Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 17:09:47 -0500
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Portland
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

> kfl at KeithLynch.net 3/12/2005 4:43:14 PM >>>
>"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.

I suspect it's aimed atthe locals who "know".  but according to:
<http://www.portlandalliance.com/getting-around.htm>
"some 300 square blocks of Portland's Central City, and the core of
the Lloyd District on the east side."

>
>> 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.

All of this brough back memories of O. Roy Chalk and D.C Transit... and
the Three Sisters Bridge Project.

There are times when I am amazed that there even is a Metro, what with
Maryland, Virginia, DC, and Congress all having some control things.

A forthcoming book from JHUP is a history of Metro.  I think in a year
or so it'll be out.

mjw