As TriMet’s budget crisis situation develops, the organization at the heart of Portland’s public transit system continues its public outreach efforts. Through various town hall meetings and open houses, TriMet offers to share information regarding current proposals being drafted for a new system-wide plan to be implemented in September.
As TriMet’s budget crisis situation develops, the organization at the heart of Portland’s public transit system continues its public outreach efforts. Through various town hall meetings and open houses, TriMet offers to share information regarding current proposals being drafted for a new system-wide plan to be implemented in September.
The second of four open-house meetings was held on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the Portland Building downtown. The conference room was full of concerned citizens lining up to question TriMet representatives on issues surrounding the most recent draft of the budget proposal. Questions asked at the meeting addressed topics ranging from the proposed fare hikes and the elimination of fare zones, to trimmed MAX and bus schedules. TriMet representatives manned tables with graphs, charts and figures aimed at addressing each of the specific aspects of public transit’s likely future.
“I thought it was informative…I think people got the info about the route changes and fare hikes. The poster board aspect and the stations where they had people to talk to were pretty helpful,” said Keegan Matosich, a senior English major who attended the event. Despite the availability of information, some people found the meeting wasn’t quite what they expected. “I think a lot of people were confused and thought it was going to be a hearing; I think a lot of people had all this bottled up energy and wanted to express their opinion,” Matosich said.
Though there was no official forum for public voice, many people took time to fill out the comment sheets that were distributed at the door. And there seemed to be no shortage of opinions as TriMet officials weathered complaints and frustrations from commuters. Between written and vocalized concerns and opinions, TriMet is collecting important reactions to the current proposal that may influence upcoming drafts.
“We’ve received feedback from over 2,000 residents who have either attended one of our open houses or community meetings,” said TriMet official Drew Blevins. “The responses we receive will aid us in refining our proposal that we will present at our public hearings scheduled for March.”
The most vocal response seemed to come from people who ride within one or two zones of the current bus fare system, making efficient round trips on a single ticket. For inner-city dwellers, the proposed switch to one-way tickets would double the cost of many commutes. One woman complained about how something as simple as a trip to the grocery store will be a financial challenge under the doubled cost. Matosich agreed with the sentiment, adding, “I take the bus when it’s raining, but if it’s going to be $5 round trip, that’s going to affect me—I’ll ride my bike even when it’s raining.”
According to Dan Zalkow, director of planning, sustainability and real estate at Portland State, over 40 percent of PSU students and employees use public transit to get to campus. The current fare proposal would likely increase the price of the student FlexPass by 14 percent and the cost of regular monthly passes will jump from $81 to $100 for the new all-zone inclusive model.
Zalkow also talked with the Vanguard about PSU’s concerns over the elimination of the free rail zone. “There are a lot of residents on campus that use the free rail zone. There are a lot of employees that drive or bike to work that use the free rail zone to get to meetings and appointments downtown or in the Pearl District…However, we really understand TriMet’s tough financial situation and we realize that they’re going to need to do a number of things to close that budget gap.”
From TriMet’s point of view, these changes are undesirable but inevitable in the face of budget shortfalls and few options of boosting revenue. Decision makers face a stressful balancing act of losing riders to high cost or cutting service due to lack of funds. Through increased revenue, TriMet hopes that already reduced services will be restored and that with money from higher fares, the shrinking of the MAX schedule and limiting of bus routes may be temporary. According to Blevins, TriMet is making it a priority to “first restore frequent service when our budget allows.”
In contrast to the concerns over TriMet’s budget problems, the topic of Portland Streetcar expansion drew excitement from the crowd. The Portland Streetcar Loop Project, which is scheduled to be open for service in September 2012, will provide Streetcar services along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and will connect to downtown via the Broadway Bridge. Although the Portland Streetcar will also see fare changes (a portion of its funding comes from TriMet), the emphasis fell on the nearly doubled extension of streetcar service and the potential for economic growth and greater transportation options in the area.
Shoshanah Oppenheim of the Portland Bureau of Transportation said, “The Streetcar has always been seen as part-transport, part-economic development tool. The Streetcar really has helped organize development in the Pearl District and has encouraged investment along the entire alignment. Now that we are expanding to the East side, we are expecting that same idea to come true there.”
The open house meetings serve as a lead up to the March public hearings, during which any revisions based on public input will be revealed. The information on the current budget proposal presented at all of the open house meetings is available on the TriMet website at www.trimet.org. Also on the website is a section for comments.
