As of now, all I'm gonna do is copypasta the press release and maybe blog later. Totally excited though- Thanks!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14th, 2011
Contact: Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons, Co-Director
OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon
(503) 512-0490 / joseph@opalpdx.org / www.opalpdx.org
Bus Riders Call on TriMet General Manager and Board to
Extend Transfer Time to 3 Hours
Portland, OR. On February 21st, 2011, OPAL’s Bus Riders Unite! Leadership Team, representing transit-dependent riders and communities, will formally kick-off the Campaign for a Fair Transfer. The current transfer time for both bus (one hour from the end of the route) and MAX (two hours from fare purchase) is insufficient and inadequate to meet basic needs of transit-dependent workers and families. Bus Riders Unite! calls upon TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane, TriMet Board President Rick Van Beveran and the other TriMet Board Members to approve a policy change to extend all daytime transfers to 3 hours and through the end of evening service for all boardings after 7:00 PM.
Extending the transfer time will increase TriMet’s farebox revenue by further encouraging ridership, particularly during off-peak hours when underemployed families and evening workers depend on transit the most. On the heels of the 10th TriMet fare increase in 10 years and the elimination of over 170,000 hours of basic service in the past two years, Bus Riders Unite! campaign continues to draw attention to the disproportionate impacts borne by transit-dependent riders from our most underrepresented and vulnerable communities: low-income people, people of color, those with disabilities and limited-mobility, and both our youth and senior riders. Bus Riders Unite! demands an affordable, reliable and accessible public transportation system that works for all riders in the Portland region, which is true sustainability.
WHAT: Campaign for a Fair Transfer Kickoff
WHEN: Monday, February 21st 6:00-7:00 PM
WHERE: St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church 1131 SE Oak (Bus #70)
WHY: OPAL’s Bus Riders Unite! members call on TriMet for an extended transfer time of 3 hours for all daily boardings and through the end of service for boardings after 7:00 PM.
“10 fare increases in 10 years have put bus passes out of reach for many individuals and families experiencing poverty or underemployment, including many riders from communities of color. More and more of our community members who rely on public transportation are forced to purchase single-fare tickets and rely on transfers to to get to work, school, the doctor, the grocery store. TriMet policy needs to support its riders to be able to meet their basic needs.”
- Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons, OPAL Co-Director.
“With increased headways – longer waiting times between buses – and more overcrowded buses, service is less reliable and bus riders struggle to meet their basic needs, having to purchase additional single-trip fares at greater expense for less service.”
- Teresa Soto de Roman, OPAL Bus Riders Unite! Leadership Team member.
“The current TriMet transfer policy is both confusing and arbitrary, allowing for unequal transfers for bus riders and MAX riders – bus riders get just one hour on weekdays from the end of their trip as determined by the bus driver, while MAX riders get two hours from purchase.” - Jonathan Ostar, OPAL Co-Director and Staff Attorney.
OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon is a 501(c)(3) community-based organization working to empower low-income communities and communities of color through direct action and grassroots organizing. By developing leadership from within communities most impacted by local environmental and socioeconomic decision-making, OPAL works to promote environmental and social justice and sustainable, healthy communities. OPAL also co-chairs and facilitates the Transportation and Health Equity Network, comprised of regional partners working on issues of transportation and health equity.
Campaign for a Fair Transfer Endorsements (as of 2/14):
Portland Jobs with Justice, Portland Youth and Elders Council, Urban League of Portland, ROSE Community Development, Verde, VOZ Workers Rights, Upstream Public Health, Center for Intercultural Organizing, Josiah Hill III Clinic, Central City Neighborhood Association (Gresham), Alliance for Democracy.
Related Web Sources
OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon Website www.opalpdx.org
PolicyLink, The Transportation Prescription: Bold New Ideas for Healthy, Equitable Transportation Reform
Final 2010 TriMet Service Cuts
Transit Riders for Public Transportation
Transportation for America
More Transit = More Jobs, Sept 2 Report of Transportation Equity Network
Monday, February 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
My Updated Board Speech
Hello. I'm Cameron Johnson, 16 year old bus rider WITH OPAL's BUS RIDERS UNITE! CAMPAIGN. However, this time I am not speaking just for OPAL Bus Riders Unite. I'm speaking for everyone who is even the slightest involved with TriMet. Because it's no longer JUST Riders or JUST Union members.
Recently a letter was released from General Manager McFarlane to the Union regarding the LOOMING health CARE debacle. In the form of a veiled threat stated that if the workers didn't comply to the new healthcare, that TriMet would execute another $10,000,000 in service cuts. Now I'm sure that I'm not the only one who thinks this sounds like a devious threat.
Think about it. It's borderline extortion. If the Union were to still press on for their benefits, TriMet would open up the trapdoor on Bus Riders, and be able to say “If only your bus drivers had only complied to our terms, then you would not have suffered.” Then everyone's going to go up in arms against the drivers and the union.
But if riders go up in arms about this, the Union will see this as a force to concede and swallow the pill of a harsh blow to their benefits, then the riders are spared, but the drivers are going to have the riders to blame for their suffering.
Or it could go neither way. The Union presses on, riders get cut, and then they still screw over the drivers in the end. Then everyone's fighting with everyone. What you are forcing in this really cruel negotiation ploy will all but end in a riot. In some places, There's already an unfortunate schism between the general public and bus drivers
Don't tell me for an INSTANT that you can't get 10 million anywhere else. Do I need to bring up over-the-top salaries? Massive planning and consultants into future capital projects? Advertising “WES Works!” on buses in Gresham? ALSO, HOW ABOUT THAT YOU ACTUALLY SPEND MONEY PLAYING CLASSICAL MUSIC ON THE MAX? I mean, I'd much rather know my bus works than a train I'll probably never ride which never works anyways.
My point is, instead of fessing up and being responsible, you're starting to blind the riders and drivers of TriMet into fighting each other while hiding the fact that the only culprit here is you. You need to realize what your riders and drivers are worth. They are your backbone. They are your profit. It's high time that you took a moment and tried to benefit them instead of screwing them all over in one fell sweep when there are so many other ways you can get $10 million. We all do so much for you. Isn't it time you really did something for us?
Anyway, will upload my Twitter coverage of the meeting later.
Recently a letter was released from General Manager McFarlane to the Union regarding the LOOMING health CARE debacle. In the form of a veiled threat stated that if the workers didn't comply to the new healthcare, that TriMet would execute another $10,000,000 in service cuts. Now I'm sure that I'm not the only one who thinks this sounds like a devious threat.
Think about it. It's borderline extortion. If the Union were to still press on for their benefits, TriMet would open up the trapdoor on Bus Riders, and be able to say “If only your bus drivers had only complied to our terms, then you would not have suffered.” Then everyone's going to go up in arms against the drivers and the union.
But if riders go up in arms about this, the Union will see this as a force to concede and swallow the pill of a harsh blow to their benefits, then the riders are spared, but the drivers are going to have the riders to blame for their suffering.
Or it could go neither way. The Union presses on, riders get cut, and then they still screw over the drivers in the end. Then everyone's fighting with everyone. What you are forcing in this really cruel negotiation ploy will all but end in a riot. In some places, There's already an unfortunate schism between the general public and bus drivers
Don't tell me for an INSTANT that you can't get 10 million anywhere else. Do I need to bring up over-the-top salaries? Massive planning and consultants into future capital projects? Advertising “WES Works!” on buses in Gresham? ALSO, HOW ABOUT THAT YOU ACTUALLY SPEND MONEY PLAYING CLASSICAL MUSIC ON THE MAX? I mean, I'd much rather know my bus works than a train I'll probably never ride which never works anyways.
My point is, instead of fessing up and being responsible, you're starting to blind the riders and drivers of TriMet into fighting each other while hiding the fact that the only culprit here is you. You need to realize what your riders and drivers are worth. They are your backbone. They are your profit. It's high time that you took a moment and tried to benefit them instead of screwing them all over in one fell sweep when there are so many other ways you can get $10 million. We all do so much for you. Isn't it time you really did something for us?
Anyway, will upload my Twitter coverage of the meeting later.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Service Horses?
There's buzz around TriMet allowing miniature service horses on buses. You know... cause there's no news around. I read this and thought "Oh my god this will ruin bus riding! NO NO NO NO NO!"
Why, you ask? Well first, can you imagine service HORSES on the bus? I mean, everyone's gonna bring their miniature horse farm and carry them around on the bus and pass them off as service horses! You know... cause everyone has a miniature horse in Portland. We're second in miniature horse per capita, right after that town in Alaska that has 4 people.
Second, can you imagine how the safety would be affected by this change? I can just envision nightmares of miniature horses eating people's faces off! What if they bring in guns and hold us up? We need to bring in safer service animals, like rotweillers and stoners.
Third, if service horses are allowed on the bus, that's total discrimination against other service animals! Now my friend won't be able to bring her service flamingo! What about service crocodiles or service armadillos? TriMet is just a bunch of speciesists!
So overall, this is the worst idea that TriMet's ever had. Worse than 4 service cut rounds back to back. Worse than the billions poured into Milwaukie MAX. Worse than ANYTHING worse than that!
So let's start riots against this! I'll get my pitchforks, you get your torches and flamethrowers.
Why, you ask? Well first, can you imagine service HORSES on the bus? I mean, everyone's gonna bring their miniature horse farm and carry them around on the bus and pass them off as service horses! You know... cause everyone has a miniature horse in Portland. We're second in miniature horse per capita, right after that town in Alaska that has 4 people.
Second, can you imagine how the safety would be affected by this change? I can just envision nightmares of miniature horses eating people's faces off! What if they bring in guns and hold us up? We need to bring in safer service animals, like rotweillers and stoners.
Third, if service horses are allowed on the bus, that's total discrimination against other service animals! Now my friend won't be able to bring her service flamingo! What about service crocodiles or service armadillos? TriMet is just a bunch of speciesists!
So overall, this is the worst idea that TriMet's ever had. Worse than 4 service cut rounds back to back. Worse than the billions poured into Milwaukie MAX. Worse than ANYTHING worse than that!
So let's start riots against this! I'll get my pitchforks, you get your torches and flamethrowers.
It just makes me sad
You know what's been troubling me? The Sandi Day trial. And let me tell you why.
It's unnecessary and rather painful.
Why is it unnecessary? Because in retrospect, it doesn't matter who did it. If Sandi Day was at fault, however unintentional it may be, she lost her job. And not only that, she's going to have to live with that night for the rest of her life, whether she was at fault or not.
And this trial is just lengthening her suffering, and the victim's loved ones as well. I mean, having to constantly talk about it and argue and seek vengeance for the victims and just relive that horrible nights. It's getting personal even. And for what? So that they can get $20,000,000 from TriMet. I mean, I know nothing is worse than a loss of life. But if you're asking for that much (especially out of a company that even if doing it wrong, is trying to fix its mistakes and its budget), you better be putting that toward charity, memorials or research, something meaningful, or that just strikes me as near selfishness.
My heart aches for all of you, it hurts to think about the pain you're going through. The worst I'm going through at the moment are a couple of beloved friends moving, and that is painful in itself. I can't even begin to imagine what it'd be like to lose a life. Death frightens me more than anything.
And Every time David Sale takes the stand at a board meeting, I nearly cry. His passion is unmatched. But why take it out on the person who may have done it, who is already going to serve a life sentence for the unfortunate happening. It kills me.
It's unnecessary and rather painful.
Why is it unnecessary? Because in retrospect, it doesn't matter who did it. If Sandi Day was at fault, however unintentional it may be, she lost her job. And not only that, she's going to have to live with that night for the rest of her life, whether she was at fault or not.
And this trial is just lengthening her suffering, and the victim's loved ones as well. I mean, having to constantly talk about it and argue and seek vengeance for the victims and just relive that horrible nights. It's getting personal even. And for what? So that they can get $20,000,000 from TriMet. I mean, I know nothing is worse than a loss of life. But if you're asking for that much (especially out of a company that even if doing it wrong, is trying to fix its mistakes and its budget), you better be putting that toward charity, memorials or research, something meaningful, or that just strikes me as near selfishness.
My heart aches for all of you, it hurts to think about the pain you're going through. The worst I'm going through at the moment are a couple of beloved friends moving, and that is painful in itself. I can't even begin to imagine what it'd be like to lose a life. Death frightens me more than anything.
And Every time David Sale takes the stand at a board meeting, I nearly cry. His passion is unmatched. But why take it out on the person who may have done it, who is already going to serve a life sentence for the unfortunate happening. It kills me.
Friday, January 14, 2011
My Next Board Meeting Speech-Please Give Advice! My Guts Need It!
Well, I finished my board meeting speech, already, yes, I know. But as I wrote it, I realized I was being pretty hard-hitting. Part of me thinks TriMet needs it but I don't wanna kick TriMet in the balls or anything, just splash water on them to wake them up.
Anyway, here we go. I'd appreciate advice and your opinion to make sure I'm not booted out or anything.
Anyway, here we go. I'd appreciate advice and your opinion to make sure I'm not booted out or anything.
Hello. I'm Cameron Johnson, 16 year old bus rider. However, this time I am not speaking just for OPAL Bus Riders Unite. I'm speaking for everyone who is even the slightest involved with TriMet. Because it's no longer JUST Riders or JUST Union members.
Recently a letter was released from McFarlane to the Union regarding the health debacle. Pretty much flat out it stated that if the workers didn't comply to the new healthcare, that TriMet would execute another $10,000,000 in service cuts. Now I'm sure that I'm not the only one who thinks this sounds like a devious threat.
Now this is just too sneaky to sound like a mistake. Think about it. It's near blackmail. If the Union were to still press on for their benefits, TriMet would open up the trapdoor on Bus Riders, and be able to say “If only your bus drivers had only complied to our terms, then you would not have suffered.” Then everyone's going to go up in arms against the drivers and the union.
But if riders go up in arms about this, the Union will see this as a force to concede and swallow the pill of crappy benefits, then the riders are spared, but the drivers are going to have the riders to blame for their suffering.
Or it could go neither way. The Union presses on, riders get cut, and then they still screw over the drivers in the end. Then everyone's fighting with everyone. What you are forcing in this Hobson's Choice will all but end in a riot.
Don't tell me for an INSTANT that you can't get 10 million anywhere else. You say you have to replace the oldest buses in the fleet. Well tough luck, that should have taken place before you even made a vote about it, a vote, I may add, wouldn't even have gone towards new buses in the first place, rather operation costs to fill in your prior mistakes. And how do we even know it was going to operation costs, and not the MAX? I'm sure those old people on the poster you flaunted for the measure are thrilled to hear that.
Also you need money for the MAX Line. Cause you know the billion you gave last month wasn't enough. I know I pick on the MAX line a lot, but there's no way you can honestly tell me to my face that a loss of $10,000,000 would make it impossible to build the MAX. At most your shelters would have to go without glittery tiles.
My point is, instead of fessing up and being responsible, you're starting to blind everyone who rides or drives in TriMet into fighting each other while hiding the fact that the only culprit here is you. All because you're too miserly to spend $10 million on your employees. You need to realize what these people are worth. They are your backbone. They are your profit. They are what keeps your resume solid or keeps your budget higher than ours. It's high time that you took a moment and tried to benefit them instead of screwing them all over in one fell sweep. You attract more flies with honey than vinegar. I've tried to give you plenty of honey, but we're desperate for something sweet.
Just please...consider.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Took a look at the rules, or procedures for public testimony.
Me dun likey
1. There's 2 pages of rules. That's a lot!
2. They seriously can't spare more than an hour to listen to all their riders? >_>
3. And they're also going to tell us not to be repetitious? Uhm, I don't like that a lot. They're telling us how to speak? Most of us are smart enough to know that. And what if our speech is deemed repetitious? Mike cut?
4. It's just... why so much?
Me dun likey
1. There's 2 pages of rules. That's a lot!
2. They seriously can't spare more than an hour to listen to all their riders? >_>
3. And they're also going to tell us not to be repetitious? Uhm, I don't like that a lot. They're telling us how to speak? Most of us are smart enough to know that. And what if our speech is deemed repetitious? Mike cut?
4. It's just... why so much?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
My Honest-to-God fact and opinion on WES (Part one of a series)
So, you may all get the appearance that I set fire to anyone who likes the idea of capital projects. While I don't like that most of them cost an arm and a leg, or more literally, thousands of arms and legs, I do think at least one of them are good ideas in concept. So I'm going to list a few past, present and future Capital Projects, in the order of date. I'm going to start late, with WES. So yeah this isn't going to start too great, but there is going to be some insight.
So let's get started.
WES Commuter Rail (2009)
In everyone's honest opinion, this project is probably the least successful of TriMet's to date. I'm going to do some math, to see how long till we break even on WES, hypothetically. You may say it's quite an estimate, but you get the idea.
The WES in construction cost $166 million. Taking into account the probable 60/40 that the Federal and Trimet puts toward it most of the time, respectively, that's about $64,000,000. That's no Milwaukie Light rail, for sure, but it's got nowhere near the projected payoff.
The ridership so far is 1700 a month on average at the moment. $1700 X 2.35 X 52 weeks a year. This equals $207,740 a month.
You may ask, remember tax revenue? Well, revenue on passenger price is 22% of the total revenue. For Payroll Taxes they make 49%. (If you're curious, the rest is from other sources and state/federal grants. So Tax funds is 2.23 times passenger funds. This is an additional $463,260 a year. And 20 cents. Amounting to a total of $671,000 a year. And 20 cents. So get ready for this- without taking other factors like operating costs and some bonus revenue they might ever get, it will take 95 years to pay this off, and that's just the TriMet part of the deal.
And also consider this, by at LEAST 2050 I'm expecting floating cars and shoes that tie themselves, so by then surely we'll have something to easily outdate WES. Unless we, I dunno, make it a museum. By which we'll surely make more money than we do now. So, yeah, read this as point said- making a profit on WES- never gonna happen. I may be missing a crucial detail, but I'm rather certain I've examined all nooks and crannies. Also, there's the issue of people being annoyed by the horn during early morning. Not exactly the way I'd wake up, but they're working on that.
So, yeah. The main problem, and by far the biggest problem, is that $64,000,000 just went down the drain for $600,000 a year. But to be fair, this is really time saving for the people who use it right, saving at least a two hour trip without it from Wilsonville to Beaverton to about 30 minutes. Not bad. Cause I'm sure that's what a large portion are doing.
From Wilsonville to Portland, it may be faster, due to the times of line 96 which, if the conditions are right, equal about an hour. So does WES. However, odds are, there's traffic. It is I-5 after all. So yeah, WES and MAX are a better bet. I mean, it doesn't make up for the giant hill in the budget it left us with, but if we have it, we're making a little bit of profit off of it even past operation cards, and destroying it would just eliminate that tiny bit of profit not to mention cost millions in itself, we may as well enjoy it. And it has its pros. It makes it easier to get around.
So yeah, this is a classic example of "This was a waste of money but we can't change it so we may as well use it." Like buying a Wii instead of a couch and at least playing a Wii on the floor. Or selling the Wii and then getting the couch. But it's not like we can sell a huge diesel train and its tracks to anyone else.
Anyway, tomorrow I'm going to tackle the MAX Green Line. I do have a question that's bamboozling me. This is a copypasta from the April Green line statistics
MAX Green Line
Weekday trips averaged 19,600
Weekend trips averaged 24,700
Now does this mean that on Weekdays
The answer is probably gonna induce a facepalm but I wanna get the facts right. Anyway, I hope to get started soon. As in, not procrastinating this to death.
Cheers!
Cameron
So let's get started.
WES Commuter Rail (2009)
In everyone's honest opinion, this project is probably the least successful of TriMet's to date. I'm going to do some math, to see how long till we break even on WES, hypothetically. You may say it's quite an estimate, but you get the idea.
The WES in construction cost $166 million. Taking into account the probable 60/40 that the Federal and Trimet puts toward it most of the time, respectively, that's about $64,000,000. That's no Milwaukie Light rail, for sure, but it's got nowhere near the projected payoff.
The ridership so far is 1700 a month on average at the moment. $1700 X 2.35 X 52 weeks a year. This equals $207,740 a month.
You may ask, remember tax revenue? Well, revenue on passenger price is 22% of the total revenue. For Payroll Taxes they make 49%. (If you're curious, the rest is from other sources and state/federal grants. So Tax funds is 2.23 times passenger funds. This is an additional $463,260 a year. And 20 cents. Amounting to a total of $671,000 a year. And 20 cents. So get ready for this- without taking other factors like operating costs and some bonus revenue they might ever get, it will take 95 years to pay this off, and that's just the TriMet part of the deal.
And also consider this, by at LEAST 2050 I'm expecting floating cars and shoes that tie themselves, so by then surely we'll have something to easily outdate WES. Unless we, I dunno, make it a museum. By which we'll surely make more money than we do now. So, yeah, read this as point said- making a profit on WES- never gonna happen. I may be missing a crucial detail, but I'm rather certain I've examined all nooks and crannies. Also, there's the issue of people being annoyed by the horn during early morning. Not exactly the way I'd wake up, but they're working on that.
So, yeah. The main problem, and by far the biggest problem, is that $64,000,000 just went down the drain for $600,000 a year. But to be fair, this is really time saving for the people who use it right, saving at least a two hour trip without it from Wilsonville to Beaverton to about 30 minutes. Not bad. Cause I'm sure that's what a large portion are doing.
From Wilsonville to Portland, it may be faster, due to the times of line 96 which, if the conditions are right, equal about an hour. So does WES. However, odds are, there's traffic. It is I-5 after all. So yeah, WES and MAX are a better bet. I mean, it doesn't make up for the giant hill in the budget it left us with, but if we have it, we're making a little bit of profit off of it even past operation cards, and destroying it would just eliminate that tiny bit of profit not to mention cost millions in itself, we may as well enjoy it. And it has its pros. It makes it easier to get around.
So yeah, this is a classic example of "This was a waste of money but we can't change it so we may as well use it." Like buying a Wii instead of a couch and at least playing a Wii on the floor. Or selling the Wii and then getting the couch. But it's not like we can sell a huge diesel train and its tracks to anyone else.
Anyway, tomorrow I'm going to tackle the MAX Green Line. I do have a question that's bamboozling me. This is a copypasta from the April Green line statistics
MAX Green Line
Weekday trips averaged 19,600
Weekend trips averaged 24,700
Now does this mean that on Weekdays
The answer is probably gonna induce a facepalm but I wanna get the facts right. Anyway, I hope to get started soon. As in, not procrastinating this to death.
Cheers!
Cameron
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