Transportation

In January, TriMet issued its second-ever lifetime ban to Koryn Kraemer, the person accused of chewing off a man’s ear during an attack at a closed TriMet MAX station in Gresham. At the same time, TriMet announced it had also issued two five-year rider bans; one against a rider accused of pushing a child onto […]

TriMet’s historic driver shortage has stabilized, with a spokesperson saying the agency has the number of drivers it needs to maintain its current service level even as ongoing staffing issues have required it to alter its rollout of proposed service expansions in the coming years. “They are improving,” said Fred Casey, Vice President of Amalgamated […]

The state transportation department’s billion dollar project aiming to reduce congestion along the Interstate 5 Rose Quarter corridor will increase the risk of cars hitting pedestrians near the I-5 off-ramp by the Moda Center, the department’s project analysis shows. Planners with the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) project team say the design is still in […]

Outgoing City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty has represented the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) since January 2021, when Mayor Ted Wheeler assigned her the bureau despite her campaigning to oversee the Portland police.  Hardesty, who was edged out of city hall by political newcomer Rene Gonzalez in the November 8 election, took the assignment in […]

TriMet board members voted Wednesday to expand rider penalties for people who commit criminal offenses on the transit system and riders who chronically violate TriMet code. The change allows the agency’s general manager to circumvent the criminal justice system to ban riders who threaten the safety of other riders, as well as riders who repeatedly […]

Adding additional lanes to Interstate 5 in the Rose Quarter will have no significant impact on the environment, according to a new environmental assessment from the federal and state transportation departments. Critics of the project believe that the agencies’ calculation fails to account for an increase in vehicle demand that will accompany lane expansion and […]

Bicycle advocacy group BikeLoud PDX announced plans to sue the city of Portland this week, accusing the city of failing to uphold a 1971 state law that requires pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in street construction projects. Members of the advocacy group hope the lawsuit holds the city accountable to its bicycle and climate goals. “BikeLoud […]

TriMet board members directed the agency Wednesday to proceed with a proposal for a 30 cent fare increase starting in January 2024. The agency will officially present a complete proposal to the board in April for a final vote in May following several months of public input. If passed, it would be the first time […]

TriMet board members are considering raising bus and MAX fares for the first time in seven years as the agency’s financial future grows uncertain. The idea was first floated in an October 5 meeting between the board members and TriMet staff. Agency staff is expected to deliver a specific proposal to the board on November […]

Portland City Council unanimously approved an immediate speed reduction on SE 26th Ave. near Cleveland High School Wednesday, while also asking the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to do the same on SE Powell Blvd., a highway that is operated by the state. The speed reduction, which relies on creating a “School Speed Zone” in […]