Do you know of any Oregon beach towns with a good bus system? (Newport: flat fee, vehicle registration)

[Steve97415]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

Most beach towns, if not all, are small enough where a top notch bus system is not going to be a financial reality for the town.

I'm afraid that pretty well sums it up. The sad thing is that, given the average resident age in most of these towns, a good bus system would make a lot of sense. A very high percentage of our elderly coastal residents don't have the faculties and visual acuity needed to be safe drivers. Unfortunately, we don't make it easy for them to give up their cars. Many coastal towns have dial-a-ride types of bus or van service, but nothing with any set schedule.

[Oregonbeachlover]

Originally Posted by Steve97415

I'm afraid that pretty well sums it up. The sad thing is that, given the average resident age in most of these towns, a good bus system would make a lot of sense. A very high percentage of our elderly coastal residents don't have the faculties and visual acuity needed to be safe drivers. Unfortunately, we don't make it easy for them to give up their cars. Many coastal towns have dial-a-ride types of bus or van service, but nothing with any set schedule.

Actually, the worst drivers I see at the coast are the tourists, who drive well under the speed limit in order to stare at the ocean. Routinely, they will slam on their brakes, too, totally unaware that someone may be driving behind them. I live in a popular area, and this happens to me several times a week. I have never had an "incident" with an older person here... I did have many of those with the elderly in Salem (where they would not see and pull right out in front of me or drive 10 MPH in a 35 MPH zone), yet Salem has a great bus service. Hmmmmm

[sarahkate_m]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

And the comparison to Los Angelos and California?
WE DON"T WANT OREGON TO BECOME CALIFORNIA!!!
The coast is a place to get away from it all, that's the beauty of it, and you can take your "room to grow" statement right back to SOCAL!!!!!!!!
The "Growing" is what is ruining what makes the Oregon coast so special!... This is OREGON for God's sake, not CALIFORNIA!!!!
(Sorry about no "happy face".)

I've had my coffee this morning. How about you? I don't come here to pick fights... Well, not much, anyway *L*

You read way more into my statement than there was ever intended.

I was trying to find a way to state that Oregon is just not as dense as California WITHOUT sounding judgemental & you went all judgemental judo on me!

I love Oregon. I didn't come here to wish anything California like on it.

It's just a-m-a-z-i-n-g that this state is so unpopulated, in comparison to where "I" came from. I had to come from SOMEWHERE since I wasn't born here!

You're the first person in my city-data life to come off as so overtly hostile.

I'm not looking for enemies here! There's no real conflict!

Peace - Kate

PS I just posted to get the thread started! You have to admit it is startling to compare the numeric differences... As for tax base for services, CA takes the cake & runs over it - their tax base is spent ahead of time apparently! Of course we don't want OR to be like CA, silly.

[Oregonbeachlover]

Hey, I was just behind a bus in Lincoln City which said "Lincoln County Transit", so there is a bus service of some sort here on the coast. Just letting the poster know.

[esya]

I think the time has come to admit that "not enough population" is an outdated and irrelevant reason not to have bus transit. We have put gazillions into roads, into private auto subsidies, and into alleged homeland security. I ask, how is the coast of oregon going to evacuate when the two lane roads are insuffient for all the cars, when the roads east are insufficient, when they discontinue passenger rail, boat service, air flights, and there are no buses? Fellow, it's not going to be much different than New Orleans and that should be a national shame. Maybe a bit off point but I just hate to hear that lame old "not enough population" excuse--how many cars with one or two people drive up and down the coast? And what do those cars cost us in taxes?

[sarahkate_m]

Originally Posted by esya

I think the time has come to admit that "not enough population" is an outdated and irrelevant reason not to have bus transit. We have put gazillions into roads, into private auto subsidies, and into alleged homeland security. I ask, how is the coast of oregon going to evacuate when the two lane roads are insuffient for all the cars, when the roads east are insufficient, when they discontinue passenger rail, boat service, air flights, and there are no buses? Fellow, it's not going to be much different than New Orleans and that should be a national shame. Maybe a bit off point but I just hate to hear that lame old "not enough population" excuse--how many cars with one or two people drive up and down the coast? And what do those cars cost us in taxes?

i'm not making excuses about the low tax base per capita - hope ya know - it was just the only reason i could imagine...

people in oregon seem to hate taxation... so PLEASE pretty please forgive me --- but maybe a bit of a tax added to car registration would help, as long as the administration of that tax didn't cost more than the apportioned tax (is that what happened in CA? did the administration eat all their taxes?)

whenever certain taxes are proposed here in OR, like when they think about a sales tax, i wonder if it's cost effective. if paying people to administrate a tax costs more than the tax collects, it's a lose-lose situation... keeping track of sales tax seems like a job no one can really do effectively, also.... i don't think a sales tax would be worth the trouble unless it cost almost nothing to administrate.

i agree there should be more services. i would never propose to make it a loser situation for the citizen or propose higher density as a way to fix anything. but how does a state get ahead?

that money has to come from somewhere.... the feds won't 'bend over' for the states... *g* just for big biznuts.

the feds want to control our food sources (hr875?) and health care, the auto industry & banking/mortgages... i'm not paranoid but the outlook is strange.

i hear portland downtown has an excellent transportation system. i wish it were statewide. i'd love to take a bus to the beach from eugene. i hate driving on those hills. i'm a fraidy cat.

kate

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by esya

I think the time has come to admit that "not enough population" is an outdated and irrelevant reason not to have bus transit. We have put gazillions into roads, into private auto subsidies, and into alleged homeland security. I ask, how is the coast of oregon going to evacuate when the two lane roads are insuffient for all the cars, when the roads east are insufficient, when they discontinue passenger rail, boat service, air flights, and there are no buses? Fellow, it's not going to be much different than New Orleans and that should be a national shame. Maybe a bit off point but I just hate to hear that lame old "not enough population" excuse--how many cars with one or two people drive up and down the coast? And what do those cars cost us in taxes?

What do you mean by this? You mean the Cash for Clunkers program? Because I'm pretty sure, infrastructure aside, I have never been paid by tax dollars from the government to buy or own a car... For example, someone owning a car typically doesn't cost the taxpayers money, other than for building roads.

And in Oregon's case, tsunamis are the risk of living on the coast (I assume that's what you were referring too when you said national shame and evacuation and that). People are aware of the risk and they don't have to live there. Currently, they're mapping out the whole coast to see where people would have to go in order to get out of a tsunami danger zone if the case of a subduction zone megathrust earthquake so the danger can be curtailed. And why would they cut air and bus service? That doesn't make sense. And there hasn't been passenger rail service on the coast for who knows how long. Buses won't exactly help much when the old bridges are all wiped out by the earthquake anyway...

[Gandalara]

Originally Posted by sarahkate_m

but maybe a bit of a tax added to car registration would help, as long as the administration of that tax didn't cost more than the apportioned tax (is that what happened in CA? did the administration eat all their taxes?)

Bad idea, unless you really really really trust your state government.

California took all the road tax money collected and "loaned" it to the state General Fund.

It's gone.

So we still have lousy roads.

[sarahkate_m]

Yeah, it's hard to trust the gov't with $$. CA apparently took all the money in every fund, spent it & still has it's hand out. The way they were headed was evident at least 2 years ago!

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I'm sure any tax or levy passed in OR will have strict/diligent oversight.

If we could get better mass transit that would bring more of us out to the coast here, I bet that would end up paying for itself! I'd easily pay $10 a head for round trip there for the day. Maybe even $15. If they charged $10 per child & $15 per adult, then maybe it would be a viable enterprise!

They'd then also need buses on the coast to get us around... If a private company could provide the service, then we wouldn't have to wait for the cash strapped gov't to provide this service....

Anyone want to start up a bus fleet?

Kate

[pdxMIKEpdx]

I don't know how easy it will be to get around once you get there, but your wish has come true.
There may be a bus to Newport, OR also.
From the Amtrak website:


Portland, OR (PDX) To Astoria - Mini Mart Bus Stop, OR (ARI) SelectServiceDepartsArrivesDurationAmenitiesSeats/Rooms
$18.00 5564 Bus
Portland, OR
(PDX)
6:20 pm
15-SEP-09 Astoria, OR
- Mini Mart Bus Stop
(ARI)
8:35 pm
15-SEP-09 2h 15m1 Reserved Thruway Seat


Astoria - Mini Mart Bus Stop, OR (ARI) To Portland, OR (PDX) SelectServiceDepartsArrivesDurationAmenitiesSeats/Rooms
$18.00 5563 Bus
Astoria, OR
- Mini Mart Bus Stop
(ARI)
8:15 am
16-SEP-09 Portland, OR
(PDX)
10:30 am
16-SEP-09 2h 15m1 Reserved Thruway Seat