[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by bvpcvm

I just took the MAX (Beaverton Central -> Goose Hollow) this morning for the first time in maybe 6 months and OMG what a clusterfuck it was. So many sections - not just where there are sharp curves - the train runs at about 10 mph for no discernable reason at all. Here's the thing: perceptions are important. When the train's going along 26 or 84 and cars are sailing by, you feel second class. I know, the MAX is supposed to be "the transit the middle class uses", and it's certainly nicer than the bus, but perception is that you're really wasting time. And if you're wasting time, maybe your time isn't all that important. In fact, maybe YOU'RE not all that important. Maybe during rush hour it's a different story. And I'm sure that past Beaverton you get less of that feeling, since you're not paralleling traffic and it's a straight shot anyway. But according to that blog post, LA's system has practically zero sharp curves and has heavy ridership partly due to that - because it's fast, or at least seems to be. (It doesn't help that I hadn't been to The Round in years and was surprised at what a barren wasteland it is. There isn't even any coffee!)

Add to that MAX ride that I was just in DC, taking the Metro every day, and, OK, apples to oranges, yes, but FFS you feel like you're getting something for your money when you ride that thing.

(Someone on the portland reddit recently asked why PDX drivers drive so slow and many of the answers related to our notorious level of weed usage - maybe TriMet, in designing these lines figures no one will care how fast they get around, since most of the city is stoned anyway?)

Subway or no, what Portland really ought to do is address the sections that are overly curvy - near Sunset TC, around Union Station, the red line past Gateway and eventually downtown in some manner. If people had the feeling, whether right or wrong, that when they got on the MAX they were getting somewhere in a reasonable amount of time, it would surely go further toward accomplishing what we build MAX lines for in the first place.

You should try riding the MAX during rush hour on 26, I remember watching the MAX fly past the cars that were sitting still in traffic.

The speed limits are designated along the lines, the drivers simply follow the signs of how fast they are allowed to go.