Steel Bridge Closure - first day impressions
I know the Steel bridge closed on Saturday morning, but today was the first commuting day for most of Portland, including myself. I ride the Yellow line in and needed to get up a little earlier than normal in order to get to work on time. I didn’t want to take the shuttles and opted to walk from the Rose Garden. After the train dropped me off, it was 23 minutes across the Steel Bridge and through downtown to my desk. Not bad. And a nice aerobic jaunt. I have some observations though:
At the Rose Garden Yellow line stop, many people stepped off as they believed they needed to walk up to transfer to Blue or Red line only to discover the train they were on turned into a Red line and headed east.
A fair amount of us were gonna walk. If you have ever driven in that area by the Rose Quarter when a Yellow line arrives, you know it is a bear to navigate. Pedestrians do not follow the walk/don’t walk signs and even cross diagonally. Now that walking is encouraged, it would behoove TriMet to maybe have someone encourage pedestrians to obey the law. The lights are kinda screwed up and take a long time to change, so people just begin crossing. I saw one woman in a car who had a green scream bloody murder because she wasn’t able to turn due to pedestrians crossing against the light. I could see an accident waiting to happen.
Steel Bridge - crowded. This afternoon on my walk home, the Steel bridge’s lower deck was pretty darn crowded. Most everyone was walking except for a few bicyclists. I respect the bicyclists, but some were moving through the crowds way too fast. Dangerously fast. No one yelled at them, but I think TriMet could help out with a sign or two asking the cyclists to slow down across the bridge.
Yellow line arrival and departure times. They have changed. Now instead of every 10 minutes or so, they are 15 minutes apart or more. Also, at the Rose Quarter, there isn’t anything automated telling passengers when the next train is coming. Heck, at Prescott where I get on, we have updated automated signs with arrival times and we’re a backwater stop.
All in all, it was a smooth commute for me. I enjoyed the walk and exercise and seeing everyone else out on the bridge. I hope at least some of these individuals will realize the glory of walking home and keep it up.
Dieselboi:
Why does everyone assume that it is TriMet’s responsibility to inform people to behave responsibly, obey lays, etc.?
Yes, the bridge is closed to traffic, including busses and trains. Yes, people are finding other ways to get across - this is great.
But as - supossedly - adults, why does some agency or authority figure need to be present for people to take responsibility for their own actions?
I work downtown, and I am one of the (few) people who wait at every corner for the walk light. I still have close calls with motorists who do not obey the traffic lights and let pedestrians cross. But I don’t expect TriMet to swoop in and save me.
TriMet and Portland would be better served if TriMet used their staff to check fares on the trains, and yes, the busses too.
Ducks,
You’re right. People should be more responsible. And if they get hit, it is their fault right? I guess so…. My point is that people aren’t good with change. They have their daily routine that includes getting on the train at home and getting off the train at work. When that is disrupted, no matter how much they are informed, they may still make bad decisions. Some people are just plain dumb. If there were suddenly 5 car/pedestrian incidents at the Rose Quarter, this city would want TriMet’s head no matter whose fault it was. Heck, the pedestrians could have run straight at the moving car and in this city’s perception, it still would have been TriMet’s fault because the Boregonian would say so and the masses would believe.