Has light rail been a mistake? (Portland, Green: 2015, homeless, train)

[philwithbeard]

Originally Posted by Minervah

.....The Gateway Transit Center used to connect more buses with MAX than it does now. That includes my number 15 Belmont which does not stop there any longer. ....

I got on the #15 bus 3 days ago at Gateway. During rush hours, only every other #15 goes all the way to Gateway TC. TriMet web site does not list any changes to that for the near future.
(the other #15 buses turns at Washington and 92nd for the Driver's break, and when driver resumes he starts heading West on Stark st. Just west of I-205.)

Phil

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by philwithbeard

I got on the #15 bus 3 days ago at Gateway. During rush hours, only every other #15 goes all the way to Gateway TC. TriMet web site does not list any changes to that for the near future.
(the other #15 buses turns at Washington and 92nd for the Driver's break, and when driver resumes he starts heading West on Stark st. Just west of I-205.)

Phil

I stand corrected then. It appeared to me it didn't stop there at all the last time I was at that transit center since I did not see the #15 bus stop sign. It was last summer I was there and looking for it. Used to be every #15 wound up there. So if it is still there, service has been cut back.

Good to know they are not cutting it back any more.

[karlsch]

Originally Posted by philwithbeard

Sorry, I still don't think the Sheriff proved his point. Because phenomenon A and phenomenon B occur, does not logically prove any causality.

Crime is down everywhere in Clackamas county (and most of the US, for that matter) except for one place...Clackamas Town Center area, where it is up considerably. The only significant change in the Town Center area is the addition of a new light rail line. Any body who is not in denial and is sensible would apply Occam's razor and conclude that the most likely reason for the increase in crime is the rail line.

Originally Posted by philwithbeard

nor did the sheriff relay any arrest / conviction to the broad "crimes."

The statistics say the increase is mainly drug use and theft.

You just don't want to believe the obvious.

[Deezus]

Originally Posted by karlsch

Crime is down everywhere in Clackamas county (and most of the US, for that matter) except for one place...Clackamas Town Center area, where it is up considerably. The only significant change in the Town Center area is the addition of a new light rail line. Any body who is not in denial and is sensible would apply Occam's razor and conclude that the most likely reason for the increase in crime is the rail line.



The statistics say the increase is mainly drug use and theft.

You just don't want to believe the obvious.

Well on the bright side, if the idea is that crime is down everywhere else in Clackamas County except for the Clackamas Town Center, than I suppose one could make the argument that the MAX has actually reduced crime in most areas of Clackamas County by concentrating it at the Town Center...Just up the police patrols in that area and you can catch the easily corralled criminals at the mall.

[philwithbeard]

Originally Posted by Minervah

,,,,,,l the last time I was at that transit center since I did not see the #15 bus stop sign....

along the boarding bus side of the tracks, all the way over by the TriMet parking lot. Right in front of the Bicycle racks. Last, or 2nd to last, in the line.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by philwithbeard

along the boarding bus side of the tracks, all the way over by the TriMet parking lot. Right in front of the Bicycle racks. Last, or 2nd to last, in the line.

Well that explains it. I was looking in the wrong place.

Good to know where it is now.

[tablemtn]

Even if the light rail isn't being used to its full advantage, I don't see the disadvantage of having acquired all those rights-of-way and transit corridors back in the 80's and 90's, when they were much cheaper than they would be today.

In some ways, that's why it was unfortunate that Clark County shot down the light rail extension proposal back in the 1990's, though they had completely justified concerns about tax increases.

[Nell Plotts]

Originally Posted by tablemtn

...In some ways, that's why it was unfortunate that Clark County shot down the light rail extension proposal back in the 1990's, though they had completely justified concerns about tax increases.

They have seen significant tax increases since then, never the less. Their low tax rate was based on the fact that they were primarily rural... wells, septic systems, rural streets. Now they are urban with associated costs paid for by taxes, but no light rail.

[UrbanAdventurer]

Originally Posted by Deezus

I think MAX works in some locations. Taking the train to the airport from downtown is definetely a plus--and from Portland to Beaverton is pretty quick if you are just going to a central area near the MAX network. Part of the problem is that downtown, the MAX basically becomes a street car. If they had money to construct underground for part of downtown the speed of the whole network would be improved. And there are too many stops downtown as well---there are spots like Pioneer Square and Old Town where you have stops literally a block or two away from another stop.

I agree, they should have ran the downtown sections underground. And there are too many stops as well. The whole thing slows to a crawl as it battles traffic and pedestrians for right of way at the street level. But I'm sure budget constraints had something to do with it. It was clearly designed from the start to be more of a street car in the downtown area though...the fairless square/free rail zone is plenty evidence of that.

[ArkansasTraveler]

Originally Posted by actinic

Wow, I just noticed you're already at $2.30 for all-zone and would of been higher were it not for fed stimulus money ... TriMet board votes to increase fares by 5 cents, reduce service | OregonLive.com

Isn't that getting dangerously close to unaffordable for many?

Guess you can thank the rest who live out of state for subsidizing it

You take that $2.30 times the ridership per day and subtract it from actual cost per day and divide that by the ridership, that will come out to some $35.00 buckO' the taxpayers pick up for each $2.30 taken in as 'fares'.