from metroblogging portland

Twice I've been on the 35 Macadam when the driver crossed the Ross Island Bridge, instead of turning right before the bridge to get on highway 43.

On the 10 Harold once a confused bus driver went around and around the Ladd's Addition traffic circle, and after a few laps and explicit and correct directions from passengers still turned onto the wrong street and had to negotiate those narrow streets in a bus; fun! ;-)

Posted by: Dave at January 14, 2008 08:47 PM

OMG that's the biggest screw up I have heard of the driver must have been demoted from MAX to bus cause max only gos in two directions forward and reverse. I'm not a big fan of MAX but at least they don't get lost and I thought that the busses had GPS tracker and a direct raido to the office ie help i'm lost or what are you doing over there.

Posted by: Dodge Ram at January 14, 2008 11:36 PM

I had a similar experience around Christmas when some smart young lad decided to drive his van over a concrete barrier and up on the max tracks. A bus had to take us the last few stops to the airport and the driver didn't really know where to go so a few of us had to sit up front and give her directions.

On the other hand I did learn on that trip that there are a small pool of bus drivers that are on call for when someone can't drive their shift. They are usually the new people as well so I think this probably leads to a lot of the lost bus driver stories.

Posted by: Derek at January 15, 2008 07:22 AM

sounds like someone needs a Garmin!

Posted by: McAngryPants at January 15, 2008 08:00 AM

Crazy. This happened to me recently on the #4 when the drive failed to turn right from Interstate to Denver. I just recently started riding buses again, though I grew up in NE and took buses all through high school, then college, then when I moved back to PDX in the mid-90s. I *never* witnessed a driver getting lost. I wonder what's happened to their training program. I would think there would be some kind of cheat sheet or a GPS.

Posted by: thisKat at January 16, 2008 09:12 PM

Trimet (MAX) safety or lack thereof by Larry Norton

Trimet (MAX) safety or lack thereof

Posted by Larry Norton, community blogger February 26, 2008 14:19PM

Categories: Crime

I ignored everyone in the world for the last 5 days to spend time with my California son. But, I could not ignore the individual on the Red Train to the airport Monday. An individual determined to pick on me as the main target.

This occurred about 7:15 in the morning going east from Old Town. By all appearances, the person was under the influence of something. The train was not empty. Many looked like commuters not just those going to the airport.

Although there was an assault - a threat of violence, there was no battery - no touching. Fortunately, I was protected enough by my son, and it turns out, by an unnoticed Trimet security guard. But, I have concerns.

It had been clear to me since we boarded the train that something was wrong with this person. The security guard did come forward after the assault, but only after my son started to take action. The guard had been watching from the front of the car.

But - the guard did not exclude and did not arrest. He did corner the person who proceeded to hurl epithets at him. The person stayed on for two more stops. After the person left the train, the guard apologized that the incident had occurred.

Without my son's presence - old enough and big enough to protect me - what would have happened? Would the security guard have intervened quickly enough?

Why didn't the security guard exclude the offender from the train? Why didn't the guard arrest?

I don't know - but I am guessing that the security person like the private security supplementing the Portland police - have virtually no powers. If so - what good are they except for show?

I'll take show, but I would have felt better knowing the person had been arrested or excluded from the Trimet system. I had to come back.

by spokeninsanskrit

Trimet is the public transportation system here in Portland. I've been riding the bus & max (max=light rail) to work since last August and for the most part I really like it. It's certainly done wonders for my reading. But there are frustrating parts about it and a few weeks ago I had the worst experience. Here's the email I sent to trimet: To whom it may concern, I'm pretty frustrated. The max ticketing machines at 2nd and Taylor eastbound often don't function. Today the machine ate a 5 dollar bill from me. I had to go to the ATM to get another 5 dollars only to find out that the other machine wasn't accepting bills either. I ended up not paying the fare (or paying 5 dollars depending on how you look at it) to the 42nd ave transit center. I did an errand and then waited at the bus stop going north on 42nd just past Sandy (75 line) where I waited 15 min past the bus due time only to have the bus drive right by and not pick me up! It was right under the streetlight so the driver must have seen me. I would at least like my 3.25 back. Here's the response I got back: You need to call 503-962-2444 and speak to a customer service rep. They will fill out a claim form for you that goes to finance for a refund. Thanks a lot.

THATS RIDICULOUS, by jeff rose

This is what dawned on me tonight:

I've noted before that overall communications at Trimet is pretty sub-par. For
instance, we
might hear about a policy that is going to take effect somewhat in advance- but
we never
hear about it when it is initially being discussed. I have experienced this
outside of work to
with stuff relating to my neighborhood. So what dawned on me is that I know
more about my
work from what I read in the newspapers than I do from actual communications
from
management. How much have you all read in papers, or heard on the news- and
maybe on
various blogs about our current security issue? How much have you heard about
it through
communications at work??!! If I had a passenger who had obviously been reading
the papers
and asked me anything about what we are going to do to address our problem- I'd
have to
tell them that they probably know just as much as me. That's ridiculous.

Jeff

We need a daily briefing, by jeff rose

First of all, Merry Christmas!!

Now that that's out of the way, I have a little story from the
weekend that highlights Trimet's biggest problem- communication.

Last week I received an email alert (one intended for the public
that I signed up for) that said that from 7 am Friday through the
end of service on Monday (I think) busses would not be going into
the parking lot at Clackamas Town Center. I think it was either on
Tuesday or Wednesday that I got the email. Any of the busses that
serve the Town Center (28,29,31,71,72,all the 150's that go there
etc) would pick up and drop off people around 85th and Monterey.
OK, great!

When I started asking people around the Powell garage- nobody had
heard ANYTHING about this. On thursday, the night before, the
station agent was stuffing notices into the pouches when I was
passing through on my way home and I asked her if they were for the
Town Center changes. Yes, they were. I asked here when SHE had
first heard about the temporary change- She said "less than an hour
ago."

On Friday I didn't go anywhere near the town center- I was doing the
15. I had the weekend off- but on Monday I was doing 72 in the
morning. I checked the pouch after I left the garage- no notice.
In the garage before I left- no notice about the change posted
ANYWHERE. After doing an off-line trip on the westside, I
deadheaded to Swan Island and fortunately I got there before my
leader left and he explained exactly what was going on at
Clackamas. Had I not signed up for public email alerts and had I
not been talking to people about this change- I would have probably
arrived at Clackamas Town Center completely unaware of what was
going on. The best official clue would have been a BDS Message that
read:

"*Clack TC d'heading buses: please do NOT use the BACK entrance to
Clack TC from Sunnyside exit off I-205 use the CENTER lane exit, R-
Sunnyside, R-82, R-Monterey to Temp layover"

?

OK, what does this tell me? If I am clueless about what's going on
I'm going to think that there is an accident or something blocking
the normal "back door" entrance to the town center.

So in any case, what's wrong with posting a notice about the changes
a week before they happen so that operators know what the hell is
going on? Maybe we could actually tell all the passengers that
ride around the Clackamas area a couple days before it happens!!
Also, it would greatly cut down on our stress level if we are
adequately prepared for this kind of thing.

What could we do to set up a system of communications that will
allow operators greater access to this and other kinds of
information that will help us be better prepared in the future?

I would like a daily briefing of some sort posted somewhere in the
garage that gives us the heads up on a variety of things that are
going on around the company. Little snippets with contact
information for the person that we sould have to get in touch with
to learn more- or where to find more info on Trinet!!! In any case,
I'm tired of being out of the loop.

Jeff

listen to me, by jeff rose

Fred's speech to the City Club appears to be a pretty comprehensive plan of
attack- but
it's missing one thing. Howabout improving communication with your troops on
the
ground!!

The "Enhanced Safety and Security Plan" suggests taking these steps:

1. Increase police presence and officers

2. Increase fare inspection

3. Improve maintenance of Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs)

4. Expand the Code of Conduct

5. Improve station areas

6. Reevaluate Fareless Square

7. Establish partnership with Victory Outreach Community Services, Inc.

I propose adding:

8. Improving communications with operators: operators are the organizations
eyes and
ears out on the street. Although they don't see everything that goes on, they
often times
observe the early behaviors that later result in crimes being committed both on
Trimet
properties and in the areas surrounding them. Operators should feel that when
they
observe behavior that is in violation of Trimet code, they can easily reach a
dispatcher and
that the dispatcher will either notify a nearby supervisor, Wackenhut security,
or the police
depending on the situation. In order to improve communications with operators
we
should have at least one more dispatcher on duty at all times, and should place
an
emphasis on being able to communicate safety and security issues quickly when
the BDS
and VCHs are redesigned.

This should actually be number 1, if you ask me.

Jeff

wrong daycodes by Mark Tiedemann"

Hehehe speaking of wrong daycodes, That reminds me of a time I got
stranded once because the bus I transfered from (#6) the operator gave me
a transfer with the wrong daycode on it. I 30 minutes for my next bus to
come, (Forget which line it was, 96 I think). I show my transfer to the
operator, and he says, That's not valid, it's not the correct daycode, he
then shows me his transfers with the correct daycodes on it. I was
telling him how I just got off the #6 line and was handed this transfer
(the times all match up) but he told me that I can't ride because it's not
a valid transfer and I would have to pay the $2.00 if I wanted to ride his
bus. I had no money left as I spent my last $2.00 20 minutes ago on the
#6 bus, so I was refused a ride, and ended up haing to call someone to
come pick me up downtown and take me to work, (which I ended up being late
because of all of this).

The operator did tell me that it was my fault that I didn't ask the
operator for another transfer. Now my question is, how am I supposed to
know as a customer which daycode is being used that day? If an operator
hands me a transfer I'm going to assume all the information is correct on
it, it shouldn't be my job to ask him, now do you have the right daycode
punched?

Anyways, sorry to vent, but that just brougt up some memories.
Now I know I do vent alot, but I have had some great expierences riding
TriMet, (mainly on the west side) and I know there are great people who
work for the company, but sadly it's the small few that kind of ruin it
for everyone else.