A TriMet Rider: November 4, 2011

Talk of building more freeways? I thought it was always just 'let's build more light rail instead of building roads'

Conservative group asks Metro President for more freeways | Bike Portland

THIS is your only moment. Now THIS is. Now this. And, now, THIS ONE. Live them all.

The guy that hit the line 72 was a serial drunk driver

And somehow he still has his licence? That guy needs to get his licence taken away.
Serial drunk driver pleads guilty | KPTV

Be Seen; Be Safe Photos

http://bikeportland.org/photos/tags/beseenbesafe

Portland's bus-eating intersection will get bad signs fixed, city transportation officials say

http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2011/11/portland_street_that_eats_buse.html#incart_mce

TriMet's festival of lights in downtown Portland; Moody Avenue cycle track; Night Stop starts; roadkill on menu: Commuting roundup

http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2011/11/trimets_festival_of_lights_in.html

Better not use the bus clocks--they're unreliable starting for a week on Sunday

This Sunday marks the end of Daylight Saving Time and clocks roll back one hour. The LED signs on buses may experience a clock problem next week and display the wrong time. If this happens, the clock will display a time one hour ahead of actual time.

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WW asks, "Who else is exploiting Occupy Portland?"

http://bojack.org/2011/11/ww_asks_who_else_is_exploiting.html

When Does Mass Transit Save Money for The Rider?

At 19.5 cents per mile, that Trimet $81 monthly pass cost would power that average car about 415 miles/month, a bit less than ½ of the national average miles driven by a car owner. Of course if you car pooled with you spouse, two passes would be needed for $162, so you could drive 830 miles for that cost, or 9960 miles/yr, just a bit below the national average milage of 11,300 miles.

http://pdxtransport2.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/when-does-mass-transit-save-money-for-the-rider/

Punkrawker!

Prisoners of Transit: Why Public Transportation Deserves More Attention

With the economy being what it is, the United States is heading into a transportation crisis for low and middle class citizens. Those able to afford cars find themselves spendingmore and more of their incomes on gasoline, and those without cars have to rely on public transit that is inadequate in many places. With unemployment stuck at 9% and the housing market depressed, finding jobs closer to home or affording the costs of moving are out of the question for many people. Inadequate transportation prevents economic growth, limits educational opportunities, creates a public health issue, and hurts worker productivity. Better transportation options need to be a top priority for federal spending. Yet it isn’t.

Inadequate transportation affects millions of people in all different age groups and residential settings. In Detroit, for example, nearly 30% of households don’t have a vehicle, leaving residents no choice but to take the city’s inefficient bus system that often leaves them waiting for hours to reach destinations. And the crisis isn’t limited to cash-strapped cities like Detroit. In Cincinnati, which has a slightly better financial outlook, it’s estimated that 64% of seniors aged 65-79 will have poor transit access by 2015. Providing adequate transportation for the elderly should be a top priority, as this group contains some of the most likely candidates to depend on public transportation.

Rural communities and suburbia are also hurting. These communities deserve our attention because not only do they contain 21% of the population, they have higher proportions of older and lower-income citizens– the groups who can benefit the most from these services. Suburban areas should be on the radar as well, as they have millions more living below the poverty level than America’s inner cities. Poverty rates are rising faster in suburbia than in any other residential setting.

Nor is this just about getting to and from work. The poor often live in food deserts, areas where healthy and affordable food is hard to obtain. Fitness deserts, areas with few opportunities for exercise, also pose health problems to millions of people. A full 80% of census blocks do not have a park nearby, negatively affecting both health and quality of life. How do we know neighborhoods have a direct effect on health? The results of a long-term study conducted by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development show that moving to a neighborhood with less than 10% of people living below the poverty line has a positive effect on health, specifically with obesity and diabetes.

Despite these desperate infrastructure needs, Congress is determined to keep cutting. Easing transportation poverty through improved infrastructure needs to survive.

http://www.infrastructurist.com/2011/10/27/prisoners-of-transit-why-public-transportation-deserves-more-attention/

Portland, Oregon to Puerto Varas, Chile by Public Transit

http://globalgreenways.org/2011/10/31/portland-oregon-to-puerto-varas-chile-by-public-transit/
Now that's a feat.

Meanwhile, in the Portland gang wars...

http://bojack.org/2011/10/meanwhile_in_the_portland_gang.html

Light rail fails, but here in Portlandia it is still our crown jewel

Back-seat Driver: Light-rail crossing-arm glitch prompts investigation | Sacramento Bee

The hell with the residents, we only care about the tourists

In addition to concerns about the decision’s timing, the neighborhood association board cited the streetcar’s inability to supply even the most basic information about “how many fareless streetcar riders there are"

All of them?
Downtown neighborhood group says 'whoa' to eliminating free rail zone | Portland Tribune
The streetcar's free rail zone is a joke. Nobody ever pays their fare on the streetcar except the one person once in a blue moon. The relevance of having a free rail zone for the streetcar is out the window until fares actually get enforced or the whole streetcar system simply admits that it is fareless and goes fareless.

'Be Seen, Be Safe' at Pioneer Square tonight

http://bikeportland.org/2011/11/04/be-seen-be-safe-at-pioneer-square-tonight-61530?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BikePortland+%28BikePortland.org%29
But unfortunately I'll be busy tonight so I can't go down there and get video of the event. Darn it.

Holiday Fare - transit ticket donations

http://holidayfare.blogspot.com/2011/11/welcome.html
This is a new--and great--idea from our friend Dr. Jeff. It is only in the beginning phases, but has great potential to turn into something big.
Click the link above to go to the blog to read more about this great idea and spread it along! Get the word out.

Tall skinny come-on

http://bojack.org/2011/11/tall_skinny_comeon.html

There is only a budget deficit for stuff that we don't like

Because MAX is full steam ahead...

Kitzhaber endorses Barbur Boulevard MAX

What budget deficit? Nah. There is only one when we say there is, so right now there isn't one

The Live-Near-Work program is funded by a $30,000 TriMet grant designed to help commuters find alternatives to driving. The money will be used to pay for Chamber of Commerce staff to make presentations about the program.
http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2011/11/a_new_homeownership_program_of.html