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  #3581  
Old Posted Mar 18, 2021, 6:48 AM
dizflip dizflip is offline
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Originally Posted by bvpcvm View Post
That's a long trip. Per Google, driving from Pacific University to Pioneer Square is about 36 minutes. It's frustrating, because it feels like Portland builds LRT to the minimum standard possible, resulting in achingly slow travel. And frankly the SW corridor is where we should be putting any LRT money.

I'd love to see commuter trains down to Salem, out to Newberg>McMinnville, Forest Grove, Canby, etc. Beyond that, perhaps off topic, I know that high speed rail is sexy but honestly I'd rather see Amtrak reconfigured to get rid of long distance lines and concentrate on regional rail. Trains to Corvallis and Eugene and Longview and Hood River make sense; I don't think trains to San Francisco do, at least not as much.
Also depends when you're calculating this trip. Google Maps tells me it's 35 minutes right now, at 11pm. Sunset Highway from Sylvan is notoriously slow during the day, 7 days a week. Is that extra 10 minutes worth an extra $30k investment on a vehicle and spending $50/week on gas?

On the other hand - I studied at Pacific, owned a car, and drove to downtown often. I would have preferred light rail, but the car incentive is there. Parking downtown is ridiculously cheap. But most places worth visiting these days aren't in downtown; they are in neighborhoods far from light rail. No one who values their time would take a leisure trip to Alberta Street for example using TriMet. The round-trip ride alone would take half the day. TriMet even acknowledges this as it integrates Uber to its mobile apps.
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  #3582  
Old Posted Mar 18, 2021, 3:05 PM
bvpcvm bvpcvm is offline
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Originally Posted by dizflip View Post
Also depends when you're calculating this trip. Google Maps tells me it's 35 minutes right now, at 11pm. Sunset Highway from Sylvan is notoriously slow during the day, 7 days a week. Is that extra 10 minutes worth an extra $30k investment on a vehicle and spending $50/week on gas?

On the other hand - I studied at Pacific, owned a car, and drove to downtown often. I would have preferred light rail, but the car incentive is there. Parking downtown is ridiculously cheap. But most places worth visiting these days aren't in downtown; they are in neighborhoods far from light rail. No one who values their time would take a leisure trip to Alberta Street for example using TriMet. The round-trip ride alone would take half the day. TriMet even acknowledges this as it integrates Uber to its mobile apps.
These are all good points. I will note that when I got my travel time of 36 mins it was 2pm. I do, though, think that most people don't really take the calculus of vehicle investment and maintenance costs into account when making travel decisions. Crap I sound like Randall O'Toole right now. Don't get me wrong, I DO support LRT, just not sure about this specific corridor!
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  #3583  
Old Posted Mar 18, 2021, 6:03 PM
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Originally Posted by CorbinWarrick View Post
It’s light rail fatigue in this city right now. The max has been expanded A LOT since 1998. I think the majority of residents are just over it. For now
Another major factor is safety. I know a few people who used to regularly ride MAX from Hillsboro to DT Portland and they avoid it like the plague anymore. One of them was telling me that there wasn't a single ride she would take where she didn't deal with or witness harassment from/towards transients or mentally unstable people. She got to the point that she didn't feel safe commuting by MAX anymore and is now paying for parking or gets rides to work.
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  #3584  
Old Posted Mar 18, 2021, 7:15 PM
CorbinWarrick CorbinWarrick is offline
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Another major factor is safety. I know a few people who used to regularly ride MAX from Hillsboro to DT Portland and they avoid it like the plague anymore. One of them was telling me that there wasn't a single ride she would take where she didn't deal with or witness harassment from/towards transients or mentally unstable people. She got to the point that she didn't feel safe commuting by MAX anymore and is now paying for parking or gets rides to work.
Yup that too. Mind you Portland comparatively to bigger cities is MUCH safer. Can you imagine NY subways or Chicago subways? If she little Ol max rides are scary what are those
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  #3585  
Old Posted Mar 18, 2021, 10:15 PM
RED_PDXer RED_PDXer is offline
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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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  #3586  
Old Posted Mar 18, 2021, 10:22 PM
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uncommon.name uncommon.name is offline
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Originally Posted by CorbinWarrick View Post
Yup that too. Mind you Portland comparatively to bigger cities is MUCH safer. Can you imagine NY subways or Chicago subways? If she little Ol max rides are scary what are those
Well considering she moved here from Boston where she rode the T everyday for years and we rode the NY Subways together... I'd say the MAX has gotten pretty bad if it scared her away.
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  #3587  
Old Posted Mar 19, 2021, 12:04 AM
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Originally Posted by RED_PDXer View Post
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.
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.
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  #3588  
Old Posted Mar 19, 2021, 4:46 PM
MNTimberjack MNTimberjack is offline
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Originally Posted by eric cantona View Post
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.
Currently it takes the MAX 17 minutes to go from Goose Hollow to Rose Quarter without taking major action to reduce this the system as implemented serves commuters best as it's not a competitive mode for moving from one side of the City Center to another.

Comparatively, you can get from Rose Quarter to E 102nd Ave or from Goose Hollow to Millikan Way in roughly the same time as crossing the City Center.
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  #3589  
Old Posted Mar 19, 2021, 5:48 PM
dizflip dizflip is offline
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Originally Posted by MNTimberjack View Post
Currently it takes the MAX 17 minutes to go from Goose Hollow to Rose Quarter without taking major action to reduce this the system as implemented serves commuters best as it's not a competitive mode for moving from one side of the City Center to another.

Comparatively, you can get from Rose Quarter to E 102nd Ave or from Goose Hollow to Millikan Way in roughly the same time as crossing the City Center.
There should only be two stations in downtown and maybe one or two at the Lloyd Center, all underground.
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  #3590  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2021, 5:21 AM
CorbinWarrick CorbinWarrick is offline
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There should only be two stations in downtown and maybe one or two at the Lloyd Center, all underground.
Or atleast during peak hours or some thing skip the useless stations. It’s not very efficient when u can beat people to destinations in your car DURING traffic than someone taking the MAX
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  #3591  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2021, 7:53 AM
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Originally Posted by dizflip View Post
Also depends when you're calculating this trip. Google Maps tells me it's 35 minutes right now, at 11pm. Sunset Highway from Sylvan is notoriously slow during the day, 7 days a week. Is that extra 10 minutes worth an extra $30k investment on a vehicle and spending $50/week on gas?

On the other hand - I studied at Pacific, owned a car, and drove to downtown often. I would have preferred light rail, but the car incentive is there. Parking downtown is ridiculously cheap. But most places worth visiting these days aren't in downtown; they are in neighborhoods far from light rail. No one who values their time would take a leisure trip to Alberta Street for example using TriMet. The round-trip ride alone would take half the day. TriMet even acknowledges this as it integrates Uber to its mobile apps.
Though to put that in perspective, that would be like someone in Brooklyn traveling to the Bronx to do some casual shopping. No one does that. The only people who make that kind of commute is someone doing some cross metro dating.
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  #3592  
Old Posted Mar 20, 2021, 7:58 AM
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Originally Posted by CorbinWarrick View Post
Or atleast during peak hours or some thing skip the useless stations. It’s not very efficient when u can beat people to destinations in your car DURING traffic than someone taking the MAX
You also have to calculate finding parking, driving around downtown looking for street parking or parking in a garage adds to the commute as well. Obviously it will typically be faster to take a car during non peak times, but as the Westside gets more populated, 26 gets more congested at just about any time of the day.
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  #3593  
Old Posted Mar 24, 2021, 4:09 PM
dizflip dizflip is offline
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TriMet expands electric bus testing with longer range bus option
The GILLIG-manufactured bus will undergo testing before it is deployed on one of TriMet’s longest bus routes with service running close to 20 hours per day.

Mischa Wanek-Libman
Mar 23rd, 2021



Quote:
TriMet took delivery of the first of five new electric buses from GILLIG during the weekend of March 20, 2021. The bus, which can travel 150 to 210 miles on a single charge, will undergo testing for at least 60 days before entering service on a 26.5-mile, 265-stop route. TriMet estimates it will take delivery of the final four GILLIG buses this summer.

TriMet explains the bus is expanding its evaluation of battery-electric technology with a long-range option. In April 2019, TriMet took delivery of its first of five New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE™ buses and has two 60-foot articulated buses from New Flyer on loan as it tests solutions for a transition to an all-alternative fuel bus fleet by 2040.

...

The cost of the five GILLIG buses, training, warranties and charging equipment totaled more than $5.5 million, which was covered in part with a $2.29-million grant through the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission Grant Program.

...

The agency previously partnered with Portland General Electric to build and maintain 12 electric charging stations at its Merlo Operations Facility in Beaverton, which is where the GILLIG electric buses will be based and charged each night. However, the GILLIG electric buses will transfer their base of operations to TriMet’s Powell Operations Facility in 2022 following completion of a remodeling project at the garage.

...
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  #3594  
Old Posted Nov 14, 2021, 2:13 AM
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Looks like construction has officially started on the MAX Red Line extension/enhancement aka "A Better Red", something I was completely unaware of until I saw the staging area at Gateway Green Park a couple of weeks ago.
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  #3595  
Old Posted Nov 14, 2021, 2:53 AM
CorbinWarrick CorbinWarrick is offline
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Originally Posted by green_man View Post
Looks like construction has officially started on the MAX Red Line extension/enhancement aka "A Better Red", something I was completely unaware of until I saw the staging area at Gateway Green Park a couple of weeks ago.
Wait there building another station on the new bike park next to 205??
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  #3596  
Old Posted Nov 14, 2021, 8:54 PM
green_man green_man is offline
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Originally Posted by CorbinWarrick View Post
Wait there building another station on the new bike park next to 205??
Nope, it's just the staging area for the new overpass across I-84 that will carry inbound Red Line trains (they are planning to build a new platform on the northern edge of Gateway TC for the inbound trains).
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  #3597  
Old Posted Nov 15, 2021, 5:00 AM
CorbinWarrick CorbinWarrick is offline
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Nope, it's just the staging area for the new overpass across I-84 that will carry inbound Red Line trains (they are planning to build a new platform on the northern edge of Gateway TC for the inbound trains).

I see. That’s a good idea
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  #3598  
Old Posted Nov 15, 2021, 7:04 PM
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MarkDaMan MarkDaMan is offline
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Originally Posted by green_man View Post
Looks like construction has officially started on the MAX Red Line extension/enhancement aka "A Better Red", something I was completely unaware of until I saw the staging area at Gateway Green Park a couple of weeks ago.
Ahh, that's why the Halsey exit is closed for a couple week. Good to know!
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  #3599  
Old Posted Mar 13, 2023, 4:05 PM
dizflip dizflip is offline
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TriMet may have abandoned using large LCD screens that people like to vandalize in favor of these smaller ones they first started using on the FX bus route.

(Note the terrible headways, and how it says the westbound Red Line is due with no train in sight lol)

https://flic.kr/p/2oixjRq
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  #3600  
Old Posted Mar 13, 2023, 5:14 PM
MNTimberjack MNTimberjack is offline
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Originally Posted by dizflip View Post
TriMet may have abandoned using large LCD screens that people like to vandalize in favor of these smaller ones they first started using on the FX bus route.

(Note the terrible headways, and how it says the westbound Red Line is due with no train in sight lol)

https://flic.kr/p/2oixjRq
They have contract to replace the TransitTracker system and roll out ePaper displays to bus stops as well.

I believe it's with ConnectPoint.


https://www.connectpointdigital.com/...rtland-trimet/
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