[Fwd: Line 71 - NEW! Revised re-route proposal]
Mark C. Mason
This level of response from Trimet is breathtaking. Wow.
I think we owe Jon Joseph and Peggy Hanson a great big
*THANK YOU* from all affected neighborhoods in the
Mt. Tabor neighborhood.
I can safely say that you have won our respect, gratitude, and
admiration for a level of responsiveness that is rare. I hope that
we can return the favor sometime (do you have a volunteer program,
perhaps?)
Best regards,
Mark Mason
1704 SE 52nd Ave.
-------- Original Message --------
| Subject: | Line 71 - NEW! Revised re-route proposal |
|---|---|
| Date: | Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:07:39 -0700 |
| From: | Joseph, Jon <Jose...@trimet.org> |
| To: | undisclosed-recipients:; |
Dear Concerned Resident,
TriMet appreciates your involvement in this important process as we seek to strike a balance between the transportation needs of our riders and the concerns expressed by residents living along the Line 71 re-route regarding buses using neighborhood streets.
Responding to questions and concerns raised by residents, TriMet spent significant time over the past two weeks examining every possible re-route alternative. We found there is no ideal alternative for a 14-month re-route of the Line 71. One one hand, using neighborhood streets like 55th Ave. and Taylor St. is not optimal operationally or for the residents living along those streets. On the other hand, there is no other viable through-street alternative to 60th that is close to the regular route. The best alternative street is 39th, which takes our riders a great distance away from the regular Line 71 route. It is important to recognize that more than 600 riders, many of whom are transit dependent, travel through the Mt. Tabor neighborhood every weekday to get to and from work, high school and other destinations.
This week, TriMet staff and PDOT together conducted careful testing of alternatives that would use 39th. From our rider’s perspective, Belmont would have been the best choice due to the large number of transfers from Line 71 to Line 15. However, we found that a right hand turn from 60th onto Belmont simply cannot be accomplished because the bus would slide too far over the center line into oncoming traffic backed up at the light.
We did find, however, that a right hand turn can be accomplished from 60th onto Burnside. After careful consideration, TriMet has decided to use Burnside as the re-route for the rest of the construction period. While it is somewhat disadvantageous for our riders it appears to be the best choice operationally while still enabling our riders to make their regular transfers.
The new re-route will be as follows: Northbound Line 71 buses will run west on SE Division St., turn right (north) on SE 50th Ave., turn left (west) on SE Hawthorne Blvd., turn right (north) on SE 39th Ave., turn right (east) on SE Burnside St. and turn left (north) on SE 60th to resume their regular route. Southbound buses will use the same streets in the opposite direction.
Our target date for implementing this new Line 71 re-route is Sunday, October 14, 2007.
(Note: Line 71 will resume its regular route on SE 60th at the conclusion of the Water Bureau's project in that area. The current construction schedule from the Water Bureau does not show any significant breaks where the line could return to its regular route.)
In the interim, we will be notifying our riders onboard and at Line 71 stops along the re-route, and we will continue to work closely with PDOT to make any necessary street alterations along the new re-route. Furthermore, until the new re-route is implemented we will continue to conduct our regular speed checks along SE Taylor St., and we encourage you to report any incidents involving a bus immediately to Field Operations Manager, Peggy Hanson, at 503-519-5767.
At the Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association meeting we also heard from residents along Lincoln St. that they wanted to discuss alternatives to the use of Lincoln when construction ends and the Line 71 returns to its normal operation. TriMet staff will be available to discuss the new re-route proposal and a process to review changes that might be available on Lincoln at tomorrow night's open house from 7-9 p.m. at the Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church.
Thank you for your patience and for your
participation in this process. Please let me know if you have any
questions.
Sincerely,
Jon Joseph
Jon L. Joseph
Marketing Programs Coordinator
TriMet
4012 SE 17th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97202
trimet.org
-- Mark Mason Engineering Design Team
Mark C. Mason
Jon, I live in SE and work on the outskirts of Hillsboror, and I use Trimet
extensively with my commuter bicycle.
I also have been involved in volunteer work for many years. One of them
is the Goose Hollow Family Homeless shelter since its inception in the mid-90's.
Trimet has graciously donated needed bus passes to our clients in the past.
If you ever need eyes and ears, or feet for that matter, let me know.
My hands, though, are pretty much reserved for my wife's Honey-Do list.
Mark Mason
Joseph, Jon wrote:
Mark,Thank you for your kind remarks. I hope together we have been able to find a solution that accommodates everyone's needs. We appreciate your participation in this process.As to a volunteer program we don't have one. I would, however, strongly encourage everyone involved to consider using TriMet whenever they can, and if someone has not yet had the opportunity to use our buses or MAX trains to give us a chance to meet their transportation needs.Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.Regards,Jon
Melissa Guthrie
Wow! Quite impressive! I cannot thank you all enough! I am so impressed with the level of professionalism and true compassion that Trimet has shown to help work through this and find a solution. Its not been easy. I can’t say “Thanks” enough. Just one more thing that makes living in this city so great!
Thank you so much!
Melissa Guthrie
52nd Ave.
From: notabu...@googlegroups.com [mailto:notabu...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Mark C. Mason
Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 10:30 AM