"The Northeast segment of the 9 will be combined with the 17"

That's supposed to be 70, not 17, right?

That map looks like the old proposal. I don't see the changes mentioned above in it.

Yeah, that is still the same old map. Unfortunately it looks like they did not release any revised maps in time for this announcement.

Nick, they are combining the 70 with the 73, and the 9 with the 17. It's quite a change from the early proposal. I think this is a good way to go. The 9-Powell will be able to stand on its own, which will improve reliability and set it up nicely for an eventual BRT line. The new 17 will maintain downtown connections for those who have it now, and the new 70 will be a new crosstown between SE and NE Portland.

It looks Gunderson caught the attention of TriMet! They are putting the 16 back on Front and extending the 15 farther to cover the other part of industrial NW. This was a very smart move, and one I was all set to suggest in a post!

Also good to see some service added to crowded routes.

Yes, it's the old map (I've modified the text)--my error. I'll put up a new one when it becomes available.

TriMet abandoned plans to combine the NE 9 with the 70 in March; after an outcry. The 70 and 73 will instead be combined; this was announced in March and is not changed in the final proposal.

Other confirmations I found on the site.

* line 94 will become the local feeder to Sherwood to Tigard with express trips to/from Portland in peak hours, similar to line 30 in Estacada/Clackamas. A new line (21 Sandy/223rd) will serve the East County portion of line 12.

*Line 82/87 will have all day service across the whole route and will extend to Gateway. The name will remain line 87 Airport Way/181st. (Wow, is it just me or is Rockwood "Transit Center" utterly deserted? In fact the same could be said for Lombard and Parkrose, two other transit centers that
Will only serve two TriMet routes and MAX. Just a curious note).

I find it interesting how many gains they made in the cuts. Almost impressed, really. All day service on Airport Way/NE 181st, all day service on Front, Sunday service to the NW industrial and on Everett/21st, faster trips to St. Johns and Sauvie Island, Sunday service on a full corridor along Cornell and the added trips on 7 lines. Some of the cuts are still pretty gnarly and the fare increases are staggering (at least for someone who's about to turn 18 and will go from $1.50 to $2.50, and really it's pretty bad otherwise.)

My guard is still up but I'm a bit optimistic about all this. Interesting approach, to say the least.

Great, STILL no mention of the fact that they're proposing shifting 77 service 20 days before the Eastside Streetcar opens. You would think that TriMet and Streetcar would want to coordinate their route changes.

Chris? Has this been brought up at PSI at all?

Now that the 15 and 16 are going to go to the same place, would it be better to have the 15 go out to Sauvie Island instead of the 16? It would (somewhat) follow the present service pattern that exists today with the 17 and allow service along Front Ave to be reduced, but would mean an extra transfer for those going between St Johns and Front Ave, as well as lengthen a long route while creating a short stub route.

Great, STILL no mention of the fact that they're proposing shifting 77 service 20 days before the Eastside Streetcar opens.

I don't see that as an issue--it's not like the eastside line will go west to 23rd and would be a replacement for the 77. But what is an issue, given the budget, is Line 6. I know it's kind of off the table now, but what I would like to see is the 6 being combined with the 70. It would keep the eastside service the 6 now provides and even improve on it by going even further than Hawthorne to Powell and the Milwaukie MAX line while eliminating duplicate service.

I wish they would provide more concrete schedule details before writing their changes in stone. Specifically, I would like to know about the split on the 12 at Parkrose. My husband takes the 12 bus from SE 12th Ave. & E Burnside to Columbia Center at 181st & Airport Way for work during the week, and he wants to know if the 21 will have timed connections with the 12 (something I doubt). The 87 will be completely useless to him as MAX is too far away, and the 87 stops running before he gets off of work anyway. I thought they said it would be an "all day" bus. Ending at 7 PM is not "all day" in my book. How late will the 21 run, how frequently? Have we just missed these details, or have they not yet been released?

And if TRIMET loses again, which is quite likely because they BREAK THE LAW, then PORTLAND GET READY FOR THIS!

Hahahaha!

(posted from 37,841 feet)

In all seriousness, this is the [Moderator: Rude variation on McFarlane bleeped-ES] version of SHOCK AND AWE with TRIMET bus riders as the targets.

You're really helping your cause, Al. I hope you and your union buddies lose. I've already lost my single seat ride to work, and you come at us with that attitude. Shame on you.

I could go into a counterargument toward your post there, but I'll just say this- regardless what you think of Al, a cause shouldn't be dismissed over one supporter. And just because one side suffers doesn't give them the right to drag everyone else down with you. (And this is from a routine sufferer)

But this is coming from a bleeding idealist; regardless I'll say no more since I'm sure we're veering off topic.

Great, STILL no mention of the fact that they're proposing shifting 77 service 20 days before the Eastside Streetcar opens. You would think that TriMet and Streetcar would want to coordinate their route changes.

I would agree with Jason that the 77 changes don't really have that much interaction to with the new Streetcar alignment across the river.

But my advice to Streetcar was to let the 'bad news' TriMet reductions happen first, then follow with the 'good news' opening of the new streetcar line!

Hey don't get angry with me, it's not my fault.
Of course if you buy the argument by Mcfarloo that the whole Trimet mess is the unions fault then I feel sorry for you.

But don't take my word for it, take the words of John Charles who does an excellent job of articulating the Problem at trimess.

Any more details on the service increases for the 44? Could all of my bitching on Twitter about how early it stops running finally paid off?!

Charles' problem with TriMet is that it is a very successful public agency. His outfit is against public libraries, public schools, public transit and probably public water and sewers. Not my view of civilization. I am sure he is against all unions as well both private and public sector. Watch who you pick for "friends."

Successful Lenny?
Successful for some people sure, Fred Hansen walked away a millionaire and somehow was able to turn himself into a 'guru' of transit.

It's successful for most of the people that work there, including myself. Liveable wage and benefits for a basically 'unskilled' job. (Although being a bus driver at Trimet is a very undesirable life, IMO, there are plenty of drivers who disagree with me.)
The executive class employees all walk away with a huge pile of cash, so Trimet is successful for them.

The people that live in downtown Portland have transit options up the kazoo, so Trimet is successful for them.

But then, there are the people that live in the very unfashionable "sprawl" who left the fashionable "planned urban living space" for for less traffic and less people.

They had been counting on Trimet to be there as its been there for the past 20 years.

For them Trimet is an abject failure, completely abandoning them and forcing many to move to places they left for a reason.

And then there are the bus riders who have seen the fares go up and up while getting less and less, Trimet is not successful for them.

And then there are the promises made to employees that have been broken because one man says it should be that way, that makes Trimet executives into liars and a very unsuccessful example for all to see.

And the never ending expansion in the face of service cuts, the total hypocrisy of that is not my idea of success.

Many of the conservative ideas have a foundation in facts, just like everything, sometimes they go to far.

The truth of the matter is that the reality is somewhere between the John Charles of the world and the Sam Adams of the world.

Neither of their point of views are correct, but neither of their point of views are wrong, the truth is in the middle.

Certainly for the West side riders, the people I have been working with for a decade, Trimet is an abject failure.

It's just your typical out of control government entity, no accountability to anyone with a complete lack of empathy for the citizens its supposed to serve.

I've worked too long with the people that have been hurt by this agency.

I have only worked one day in the past six weeks, and I gotta tell ya, I DO NOT MISS it at all. It's very oppressive environment since Macfarwatever got there.

My point is, "success" is one HUGE SUBJECTIVE VALUE.

I notice that on the map, #77 is shown as an "all day" route. But does that necessary mean it will operate in NW on weekends, or "all day" only during Mon. - Fri?

Here's what I don't get. Why not run line 77 to Thurman? At first glance of the map it looked as if line 77 was running to Thurman, but nope. So we have 1.5 bus lines (77 and the part of the 15) going to Montgomery Park and half a bus line (the other split of the 15) going to Thurman. Running the 77 that way makes more sense since we have a dedicated bus going to Thurman at all times and frequent service going to Montgomery Park and the NW Industrial area.

The 77 delivers a lot of east side employees to jobs at Montgomery Park.

The 77 delivers a lot of east side employees to jobs at Montgomery Park.

Plus a lot of the Thurman Street riders want to go towards downtown and can be very vocal. Remember what happened when they canceled it after deciding the turnaround was not legal.

"The 77 delivers a lot of east side employees to jobs at Montgomery Park."

>>>> True, but rush hour in one direction only seems to be the only time this line is productive. All the other hours that i ridden/seen it, it has had few riders west of Rose Quarter TC.

I don't understand how getting rid of the free zone will make any money in this new budget, If you work and live within the district, you can walk. So people who ride max and streetcar from tenth avenue and burnside to pioneer place would pay 5 bucks a day instead of just walking or biking? I'd walk it. Anyone else with me on this?

I sure am glad I won't be driving any of these 'reconfigured' routes when they go on line.

I can just visualize the mass confusion this is going to create with riders, and guess who gets to deal with that?

THE BUS DRIVERS

All you anti union people should really understand the facts in this matter also.

ATU 757 President Hunt says "Mcfarlane doesn't get it"!

It would seem to me that if you serve the 25th largest market or thereabouts in the nation, but your number of customers ranks 7th in the nation, you can apply the word "successful" to your enterprise. Perfect? Not by a long shot, but better than most or so the numbers say.
I hope my view that ATU 757 needs to bite the bullet on benefits and make a deal with TriMet management is not seen as "anti union." Public employee unions have a role, but need to understand that they are not fighting shareholders over profits, but are partners with the public who pays all the bills through fares and taxes. We all need to share some of this pain, not just riders and tax payers.

I see that Lenny NEVER brings up executive salaries or EXECUTIVE PENSIONS like Fred Hansen's $15,700 a month absurdity.

Try doing this job and tell me about sharing the pain Lenny.

You wouldn't last a week out here.

And we shall see just how the ridership statistics per capita levels out when there is no more free ride square and no more unreadable transfers.

No matter how you cut the cake Mr Anderson, only 12% of commuters use TRIMET, and that sir, is hardly my version of successful.

It's not even on the map.

So Mr M?? What about my numbers? Are they correct or not. So what if Fred has a nice pension. He earned it. He's not bankrupting TriMet. 12% sounds about right, though within the City of Portland, I expect its higher.
So why not a "give back" here as nasty an idea as it is for you. The Machinists at the Western Star Truck Plant did it a few years ago, saved that plant and now its got a second shift and 1,000 good paying union jobs. Help us a little to get TriMet on firm financial footing, so we can grow service and increase the number of full time operators. Together we can get to 15%. Sounds like a move a progressive union would make, admittedly holding its nose.

I'm not sure there really needs to be a "give back", which seems to imply a reduction in compensation. What it seems really needs to happen is to fix health care so the cost of it doesn't continue to rapidly increase. And it seems that there's plenty of money currently being spent on health care, but that it's not being spent wisely.

Al and the other union people at TriMet are making fools of themselves. They have been benefitting from "too good to be true" health plans and unrealistically expecting those excessive benefits to weather through a great recession.

Non-union employees at TriMet have been on a pay freeze for 4 years and taken on more burden for their health care with small deductible increases and small monthly premiums, but still have a zero cost Kaiser plan. For someone making $30-50k a year, an additional $500 in annual costs is hardly a huge burden. The union health plan would likely be much better than the non-union health plan. Keep in mind, some people are ponying up $500 a month just to have ANY health care.

No one's trying to break the union - all this region and TriMet can reasonably expect is to share the burden of significantly reduced employer payroll tax. A burden that most have already felt all too well with lost jobs, lost homes, and less transit service.