Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 16:43:14 -0500 (EST)
From: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at KeithLynch.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Portland
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

"Michael Walsh" <MJW at press.jhu.edu> wrote:

> One of the fascinating pieces of urban planning in Portland
> is the Fareless Square - where in a large piece of downtown
> Portland the public transit is free.  Details here:
> http://www.trimet.org/fares/fareless.htm

How large a piece?  That web page doesn't say.

> Well, that's one way to encourage people to get out of their cars.

This area seems to be doing their best to force people *into* cars.
Metro will be removing several seats from each rail car, despite
overwhelmingly negative public feedback.  This will allow them to
stuff more people into each standing-room-only rail car.  It's cheaper
than the alternative of running longer or more frequent trains, which
would cost nearly one percent of what it would cost to widen the
Beltway and other highways, which will probably be necessary once
more people give up on Metro.

Last night I took the last Z2 bus of the night (at 7:12 pm!) to a
PRSFS meeting.  Or at least I tried to.  The bus windows were so badly
scratched and fogged that I couldn't figure out where I was.  I got
out thinking I had missed my stop.  Actually I was five miles short
of my stop.  Sigh.

At least I arrived only 45 minutes later than I would have.  No, I
don't walk at seven miles per hour.  The bus doesn't get to that
neighborhood until 15 minutes after I got off, i.e. it goes at only
about four times walking speed.