Quote:
Originally Posted by davehogan
On the heels of the recent reports about TriMet, I'd think it would be smarter to start fixing problems than worry about adding another new MAX line just yet. Adding some buses to the 9, the 6, the 12, etc seems like it would increase ridership without the divisive commentary and whining from the suburbs.
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http://www.opb.org/radio/programs/th...-trimet-audit/
Certainly, Tri-Met has immense and various problems, most notable and unfortunate being the relationship between management and union. Adding buses to increase frequency on most-used bus lines (e.g. 4, 6, 9 etc.) is a priority, which will reportedly happen in part by March. But the argument that we should not promote better transit because it is not popular does not hold. Most people drive cars and don't care about buses or trains. This is not a sustainable outlook.
We don't have the ability or means to research the most important question:
Will planning a bus route (that may or may not have 50% of its stops in its own ROW) have a negligible or dramatic increase in ridership compared to simply increasing frequency?
Any answer is speculation. But if you look at the Portland Afoot data for 2012...
http://portlandafoot.org/w/TriMet_bus_rankings
the 4, 6, 9 and 72 have nearly the worst ratings for regularity (and pretty bad for frequency as well). My guess is that this correlates with the number of people using them, and the length of the routes. Part of the reason why a BRT-like idea on Powell is a bad idea relates to this. Buses are not remotely as bike and disability-friendly as trains. Yes, buses are great compared to other places, but they are still a pain in the ass when you have a bike or are in a wheelchair. Lengthy and busy routes seem to tend towards becoming more infrequent.
This is why cutting the 9 and 4 in half at 205 and having transit with its own ROW (for the entire stretch) in the inner city is so important. We need transit that is
unaffected by variables such as busy intersections and loading bikes. This is the most important factor that people see. A vast majority of the delays with MAX are related to the Steel Br. A Powell MAX would have no real potential for delays.
Again, I don't know the answer to the question above, but I would rather money be spent on frequency of buses or a MAX, and not longer buses for the sake of them being novel in Portland.