3 responses to “Open Thread for the week of November 17-23, 2013”
Urban cacti.
We could beautify bus and rail stops with cacti instead of trees. They would be interesting, iconic, and they would be perfect for problem stops. Those needles would make vandalization a rather painful experience.
Oh, and on another note, I am happy that much of the high frequency network is going to be restored in March of next year. My question is: why in the hell are they waiting so long to do it? Why not do it now and give people some relief. I’m tired of standing on the bus all the time.
Things take time. Specifically, there’s a process to create the new schedules and work assignments, then those work assignments need to be put out for the operators to sign up for, and then things finalized.
Plus, TriMet is in need of more operators even before the additional work is considered, and it takes time to accept applications, hire and train.
Portland hotels within a quarter mile of rail stations earn 67.7 percent more revenue and average 15 percent higher occupancy rates than their peers in cities without rail connections.
(Caveat: I haven’t had time to read the actual study yet … it may be fine, or it may be skewed just as far in the opposite direction as the much-debated study earlier this year purporting to show that rail projects didn’t have as much development bang-for-the-buck.)
3 responses to “Open Thread for the week of November 17-23, 2013”
Urban cacti.
We could beautify bus and rail stops with cacti instead of trees. They would be interesting, iconic, and they would be perfect for problem stops. Those needles would make vandalization a rather painful experience.
Oh, and on another note, I am happy that much of the high frequency network is going to be restored in March of next year. My question is: why in the hell are they waiting so long to do it? Why not do it now and give people some relief. I’m tired of standing on the bus all the time.
Things take time. Specifically, there’s a process to create the new schedules and work assignments, then those work assignments need to be put out for the operators to sign up for, and then things finalized.
Plus, TriMet is in need of more operators even before the additional work is considered, and it takes time to accept applications, hire and train.
New study from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) declares:
Proximity to rail transit is a major boon for the hotel industry. And Portland, with direct access via the Blue Line to Portland International Airport, is a major beneficiary.
(Caveat: I haven’t had time to read the actual study yet … it may be fine, or it may be skewed just as far in the opposite direction as the much-debated study earlier this year purporting to show that rail projects didn’t have as much development bang-for-the-buck.)