VanPortlander

A couple weeks ago I blogged about how TriMet should use the GPS data to provide real-time connection info on buses and light rail train.

Today on #6 both in the morning and afternoon I saw what might be a precursor to that system. Today there were automated announcements (accompanied by message board displays) at each major transfer point such as Burnside, Hawthorne, Pacific (MAX), and so on. This is quite possibly the worst photo I’ve ever taken, but here’s a quick snapshot of the message board in use:

First we have automated transfer announcements… hopefully the next step is tying that data together for real-time transfer status information.

Today I was reading an article from the Tribune talking about one business’ program of offering a contest where employees could win a bicycle and accessories for commuting, with the caveat that they actually had to make a commitment to use the cycle for that purpose for 4-5 days per month.

The second winner, announced Friday, wasn’t so sure about that commitment.

Greg Owens, a 47-year-old accountant, drives to Rejuvenation’s Northwest Portland location from Washougal, Wash., in a Ford pickup five days a week. He says he’s spending about $60 a week on gas.

Even so, he was feeling a bit hesitant about going to two wheels.

“It’s 26 and a half miles,” he says. “I would practically have to start the previous day.”

Greenie-friendly commuting. A modern house. Property. Wages that employers can afford to pay.

Pick a mix; you can’t have it all.

Imagine a display screen on a bus or MAX car. Imagine that as the bus or train approached transfer locations, that screen would show the estimated times until the next transfers arrive.

The bus and train tracking technology already exists for use by the Transit Tracker system.

Surely I’m not the only one who has a commute that depends on a fairly close connection, and if I knew that I had just missed that connection I might take an alternate route…

Yes, again, someone has wrecked their car by driving through barricades at the closed Klineline Bridge over Salmon Creek.

Maybe I could setup some sort of automated job to keep posting this over and over again to the blog…

ODOT and the Port of Portland will be hosting an open house to discuss the issue of congestion at the Airport Way / I-205 interchange, specifically the long delays for travelers and commuters attempting to access I-205 northbound. The open house is on March 5th, and the announcement is sparse on the details of the plan but says the first step is a study looking at the current congestion.

I suppose it’s appropriate because it’s near the project site, but the open house is at the Airport Sheraton, which means if I attend, I’ll have to then go sit in a backup at the interchange. How apropos.

Police car with victim’s coat on the ground - click for more on Flickr

As mentioned in my last post, this evening I came across the scene of a bike vs. car hit and run accident in Southeast Portland at 11th and Oak. Fortunately the victim appeared not to have life-threatening injuries; she was talking and moving as she was treated and loaded into the ambulance.

I was surprised to only see one Portland Police car with two officers conducting the investigation. I guess with a hit and run with minor injuries and no real visible physical evidence (no debris in the road, no skid marks, etc) there wasn’t much on-scene investigation other than talking to the witness.

I’m curious to see if this gets much coverage either from mainstream media or from BikePortland. From what I can tell I was the only “journalist” on-scene.

I have a few more photos on Flickr.

A bicyclist was hit this evening around 5:15 at the intersection of Southeast 11th and Oak. When I walked by she was talking and moving as she was being treated by medical personnel. According to a witness, the cyclist rode through the stop sign without stopping, into the path of the car. So it was likely the cyclist’s fault, but the driver is still a giant asshole for leaving the scene.

More info and a few (tasteful) photos later this evening once I get home.

Bike vs. TriMet? Cyclist fatality? Unleash the blog commentary about…. now. Can we please wait for some facts on this one before we start the “damn Trimet… damn drivers… damn cyclists” routine?

I headed over to BikePortland to see if they had any info, but right now (20:45) the site is throwing a WordPress database error. I suspect Jonathan will have things back up shortly.

One of the side topics which comes up when discussing fare enforcement on TriMet is the fact that the MAX ticket machines have a record of being very unreliable. It’s not uncommon for all of the machines at a stop to be out of service.

click to view on Flickr - used via Creative Commons license

I saw this photo on Flickr, taken by Major Clanger. It’s a telling piece of information of a potential reason why the ticket machines are flaky. They’re running Windows 3.

I’m curious… even when it was new, was Windows 3 ever a good choice for an embedded system?

As you’ve probably heard, TriMet has put the brakes on a plan to either eliminate or shorten the hours for Fareless Square. They obviously bungled the public (sorta) input process and now they say they’re going to do some evaluation comparing Fareless Square to crime data before making a decision.

That might not be the best plan.

Last week on this blog I asked my one question about the link between Fareless Square and the violence. Folks like Amanda Fritz took time to go to the hearing and attempt to make their views known. Today I had a thought: it’s all irrelevant. We’ve been asking to see some correlation between Fareless Square and crime on MAX. That’s the wrong question to ask.

The question that should be asked is whether a simple change in fare structure would act as a deterrent to those who would end up committing a robbery or assault. Even if there was a link between Fareless Square and crime, would instituting a $2 fare actually keep anyone from getting mugged? I doubt it… the folks who are going to beat someone aren’t going to be put off by a fare evasion issue. Given the very sporadic fare inspection, a slight change in fare structure isn’t likely to reduce violent crime. For the fare change to be effective would require a significant increase in fare inspectors or security personnel on the trains… which likely would act as a deterrent.

If TriMet wants to boost security to fight crime, that sounds like a reasonable plan. But to suggest that a $2 fare is going to keep someone from committing a violent felony is laughable.