City Council to tour Portland's Streetcar System

[tefen]

Apparently the City Council is going to visit the Portland Street car next month. Why? For their "Trolley" in the new Boise development of course!

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/08/vancouver_city_council_to_tour.html


Vancouver City Council to tour Portland streetcar system
Posted by jcamin August 10, 2007 17:19PM

VANCOUVER -- The City Council is taking a field trip Sept. 17 to check out Portland's streetcar system.

Their trip was inspired by a streetcar symposium LSW Architects of Vancouver will sponsor a few weeks after the field trip.

The trip will "give the council an opportunity to see how the streetcar functions," said Thayer Rorabaugh, the city's transportation director. "What does it really do? Is it door to door?"

While Rorabaugh knows those answers and has ridden Portland's streetcar, he said the seven council members are not as streetcar conversant.

"Maybe one or two," he said.

The council's visit comes at the same time it is hearing about plans to bring some type of mass transit -- light rail or rapid bus transit -- over the Columbia River and through the city's downtown.

Rorabaugh believes a streetcar system could complement mass transit in Vancouver.

"We would be remiss if we didn't seriously consider streetcar as part of the waterfront" for existing and future development on the Columbia, he said.

-- Allan Brettman: allanbrettman@news.oregonian.com

[Chief]

Aye carumba!!!

The city of Portland built their streetcar out of hide, because it never came close to qualifying for Federal Funding. Also, because it goes through Portland's "Fareless Square", it's lost money from the day it opened.

It's hard to believe that they really need to take an organized field trip on this, and if a few of the Council members would spend a little time here at Clarkblog reading, they might be more conversant about a lot of things...

And as usual, if it were not for the Oregonian, we would not know half of what goes on over on this side of the river...

[tefen]

I currently ride the trains in Portland about once a year, for the Rose Festival.

This year I was on the train back to North Portland where I parked when I overheard the out-of-town group next to me.

"Are we on the right train?"
"I don't know, let's just see where it goes, at least it's free."

I didn't have the heart to tell them that they had crossed out of Fareless Square blocks ago and technically it's not free. Though it's not like anyone ever checks tickets.

[Chief]

Au contrare....

I maxed in to my Culinary Arts 101 classes over at Western Culinary Institute a few years ago, because it was right on the Max stop over by PGE Park. At least daily I would see the Transit Cops busting someone or another bor having no ticket. they are servious about it, and if they catch you, the fine can be severe, especially for repeat offenders (whom they track pretty closely). Those tourists were lucky they didn't get nailed...

[Waterbuffalo]

Chief: I ride into Portland to do some personal perusing and stuff. Go on the maxx and once in the past two years have I seen any transit cops handing out tickets.. It used to be vary prevalent but vary rarely is done now.

So that group probably would not have gotten into trouble, though ethically it was wrong.

[Waterbuffalo]

More loot rail.. Wonder where they are going to be inspired to run that?

Merry go rounding Highway 99 from Kiggin's Bowl to 134th street?

[tefen]

Just a reminder, the City Council's Streetcar ride is coming up this Monday.

[Chief]

I can hardly wait to hear what they all learn...

::)

[Waterbuffalo]

tefen: any idea where and when they are going to be riding the portland streetcar?

The Mayor was on Channel 8 this morning new spuring his ideas about Light Rail, the bridge and tolling. Boy was that the fastest thirty seconds or less I wanted to turn the channel, but forced myself to absorb with Shock.

[tefen]

Did I miss it, or was there no write-up in the paper about this field trip?

I would have thought the Columbian would be along for the ride.

[Waterbuffalo]

Maybe they did.. Don't really know.. At the last minute, I got called to a birthday party I did not care to want to attend, so I was not able to go on this ride-along. there might be a short blurb in one of the two major local dailies probably later in the week.

[Chief]

There was a paragraph about this in the morning Oregonian print edition, just stating that it had happened with no details about what went on or who attended...

[Waterbuffalo]

<grim thought..>

Atleast it was an honorable mention. Have to go look around the local news sources to see what they have..