The Next 30 Years of Portland Transit

"Guiding the next generation of mass transit -- is the lofty aim of planners laying out the region's future. They envision scattered hubs of activity connected to other hubs. And if given a mass transit boost, some of those could blossom into vibrant destinations, where future residents live and work."

"How about a line from Portland to Tigard, or beyond to Sherwood? Why not connect Lake Oswego to Oregon City? And what about some small spurs off the existing system -- say to Forest Grove or Troutdale?"

"All are on the table but not for long. Routes that are included in the next three months in Metro's High Capacity Transit System Plan will get a massive political boost and qualify for a chance to seek federal money."

"Routes left out could be forgotten for decades."

"For the next three weeks, the public will have a chance to pick favorites among 29 segments, worth up to $25 billion, that made it through an initial round of screening. To make public involvement easier, and perhaps a little fun, Metro this week began offering Web users a chance to "build your own transit system" with a site that lets any computer user compile a collection of routes -- like a mini version of the popular SimCity computer game. "