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Old 05-29-2010, 04:51 PM
 
1 posts, read 3,394 times
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How is the public transportation around Westbrook/Portland area? I currently live in NYC and have got a decent job offer in Westbrook,ME . I am partially blind so obviously cannot drive. So, need your advice on living with Public transportation in Portland/south Portland and Westbrook. To work in Riverside(Westbrook)which city is accessible by public transportation.Thinking of renting an apartment for long term.

Need your inputs to make a decision.
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Old 06-02-2010, 08:36 AM
 
Location: on a dirt road in Waitsfield,Vermont
2,186 posts, read 6,792,526 times
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The Portland Metro bus does have a daily route from Westbrook to Portland.
Route 4 - Westbrook (http://www.gpmetrobus.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=105&I temid=189 - broken link)
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Old 06-02-2010, 11:01 AM
 
Location: Providence, RI
12,586 posts, read 21,733,355 times
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My personal opinion is that you'll be miserable living and relying on public transportation in the Portland area. Coverage isn't bad on the peninsula (downtown area), but outside of that it's mediocre at best. The city has 8 bus lines and only 4 run outside the city limits (Westbrook, South Portland and Falmouth). It's borderline impossible to get anywhere significant outside the city limits aside from the mall area or retail/office strips in Westbrook and Falmouth via public transit (though your work area is one of those areas that you CAN get to). They do have a train to Boston but it takes 3.5 hours ( a 2 hour drive) and is nothing more than a glorified tourist train. There are also coach buses to Bangor, Boston and a few other areas.

There's also a little bit of a stigma in Portland about the buses. They are for "poor people" in the minds of many simply because just about everyone owns a car. Portland's a very small city and is very much auto-centric (it's cheap- free even- and easy to park just about anywhere) so it's not hard for everyone to have a car.

I live in Boston without a car now and couldn't be happier. It's an expensive hassle to own one here just as it is in much of NYC. I couldn't imagine my time in Portland (near downtown) without a car. It's not a hassle to own one in Portland and it's not very expensive either which is why most people do rely on cars. The extent of the public transit network in Portland is very small. You CAN live without a car in Portland (there are some people who do it), but my guess is that you'll get frustrated with extent (or lack thereof) of Portland's mass transit. You'll probably feel stuck at times.
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Old 06-02-2010, 02:18 PM
 
Location: on a dirt road in Waitsfield,Vermont
2,186 posts, read 6,792,526 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lrfox View Post
My personal opinion is that you'll be miserable living and relying on public transportation in the Portland area. Coverage isn't bad on the peninsula (downtown area), but outside of that it's mediocre at best. The city has 8 bus lines and only 4 run outside the city limits (Westbrook, South Portland and Falmouth). It's borderline impossible to get anywhere significant outside the city limits aside from the mall area or retail/office strips in Westbrook and Falmouth via public transit (though your work area is one of those areas that you CAN get to). They do have a train to Boston but it takes 3.5 hours ( a 2 hour drive) and is nothing more than a glorified tourist train. There are also coach buses to Bangor, Boston and a few other areas.

There's also a little bit of a stigma in Portland about the buses. They are for "poor people" in the minds of many simply because just about everyone owns a car. Portland's a very small city and is very much auto-centric (it's cheap- free even- and easy to park just about anywhere) so it's not hard for everyone to have a car.

I live in Boston without a car now and couldn't be happier. It's an expensive hassle to own one here just as it is in much of NYC. I couldn't imagine my time in Portland (near downtown) without a car. It's not a hassle to own one in Portland and it's not very expensive either which is why most people do rely on cars. The extent of the public transit network in Portland is very small. You CAN live without a car in Portland (there are some people who do it), but my guess is that you'll get frustrated with extent (or lack thereof) of Portland's mass transit. You'll probably feel stuck at times.
Yes, having a car is definately more convenient but unfortunately the OP doesn't have that as an option. I have never used the bus system but I see people using it, even seen them getting on the bus in downtown Westbrook. I would check with your potential employer as they would probably have useful feedback on the viability of it's service.

Do you already have housing figured out in Portland? Although IMHO the Westbrook downtown isn't exactly very vibrant, is living in Westbrook an option? The Westbrook downtown has been pretty dead since the Maine Mall area which is a very short drive down the road via Spring St and the newer big box developement down a few minutes down Brighton Ave next to the I95 exit went in. The paper mill used to smell when it was Scott Paper but that has been improved greatly.
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Old 06-04-2010, 09:53 AM
 
Location: Providence, RI
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^I know a car isn't an option, but I'm wondering if employment in an area with better public transit is an option? Portland isn't an easy place to live and rely only on public transit, especially if work isn't on the peninsula. Just because it exists and some people do use it doesn't make it "good." Portland has small city public transit- a few bus lines that don't extend very far at all. The OP doesn't even have the option of renting a car to get away for a weekend. Everyone here can testify that Maine's best assets can't be reached by public transit. Many of the people I knew that tried to live without cars in Portland ended up moving or buying a beater because they felt "stuck." I know that option doesn't exist for the OP, but he/she may find the reliance on Portland's public transit a bit suffocating; especially coming from a place like NYC where transit takes you everywhere and everyone uses it.
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Old 06-07-2010, 12:57 PM
 
121 posts, read 413,268 times
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I don't know what the bus schedule is, though, I have seen buses around and people waiting for them and getting on/off them....but I agree with MRVphotog, is living in Westbrook an option? You might be able to be within walking distance of work.
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Old 06-07-2010, 04:49 PM
 
Location: Florida (SW)
47,841 posts, read 21,871,995 times
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There is a poster on the Portland forum who lives on Monjoy Hill and her husband is blind and walks to work downtown Portland.....so it is possible.

I find myself once again sticking up for some of the towns that others like to put down or stigmatize. I like Westbrook and my DP and I often choose to go there for a meal and to walk....the River walk is beautiful ..... there is an emerging art community.....and some pretty fine resturants; we like the Frog and Turtle and a little Mexican place called El Burrito. The old mill buildings are a positive resource......and the river is beautiful.....in the spring when it is raging it is awesome.

Westbrook is developing a sense of itself.....I see people out and about who are clearly proud of their community and enjoy its amenities--Westbrook is coming along just fine.....I would rather work there than in the city......and Stroudwater is gorgeous.....I know it isnt typical of the city of Westbrook.....but such a lovely community. As mentioned....I see people taking the bus into Portland when I am sitting out on the patio eating my burrito or quesadilla.

http://blog.typeadiversions.com/2008/01/burrito.html (broken link)

Last edited by elston; 06-07-2010 at 04:58 PM..
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Old 06-12-2010, 09:21 AM
 
Location: Western Maine Mountains
879 posts, read 2,330,350 times
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I work for Metro (the bus company,) and I worked for the City of Westbrook a few years ago. Westbrook has some nice areas, but there are also many stressed places and people. The bus travels to and from Westbrook quite often, and the route may be expanding this fall.

We have many visually impaired riders at the Metro. We, the drivers, do our best to make sure they get good seating, and arrive at their destination safely. Often, strong relationships are created between the riders and the drivers.

I know that lrfox likes to put the bus system down, but we are doing the best we can with what we have. This is Portland, Maine after all. We have limited funding, poorly designed intersections, and plenty of traffic to deal with. The City is also trying to become more walker/biker friendly. They are trying to have less cars in the city, and add more trails, and paths.

Good luck with where ever you choose to go. I'd be more than happy to drive you to work on one of our busses.
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Old 06-12-2010, 09:24 AM
 
Location: Florida (SW)
47,841 posts, read 21,871,995 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dubthang View Post
I work for Metro (the bus company,) and I worked for the City of Westbrook a few years ago. Westbrook has some nice areas, but there are also many stressed places and people. The bus travels to and from Westbrook quite often, and the route may be expanding this fall.

We have many visually impaired riders at the Metro. We, the drivers, do our best to make sure they get good seating, and arrive at their destination safely. Often, strong relationships are created between the riders and the drivers.

I know that lrfox likes to put the bus system down, but we are doing the best we can with what we have. This is Portland, Maine after all. We have limited funding, poorly designed intersections, and plenty of traffic to deal with. The City is also trying to become more walker/biker friendly. They are trying to have less cars in the city, and add more trails, and paths.

Good luck with where ever you choose to go. I'd be more than happy to drive you to work on one of our busses.
Thanks for adding your first hand experience to the discussion....it is helpful.
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Old 06-12-2010, 10:30 PM
 
Location: Providence, RI
12,586 posts, read 21,733,355 times
Reputation: 14047
Quote:
Originally Posted by dubthang View Post
I know that lrfox likes to put the bus system down, but we are doing the best we can with what we have. This is Portland, Maine after all. We have limited funding, poorly designed intersections, and plenty of traffic to deal with. The City is also trying to become more walker/biker friendly. They are trying to have less cars in the city, and add more trails, and paths.
I'm not trying to put the bus system down, I'm just saying that it's difficult to rely on entirely especially if your job is outside of the tiny geographic area that makes up the peninsula/downtown.

I wouldn't expect a much better system for such a small city, but it is a small city thus it has a small system. It's not a knock on how well Portland meets demand, rather an observation of how low demand means fewer options. Simply put, it's easy to drive/ own a car in Portland and it's such a small/rural metro area that only a very small portion (specifically, the peninsula) can be served well by local buses. Owning a car isn't an option for the OP, and despite the efforts (good efforts, and hard work, but Portland is hardly the only city trying to improve public transit... the majority are and many are MUCH further along than Portland) of the city to improve public transit, it's still a small service. The OP will most likely find it a LOT more difficult to rely entirely on public transit in the Portland area (especially considering that work is out of downtown) than he does in New York City.

Again, it's not a knock on the system as much as it's an observation of how it's unrealistic to expect a city of 63,000 (180,000 if you include Portland, Scarborough, Cape, S.P., Westbrook and the other nearby towns) to have even "good" public transit. Could it be worse? Yes. Does Portland do O.K. for such a small town? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean it's good. Just because it's "possible" to get from A-B via public transit doesn't mean it's easy or convenient.

Portland's a great town in a lot of ways, but there are hundreds of cities in the U.S. with better public transit. IF it's an option, this particular person may be better suited for one of those cities. Portland's not a perfect fit for everyone.
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