Tri-Met bus route comments

Ta-da! The following is my very first Guest column, submitted by Frank Dufay:

An open letter to The Oregonian

Last week I submitted a “letter to the editor” disputing Tri-Met’s assertion that the only complaints on their route changes came from westside riders. For whatever reason, you elected not to print my letter, which said many, many east-siders who use the #14 are very, very unhappy. Despite the fact we are the most popular bus line –and take 8% of Tri-Met’s riders into downtown– our line’s service is being gutted.

Now, this beautiful but chilly Sunday morning, I see the Oregonian’s “Your downtown bus guide” on the front page of METRO fails to include our #14 Hawthorne line in your matrix. Let’s see, I look down the column there’s “9, 10, 12, 15, 16). The #14? Oh, wait…there it is, if you can find it, DOWN ON THE BOTTOM, after C-Tran:

“14 (Not shown on map) Stops on SW 2nd, at SW Main, SW Taylor, and SW Alder.

“Not shown in map” as is the service we’re getting, or NOT getting, really.

Our riders used to be able to take the #14 to the County Courthouse, Pioneer Square, Old Town. Starting today, the farthest our 8% of downtown riders get taken into downtown is 2nd Ave. Not even as far as the “temporary” mall to make transfers.

And to add insult to injury, the #14 Hawthorne line no longer takes the Hawthorne bridge home. Instead of the quick, direct shot back east over the Hawthorne, we are now routed along 2nd, through downtown traffic and then across the river on the MORRISON Bridge. THEN hit the traffic through the Central East Side Industrial District just to get back to Hawthorne Boulevard. Of course, too, these 8% of Tri-Met’s downtown ridership are expected to board at only THREE downtown bus stops.

Tri-Met’s planners –and new schedules–claim all this only adds six minutes to the commute time. My emails to Tri-Met arguing the logistical absurdity of this were unreturned. It’s no wonder that this change was proposed only AFTER Tri-Met’s public hearing process.

“Not shown on map”? I wish that were the worst of it. Some of Tri-Met’s most loyal riders, on its most popular line, are soon to find they’re not on Tri-Met’s RADAR.

Thanks for thinking of us, Tri-Met. Thanks for keeping us off your map, Oregonian.