TriMet architect Bob Hastings presented
the idea last night.
(Photos © J. Maus)

As part of the public art planned along their Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail project, TriMet is considering something quite interesting for the new Willamette River Bridge — a "sonic bike path."

TriMet architect Bob Hastings and Public Art Program Manager Mary Priester presented the idea to the City of Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC) last night.

The "sonic bike path" concept is still in its early stages, but at this point, the idea is to create a series of grooves on a 150 foot section of the bikeway on each end of the bridge. The grooves would be placed in such a frequency and depth that a melody would be emitted as bicycle tires rolled over them. As for the song, the artists are considering Simon and Garfunkel's "Feelin' Groovy."
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Earlier this month, TriMet — in a last-ditch effort to fill the local funding gap in their $1.5 billion Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail project — put in a request for a 10-year, $19 million funding commitment from the State of Oregon.

Artist rendering of Portland-Milwaukie light rail line.

The request raised serious concerns with transportation officials around the state for a variety of reasons. Some were concerned that TriMet was muscling into one of the very rare dedicated funding sources available to non-highway projects anywhere in the state (These non-highway "Flexible Funds" are a relatively small pot of money totaling about $20 million) and that the multi-year commitment would unfairly compromise the availability of funds for other projects. (more...)

Last week we shared the news that TriMet is making a major funding request for ODOT's $21 million pot of Federal Flexible Funds. The request is for a 10 year commitment of about $2 million per year to help fund the final portion of their $1.49 billion Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Line (TriMet would then bond against the funds to raise a total of $15 million for the project).

Yesterday, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) sent a letter to the Gail Achterman, Chair of the Oregon Transportation Commission (the OTC is a Governor-appointed body that advises ODOT policy and makes the final decision about who gets this money). In their letter, the BTA wrote, "We strongly urge that the state look to other sources for funding this vital project."
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This just in from TriMet: Starting February 2nd, bicycle traffic will face a detour at the south end of the Eastbank Esplande for "preconstruction work" on the forthcoming Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail bridge over the Willamette River.

The detour is between SE Clay and Caruthers and is scheduled to be in place through February 11th. Here's a map of the proposed detour route provided by TriMet: (more...)

Hoping to find the final 1% of funding for their $1.49 billion Portland-Milwaukie light rail project, TriMet has set their sights on small pot of ODOT Flexible Funds set aside for non-highway projects. TriMet has requested $1.93 million for the next ten years and they plan to bond against that money. In total, the transit agency hopes to secure $15 million from ODOT for this project.

While the request seems like a savvy move from TriMet, it has some people concerned that they are playing outside the rules. (more...)

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...)

[Note: This story was originally published with an outdated bridge graphic. The one below is more current.]

Concept drawing of the bike/walkway on the new, carfree bridge TriMet will build over the Willamette.

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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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Listen to the audio below. It's from a communique between a TriMet bus operator and the emergency dispatcher. It was posted to YouTube via TriMet's infamous multimedia expert/employee Al Marguiles:

TriMet announced today that they'll hold an event in Pioneer Courthouse Square next week to promote safety around transit. The "Be Safe and Be Seen" event will feature a fashion show of reflective clothing and a contest for the most well-lit bicycle.

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TriMet now has a road map to
improved safety. Will they follow it?
(Photo © J. Maus)

On Wednesday, the TriMet Task Force on Safety and Service Excellence released its final list of recommendations. The task force was put together following a tragic incident back in April where a TriMet bus operator drove into five people in a crosswalk in downtown Portland, killing two of them.

Here's an excerpt from the cover letter to the report written by task force Chair (and former TriMet GM) Tom Walsh, (more...)

This guest post is by Michael Andersen of Portland Afoot, a new "10-minute newsmagazine" and wiki about low-car life in Portland.

Cars, bikes, buses (and MAX) share the transit mall.
(Photo © J. Maus)

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This guest post is by Michael Andersen of Portland Afoot, a new "10-minute newsmagazine" and wiki about low-car life in Portland.

Photos © J. Maus)

The official U.S. Census numbers for 2009 came out Tuesday, and as BikePortland reported, they held the latest evidence that the phenomenal growth of local biking has been leveling off. (more...)

The Rhine Pedestrian Bridge over
the Brooklyn Yards might not
get renovated after all.

TriMet's $1.5 billion Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project is facing a $200 million budget gap and cuts currently being considered could impact bike parking and bike access. The gap is due to an unexpected announcement by the Federal Transit Administration in July that they'd only fund 50% of the project instead of a 60% share that all previous light rail projects have gotten.

At last night's Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting, PBOT project manager Art Pearce said they're just now starting to identify pieces of the project that can be cut. While TriMet executives look for additional funding, Pearce and other project partners from around the region are going through the project with a fine-toothed comb to find areas that can be cut back or deferred completely. (more...)

Richard Krebs' bike rests under the
wheel of a TriMet bus after the
collision last Thursday.
(Photos: Bill Jackson)

In a major update to our story from last week, the Portland Police Bureau has issued a citation to TriMet bus operator John Nations in a crash that occurred August 12th at SW 6th and Morrison in downtown Portland.

According to TriMet Communications Director Mary Fetsch, the bus operator, 39 year-old John Nations from Beaverton, has been cited in violation of ORS 811.335, "Unlawful or unsignaled turn." Here's more from Fetsch: (more...)

What happened?
(Photo: Bill Jackson)

Richard Krebs, the man who was involved in a collision with a TriMet bus on SW Morrison and 6th on August 12th, has come forward with his side of the story. He takes issue with several important parts of TriMet's official statement and says he was under medication from his injuries when he made incriminating statements to the police. TriMet says they stand by their version of what happened, but they acknowledged today that the bus operator did not perform his left turn correctly prior to the crash.
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Graphic showing location of vehicles just prior to collision.
(Graphic: BikePortland)

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Richard Krebs' bike rests under the
wheel of a TriMet bus after the
collision on August 12th.
(Photo: Bill Jackson)

TriMet has released an update on the investigation of a collision involving a bus and a bike in downtown Portland on August 12th.

TriMet Communications Director Mary Fetsch says that following a review by the Portland Police Bureau Traffic Division, the man operating the bicycle, Richard Krebs, was given a citation for "failure to obey a traffic control device" (ORS 811.265). The bus operator was not cited, but was "provided retraining" according to Fetsch.
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New safety device would warn
people when a bus is turning.
(Photos © J. Maus)

In an effort to improve the safety of people walking and bicycling around their buses, TriMet is considering the use of a new product that would emit LED lights and short bursts of sound when a bus makes a turn.

Josh Blanchard, president of Safety Concepts (the company making the device), tells me that the "state of the art device" will prove capable of "drastically reducing accidents between buses, pedestrians and cyclists."
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