Nationally, Gas Prices Rise, Mass Transit Ridership Up

"Sam responds to the developing demands of constituent commuters by expanding mass transit "

So, exactly what has Sam done to promote and increase BUS service in the City of Portland?

I have asked repeatedly for Sam Adams, who is MY COMMISSIONER and I am a Constitutent of his, to personally see what conditions are like on the TriMet line 12 Barbur Boulevard bus line. Specifically the repeated late busses, missed busses, overcrowding conditions, and unsafe bus stops.

Sam Adams has consistently been quiet regarding bus service. Sam Adams only cares about the Portland Streetcar and his buddies, the developers that fund his campaign coffers.

If Sam Adams truly cared about mass transit options, he would know that TWO-THIRDS of Portland's transit ridership is on the bus, and maybe Sam Adams ought to give them consideration and make sure that TWO-THIRDS of Portland's transit system is worthy of world-class status.

Instead, Portland has an aging bus fleet, one that has only two hybrid-electric busses, that lacks articulated busses to meet demand, where a large number of bus stops are unimproved (like the line 44 and 45 stops that are located in the middle of intersections, or my line 12 bus that requires me to run across five lanes of traffic with no crosswalk anywhere in sight), a transit agency that has no desire to invest in bus service, and a City Council and a regional government that would rather the busses simply be eliminated.

I for one am very please with the transit options in my NoPo neighborhood. Additinally, I'm able to live close to work so I commute via bicycle and I appreciate the focus on cycling infrastructure too. We need even more to encourage more people to cycle and use transit.