Transit into the future via downtown

Once upon a time, I briefly lived in a far-off land called Germany. It was a magical place where anyone could get to practically wherever they needed in the land without the aid of a car. The rail lines there curved through the cities and beyond, offering a very logical and convenient mode of transportation.

One of the reasons I was attracted to move to Portland was the efficient mass transit options it has become known for. And it is only going to get better, right? Well, we’ll see.

When it comes to traveling in this town, Metro, TriMet and the City of Portland care more about getting you downtown than where you need to go.

A year ago, while reporting for another publication, I attended a meeting Metro held for gathering public input on Portland’s future mass transit. It was meant to pick the community’s brain and see how to better improve the system. The dialogue covered many topics, yet the future of the MAX dominated the discussion. One thought echoed across the crowd with fervor: “Stop making us go through downtown on the MAX.”

So when the Oregonian reported Sept. 13 on proposed MAX lines that could come our way, where do you think those lines go? If you guessed downtown, yet again, you’re correct.

One line listed on the map accompanying the Oregonian’s article ran from Sherwood to Gresham, passing through some areas currently untouched by the MAX. I seem to remember the area being of interest to everyone at the meeting one year ago, as a stretch of land needing to be addressed. But I also remember no one wanting the line to divert to downtown Portland on its path.

Now there isn’t anything wrong with downtown. Though, when you think about it, how efficient is it to bottleneck through the dense city? Not to mention, we now have four lines passing through the area. I think we’ve got it covered.

As good as Portland’s rail system is, try comparing it to other rail schemes around the world. London has a nice system with various lines that interact so one can travel from point to point with ease. Or look at New York City’s subway system, the most extensive in the United States. Their lines act like a web across the entire metro area with multiple interacting stations. Munich, Germany, also has an extensive light and commuter rail system that shares New York’s ability to extend transportation to multiple destinations over the entire city, crisscrossing a number of shared connections.

Instead of looking to other cities, and adopting the best of what they have to offer our emerging MAX system, Portland simply has adopted a limited philosophy of “just shove everyone downtown.”
Now, try and imagine with me a Portland where one can go from Tigard to Milwaukie and beyond without taking a detour up north and then back down again. Or go from Beaverton to Gresham without having to play stop-and-go through traffic along Southwest Yamhill.

We still have great mass transit here in Portland, but it can get better—as long as the powers that be start understanding that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and not through downtown.