Uncomfortable.

From Blog.Oregonlive.com, "Has TriMet declared war on legs? Some riders fear so"

One reason I like mail from readers – well, the ones not poking fun at my bicycle attire from last week – is that it challenges my idea of “important” commuting issues.

For every e-mail or phone call that I’ve received about bridge tolls or possible Oregon 217 exit closures, there have been at least five complaining about TriMet’s comfort standards.

Take this one from Martha Jones of Southeast Portland, asking me to investigate the seating in TriMet’s new $150,000-a-pop glass shelters in downtown Portland:

“Have you noticed all the people sitting with their legs dangling in the air while sitting on the new metal seats attached to the shelters?
For some mysterious reason, they’re about 3 to 4 inches higher than average. Very uncomfortable, especially for elderly people who need the seats the most. (The elderly generally are shorter than average and have poor circulation). Not being able to rest your feet on the ground while sitting is bad for circulation.”

If by “investigate,” she meant hitting the streets with my trusty, slightly rusty Dr. Commuter measuring tape, that’s what I did.

Yep. The distance between the bottom of the stainless steel seats in TriMet’s fancy new shelters is 17 inches, or 4 ½ inches higher than the old bronze ones.

TriMet spokeswoman Bekki Witt could sympathize.

“I had a leg-dangle situation myself,” she said.

Apparently, the contractor was directed to provide a maximum height of 21 inches. TriMet concedes that may have been a bit much.

“We’re in the process of going through the actual, installed heights of all the shelters’ seating,” Witt said, “and we’ll likely adjust some seats.”

From David Rivera of Beaverton:

“Is it me, or are the seats on the new MAX trains more cramped than the other trains? Even during rush hour, people are reluctant to scoot over to the window seats because the leg room is awful. It creates more crowding.“

Again, suffering puzzled looks from commuters, I wielded the measuring tape.

He’s not imagining things.

The leg room on the sleek $3.75 million Type 4 trains, in most cases, leaves little knee-cap room. In fact, some seats partially butt up against door frames, giving one leg 8 inches to move and the other a tortuous 4 inches.

Four inches?

Apparently, TriMet is hoping for a boost in hobbit ridership.

By comparison, on the older Type 2 and 3 MAX trains, 10 ½ inches is as cramped as things get between seats – luxury by comparison.

On the new trains, the space between seats facing each other is 17 ½ inches – or, all things being equal, 8 ¾ inches for each rider. On the older ones it’s 40 inches.

TriMet doesn’t deny there’s less leg room, but say the “spacious” Type 4 interior is designed to allow more overall seating and standing room. Each two-car train is supposed to hold 12 more passengers. “It’s especially valuable during peak hours,” Witt said.

Actually, I rode one of the 22 Type 4 trains during an evening rush hour last week. It was packed. Still, two of the seats wedged into the tiny spaces near the doors remained empty.

But Jessica Erickson of Gresham, twisted and leaning heavily on her right hip as she read the new Dan Brown novel, sat in one.

“No,” she said, “it’s not the best spot to get. But I just needed to try to sit.”

Yes, she was trying.

“Actually,” she said, pointing to a 4-inch gap between the bottom of the nearby door and the floor plate, “that bugs me more. I thought these were supposed to brand new trains that save energy.”

All of the doors had the same drafty gap, through which the rain and cool evening air bled into the train.

TriMet says it’s in the process of installing bendable neoprene seals to cover them on all Type 4 trains before the full force of winter hits.

Well, at least the patches on the leaks in those new glass shelter ceilings seem to be holding.