Public transportation works. If it is designed to. And Portland has one that does. Portland’s mass transit system is run by TriMet. The fleet includes a bus system, MAX Light Rail, and the Portland Streetcar.
On paper this system looks good. But the true test is to actually use it for yourself. Now, I grew up riding TriMet and I continue to use it because it really does work.
Today, Alyssa and I decided to head to the city. As we typically do when in town, we ride TriMet from Beaverton to Portland.
We drove to the transit center down the street and got on the blue line to downtown and exited at Pioneer Square. From there we walked to lunch and some shopping. Then, walked over to make our usual visit to Powell’s Books. From there we took the 20 bus up Burnside to 23rd to continue our shopping. Then, it was back to Burnside to take the 20 bus over the hill to the Beaverton Transit Center. And a quick ride on the MAX to our final destination. We were able to avoid the drive to and from downtown. And, we did not need to pay for parking or hassle with driving from one destination to another.
This all made for a very enjoyable day of exploring the city. Usable public transportation is good.
In addition, Portland also boasts some of the cleanest air in the country. Clean air is also good.
(Image by Beaster725 via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.)
