The real tragedy of the Tram is that the City of Portland quashed any attempt to propose alternatives that would actually function as part of the regional transit system.

Bypassing Barbur and the Ross Island corridor means that there is virtually no transit benefit from the Tram.

For about the same amount of money as the final price of the Tram, Portland could have gotten a facility would have served the Ross Island Bridge transit corridor and the Barbur Blvd transit corridor (where light rail will someday be built), and could have greatly reduced demand for parking in both South Waterfront and Pill Hill. The Streetcar/Tram combination does not provide adequate connectivity between South Waterfront and the regional transit network. Will anyone transfer from TriMet to the Streetcar to take the Tram to Pill Hill? Will anyone transfer to Line 8 in order to take the Tram to South Waterfront? I expect not. It looks as if the Tram will actually increase the demand for parking in South Waterfront, by folks who work up on the hill.

Jim Howell's tunnel/elevator proposal was published in the Oregonian and a neighborhood resolution asked that it be analyzed. The City refused to do so. One of the losing contenders in the aerial tram design competition recommended a transit connection at the west end of the Ross Island Bridge.

My estimate is that the right facility would have carried at least 10 times the ridership that the Tram will, with much lower operating costs, and no disruption to the intervening neighborhood. Existing horizontal people mover technology, such as is used in the Detroit airport, would provide quicker travel time than the Tram. Remember, the entire Robertson Tunnel between Goose Hollow and Sunset Transit Center only cost $90 million, including the Zoo station and elevators.

The reason this alternative was not even costed out is purely political -- this was a done-deal dictated by the OHSU President and Board -- they demanded a Tram. Ironically, a facility that is integrated into the regional transit system would have been eligible for Federal funding for 40% or more, so the local cost could have been less than what the Tram will cost us.

This is a classic case of form overriding function.

Another big waste was all the effort spent by local residents proposing such non-starters as a shuttle bus. This provided the perfect straw-man, and allowed the City to paint them as NIMBY's.