TRIMET’S LOOMING budget cuts—now a predicted $12 million—have sparked rider complaints, equality debates, elaborate (and, at times, extreme) solutions, and general frustration. But as TriMet scrambles to create an end-all plan, some skeptics ask: Could some of these cuts have been avoided?
Transit advocates think so. TriMet, they say—looking for the last $11.4 million for a planned light-rail line to Milwaukie—cut a questionable deal with the state that might be bleeding millions from what ought to be the agency’s main priority: bus service.
“This is an injustice,” says Jon Ostar, executive director of Organizing People Activating Leaders (OPAL), an environmental advocacy group with a recent focus on transit rights, calling TriMet’s budget numbers “speculative” at best. “It’s clear that TriMet is turning to the public to subsidize the projects they spent all of their money on.”
To Ostar, the Portland-Milwaukie light-rail line is the top project in question. Last year, state officials confirm, TriMet asked the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to fill the line’s funding gap by pouring in a share of federal grant money over the next 10 years. ODOT, recently given $100 million in “flexible” federal funds for non-highway projects, agreed. But the deal, strongly opposed by local transit advocates, came with a catch: TriMet agreed to give up any future requests for that grant money.
When TriMet released its budget in February, the agency showed a $4 million reduction in the federal funds it normally counts on.
“Here we are a year later and they’re saying that the federal grants aren’t coming through,” says Ostar. “But they agreed on this! It shows how little they care about the bus system and how much they are willing to risk on the light rail.”
But Mary Fetsch, a TriMet spokeswoman, argues that reduction is based on estimated federal cuts unrelated to ODOT’s flexible funds. She also said it’s possible that more money might appear. “It’s only prudent to be prepared to make this cut,” says Fetsch. “It’s so up in the air right now that we have to plan for anything.”
Fetsch said that an unresolved transit union contract and benefit costs for non-union employees are even bigger contributors to TriMet’s shortfall.
Ostar, however, says the ODOT grant money could have been used to offset any other federal cuts. He also complained that TriMet has yet to refine its revenue figures, even as it’s cutting bus service. “They made a rough guess of future transportation funding cuts five months ago and have refused to make adjustments,” says Ostar. “Is it stubbornness? Who knows.”
Patrick Cooney, an ODOT spokesman, confirmed that TriMet may not apply for any more “flexible” funding, but noted that other transportation agencies in the area still can.
Michael Andersen, editor of transit magazine Portland Afoot, says he’s concerned TriMet’s short term-focused ODOT deal could be the start of a bad habit. “Now that TriMet knows ODOT can help them out in a pinch, there will always be this temptation to just squeeze out a little bit more,” Andersen says. “It could be a tactical failure.”
The irony, a city very close that only has one single light rail line and tons of bus service is taking BIGGER cuts than TriMet. TriMet is taking heat for this and that, but they’ve managed their budget better than most agencies in the area. There are however lots of solutions, but cutting capital investment on things that will save the agency tons of money down the road in operational costs (which is what is currently the real question of cost) will hurt us 10x over if we start planning for yesterday instead of tomorrow.
Seattle (that other city in question) has taken huge cuts because the simple fact is, cities are mostly responsible for their operational budgets and not as much of the capital expenditures. Seattle is now suffering much more than Portland with service cuts. They’re forced into 2-4x as many cuts, many less frequent availabilities now, and more. They have barely a single line that actually runs at 17 minute or less headways, while Portland & TriMet has managed to keep a number of the routes here at decent headways.
The fact is, the light rail investment, even with the egregious investments in things that are NOT tracks and equipment (like art, sidewalks, mitigation and other things) will actually provide the area with vastly greater returns than not. Yes, the area is suffering cuts, the white house has done almost nothing to fill the gaps, and cities have voted against stop gap measures. In addition the citienzry is generally against the greedy tactics of TriMet AND the Union in their pithy arguments against each other. But the fact of the matter is, America and Portland included is going to have to do with less hand outs. Less road money, less transit money, less bridge money, less economic activity, and other issues for some time.
We built the problem, and we’re gonna have to just deal with it.
Adron you have a good point but Seattle has a larger metropolitan area and population. Doesn’t that factor in? Additionally I think you can argue they have a better freeways and side streets in terms of conditions and commuting. The street structure in this town freaking sucks!
To clarify a little: I didn’t mean to say there’s anything wrong with ODOT giving money to TriMet. That’s just fine. My concern is that TriMet might find itself always being pressured to put up a little more money for rail … a little more … a little more … to unlock big capital grants from state and feds. The agency is just in too much trouble to spare any of it’s operating revenue for construction.
Ultimately, the issue is that they are spreading things too thin and the city needs both decent and affordable rail/bus service.
Bus and rail service saves the region a lot of money, without the max there would have been either massive (and costly) expansion of the freeway system which would have been difficult or just constant gridlock.
Personally, I think it would be worth it to levy a temporary tax on businesses to stabilize the budget or make the Trimet salary tax more progressive (add brackets to it). The Portland area is actually relatively well now, and certain it’s business community could suffer 10 or 12 million in extra taxes since they definitely like to micro-managing everyone else.
Personally, I think the Columbia cross project should be downsidized to 3/3 lanes with light rail and Oregon’s contribution should be focused on improving transit within the city, possible with the introduction of a express/rapid bus feeder system into the MAX.
The streetcar is pretty much paid with BID money anyway (and it legitimately subsidizes the businesses near the lines), it is a non-issue especially since the lake oswego expansion was killed.