Getting to Portland State

Unless you’re a member of the Saudi royal family or are on familiar terms with Jed Clampett of The Beverly Hillbillies fame, chances are you’re hurtin’ at the pump over continually rising gas prices.

Fortunately, this “slight recession” need not interfere with your daily commute, thanks to these handy resources for getting yourself to Portland State with ease and thrift.

TriMet, Portland’s local transportation company, owns getting around in the city. Here’s how to use their services.

Buses TriMet buses run all over the city (and even in suburbs) making them the easiest way to get around. Buses on less active streets may only run once every half hour, so check line schedules on trimet.org before you head out.

Portland StreetcarThe Portland Streetcar is a convenient (and cheap) way to navigate downtown and NW Portland. Running along 10th and 11th streets, with stops around every three blocks, the streetcar runs either north to Northwest 23rd and Lovejoy streets, or south to Lowell Street and the Oregon Health and Science University (it stops at PSU, too). Riding within Fareless Square, which covers most of downtown Portland, is free.

MAX light rail The MAX runs from the suburbs of Portland (from Hillsboro to the west of the city, to Gresham in the east) and makes stops in downtown, the Rose Garden arena, the Lloyd Center in Northeast Portland and the Portland International Airport, among other places. The easiest place to catch the MAX is Pioneer Place, located at Southwest Broadway and Morrison streets.

TriMet fares (valid for MAX light rail, Portland Streetcar and bus lines)All-zone pass: $2.30 (valid for either 1 or 2 zones out into 3 city zones designated by TriMet)Two-zone pass: $2One-month bus pass: $86 (all zones)PSU student FlexPass (all zones, valid for one school term at PSU): $175

A note on the Green LineAnyone who has spent any time downtown knows getting around can be a complete pain in the bum, due to ongoing construction for the MAX Green Line, currently entering its sixth millennia of development.

The Green Line isn’t scheduled to run until September 2009, but those of us who live/work/attend school downtown have to deal with construction detours on the most convenient routes to just about everywhere in the downtown area. Construction zones also move every few weeks, so chances are as soon as you work out a route to get around them, construction will probably have moved three blocks down the street.

Unfortunately, light rail construction is just a natural hazard of the region that Portlanders have to live with. The best advice is to learn to live peaceably with it.

Bus lines that stop at PSU

Northeast6, 8, 12, 44

Southwest1, 8, 12, 38, 43, 44, 55, 58, 63, 92, 94

Southeast9, 17, 19, 20

Northwest68

For more information on bus lines, visit trimet.org.