Media Relations
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Dylan Rivera
Public Information Officer
503-823-3723
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For breaking news from Portland Bureau of Transportation see our Twitter feed: @PBOTinfo.
For breaking news on overall service disruptions in the Portland-Vancouver metro area, go to @publicalerts or see www.publicalerts.org
It's days like today that make me happy to live in P-town. I normally ride my bike downtown to work or hop on the 35 since the stop is very close to my house. But with the buses running slower because of the chains I decided to walk the extra distance (only about a 1/2 mile) to the MAX station. It came right on time and had me at work 5 minutes ahead of schedule!
Talk about options! I actually had my choice between the bus or train within walking distance of my house. Lucky.
How about you? How did you find your way downtown this morning? Were you as lucky as me?
Stay safe out there and, although it's our job here at SmartTrips Downtown to promote your transportation options, we really mean it today - don't drive if you don't have to!
Before heading out, check with TriMet or C-Tran for winter weather updates. As of December 15th at 12:30 p.m., TriMet is operating on regular schedules on most lines while two lines are suspended and there are some detours on others. C-Tran also has some snow detours.
Gas prices plunge, yet transit's appeal grows
TriMet reported today that MAX and bus boardings grew 3.6% in November 2008 compared to November 2007.
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| 77,000 rush hour trips in November! |
The news release includes the following statistics:
- Weekday bus trips increased 6.6% to 215,400 trips
- Rush hour bus trips increased 12.3% to 77,000
- Weekly MAX ridership remained constant
Thanks to all of the SmartTrips Downtown participants who are using transit and reducing congestion and global warming pollution!
Remember, when you ride TriMet after 8:00 p.m. you can request that the bus stop anywhere along the route. Just be sure to give the driver sufficient warning.
Do you want to see what your commute would look like using transit? For TriMet, click here. For C-Tran in SW Washington, click here.
My esteemed colleague, Timo Forsberg, will shed his bureaucratic identity tomorrow morning to become St. Lucia - a Christian martyr who wore a crown of candles and gave food to persecuted Christians.
Portland's St. Lucia however bears a much less grim message: "Enjoy coffee and donuts, my fellow bicyclists!"
If you'd like to meet our very own patron saint, head to the intersection of the Eastbank Esplanade and the Steel Bridge (lower deck) between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m. this Friday morning
There you'll find Timo "St. Lucia" Forsberg, free coffee and donuts, and plenty of cyclists and pedestrians enjoying a little light in the darkness of winter.
He's like this around the office, too...
Louisvile Transit Authority Creates a Bumpin PSA
What happens when you combine a transit authority with hip hop? It turns out an infectious public service announcement encouraging and teaching all to bring their bikes on transit.
The director of marketing for Louisville, Kentucky's Transit Authority of River City (TARC), learned from survey results that young women were interested in bringing their bikes on transit but were intimidated and unsure on how to use the bus bike racks.
The director, Nina Walfoort, found inspiration from her daughter's collection of rap and R & B.
Since the video aired, transit ridership among cyclists has increased and many mild mannered viewers have reported to have spontaneously erupted in dance. Viewer beware!
20% of all vehicles crossing the Hawthorne Bridge during the summer are bikes
Do Portlanders bike more than any other big city dwellers? Does the number of cyclists continue to increase? Are more people wearing bike helmets than ever? Are more women riding?
Yes, yes, yes and yes.
The Portland Office of Transportation recently published its annual bicycle counts report. These are conducted each year. In 2008, the entire city witnessed a staggering 28% increase in bike trips.
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| Bicycle trips across the Hawthrone, Steel, Broadway, and Burnside Bridges from 1991 - 2008. |
The bike counts are conducted by automated "hose counts" on the four bike-friendly bridges (Hawthorne, Burnside, Steel and Broadway) and by staff and volunteers at over 65 intersections throughout Portland.
Some of the highlights:
- Bicycle traffic has nearly tripled since 2001;
- Helmet use is at an all-time high (80%);
- Women cyclists are also at an all time high (32%);
