Responding to the leading complaint about the Portland Streetcar—that they move too slow to be useful compared to other modes—service will temporarily make fewer stops along routes in the Pearl District and Downtown.
"Portland Streetcar is planning to temporarily close five stops in downtown Portland and the Pearl District in an effort to speed up travel," reports Elliot Njus.
"The trial, expected to begin in February and last at least a month, targets places where frequent stops take a toll on travel time and where collisions tend to block tracks and take trains out of service."
According to Njus, the speed of the streetcar is the number one complaint of both riders and non-riders. The month-long trail will allow Portland Streetcar Inc. to collect data on the operation of the system to determine whether the measures were sufficient to improve the speed of the system.
The decision to consolidate—or "thin"—stops is also on the table in Los Angeles, where the county transit agency is considering a plan that would remove stops for the bus system in the hopes of speeding up buses as they travel along their route.
FULL STORY: Portland Streetcar to try limiting stops to speed service
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions