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More questions after MAX ride
Councilors see some strong points and some major pitfalls on tour of MAX line
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“That does not make me happy,” she said.
Then she asked if the guard, a former military man with aspirations of becoming a police officer, would let his 16-year-old sister ride the MAX alone.
He paused for a moment, standing in the presence of half a dozen of his high-level supervisors intently listening in, before admitting that he would not let her ride alone. When Barnes asked why not, he said, “I don’t want to bite my own tongue.”
School benefits
Barnes, who teaches in Milwaukie, did see at least one high point on the trip. While administrators at the Portland Waldorf and St. John the Baptist Catholic schools worry about noise and safety issues with a Milwaukie light rail, Barnes found an elementary school in Portland with light rail just outside its front door.
As the group was walking down the street from a bus stop to a Max platform, Barnes saw a school, Trillium Charter School, and one of its teachers out front unlocking his bike. After speaking with him, she said she was encouraged at how well Trillium utilized the MAX and the potential for Milwaukie schools.
“He said they integrate the light rail into their curriculum” by teaching children how to safely ride it, Barnes said.
He told her the trains can’t be heard and he’s never heard of a safety issue affecting the children.
Barnes spoke of how easy it would be to take students to Portland for field trips and how much tax money the school district could save by taking light rail instead of renting buses for such excursions.
A TriMet official chimed in, saying they could arrange the schedule and offer a group discount, as well.
Safety and security meeting
While council members on the tour maintained a generally relaxed air, participants at Wednesday’s Safety and Security Task Force meeting at TriMet headquarters were more frustrated and critical of the current system and proposed changes.
The group discussed park-and-ride facilities, individual stations, safety and security and other issues.
Participants did more listening than brainstorming on the issue of park-and-rides. Donna Henderson, of the transit police, discussed various tactics her department is using to curb car theft and break-in issues.
The newest one, she said, involves placing flyers on all the vehicles in a given parking lot. Cars with valuables in plain view get a note on their flyer describing what police saw – the officer then looks up the vehicle owner and calls him or her to ask that the valuables be hidden in the future to prevent a potential break-in.
Henderson also said auto theft isn’t high compared to other areas in the city.
“The increases in auto theft in TriMet facilities is a lot less than the increase in Portland in general,” Henderson said.
But the overriding sentiment among participants was for more police and fare inspectors on the trains.
Theresa Pucik, vice chairwoman of the Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League, decried the usefulness of the hired security.
“Hire more fare inspectors, not Wackenhut guards.”
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Reader comments
Re: More questions after MAX ride
I am so glad to see they experienced the notorious broken ticket machines. If TriMet plans to adopt a "zero tolerance" policy for fare evaders, they need to provide a reliable method to pay the fare. This has been a huge problem from day one on the Interstate line, and the main reason I ride it so rarely, in spite of living withing a couple of blocks of a stop.
I actually LIKE light rail and enjoy having it in my neighborhood. I just hate how user un-friendly it can be at times.
""
(email verified)
Wed, Dec 19, 2007 at 10:11 AM
Re: More questions after MAX ride
I HATE light rail - I hate the way it sucks tax dollars like there is no tomorrow; actually there IS a tomorrow and light rail will suck even MORE money from us. I don't like the way less than 5% of the population uses it (on any kind of regular basis) yet it is declared a 'success'. I don't like the way it costs more to build than a freeway, yet the freeway carries both goods, services and people, while light rail ONLY carries people. I don't like the way that everytime something happens that stops light rail, they are stuck, they have to send buses to bail out this boondoggle. I hate all the freeloading that goes on. I hate the way it's almost impossible to add trains during the times that there is a demand for it and it is so hard to take them off line when the demand is down (rush hour vs any other time of the day). I hate the way the train and it's route is immovable regardless of where people actually want to live. I hate the way it's average speed (due to all the stops) is 19 miles an hour.
I HATE light rail.
"native Portlander"
(email verified)
Wed, Dec 19, 2007 at 11:45 AM
Re: More questions after MAX ride
Native Portlander, I couldn't agree with you more!
I won't go near MAX. I rode for a while and it was just so awful. I now ride a bike!
"Dwight Richey"
(email verified)
Wed, Dec 19, 2007 at 12:22 PM
Re: More questions after MAX ride
Native Portlander, I agree with you also, but it doesn't really matter anymore anyway. We voted against light rail, and they built it anyway. I don't think it matters what we think because we, the people, serve the local government, they no longer serve us.
"mark"
(email verified)
Wed, Dec 19, 2007 at 05:31 PM
Re: More questions after MAX ride
Isn't obvious that Tri-Met upper management is sort of incompetent for the money they make, Jeez people get a clue. How much of the blame game are you willing to accept? My mother always told me "When ever you point your index finger at another, there are always three fingers pointing back at YOU!" ...Hello?
"urinate on a tree"
(email verified)
Wed, Dec 19, 2007 at 11:29 PM
Re: More questions after MAX ride
I'd rather city, state and federal governments spend their largesse on more dedicated bike paths than light rail. Individual transportation modes like cars, bicycles, motor bikes and walking are more flexible and cost effective than fixed rail systems. Light rail also detracts from bus service.
"Bob Clark"
(email verified)
Thu, Dec 20, 2007 at 01:59 AM
Re: More questions after MAX ride
I never have problem riding MAX... I usually buy monthly TriMet pass which saves alot of hassles. I use buses regularly. I ride MAX once in while. Great for long distance trips. I use MAX to/from the airport. It is so easy to get on/off there. It is far cheaper than paying fee for parking there. I can understand some people have low opinion of TriMet and MAX.
People riding on busses or MAX sometimes can be iffy. Mornings are not a problem. Late afternoon/evening you would see a few punks. That is ok with me. I guess I enjoy observing strange people. I have not seen violence on busses or Max yet. Violence happens anywhere else anyway.
"h"
(email verified)
Thu, Dec 20, 2007 at 07:59 AM
Re: More questions after MAX ride
I have a business along the new Clackamas MAX line. During construction I've experienced a significant increase in transient and criminal activity. I'm now looking at moving my business out of North Clackamas and as far away from a MAX line as possible.
"JAC"
(email verified)
Thu, Dec 20, 2007 at 09:51 AM
Re: More questions after MAX ride
The lady who couldn't speak English should've been check for her legality and turned over to ICE!
"Truth be told"
(email verified)
Thu, Dec 20, 2007 at 10:34 AM
Re: More questions after MAX ride
Why is it we can use local resources to lobby the Federal Government for money, but we can't allocate enough resources to pay for education and maintain our infrastructure? TriMet can't figure out how to maintain fare collection equipment, yet MAX is a success? Crime is centralized all along the Light Rail line, yet MAX is a success? We have to build - expand - MAX between Clackamas Town Center and Gateway because MAX is such a success? WE need to freeze all MAX expansion and not reward TriMet management for mediocre performance.
"mark"
(email verified)
Fri, Dec 21, 2007 at 05:40 PM
Re: More questions after MAX ride
Why do politicians like Councilor Deborah Barnes support Light rail?
Could it be the pork that comes with it?
$78 million to add an 8.3 mile light rail extension to the MAX in Portland. The extension will connect downtown Portland with Clackamas Regional Center and will run along I-205.
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=119851512865144700
"Politicians seem to do anything for money"
(email verified)
Wed, Dec 26, 2007 at 12:09 AM
Re: More questions after MAX ride
CONCERNED ABOUT SECURITY ON MAX TO BE BUILT TO MILWAUKIE? WELL WHY NOT DITCH THE PROJECT. BUS WORKS FINE FOR ME. ONLY 10-20 MIN TO PORTLAND DOWNTOWN. I BELIEVE MAX WOULD TAKE MORE TIME DUE TO EXTRA STOPS ALONG THE ROUTE. IT IS TIME TO DROP AND RUN FROM THE PROJECT.
""
(email verified)
Fri, Dec 28, 2007 at 04:48 AM
Re: More questions after MAX ride
It sounds as if the upper management of TriMet rarely use the services they provide? Broken/non-working Ticket/Validation Machines are the norm when using the system. I traveled with the Day Care, my son attends, to a Portland Beaver Game this summer and had to buy our tickets from the station adjacent to the MAC Club, because none of the 4 ticket machines worked at the Civic Stadium Stop. I have ridden the trolley many times and the on board ticket machines have never worked - now I've only ridden them 10-20 times, maybe it was a fluke. I use to think the running joke, from the police, about the east side Park and Rides was that they acted a a pick up and delivery point for stolen cars, isn't that still the case?
My advice to the City of Millwaukie is that they need to run, as fast as they can away from TriMet and the PDC and save your city from the crime and embarrassment of having MAX run through your Backyard.
"mark"
(email verified)
Wed, Dec 19, 2007 at 07:59 AM