When the BBC wanted to look at where public transit was working in a 2006 series called "The Best Public Services in the World," they found their answer in America. And not in New York City or Chicago. They found it in Portland, Oregon. Home to TriMet, a regional transit operator that operates 3 light rail lines, a streetcar, and 92 bus lines (16 have service every 15 minutes.) The whole system has a GPS-based real-time information system based on numbers assigned to every stop. You can use stop numbers to call an automated phone number or visit a website to find out when you bus or train will arrive. The light rail serves the airport and the streetcar serves Portland State University. Also in town is an aerial tram, a network of bike lanes, and even a former freeway that is now an urban park. 96.9 million trips are taken every year, compared to 70 million on Port Authority. All of this in a metropolitan area with slightly less people than Pittsburgh metro area and a higher median income.
See the video of this system below, or click here: Part 1, Part 2.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
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I've spent a good bit of time in Portland and the bus system there is just so solid you'd never even think of owning a car.
ReplyDeleteEspecially useful are the #s assigned to stops, you can just call an automated system and know precisely how long it'll be until your bus shows up.
Couple that with an excellent biking infrastructure and mindset, and you've got amazingly safe and friendly streets.
But everything about Portland is great, so...
Never been there but it sounds like a model of what we should strive for here in Pittsburgh. I was very encouraged after attending the TRID meeting in Mt Lebanon last week. The Transit Revitalization Investment District project consists of mixed use development around three South Hills T Stations - Mt Lebanon, Dormont Junction, and Potomac Avenue.
ReplyDeleteThe presentation from last week is at http://www.mtlebanon.org/DocumentView.asp?DID=2432
but right now I cannot get it to download.
A Yinzer living in Portland now and ride the transit everyday:
ReplyDeleteIt is not as great as the media makes it out to be.
The truth:
The BAD
Lots of crime on transit. Teenagers always intimidating the other riders.
Stinky homeless ride around all day because of the fareless square entry and no one checks beyond that.
Buses are very overcrowded at rush hours, and will actually skip stops.
Bike riders always delay the buses, they think they own the road out here.
No one talks to each other on the bus, unlike the east coast.(Very cold disconnected city anyway)
Tons of white trash riding with you.
The GOOD:
Transit Tracker is nice
Frequent lines are good
All lines Hub in downtown