundary.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Streetcar Expansion

From Portland Bizjournal, "Feds sign off on east-side streetcar funds"

The Federal Transit Administration has delivered on a promised $75 million that helps extend Portland’s streetcar system to the city’s east side.

The construction grant agreement, announced by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, and FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff, will finalize the Portland Streetcar expansion. The route will run across the Broadway Bridge and along Martin Luther King Boulevard and Grand Avenue, stopping at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

It will eventually loop back to the west side across a new light-rail and transit bridge that connects the museum with the South Waterfront area.

The funds come through the Small Starts program, a Blumenauer 2003 initiative that provides $800 million in federal funds for smaller-scale and less-expensive transit projects.

The project will create some 1,300 high-wage construction and manufacturing jobs in Oregon. Blumenauer believes it will also attract 2.4 million square feet of new development to the project area and reduce regional vehicle miles traveled by 28 million miles.

The new loop will serve 28 new streetcar stops. The full project will cost $128.27 million. The balance of the funds come from the Portland Development Commission, state and regional money and Portland system development charges.

-------------------------------------

From OregonLive.com, by Dylan Rivera "U.S. inks deal for millions for Portland Streetcar, pledges more nationwide"

Peter Rogoff, administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, today signed a contract dedicating $75 million in federal money for the Portland Streetcar eastside loop extension and promised similar federal efforts across the nation.

The contract guarantees the money Portland-area agencies have been anticipating for the project, which started construction during the summer. As The Oregonian has reported, the money was delayed for years by the Bush administration, which funded bus rapid transit projects but blocked streetcars.

On a conference call with reporters this morning, Rogoff said the project is a model for "livable communities" programs that President Barack Obama believes will curb congestion, reduce dependence on foreign oil and pair mixed-use development with mass-transit projects.

"This is just another case where the state of Oregon is leading the way for the country," Rogoff said. "The Oregon delegation is leading the way for the Congress in stepping forward both with the vision but also with public investments from the taxpayers of Oregon as a partner with the federal government in investing in these kinds of projects."

More than 80 cities have plans to build streetcar lines – and some have already started their own projects without federal help. Rogoff would not say which city would be next to receive federal money. But Rogoff did say he has met with more than a dozen mayors who are eager to fund streetcar projects, "including in Boise, in Idaho – not a state that has heretofore been a leader in transit investment."

U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Portland wrote a bill that created the Small Starts program, intended to provide federal money for streetcar lines.

Blumenauer praised the eastside loop project, which will extend from the Pearl District, across the Broadway Bridge to the Lloyd Center Mall, and south along Grand Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

"It's an important down payment on our future in Portland, creating over 1,300 high wage jobs, spurring development and helping jump start the economy for the entire state," Blumenauer said.

United Streetcar, a unit of Clackamas-based Oregon Iron Works, Inc., has a contract to build the streetcars needed for the new line.

U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, a Springfield Democrat, wrote legislation that made it nearly impossible for anyone but United Streetcar to bid on the work.

DeFazio and the Obama administration see domestic production of streetcars as a way to shore up the nation's heavy manufacturing employment while creating more walkable, mixed use neighborhoods.

Both DeFazio and the administration want a new six-year transportation bill to encourage streetcar funding, to eliminate the roadblocks Bush officials put in the way.

"We're going to make absolutely clear that we are determined to extend options for streetcars and other transit alternatives for a more energy-efficient and less-congested America without roadblocks by bureaucrats or ideologues at the FTA or elsewhere," DeFazio said.

Though they mostly agree on policy, DeFazio and the Obama administration disagree on tactics. The administration has called for an 18-month delay to consider new ways to fund transportation and refine pro-mass transit policies. But DeFazio and some Democratic leaders are urging a new six-year bill to be enacted in the next few months, even if it requires using debt or other short-term funding fixes.

U.S. Rep. David Wu also supported funding for the eastside project and praised the spread of streetcars nationwide.

"Streetcars used to be at the heart of our great American cities," Wu said in a statement after the call. "We are now providing even more transportation options, helping realize the dream of more streets with fewer cars.

Federal money will pay for half the project. The other half comes from a variety of sources, including property owners along the route, the Oregon Lottery and urban renewal money from the Pearl District and the inner eastside.

Portland Streetcar Concept Plan



More information, NorthWestHub.org

TriMet, A model for other cities?

From Time Out Chicago, Transit ideas from other cities

Portland Don’t bank on the fare box
The CTA is an exceptionally fare-dependant system. Like every transit operator under the Regional Transportation Authority’s umbrella (including Metra and Pace), it’s mandated by state law to collect a whopping 50 percent of its revenue through fares. If the CTA doesn’t meet that quota, its only options are hiking fares and slashing service. Such dire straits are foreign to Portland’s TriMet. Just 20 percent of its revenue has to come from fares, while 55 percent is derived from a payroll tax paid by business owners and self-employers within the TriMet area that benefit from rapid transit.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Re-Branding!

From Oregonlive.com, "TriMet wants public's help with renaming Fareless Square"

TriMet is asking for it. Seriously, the transit agency wants your help renaming Fareless Square, since it will cease to be fareless for buses in January. (And let’s be frank, it was never really a square.)

Still, light railers will continue to get a free ride from downtown to the Lloyd Center.

The TriMet survey asks: “If it were up to you to name it, what would you call the area where you can ride MAX and streetcars for free? (Four words or less, please.)”

Of course, after you enter your suggestion and hit the “Next” button, TriMet asks what you think of three possible names: Fareless Zone, Free Rail Zone and Fareless Rail Zone.

To read Hard Drive's name nominees and to enter your own, go to the Hard Drive commuting blog.

[UPDATE]"Free Rail Zone"

Thursday, October 15, 2009

C-TRAN cuts

From the Oregonian, on Oregonlive.com, C-TRAN bus service cuts to start in January

Clark County's bus system is cutting back on low-ridership routes starting in January to help close a $6 million budget gap caused by the recession.

The C-TRAN reductions include changes in routes, trip frequency and weekend service.

Sales taxes make up 60 percent of the system's operating budget, but have fallen because of the prolonged downturn. The service changes are expected to close $518,000 of the gap, with the rest made up by nonservice spending cuts, operating efficiencies and use of reserve money.

The reductions take effect on Sunday, Jan. 10.

Affected routes include: 2 Lincoln, 3 City Center, 4 Fourth Plain, 7 Battle Ground, 9 Felida, 19 Salmon Creek, 25 Fruit Valley/St. Johns, 30 Burton, 32 Evergreen/Andresen-Hazel Dell, 35 NEW route, 37 Hwy 99/Mill Plain, 39 Clark College/Medical Center, 44 Fourth Plain Limited, 80 Van Mall/Fisher's, 92 Camas/Washougal, and Camas Connector.

No reductions are planned for C-TRAN Express service to downtown Portland.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

New processes?

From Portland Business Journal, "Metro audit brings 54 recommendations"

Officials from Metro, the Portland area’s regional government that oversees land use and planning issues, said the agency’s audits last year yielded 54 recommendations that will improve the agency’s operations.

In a report on its operations, the Auditor’s office revealed:

• The transit-oriented development program made several changes that tweaked the agency’s project section processes.

• Metro’s waste reduction and outreach program better aligned its waste prevention activities.

• Businesses want the agency to further explore the region’s sustainability issues.

• Fraud abuse related to the use of the agency’s procurement cards, used to purchase business supplies, did not occur over the last two years.

The agency reported that it has three audits under way. One, which will analyze operations in the Oregon Zoo, is expected to be completed next month. A regional transportation study will be released in January while Metro’s financial conditions audit comes out in May.

Metro is also planning audits on the region’s natural areas, the agency’s budget and the way it oversees large contracts.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

TriMet Crime

From Fox12, KPTV.com, "Woman Attacked Near TriMet Stop, Police Say"

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A woman was attacked after getting off a TriMet bus in southwest Portland, police said.

The woman was attacked Wednesday at about 12:30 a.m. at the intersection of Southwest Capitol Highway and Southwest Sunset Boulevard, said Detective Mary Wheat of the Portland Police Bureau in a news release Friday.

A man followed the woman off the bus and across the street where he attacked her and sexually assaulted her, Wheat said.

The man ran away after another person confronted him, Wheat said.

The man is in his early to mid-20s, about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. He was seen wearing a white T-shirt and light blue jeans.

TriMet riders said they were shocked by the attack.

"It's really shocking. I wouldn't have expected it over here. I thought it was really safe," said Anna, a TriMet bus rider. "I hope the lady will be fine and police will be able to track down that person."

Anyone with information is asked to call Portland police.

[UPDATE:]Turned himself in.
[UPDATE II:]Defender of women honored by police.

-----------------------------------------

By Michael Russell, The Oregonian, Oregonlive.com, "Man robs Aloha store with knife, escapes on TriMet"

ALOHA -- A search for a knife-wielding robber put two area schools into lockdown this afternoon.

Shortly after 11 a.m., an unidentified man walked into the Albertsons store at 6055 S.W. 185th Ave. and showed a small, black-handled kitchen knife to two customer service clerks.

The suspect, a 6-foot man with mustache and beard, was dressed at the time of the robbery in a gray hooded sweatshirt and baggy sweat pants, with white and black tennis shoes, according to Sgt. David Thompson, spokesman for the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

The suspect removed his outer clothing to disguise his appearance and fled on a northbound TriMet bus, Thompson said.

The TriMet driver told authorities the suspect got off the bus at Southwest 185th Avenue and Kinnaman Street, near Aloha High School and Kinnaman Elementary School. The schools were put into lockdown while deputies and K9 units made an unsuccessful track for the suspect.

Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to contact sheriff's detective Gary Jensen at 503-846-2742.

Finances

From Portland Business Journal "TriMet: Revenue, expenses rise"

TriMet said Monday that the mid-September opening of the eastside Green Line has pushed weekly MAX light-rail ridership up nearly 12 percent from a year ago.

The Green Line that connects downtown Portland with Clackamas Town Center averaged 17,000 weekday trips in its first three weeks of operation.

TriMet reported that there were 8.3 million trips on buses, MAX and WES between Sept. 13 and 30, a 4 percent decline from a year earlier. Ridership is down mostly because of the sour economy, unemployment and lower gasoline prices this fall, according to TriMet.

Ridership numbers

From Portland Tribune, Green Line helps push up TriMet’s MAX ridership

TriMet said Monday that the mid-September opening of the eastside Green Line has pushed weekly MAX light-rail ridership up nearly 12 percent from a year ago.

The Green Line that connects downtown Portland with Clackamas Town Center averaged 17,000 weekday trips in its first three weeks of operation.

TriMet reported that there were 8.3 million trips on buses, MAX and WES between Sept. 13 and 30, a 4 percent decline from a year earlier. Ridership is down mostly because of the sour economy, unemployment and lower gasoline prices this fall, according to TriMet.

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By By Joseph Rose, The Oregonian, Oregonlive.com, "Green Line boosts MAX, but WES, bus ridership continue declines"

The opening of the Green Line boosted MAX ridership in September, but the lagging economy and service cuts continued declines on bus lines and Westside Express commuter rail, TriMet said today.

With the opening of the Green Line, light rail ridership jumped nearly 12 percent compared to September 2008. The Green Line, stretching from Portland State University to the Clackamas Town Center, averaged 17,000 weekday trips.

Go to the Hard Drive commuting blog to get the complete ridership numbers for September.

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Portland Business Journal, With new Green Line, MAX ridership up

While fewer bus trips were taken in September, MAX ridership increased.

TriMet attributed the MAX increase to the opening of the MAX Green Line.

With the opening of the Green Line, weekly ridership on MAX increased nearly 12 percent, compared with September 2008. The Green Line also averaged 17,000 weekday trips.

Overall, weekly MAX trips increased 11.8 percent to 785,000 trips; weekday MAX trips were up 9.8 percent to 121,200 trips; weekend trips were up 19.1 percent to 179,000 trips; and rush hour trips increased 6.7 percent to 36,400 trips.

On the MAX Green Line weekday trips totaled 17,000 and weekend trips totaled 31,900.

Overall, there were 8.3 million trips on buses, MAX and Westside Express Service trains in September 2009, a 4 percent decline over September 2008. TriMet said ridership is impacted by service cuts that took effect this month, the continued recession, double-digit unemployment and lower gas prices that were at record levels last year.

Weekly bus trips declined 9.5 percent to 1,202,700 trips; weekday bus trips declined 9.4 percent to 200,700 trips; weekend bus trips declined 10 percent to 199,200 trips; and rush hour bus trips were down 14.8 percent to 64,700 trips.

Weekly Westside Express Service trips totaled 5,625 and weekday rush hour trips averaged 1,125 boardings.

Busses can do the work of trains!

From Portland Tribune, "Train work again sidetracks commuter rail service"

Additional maintenance work on a commuter train will disrupt WES service again Tuesday.

It’s the second day that train maintenance forced TriMet to use buses on some of the commuter rail trips.

TriMet said that four of 16 WES trips will be handled by shuttle buses. Trips leaving Wilsonville Station at 6:21 and 7:51 a.m., and the trips leaving Beaverton Transit Center at 6:58 and 8:28 a.m., will be provided by shuttle buses.

Riders can take the shuttle, ride the local bus or take the next WES train, and should add up to 30 minutes to their commute.

Tuesday afternoon WES service is expected to be back to normal.

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From OregonLive.com, Train repairs still disrupting WES commute


TriMet said Monday that the mid-September opening of the eastside Green Line has pushed weekly MAX light-rail ridership up nearly 12 percent from a year ago.

The Green Line that connects downtown Portland with Clackamas Town Center averaged 17,000 weekday trips in its first three weeks of operation.

TriMet reported that there were 8.3 million trips on buses, MAX and WES between Sept. 13 and 30, a 4 percent decline from a year earlier. Ridership is down mostly because of the sour economy, unemployment and lower gasoline prices this fall, according to TriMet.