Read the classifieds in this issue to learn about 7 bids & proposals and 7 transit job opportunities!

Young is a member of the Passenger Transport Advisory Board.

Like many transit agencies across the country, the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) continued to face serious budget cuts in 2010. With the regional unemployment rate among the highest in the country, we grappled with declining revenues and a second year of cuts. We again focused first on non-service related budget cuts before looking to service cuts and a fare increase to help close the $27 million budget gap.

While these changes were tough on our riders, we looked to minimize the cuts by extending headways rather than simply cutting the first and last trips of the day.

With the second recession in our region in a decade, TriMet had also delayed investing in new buses and other capital improvements to reduce service cuts. We looked to the ballot box for some new revenues. We proposed a ballot measure that would most benefit our riders who are elderly and have disabilities.

The measure would have secured $125 million to purchase low floor buses and make hundreds of bus stops accessible, and help ease demand on the general fund. Although it failed by a small margin, we took away an important message from the voters: transit is a critical public service.

TriMet’s year was not without its high points, however. Using American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funds, we were able to construct a 74-space Bike & Ride facility at one of our busiest transit centers. It is the first of its kind in Oregon and allows commuters another option for connecting with our system. Two other secured bike parking facilities with a total of 130 spaces will open in 2011.

With these facilities and the replacement and refurbishment of 174 bike lockers at various stations, TriMet has added parking for nearly 380 bikes across the system.

ARRA funds also helped us make long-delayed capital improvements throughout our bus and light rail facilities, helping our system become more robust for the future.

New Technologies
In 2010, our riders reaped huge benefits from ongoing technology developments. Our TransitTracker real-time arrival information service, available by phone and computer for about six years, expanded to include text messaging and a new mobile site—m.trimet.org. Together, these tools serve two million requests for arrival times each month. TriMet’s open data philosophy also continued to serve the agency and its riders with an astounding 37 web-enabled applications created by third-party developers.

In October, the Portland metro area became the destination for some 1,300 transit professionals from around the country and world for the 19th annual Rail~Volution conference. This was exciting for the region since Rail~Volution got its start here in 1991 from then-City Commissioner (now Rep.) Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).

This year’s conference showcased why the Portland area has become a national model for land use and transportation planning, regional partnerships, transit-oriented development, bike infrastructure, and walkable neighborhoods.

But 2010 will also mark the darkest time in TriMet’s history: a bus struck five people in a crosswalk, killing two. The tragedy prompted the agency to launch its most comprehensive safety review ever, leaving no area of our work untouched.

A national safety expert conducted a top-to-bottom safety review of all of our standard operating procedures and training programs. We also reviewed every bus line and every turn and lane change to ensure we weren’t asking our operators to do something that was not safe or legal.

Most importantly, we convened an expert task force to help every employee embrace safety as a value and ensure that safety is the lens through which everything is measured. While creating a culture of safety is a long-term goal, it will also result in service excellence.

Looking Forward
As the year comes to a close, we look ahead with optimism. Our sixth light rail line—the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project—is moving forward with great support from our regional partners. We will soon begin construction on the signature feature of the project, the Willamette River transit bridge. It is unique in the country, with accommodation for light rail, buses, and a future streetcar line, plus a wide pedestrian and bike path on both sides of the bridge. No autos or trucks will use this bridge across the river.

We also see a not-so-distant future where we begin to restore service. As the economy recovers and the current budget crisis subsides, we have a strategy in place to bring service back to a level that our riders need and want.

While we’ve faced daunting challenges and serious budget constraints, we know we’re on the right track to continuing our part in making this region a model of how transit can and does work.

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