Beaten TriMet bus driver in frantic North Portland emergency call: 'He hit me in the head 15 times ... I can't see myself' | OregonLive.com
Instead of using words like 'Cadillac' and 'generous' how bout phrasing things a little more like the real world.
ATU757 is trying to preserve health benefits that most citizens of the Western developed world have now. Countries like CANANDA, BRITIAN, FRANCE, etc. provide their citizens with the type of coverage that assures small co-pays and prevents medical bankruptcies.
American's have bought into this 'race to the bottom' idea that means American citizens lose more while the executive class gains more. There is a reason why the richest 1% is richer now than ever in history.
While Joe talks about our 'Cadillac' benefits I have to get some of my prescriptions from Canada completely out of pocket. The word 'Cadillac' is very misleading and appeals to the emotions.
As far as: """transit worker is not defined as a high-risk profession qualifying for savings""" that once again shows how little respect the profession has now. Best advice for people looking for work nowadays, leave the job of transit operator behind. It's definitely the wrong time to be involved in that endeavor
Friday, December 13, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
TriMet can improve service and protect budget with these two moves: Editorial | OregonLive.com
TriMet can improve service and protect budget with these two moves: Editorial | OregonLive.com
You guys are so off base its actually funny. Where is your outrage over the $1 million that Mcfarlane decided he needed to 'retain' his great cronies that he took in secret?
Where is your outrage over Fred Hansens ridiculous pension of $16k per month?
Where is your outrage over Olivia Clarks pension of $10k a month.
Trimet right now is in a sorry state of disrepair with daily MAX delays and dozens of buses breaking down.
Trimet's finances are not that rocky, loads of Trimet executives are still getting rich off the tax payers there.
You guys are so off base its actually funny. Where is your outrage over the $1 million that Mcfarlane decided he needed to 'retain' his great cronies that he took in secret?
Where is your outrage over Fred Hansens ridiculous pension of $16k per month?
Where is your outrage over Olivia Clarks pension of $10k a month.
Trimet right now is in a sorry state of disrepair with daily MAX delays and dozens of buses breaking down.
Trimet's finances are not that rocky, loads of Trimet executives are still getting rich off the tax payers there.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Al Said Phoenix Has No Traffic Problems | Transit Sleuth
Al Said Phoenix Has No Traffic Problems | Transit Sleuth
When you say AL are you referring to me?
I NEVER SAID PHOENIX HAD NO TRAFFIC PROBLEMS.
As a matter of fact if you remember I did as you suggested and researched more about Phoenix and found out they had a higher % of poverty citizens than Portland!
"AL" is not """Al is giving Portland crap about all sorts of stuff"""
Like what? I rant about Trimet management and the Goldschidt gang and the ridiculously high taxes here.,
I've got homeless people living behind my car while they put in a silly street car and talk about sustainability.
I rant about PORTLAND HYPOCRISY, the 'creative class' nonsense and the ridiculous obsession with bicycles because I find it ridiculous!
But Portland as a place to live? Maybe the last city in America that could be considered liveable if you just ignore everything else.
Portland is like Paris France. As long as you ignore the Parisians Paris is a wonderful city
Same thing here. Ignore all the stupidity weirdos and corruption its a wonderful city!
When you say AL are you referring to me?
I NEVER SAID PHOENIX HAD NO TRAFFIC PROBLEMS.
As a matter of fact if you remember I did as you suggested and researched more about Phoenix and found out they had a higher % of poverty citizens than Portland!
"AL" is not """Al is giving Portland crap about all sorts of stuff"""
Like what? I rant about Trimet management and the Goldschidt gang and the ridiculously high taxes here.,
I've got homeless people living behind my car while they put in a silly street car and talk about sustainability.
I rant about PORTLAND HYPOCRISY, the 'creative class' nonsense and the ridiculous obsession with bicycles because I find it ridiculous!
But Portland as a place to live? Maybe the last city in America that could be considered liveable if you just ignore everything else.
Portland is like Paris France. As long as you ignore the Parisians Paris is a wonderful city
Same thing here. Ignore all the stupidity weirdos and corruption its a wonderful city!
Friday, December 6, 2013
Human Transit: should we cut fares or increase service? an advocacy parable
Human Transit: should we cut fares or increase service? an advocacy parable
The so called 'budget crisis' that precipitated all of the cuts to service never materialized in the first place, and OPAL called them out on that. They got no media coverage but I myself saw what they were saying come exactly true.
So Trimet takes an axe to service a over a year ago now they decide they can 'restore' some of that service.
"But you can't have both" according to the Trimet technocrats.
Sorry, I just don't believe them. Your post assumes they are truthful as to the current state of their financial status. They have proven over and over they cannot be trusted when it comes to their public statements about their finances.
Let's remember, these people in charge took an axe to service AND raise the fares pleading poverty all the while and at the exact same time hid raises for themselves of $1 million that goes on in perpetuity.
I don't buy your premise, people with time on their hands want longer transfers and people that are busy want more service.
It's a false dichotomy as far as I am concerned.
The so called 'budget crisis' that precipitated all of the cuts to service never materialized in the first place, and OPAL called them out on that. They got no media coverage but I myself saw what they were saying come exactly true.
So Trimet takes an axe to service a over a year ago now they decide they can 'restore' some of that service.
"But you can't have both" according to the Trimet technocrats.
Sorry, I just don't believe them. Your post assumes they are truthful as to the current state of their financial status. They have proven over and over they cannot be trusted when it comes to their public statements about their finances.
Let's remember, these people in charge took an axe to service AND raise the fares pleading poverty all the while and at the exact same time hid raises for themselves of $1 million that goes on in perpetuity.
I don't buy your premise, people with time on their hands want longer transfers and people that are busy want more service.
It's a false dichotomy as far as I am concerned.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Is TriMet trying to boost revenue by pushing low-income Portland area riders away from 'unintended' round trips? | OregonLive.com
Is TriMet trying to boost revenue by pushing low-income Portland area riders away from 'unintended' round trips? | OregonLive.com
"""Yet if you ask any of the roughly 31 percent of TriMet riders who use cash fares daily, they’ll likely say the time-based system gives them the right to board a bus or train and ride anywhere in the system for two hours. Whether you’re a transit-dependent single mom or a retiree on a fixed income, that comes in handy for quick-and-cheap round trips to run errands."""
~~~~>It's always been that way.
"""For an adult living below the poverty line, that's the difference between spending $2.50 and $5"""
~~~>A 'day ticket' seems like a good deal, for a day. However if a fixed income person spends $5/day on a day pass that's $150/mo which is huge.
""""“There’s a lot of confusion about TriMet’s fare policy -- what it’s intended to be, what it is in practice, what it's become,” said Jon Ostar, executive director of OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, which has spearheaded the "Campaign for a Fair Transfer." “It seems their underlying motive is to capture as much revenue as possible, regardless of whose pocket it’s coming out of.""
~~~~>I agree 100% with Mr Ostar, Trimet is just trying to get every single penny out of every single rider that they can. Don't forget there is no 'low income pass' here like at many Transit districts. They gave a million dollars to various agencies to deal with the poor of the area but who knows how to access any of that. I haven't seen one news release on how to access those funds for low income people.
"""TriMet's own data shows that while two out of every three cash-paying riders are low-income, about 75 percent of round-trippers are also low-income."""
~~~>There ya go, Trimet's own data shows that most of their riders cannot afford them
""""A TriMet customer service representative named “Janet P.” replied that Weick was using her ticket the wrong way. “A single fare is two hours because it is only meant to get you from your starting point to your destination,” Janet P. wrote. “If you need to make a trip, run errands, and take the bus back, TriMet does offer a day ticket.”""
~~~~>I don't think even one bus driver knows anything about that. And how would anybody be able to check something like that? Once again Trimet management has no idea what is going on in the field.
"""So does that mean a transfer to a single destination? Or does it include transfers that allows round trips on one ticket? “Certainly,” McFarlane said, “round trips are an unintended, positive benefit of having a time-based system.”
~~~~>So this is just coming out of the blue huh? Yup, it sounds to me like they are setting up for some kind of major change to transfer policies
""""Simple: With a series of service cuts in recent years, especially in the suburbs, and rush-hour traffic worsening as the economy improves, it’s harder than ever to make even a one-way trip on a single fare."""
~~~~>If your living outside Portland proper and there is a service disruption, which happens often lately, the 2 hours is not enough time to get to a destination with a transfer time of 2 hours
"""“If TriMet really cared about equity and mitigating the impact of the fare hikes and service cuts in recent years,” Ostar said, “it would have extended transfers to three hours already, and wouldn't be nickel-and-diming us debating 2.5 hours.”""
~~~>YUP!
"""“They deliberately moved away from one-way fares decades ago,” Howell said. “I don’t see how keeping riders confused leads to more ridership and confidence in the system.”""
~~~>What we are seeing reflected in these fare policy remarks is the evolution of Trimet from a real 'transit service' to a 'real estate development agency'. The real mission of Trimet has evolved away from the public that it was supposedly serving to supporting capital projects and the so called 'transit oriented development'. It's quite a sad commentary, once again the rich and connected become the target of government funds rather than the citizenry. Trimet is pretty yuppified transit catering to an 'image' it has created by itself with no real concern for the public any longer
"""Yet if you ask any of the roughly 31 percent of TriMet riders who use cash fares daily, they’ll likely say the time-based system gives them the right to board a bus or train and ride anywhere in the system for two hours. Whether you’re a transit-dependent single mom or a retiree on a fixed income, that comes in handy for quick-and-cheap round trips to run errands."""
~~~~>It's always been that way.
"""For an adult living below the poverty line, that's the difference between spending $2.50 and $5"""
~~~>A 'day ticket' seems like a good deal, for a day. However if a fixed income person spends $5/day on a day pass that's $150/mo which is huge.
""""“There’s a lot of confusion about TriMet’s fare policy -- what it’s intended to be, what it is in practice, what it's become,” said Jon Ostar, executive director of OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon, which has spearheaded the "Campaign for a Fair Transfer." “It seems their underlying motive is to capture as much revenue as possible, regardless of whose pocket it’s coming out of.""
~~~~>I agree 100% with Mr Ostar, Trimet is just trying to get every single penny out of every single rider that they can. Don't forget there is no 'low income pass' here like at many Transit districts. They gave a million dollars to various agencies to deal with the poor of the area but who knows how to access any of that. I haven't seen one news release on how to access those funds for low income people.
"""TriMet's own data shows that while two out of every three cash-paying riders are low-income, about 75 percent of round-trippers are also low-income."""
~~~>There ya go, Trimet's own data shows that most of their riders cannot afford them
""""A TriMet customer service representative named “Janet P.” replied that Weick was using her ticket the wrong way. “A single fare is two hours because it is only meant to get you from your starting point to your destination,” Janet P. wrote. “If you need to make a trip, run errands, and take the bus back, TriMet does offer a day ticket.”""
~~~~>I don't think even one bus driver knows anything about that. And how would anybody be able to check something like that? Once again Trimet management has no idea what is going on in the field.
"""So does that mean a transfer to a single destination? Or does it include transfers that allows round trips on one ticket? “Certainly,” McFarlane said, “round trips are an unintended, positive benefit of having a time-based system.”
~~~~>So this is just coming out of the blue huh? Yup, it sounds to me like they are setting up for some kind of major change to transfer policies
""""Simple: With a series of service cuts in recent years, especially in the suburbs, and rush-hour traffic worsening as the economy improves, it’s harder than ever to make even a one-way trip on a single fare."""
~~~~>If your living outside Portland proper and there is a service disruption, which happens often lately, the 2 hours is not enough time to get to a destination with a transfer time of 2 hours
"""“If TriMet really cared about equity and mitigating the impact of the fare hikes and service cuts in recent years,” Ostar said, “it would have extended transfers to three hours already, and wouldn't be nickel-and-diming us debating 2.5 hours.”""
~~~>YUP!
"""“They deliberately moved away from one-way fares decades ago,” Howell said. “I don’t see how keeping riders confused leads to more ridership and confidence in the system.”""
~~~>What we are seeing reflected in these fare policy remarks is the evolution of Trimet from a real 'transit service' to a 'real estate development agency'. The real mission of Trimet has evolved away from the public that it was supposedly serving to supporting capital projects and the so called 'transit oriented development'. It's quite a sad commentary, once again the rich and connected become the target of government funds rather than the citizenry. Trimet is pretty yuppified transit catering to an 'image' it has created by itself with no real concern for the public any longer
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