The MAX Is SO CROWDED NOW (Portland, Gresham: buying, inspections, lawsuit)

[Jumpman023]

Am I the only one that thinks the MAX is extremely crowded even during the weekdays lately? I don't know why they keep increasing rates, because given how many people ride that thing, they must be making bank already!

[figmalt]

You assume that everyone riding is also paying.

[Jumpman023]

Originally Posted by figmalt

You assume that everyone riding is also paying.

ha, true, but they've been checking tickets a lot more often now. For 3-4 years, I could ride without buying a ticket and not even worry about it, but now, nearly every morning when I go to work, we stop at Kings Hill and get our fare inspected.

[philwithbeard]

Jumpman023:

Any chance the new Green line may be taking some light rail assets away from the current lines? I have seen them testing and doing operator training runs on the Green line all last week. Green line opens in something like 7 or 8 days? Yellow line schedule was toasted Last Monday and Tuesday as they tried to get the new North-South lines (tracks) Downtown to mesh with the older Red and Blue lines (tracks) as all left to head East over the river.

Phil

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by Jumpman023

ha, true, but they've been checking tickets a lot more often now. For 3-4 years, I could ride without buying a ticket and not even worry about it, but now, nearly every morning when I go to work, we stop at Kings Hill and get our fare inspected.

That's good to hear. People shouldn't be getting a 'free ride', if you will.

[Jimrob1]

I also think the Max is more crowded and will continue to be so. I think the new trains ordered though nice to look at, are not as practical as the older trains. They definitely will cause more crowding. The seating configuration is way off on these new trains. I don't know who designed them, but the seating arrangement is a very poor use of space on the vehicle. Many of the seats can't really be used by an adult becaue their is no room for their legs and feet. The overhead areas to hang on to, have been omitted except for a small area near one of the doors. With more and more trains on the tracks, I find the trains now stop between stations and just sit at times. More frequent breakdowns lately also.

I never got use to the manner in which fares are collected or not collected here. Quite frankly I have never heard of just stopping a train at a particular station and check fares. Checking such as Kings Hill and 82St but rarely other stations. Its not right and really it looks pretty discriminatory in many ways. I can tell you in most of America there is a set plan to collect fares and everyone is checked or they don't ride. Stopping a train at a few select stations frequently to check fares, would not last long in the big cities of America. A Lawsuit would be filed over discrimination. The constant stops at 82nd st for Fare inspections says a whole lot. I don't care for the honor system and wish it would stop. I think the Funding for Trimet extensions should cease, until Trimet can submit a plan for a Fare collection system that is fair to the public. I for one am sick of paying while so many ride free here.

I am glad that there is all this Light Rail here, but again the Fare System and some of the behavior, is beyond anything I have ever seen on Transit in America.

[Jumpman023]

Originally Posted by Jimrob1

I also think the Max is more crowded and will continue to be so. I think the new trains ordered though nice to look at, are not as practical as the older trains. They definitely will cause more crowding. The seating configuration is way off on these new trains. I don't know who designed them, but the seating arrangement is a very poor use of space on the vehicle. Many of the seats can't really be used by an adult becaue their is no room for their legs and feet. The overhead areas to hang on to, have been omitted except for a small area near one of the doors. With more and more trains on the tracks, I find the trains now stop between stations and just sit at times. More frequent breakdowns lately also.

I never got use to the manner in which fares are collected or not collected here. Quite frankly I have never heard of just stopping a train at a particular station and check fares. Checking such as Kings Hill and 82St but rarely other stations. Its not right and really it looks pretty discriminatory in many ways. I can tell you in most of America there is a set plan to collect fares and everyone is checked or they don't ride. Stopping a train at a few select stations frequently to check fares, would not last long in the big cities of America. A Lawsuit would be filed over discrimination. The constant stops at 82nd st for Fare inspections says a whole lot. I don't care for the honor system and wish it would stop. I think the Funding for Trimet extensions should cease, until Trimet can submit a plan for a Fare collection system that is fair to the public. I for one am sick of paying while so many ride free here.

I am glad that there is all this Light Rail here, but again the Fare System and some of the behavior, is beyond anything I have ever seen on Transit in America.

+1, except it's not just the new trains that are crowded. Even the old ones are packed. There's just too many people nowadays.

I personally really don't like this green line thing either. It's already a pain to drive downtown with the MAX running in one direction, but now driving on 5th and 6th or whatever is going to be a pain now as well. I think we need to invest in a subway system or something. I concur with the fares thing. They should have someone at each station check to see if people have valid fares or whatever. Hell, that would be one way to create jobs in this recession. But I think tri-met needs a bit of an overhaul in general.

[cdelena]

Originally Posted by Jumpman023

ha, true, but they've been checking tickets a lot more often now. For 3-4 years, I could ride without buying a ticket and not even worry about it, but now, nearly every morning when I go to work, we stop at Kings Hill and get our fare inspected.

An informal survey by KATU last year, when it was doing a report on Max free riders, found about 25% of riders were ticketless or without appropriate purchase outside of Fareless Square.

[tigerlily]

I grew up using public transportation in Cleveland, Ohio, going through a turn style and everybody had to pay. No freeloaders that don't want to pay their fair share. I can't understand why they use the honor system here. Also, if Portland is so into saving the environment why did they go with a street level system instead of an an overhead transportation system. The savings in pollution caused by cars would be enormous. Think of all the gas burned while drivers wait for a Max train to pass. I used to love public transportation years ago, but it's too noisy and too crowded now especially with flu season approaching.

[Jimrob1]

I also grew up with transit, for me it was the Boston area. Turnstyles at both subway and streetcar stations. At the Commuter Rail Stations there are employees that check and then punch the ticket. No one rides free and I like it that way.

I agree the Transit Mall for this new Green Line was really not the way to go. It is a good thought, but I already see huge problems with this. The big problem with the Transit Mall is there is just to much traffic on it. Trains, buses, cars and people. It should have been just that a transit Mall, No vehicle traffic other than buses period.

I took the Max from Union Station up towards PSU today. It stops with all the traffic lights and really is slow. Yes where is all this concern for the enviroment, all this traffic means pollution. There are still tons of cars downtown, and the traffic is worse since the roads are all tied up now with trains. It should have been above ground or a subway. Since that was obvioulsy to expensive for TRIMET, the Transit Mall should not have included the Light Rail. It should have been as I mentioned buses only.

Im all for Transit but Portland's Trimet and its Transit projects, its wasteful use of money need to be looked into. There seems to be no end to Trimet's transit projects, but the company seems finacially irresponsible. Next they want to tie up the Broadway Bridge and build a streetcar line from the Pearl to OMSI. It sounds good but is it really needed. All these methods of transit are ridiculously slow and very expenisve. Trimet is also planning its light rail extension from Clackamas to Milwaukee. They should have put in a BART type system like San Fran, at least that has some speed to it. It would also be more practical on long routes like Gresham to Hillsboro. LISTEN TRIMET. All the stops downtown should be above ground or a subway.