A City In Love With Public Transportation
A city that adores public transporation hopes that a "futuristic" new public transit would make for a recognizable landmark.
Critics say the new $57 million Portland Aerial Tram is a mistake and others are optimistic that the exotic form of mass transit will give Portland, OR a recognizable landmark such as the Golden Gate Bridge.
"So enamored with public transportation is this city of 560,000 (the population of the metropolitan region is almost two million) that it is laced with electric streetcars, light rail and buses. TriMet, the regionwide system that unites most of the various modes, boasts that it has more riders than public transit systems in bigger cities like Seattle, Denver and Miami. It says ridership over the last decade has risen faster than both the population and the average number of miles people drive. More than one-fourth of afternoon commuters on some major routes out of Portland use light rail...
- Login or register to post comments
- Email this page
Related News Stories
Bridge Expansion Plans Ignore Effects of Growth - Jul 04, 2008
Portland's Bike Sharing Proposal Hits Snag - Jul 02, 2008
Portland Goes Car-Free, For a While - Jun 18, 2008
Oregonians Driving Less, Riding Transit More - May 14, 2008
Northwest Drivers Use A Gallon Less Than the National Average - Apr 22, 2008
Not to be a hater or anything ...
... but among regular people in Portland, the tram is a joke. The city is embarrassed over how much money it has cost, and one reason they might be promoting it as a "symbol" is because it's in a location where its usefulness is little more than symbolic. It will transport people between a medical university and their auxilliary campus in a new district full of half-built condos. The rest of us, living in affordable neighborhoods, see it as a $50m toy.
That said, Portland is a great city for mass transit. I totaled my car there (sounds intentional, doesn't it?) and switched seamlessly to Tri-Met without ever looking back.
Aerial Tram
As a Portlander I'm not so sure about the claim that most people think the tram is a joke. There is a vocal group of ranting libertarians (the BoJack crowd) who have made the tram as a symbol of everything they dislike about the new Portland. Yes there is concern about the huge increase in cost but the two full days worth of grand opening tickets were grabbed up by the public in less than 2 hours, many weeks ahead of the opening.