TriMet Schedules Public Hearings for Service Cuts and Fareless Square


TriMet will be holding a series of three public hearings in rapid-succession. The hearings will cover the dual (and somewhat intertwined) topics of service cuts due to reduced revenue, and the future of Fareless Square.

From:
http://trimet.org/meetings/publichearings.htm

Monday, April 6, 2009, 4-7 p.m.

Wilson High School Auditorium

1151 SW Vermont

Portland, OR 97219

Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 4-7 p.m.

Portland Building Auditorium, Second Floor

1120 SW 5th Avenue

Portland, OR 97204

Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 4-7 p.m.

Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office

Public Safety Training Center

12700 SE 82nd Avenue

Portland, OR 97015


11 responses to “TriMet Schedules Public Hearings for Service Cuts and Fareless Square”

  1. I think there was one meeting held in Beaverton during the last round of meetings.

    None in Tigard (never mind that TriMet has office space at the Tigard TC formerly used as the WES Project Office that is EASILY accessible by transit and could be used for such a meeting; I’m sure there is somewhere at Washington Square that can be used as well, there is a community room near the Food Court.) (Line 43)

    None in Hillsboro. (MAX Blue Line, Bus lines 47, 48, 52, 67 (not in Hillsboro but fairly close), 88, 89). None in Tualatin/Lake Oswego (line 37)

    (Forest Grove and Cornelius seem to be spared the budget cut, so I don’t see much reason to have meetings there.)

    These open houses need to be all day affairs, some transit-dependent folks are AT WORK from 4-7. These need to start at 7:00 AM and last until 9:00 PM. Certainly TriMet’s managers who go to these meetings can pull an occassional 12 hour day outside of their cushy Ford Explorers.

    And since the eastside (both East Portland and Clackamas) are the hardest hit, TriMet needs to have MORE meetings in that part of town. Certainly there is somewhere at the Gateway TC, or at Mall 205, or at the Lents Community Center, or in Oregon City, or Clackamas, that could host these meetings.

  2. The open houses are different from the public hearings.

    The hearings are the the actual place where you make your objections known.

  3. None in Washington County?

    Well, it is true that Line 60 is proposed to be discontinued. (I’m not sure if hearings are required for only partial discontinuations.) But it looks like they are having ones for the 55, 63/18 and 156/157.

    Lines in Oregon City (153), NE Portland (86, and there’s probably Line 33 riders who don’t go downtown) and Lake Oswego (37) may also end.

    Certainly TriMet’s managers who go to these meetings can pull an occassional 12 hour day outside of their cushy Ford Explorers

    I think you’re confusing the road supervisors with the administrative staff. It is the latter who do service planning meetings, and they are usually working at the admin building. But they actually did have a 7 AM-7 PM open house when the Portland Mall closed.

    Overall, it would be nice to have all-day hearings, but it should be noted that these are hearings, where people will just give speeches, and not open houses, where people can actually meet with employees and discuss things. It could get pretty boring with just one speech every half hour. And moreover, people can also convey their opinions in letters, e-mails and phone calls.

  4. Jason McHuff wrote: I think you’re confusing the road supervisors with the administrative staff.

    The road supervisors get Ford F-150s.

    The administrative staff get Explorers.

  5. I’m taking all the testimonies I have gotten from people who will be affected by Trimet service cuts and posting them to a separate blog.

    This will be a living history of the faces and words of the people that are going to get whacked by this latest government rip off.

    If you know people who are going to be affected by these cuts and they are willing to put their voice and face out then they can either send me the video or upload the video somewhere and send me the link so it will be added to the other faces and voices.

    It may or may not do any good, but it will be a piece of history that will not be so easy to ignore.

    alyourpalster@gmail.com
    http://trimetriders.blogspot.com/

    [Moderator: Comment moved to this thread per author’s request.]

  6. Did anybody notice TriMet’s comments on its four final options for fareless square?

    http://trimet.org/fareless/index.htm

    One very easily could get the impression that Mr. Hansen has made up his mind on this issue and is only asking for a little affirmation from the public before he goes before the Board.

  7. R.A. Fontes wrote: One very easily could get the impression that Mr. Hansen has made up his mind on this issue and is only asking for a little affirmation from the public before he goes before the Board.

    Typical TriMet M.O.

    We know TriMet wants to do something, so “No Changes” is not going to be chosen.

    We know that TriMet is so heavily pro-Rail/anti-Bus biased, so option #2 is a certainty.

    Option #3 is likely and can be combined with #2.

    Option #4 is a complexity (another fare structure?) and doesn’t really solve anything, so it’ll be thrown out.

  8. Erik Halstead Says: We know that TriMet is so heavily pro-Rail/anti-Bus biased, so option #2 is a certainty.

    We don’t know anything of the kind. And the choice of Option #2 would not prove any such bias, either. In fact, it would improve bus riders’ experience through the Mall by reducing delays at stops — and reduce fare evasion on buses considerably.

  9. TriMet’s comments on the four options could be summarized as follows:
    #1 – all bad
    #2 – all good and lots of them
    #3 – lukewarm, assigning positives to “proponents”
    #4 – mixed, on balance somewhat negative

    One option that didn’t make the list would be to simply eliminate fareless square with no special fare. Of course, that would put all transit on the same footing as would any option other than #2.

    I concur with Erik on this one. TriMet’s words are so transparent. It will be absolutely amazing if the final recommendation to the Board doesn’t include option #2. It looks very much we’ll have to pay $2+ to go even a couple of blocks on a bus but could ride on rails for two miles or more totally subsidized by taxpayers and bus riders.

  10. We know that TriMet is so heavily pro-Rail/anti-Bus biased

    No, YOU “know” that. And you keep saying it over and over again. But that doesn’t make it true.

    That said, I agree with R A’s analysis, but not because of any “bias” by Tri-Met. The “free rail” system they favor actually makes the most sense, in that nearly everything in the current “fareless square” is within a four block walk of at least ONE rail stop. My own real-world use of Fareless Square is almost always on bus and streetcar (although I have a pass so I ride free anyway … I can just say “Fareless” to a driver when I don’t feel like pulling out my wallet.) The only thing I use the buses for — within Fareless Square — is to get to PSU or Union Station/Main Post Office. Once the Green Line opens, I’ll be using that instead.

    It looks very much we’ll have to pay $2+ to go even a couple of blocks on a bus

    Why on earth would anyone use transit for a two-block trip? When I’m getting around downtown, I almost always walk to any destination within eight to ten blocks, unless it’s along a MAX line and MAX just happens to be arriving as I pass the platform.

    As noted, the combination of MAX and Streetcar provides almost complete Fareless Square coverage.

    One option that didn’t make the list would be to simply eliminate fareless square with no special fare.

    This would be my preference. It should at least be on the list.

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