"demand for public transportation is at record highs thanks to the recession."
That is a completely false statement. TriMet's own data shows a 4.3% reduction in ridership from this time a year ago. That took me about 5 seconds to find using the internets:
We should raise gas taxes to cover the difference.
We should raise gas taxes to discourage driving as a primary form of transportation.
We should raise gas taxes to cover other financial lackluster areas.
I haven't see any cognizant arguments against ending the fareless square area for the buses. Until such time as someone comes up with one, I will remain supportive of that aspect of the plan.
On the other hand, I am against some of the bus frequency reductions.
Do you know that the government makes around three times as much as oil companies do from gas taxes?
So just tell me - how are you going to get your mattress home from the store? How did the mattress get to the store?
@D I rent a truck from Zipcar for $11/hour, which includes gas and insurance. I find zero need to own a car in Portland, for anything that requires hauling (of people or goods), Zipcar works great for me and at a much cheaper rate than owning a car.
What does it mean that fareless square is "costing" the city 2.7 million? Is it really "costing" the city money to make stops in downtown that they're already making? Or are they just using weird math to determine the amount of money they could have potentially made.
I'm still waiting for Sara to respond to GLV's correction of the ridership rate. A point of view is seriously discredited when assertions are shown to be assumptions.
I for one am looking forward to a better smelling bus ride.
That is a completely false statement. TriMet's own data shows a 4.3% reduction in ridership from this time a year ago. That took me about 5 seconds to find using the internets:
http://www.trimet.org/news/releases/jun11_…
We should raise gas taxes to discourage driving as a primary form of transportation.
We should raise gas taxes to cover other financial lackluster areas.
The golden age of the automobile is done.
On the other hand, I am against some of the bus frequency reductions.
So just tell me - how are you going to get your mattress home from the store? How did the mattress get to the store?
Businesses like IKEA even give you a discount on home delivery if you take the MAX. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/store/portland/s…
All transit is publically subsidized, so technically it all costs us millions of dollars.
I for one am looking forward to a better smelling bus ride.