Quote:
Originally Posted by RED_PDXer
MAX is a decent tram system for the US. It has places where it's very efficient/effective such as along the Banfield, Sunset to Goose Hollow, etc where there are no at-grade crossings, stops are spaced further, and speeds are faster. Unfortunately, this region doesn't seem to have the means or the political will to pay for a system that is grade-separated for the majority of it, other than along highways like I-205 which are not pedestrian friendly spaces. If only the feds sponsored a true grade-separated system with 90% subsidies like they did for interstate highways.. Since that's unlikely, I would like to see TriMet focus on improving the speed, reliability, and frequency of the bus network. We have plenty of population density to make the bus network phenomenal and a complement to the MAX system.
I understand that the homeless, drug addiction, and mental illness problems are out of control right now throughout Portland, but it's no worse on board MAX or buses than it is on the streets. Some people are more sensitive and afraid of those situations than others and public transit anywhere in the US is unlikely to work for those folks as a result of America's lousy social safety net.
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MAX was not designed solely to move people from the suburbs to the City Center. It was, and still is, seen as an integral part of our regional land use desires and overall densification of the metro area.
I think it walks a very fine line between those two distinctions, and does it fairly well.