Portland Streetcar News

[maccoinnich]

Good.

Portland Streetcar to try limiting stops to speed service



Portland Streetcar is planning to temporarily close five stops in downtown Portland and the Pearl District in an effort to speed up travel.

The trial, expected to begin in February and last at least a month, targets places where frequent stops take a toll on travel time and where collisions tend to block tracks and take trains out of service.

Closing two stops in the Pearl District — at Northwest 10th and 11th avenues at Everett Street — is expected to save about 70 seconds of travel time in each direction. In addition to cutting boarding time, it would also make it easier to glide through the stretch without stopping for a red light.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[Derek]

Damn that's an old picture (RIP Adidas store...still hoping to get one back soon). That's good news though, we don't need stops two blocks apart.

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by Derek

Damn that's an old picture (RIP Adidas store...still hoping to get one back soon). That's good news though, we don't need stops two blocks apart.

No kidding, I am a huge Puma fan and I really miss the Puma store that use to be around the corner from the Adidas store. I went there so much that a few of the people who worked there knew me by name and would drop people to help me.....I had a bit of a shoe addiction there.....

[65MAX]

The trial, expected to begin in February and last at least a month, targets places where frequent stops take a toll on travel time....

This is an excellent idea. So, when will Trimet do the same for MAX downtown?

[hat]

Originally Posted by 65MAX

The trial, expected to begin in February and last at least a month, targets places where frequent stops take a toll on travel time....

This is an excellent idea. So, when will Trimet do the same for MAX downtown?

Definitely. There's a couple superfluous stops I would cherish not waiting through again.

[RED_PDXer]

AMEN!! So I'm in a building adjacent to one of these slop closures and the coworkers are all up in arms that they will have to walk a block or two to the next stop. I'm like, you gotta be — kidding me. I hope MAX stop closures are next!

[maccoinnich]

Great news.

Consolidation of Portland Streetcar stops will save time and enhance safety

Portland Streetcar announced today that five stations closed on a trial basis in February will close permanently as of March 18, 2016. Streetcar staff initially closed the stations to evaluate the impact on the speed and efficiency of the system. Data gathered during the trial closure shows that the closures of these five stations saves between one and two minutes per train—a savings that adds up to over 120,000 hours saved each year for passengers.

The five stations to be permanently closed are:

• NW 10th & Everett
• NW 11th & Everett
• SW 10th & Stark
• SW 1st & Harrison (both directions)

Because these stations are located within two blocks of other stations, Streetcar riders will still be able to easily access the Streetcar. In addition, the closures may enhance safety on the Streetcar line, since many of the stations were located at points along the streetcar lines that pose collision risks or on a steep slope that made operation of streetcars difficult. Streetcar will begin decommissioning the stations shortly; several of the now closed platforms are proposed stations for the soon to be launched Bike Town bike share program.

When Portland Streetcar began service in 2001, it was the first of the country’s modern streetcar systems. To serve the needs of passengers at that time, stations were placed every 2-3 blocks. As the system has grown, ridership has grown threefold, making speed and reliability more important. In addition, much of the feedback from Streetcar riders over the years has centered on the need to increase speed, frequency and reliability.

As part of the stop consolidation process, Portland Streetcar solicited email, phone and in-person feedback from thousands of riders to understand the impacts of potential closures. The City’s Streetcar Citizen Advisory Committee voted to support the closure at their March meeting.

...from the Portland Streetcar website.

[65MAX]

That's fantastic news!! This paragraph could be used interchangeably for MAX service downtown.....

"When Portland Streetcar [MAX] began service in 2001 [1986], it was [one of] the first of the country’s modern streetcar [light rail] systems. To serve the needs of passengers at that time, stations were placed every 2-3 blocks. As the system has grown, ridership has grown threefold [exponentially], making speed and reliability more important. In addition, much of the feedback from Streetcar [MAX] riders over the years has centered on the need to increase speed, frequency and reliability."

[zilfondel]

Great news!

And, as 65MAX has eluded to above, I wish they would consolidate the MAX stops downtown to perhaps 2 (Goose Hollow and Pioneer). That would make the system a tad faster.

[Photogeric]

Or at least get rid of the kings hill stop. That one is such a waste of time and is very redundant...

[babs]

Originally Posted by zilfondel

Great news!

And, as 65MAX has eluded to above, I wish they would consolidate the MAX stops downtown to perhaps 2 (Goose Hollow and Pioneer). That would make the system a tad faster.

Two stops in all of downtown would be a little light. Four block spacing would make sense. Anything less would make the system useless in Portland and hurt ridership. You need a balance between speed and usability.

[maccoinnich]

Free Streetcar Service for First Thursdays

(Portland, Ore.) – People riding Portland Streetcar every evening on First Thursday from May through

October will not have to pay a fare thanks to a sponsorship from Wave, a Northwest gigabit fiber and broadband services company.

Wave is sponsoring “Ride Free First Thursday” program for all Portland Streetcar patrons citywide riding on First Thursdays from 5:00pm until closing. Wave recently launched its new high-speed gigabit service, Wave G, in multiple Pearl District and SW Waterfront residential buildings. The Portland gigabit service is part of an accelerated expansion of the company’s fiber network.

“We’re thrilled to be able provide Wave G service to the vibrant and creative Portland community,” said Doug Woods, Wave’s Vice President of Corporate Development. “We’re excited to support Portland Streetcar and the Pearl District’s monthly art walk. Being a part of this signature event each month allows us to introduce ourselves to local residents in a unique way.”

All lines of the Portland Streetcar operate from 5:45 AM to 11:30 PM on weekdays.

About the Portland Streetcar. As the first modern streetcar system to be built in the United States, the Portland Streetcar serves 15,000 riders each day on the A/B Loops and the North/South (NS) Line. Ridership is expected to grow to 20,000 riders per day by 2025.

...via Portland Streetcar.

[maccoinnich]

Neighbors participate in Broadway-Weidler charrette



About 80 seats ready for neighbors and others interested in how Northeast Broadway and Weidler streets are developed were barely enough, and as many as a dozen neighbors were seen standing during presentations made at a charrette held in mid-May. The crowd of just under 100 gathered at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church, 1535 N.E. 17th Avenue, in the Sullivan’s Gulch neighborhood.

The Broadway-Weidler Alliance coordinated the charrette, a meeting to involve stakeholders in community design and planning. The alliance describes itself as a group of neighbors who meet monthly to talk about the east-west Broadway-Weidler couplet and how to avoid unintended consequences as the streets are developed to meet changing needs of the half-dozen adjacent neighborhoods.

The first third of the three-hour charrette focused on the Portland Streetcar, developer interests and Metro involvement. Streetcar Executive Director Dan Bower, property owner/developer Jon Carroll and Metro Councilor Sam Chase made presentations. Most questions were deferred to the second part of the meeting where questions were fielded in conversations between attendees and mostly government agency representatives.

...continues at the Hollywood Star News.

[maccoinnich]

Streetcar's next stop: some of Portland's major commuting corridors



The Portland Streetcar runs on 16 miles of track, past soaring downtown office towers and through neighborhoods offering postcard-perfect river views.

But it was an unassuming spot near a short curve in the track, where the streetcar line's eastside spur meets the Tilikum Crossing bridge, that Dan Bower recently met a group of touring transportation officials.

"This," the director of Portland Streetcar Inc. said, "is our most important 45 feet of track."

The short section, opened at the same time as Tilikum Crossing in September, completed a full loop of Portland's central city. With it, a decades-old vision for a streetcar line circulating residents and visitors throughout the city's core was finally complete.

But streetcar officials aren't done. Bower's nonprofit, the city and TriMet are now negotiating a new vision, considering additional spurs that would compete with existing TriMet bus routes.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[maccoinnich]

For every new housing unit built, the streetcar gains another rider.

[MarkDaMan]

Portland eyes streetcar extension in South Waterfront
By Brad Schmidt | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on November 05, 2016 at 6:01 AM, updated November 05, 2016 at 6:03 AM

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index..._streetcar_extens.html#incart_river_home

Portland transportation officials want to extend the city's South Waterfront streetcar route by nearly one-third of a mile, the first expansion since completing the Tilikum Crossing in 2015.

The streetcar line currently ends at Southwest Lowell Street. Officials want to send it south to Hamilton Court.

Project costs haven't been determined.

Portland officials are pushing for the streetcar expansion along a new street in the constrained South Waterfront District. That plan would extend Southwest Moody Avenue, south of Bancroft Street, and the streetcar would be built in conjunction with the new road.

...(continues)

[hat]

Originally Posted by MarkDaMan

Portland eyes streetcar extension in South Waterfront
By Brad Schmidt | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on November 05, 2016 at 6:01 AM, updated November 05, 2016 at 6:03 AM

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index..._streetcar_extens.html#incart_river_home

This decision is hopefully based on some sort of data. It's difficult to see the relative benefit of extending the streetcar 1/3 of a mile to a somewhat scrawny bit of land near Hamilton Ct. What would the relative benefit be for an extension, for example, up NW 23rd/24th for 1/3 of a mile or up to Knott st on MLK?

[bvpcvm]

It's definitely hard to see what the benefit would be, unless they're extending Moody south that far anyway, in which case, might as well build the streetcar together with the new street, rather than ripping it all up later.

Luckily,

As it stands, streetcar officials are crunching numbers in the hope of recommending a new, large-scale extension. Potential routes include Northeast Sandy Boulevard, Northeast Broadway, Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a link to Montgomery Park in Northwest Portland, or one south along Southwest Macadam Avenue.

[maccoinnich]

My guess it's not so much that this particular extension is the most useful in and of itself, but that there's a unique opportunity coming up.

The current South Waterfront Street Plan assumes that both SW Moody and Bond would be extend to SW Hamilton St. If the warehouses south of Bancroft were about to be redeveloped into high rise towers that might be feasible, but there's no indication that's imminent. Indeed the Oregon Ballet Theater has just moved into one building, and Tesla Motors is converting another one to a showroom. For obvious reasons City Council isn't going to use its eminent domain powers to raze these buildings.

So, the new plan is instead to extend SW Moody as a two-way street from SW Bancroft to SW Hamilton Ct.



This is going in front of City Council for conceptual approval the week after next.

The northern half of that extension has no street at all right now, and the southern half would likely entail a complete rebuild of the street. So, if PBOT is going to all that effort, why not put some rails in the street? In the scope of the entire project the additional cost for extending the streetcar is probably pretty minimal.

Interestingly (and I'm using that word liberally) PBOT is also looking at changing the numbering system in South Portland. Addresses close to the river have a leading zero in them, which causes a lot of confusion. They're now looking at renumbering these so that they have a S prefix rather than SW. This would take the number of quadrants in Portland from five to six, a change that the late Douglas Adams would have no doubt appreciated.

[hat]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

My guess it's not so much that this particular extension is the most useful in and of itself, but that there's a unique opportunity coming up.

The current South Waterfront Street Plan assumes that both SW Moody and Bond would be extend to SW Hamilton St. If the warehouses south of Bancroft were about to be redeveloped into high rise towers that might be feasible, but there's no indication that's imminent. Indeed the Oregon Ballet Theater has just moved into one building, and Tesla Motors is converting another one to a showroom. For obvious reasons City Council isn't going to use its eminent domain powers to raze these buildings.

So, the new plan is instead to extend SW Moody as a two-way street from SW Bancroft to SW Hamilton Ct.



This is going in front of City Council for conceptual approval the week after next.

The northern half of that extension has no street at all right now, and the southern half would likely entail a complete rebuild of the street. So, if PBOT is going to all that effort, why not put some rails in the street? In the scope of the entire project the additional cost for extending the streetcar is probably pretty minimal.

Interestingly (and I'm using that word liberally) PBOT is also looking at changing the numbering system in South Portland. Addresses close to the river have a leading zero in them, which causes a lot of confusion. They're now looking at renumbering these so that they have a S prefix rather than SW. This would take the number of quadrants in Portland from five to six, a change that the late Douglas Adams would have no doubt appreciated.

!!! Having lived on 0615 x street, I have dealt with this issue and it seems like a smart choice. Bring on South Portland, in which case how about East Portland?

As for the eventual extension of the streetcar to LO, I never saw the practicality of this: distance, limited population, lack of local support, limited in speed, high cost. Some day in the distant future, a multi use bridge at Thesing Bar would be a great high speed connection for the MAX from LO to Milwaukie. Otherwise, I hope the city focuses where where it can make a larger difference.