Bike or transit?
(Photo © J. Maus)

In Portland and other cities across the U.S., the cost of transit is going up. A combination of factors is making it hard for transit agencies to make financial ends meet and the result is often not just service cutbacks but fare increases as well.

This morning TriMet announced a grave warning about a $17 million budget shortfall next year and it seems very likely that yet another fare increase is on the horizon. That announcement got me thinking: Will the higher cost of bus and rail fare hasten a switch to bicycling for some riders? Has it already?

U.S. Census statistics make one thing clear: In parts of Portland where bike use is already high, the rate of bike ridership rivals transit ridership.
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Inside the Beaverton Transit Center Bike & Ride. Officially opened today, it's the largest such facility in TriMet's system.
(Photos © J. Maus)

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According to a 2008 report by Alta Planning, bike crashes on streetcar tracks are a "major and underreported problem for Portland-area bicyclists." Even so, the issue struggles to gain official attention because the vast majority of crashes do not get reported.

Portland-based, grassroots transportation advocacy group Active Right of Way (AROW) hopes to change that with their new, online Streetcar Crash Reporting form. (more...)

Crowded.
(Photos © J. Maus)

A new report funded by the US Department of Transportation and conducted by the Mineta Transportation Institute, Bicycling Access and Egress to Transit: Informing the Possibilities (PDF), takes an in-depth look at a topic that is very relevant for the Portland region: How to integrate bikes and transit. The study sought to answer the question, "What are the most cost effective strategies likely to generate the largest number of cyclists accessing transit?"

TriMet has grappled with accommodating the increase in users who combine bikes with their trips on MAX light rail for years now. Lately, as MAX ridership has increased and space for bikes on trains has become scarce, TriMet's focus seems to have shifted toward the park and ride model. They have altered signage near the bike hooks and they have invested in bike and ride facilities at transit centers (some of which are being singled-out for a lack of use). (more...)

The old sign only mentioned bikes... (Photo © J. Maus)

Now it adds strollers and luggage. (Photo: Mitch L.)

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Rendering of Bike & Ride facility coming to Beaverton Transit Center this summer (by Alta Planning and Design).

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TriMet's lead bike planner, Colin Maher, is slated for an upcoming seminar at PSU's Center for Transportation Studies. The topic is "Beyond the Bike Hook: Linking Bicycles and Transit." Maher's a smart guy so this should be quite informative. Details are below:

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At about 2:20 this afternoon, a woman attempting to cross E Burnside on SE 181st Avenue was hit by a MAX train. The woman remained conscious at the scene and sustained non life-threatening injuries (a possible broken leg).

According TriMet spokesperson Bekki Witt, they believe the woman on the bicycle was heading southbound when she heard the audible warnings going off and saw a westbound Blue Line MAX train pulling into its station to her right. When she proceeded forward through the intersection, she was struck by the eastbound train. "She thought it was the westbound train, but didn't see the eastbound train coming," said Witt, basing her information on witnesses and police interviews taken at the scene. (more...)

Conceptual design drawing (not final design!) of new Gateway Transit Center Bike & Ride facility.
(Image by Dero Racks, taken from PBOT grant application)

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(Photos by Jim "K'Tesh" Parsons)

Yesterday, with notable transportation officials from around the region in attendance, TriMet officially cut the ribbon on their new 'Bike & Ride' facility at the Sunset Transit Center in Beaverton. With secure parking for 74 bikes, TriMet hopes the new service will make it easier for people to make the bike-transit connection.
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As we hinted at a few weeks ago, TriMet is set to begin construction of their new Bike & Ride facility at the Sunset Transit Center this month. A statement released yesterday said the project will begin June 21st and the facility is expected to be open for business by end of July. (more...)

TriMet has launched an online survey to help come up with a name for their new bike parking facilities. The facilities, funded with $1,000,000 in federal stimulus funds, will provide secure bike parking at the Sunset, Beaverton and Gresham Central transit centers.

The survey includes several names to choose from, including "Bike & Ride," "Bike Barn," "Cycle Station," and "Park & Pedal." You can also write in your suggestion. (more...)

TriMet has purchased two new railcars for its WES line that have a large storage area inside, similar to this one used by Caltrain as a bike car.
(Photo © Todd Boulanger)

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[This ride was part of Pedalpalooza. See more of our Pedalpalooza coverage here.]

Dedicated Gorge riders were rewarded with this spectacular scenery.
(Photos by Dan Liu)

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The WES has newly designed
hooks, but fewer of them.
(Photo: Jim Parsons)

TriMet's new Westside Express (WES) commuter service officially opened at the end of January to big celebrations, but people that showed up to ride the train with their bikes in tow, quickly found that the WES has less -- as in, less hooks for bikes.

Max Campos rode the train on opening day and he was immediately concerned that the WES comes equipped with just two bike hooks per car instead of the four that exist in other trains in the MAX system. After he rode home on the WES, Campos wrote on the Shift email list, "I'm concerned about this....On the train ride back both hooks in my car were full and I thought 'oh god, and the thing isn't even open yet!'" (more...)

As a follow-up to our story back in July about the new "Hang Bike Here" stickers on TriMet MAX trains, the transit agency sent out an alert today with additional information about how to load your bike on MAX.

Here are their three main rules:

1. Check to see if there's room.
As MAX approaches, scan the train to see if there's room on board. If it's too crowded to board safely, you'll need to wait for the next train. (more...)

[NOTE: For some reason, the comments on this post were not available when it was first published earlier today (9/30). I've re-published it and moved it up on the page to give folks another chance to comment. -- Editor]

One of two "bike trains" operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.
(Photo by captaindisko/Flickr)

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