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A TriMet bus collided with a Max train in downtown Portland Friday night, causing the train to derail, officials said.
The collision happened at approximately 7:15 pm at Southwest 3rd Avenue and Southwest Yamhill Street.
TriMet’s Mary Fetsch said the bus was headed south and the train was eastbound.
“The bus ran into the train and derailed the train, so the question is ‘Who had the right of way and how did this happen?’” Fetsch said. “It was kind of a T-bone where the front of the bus hit the front of the train.”
Fetsch said there was damage to the front of the train and the overhead wires. She expected train service to be disrupted until at least 9:30 pm.
TriMet was running shuttle busses between the Rose Quarter and PGE Park in both directions Friday night.
Fetsch said one person on the bus suffered minor injuries.
Doesn't the MAX train automatically have the right-of-way?
Maybe the train driver should have swerved to try & avoid the bus...........:)
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 01:20 PM
You kind of have to wonder why it has taken so long for something like this to happen. The way the buses plow down the street, I am knew this was going to happen.
The MAX obviously had the right away. For one it is bigger than a bus and two the driver was just probably running the light or something.
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 01:28 PM
what a bunch of lames...I for some reason or other report faulty trimet drivers on a regular basis and they're all bus drivers...lets give all drivers psych exams...
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 01:45 PM
As if all the crime on public transportation was not enough, now they are having a demolition derby. How hazzardous can public transportation get? I bet the bus driver turned on his little red triangle thing that says yield and expected the MAX to stop and yield right of way!
I will just keep driving my 35mpg Acura.
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 02:44 PM
same insurance company ?
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 03:21 PM
Welcome to what you will be getting more of after the idiotic downtown "toy train" system is completed on 5th &6th Avenues. Now in addition to having autos, bicycles, and buses, on the mall you will have trains added to the mix for good measure. Look out pedestrians!
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 03:37 PM
Listen ya bunch of nit wits,
ACCIDENTS HAPPEN,
especially when you mix trains, buses, automobiles, people!
Sheesh,
I can't believe the stupidity of some of the people that post to this blog!
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 03:55 PM
This is a very unfortonate event and I am really glad that there weren't any serious injuries. Hope that anyone involved will be well soon.
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 03:57 PM
I'm also guessing the bus ran the light. As far as I can tell MAX trains are automatically given right of way (i.e. streets where they actually have the little MAX sign that lights up when a train comes through). I saw the bus and the train 10 minutes after they hit each other, it was quite the sight! Never thought I'd see a MAX sitting on the road and off the tracks like that.
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 04:08 PM
Folks, don't forget the human element in this minor "fender bender" - things happen and please don't be so quick to blame the drivers involved. An investigation will ensue that will cost $1,000's and the rest of us will know what really happened.
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 04:29 PM
Just wait until the new Portland Mall opens...buses and MAX will share the same lanes! TriMet has admitted to me that there will be more incidents. And while they are trying to make it safe, it will mean that bus travel will be slower since they will have to wait for MAX trains to pass or pull out, and bus stops will be farther apart--5 blocks.
Overall, I wish they were building a tunnel instead of adding more slow, disruption-prone downtown surface running. While a tunnel may be extremely expensive to build, the payback would last a long time (Boston still uses a tunnel from the late 1800's).
http://home.comcast.net/~jmchuff/TriMet/pmall.htm
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 04:30 PM
I was in the front car of the MAX when it collided with the bus. It was a little scary. I was in shock for a couple hours but I don't think anyone was seriously injured. I've been on busses that have run red lights before, it was only a matter of time.
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 05:17 PM
I hear ya Dave, it costs me about $8 a week for me to drive my rice burner to work... I'll keep doing that while the rest of portland spends millions on public transportation.
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 05:18 PM
its a real dangerous idea to put the max,buses and cars up the bus mall at the same time.it was not very well thought out.thats an accident waiting to happen.by the way whose bright idea was it to put the max,cars and buses on the same street at the same time anyway?
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 05:41 PM
dave, screw your foreign made crap acura...buy american, they're just as good as any car nowadays. just tune em up and change the oil. 1991 chevy silverado 1200 miles short of 1 million...on original, not rebuilt engine!!!!! BUY AMERICAN! support your country!
i have a ford focus pzev that is a zero emmissions car! and gets great gas mileage.
who would take public transpo anyway, all the crazies you have to deal with. i will drive till they take my license away from me. make public transpo safe and get rid of the street people and lawbreakers who ride and i will gladly support the max...screw busses though!
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 07:10 PM
The max trains are on a safety system where they CANNOT go unless they have right-of-way, or else the system kills the trains power and applies brakes. If the train was in the intersection, you can be assured they had right of way. Not to mention the fact that there is no where on the rail line where the buses come at the train "blindly". The bus operator had to have either been speeding (which regularly is witnessed downtown) or just not paying attention. Yes they are all bus drivers, but I thought at least they had to pass a basic driving test......
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 07:11 PM
my wife and I were there, honestly it looked as if the bus driver ran the red light. I believe the evidence, not to metion hundreds of pics will show that. we were at the at&t store getting ready to board that very max when the crunch happened. about everybody and anybody with a picture phone (including myself) got some right after shots, my wife actually saw it and we felt the vibration into the store. I think an elderly man was injured .... bet that bus drivers done.
adambear
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 10:02 PM
This is going to happen with much greater frequency when the new transit mall begins mixing cars, bikes, buses, and trains all in the same 3 lanes.
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 10:26 PM
Do you think we need to bus boxes
so the trains can't hit buses anymore
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 10:30 PM
To all of you who hate public transit and think its a waste, thanks for continuing to support corrupt tyrants, terrorists, and huge corporations who don't give a damn about us.
Brilliant.
Just keep doing the same thing. No sense of how change will improve Portland for us.
Ever visited a country with a well built public transit system? Probably not, cuz its too scary. Those foreigners don't speak English. So we need to build a wall and stop them all from coming into America. Keep anyone different out!
And if you think that argument was ridiculous, then maybe you'll realize how ridiculous your argument to just keep driving cars is.
And if you didn't find that argument ridiculous, they you are just plain stupid.
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 12:55 AM
Just for clarification, MAX trains do not have "automatic" right of way. They are given preference by the signalling systems, but they do not trump all. Several years ago a Portland fire engine responding lights and sirens collided with a MAX train, when the fire engine's traffic pre-emption system (OptiCom) gave it a green light, and the MAX operator assumed *he* would have the green light. The MAX operator did not have right of way and was at fault. The flashing signs at many intersections were installed as a result of this incident, so that emergency vehicle operators who are given top priority at signal controlled intersections will know if a MAX train is also approaching and whose operator may not be quite heads up because they are so used to getting the lights in their favor 99.9% of the time.
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 12:56 AM
No, MAX does not have "automatic" right of way - especially downtown. MAX signals are activated in the exact same way that an automobile traffic signal is activated - using inductive loop sensors embedded in the pavement.
MAX trains have an added requirement at station stops, the Operator must press a "call" button in the cab to "request" the signal. He doesn't get it until he gets it. The "call" button does not force the cross street into a yellow/red sequence; in fact it works about the same as pressing a pedestrian walk signal button on a traffic signal outside of downtown (since downtown all walk signals display automatically).
If you want to see how this works, ride the Vintage Trolley. It has the exact same system and you can see the Operator (who doesn't have a "cab" like MAX or Streetcar does, you can literally ride up front with the Operator) work the system.
In fact last year I rode the Trolley, and I personally witnessed the Trolley Operator run TWO signals without authorization. However at a third intersection he DID have authorization and a car attempted to turn in front of us (against a red light). Again, go downtown and you can clearly see the MAX signals (two signal heads, and they are either an amber "-" or a white "|" bar.)
However since it appears that the bus T-boned the MAX train, the MAX train was already in the intersection and the bus simply ran into it. Could be brake failure - given that TriMet has cut back on bus operations, I wouldn't doubt a maintenance problem. Could also be driver error. But if the train was already in the intersection it would have been difficult to see the traffic signal (as it would have been at least partially obscured by the MAX train itself); and even if the bus had the green light, the MAX train was still already in the intersection.
If the MAX train T-boned the bus, wouldn't the bus have been tipped over, causing far more injuries (and possibly fatalities)???
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 01:16 AM
The way the Tribune hates the MAX, they'll be on this story for months to come.
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 01:17 AM
I bet TriMet has their PR flacks, public relations directors, communications managers, community relations coordinators, spin doctors, or whatever they call them, working overtime to ensure the information gets out, when it gets out and how you and I should feel when it does get out and the public and media are kept informed but more importantly that we only know what they want us to know. But so far I haven’t heard anything. Whose fault was it? TriMets?
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 01:26 AM
Bobaganoosh said, "dave, screw your foreign made crap acura...buy american, they're just as good as any car nowadays. just tune em up and change the oil. 1991 chevy silverado 1200 miles short of 1 million...on original, not rebuilt engine!!!!! BUY AMERICAN! support your country!"
Let me tell you Mr. Bobaganoosh about American made cars. My 2002 Trailblazer LTZ blew its head gasket 3,000 after the warranty expired and Chevrolet wanted to charge me $2,500 bucks to fix it plus another $1,000 for a new cylinder head. When I called Chevrolet they said in a snotty condescending tone "What do you want Chevrolet to do about it?" As it turned out the cylinder head was flawed and it was the cause of the blown headgasket. My 2002 Chevy Malibu was the biggest piece of junk I ever owned it was probably made by Yugo! At 30,000 miles it started leaking coolant from the intake manifold. The Chevy "technician" told me, "Oh these cars do this every 30,000-40,000 miles!!! It spend a month in the shop with them Easter-egging parts that I had to pay for that never fixed the problems that I brought it in with!!! I will never again buy an American car.
As far as supporting America I think I have already done more than 95% of Americans will ever do. I am a disabled veteran, I get money from the Veterans Administration every month. The VA deducts an equal amount from my military retirement pay so I actually pay for my own VA disability out of my retirement pay. It is called "The Disabled Veterans Tax". AS we are not allowed to receive "concurrent receipt" of our military retirement pay and VA disability pay at the same time. And, no that has not changed with the recent laws enacted to restore concurrent receipt. If you find that this is wrong then write your congressman as I constantly do to no avail.
I will never use MAX or TRIMET. I was crossing the street downtown one day, in the crosswalk with a green light when a TRIMET bus decided to make a right turn he nearly ran me over in the crosswalk, never slowing, I had to use the side of the bus to push myself away from it to avoid being run over by the back wheels of the bus. The bus never slowed or stopped. I got the bus number and made a formal complaint to TRIMET they never did a thing about it. They did not contact me regarding the incident. They did not care that they nearly killed me with their big stupid bus. You ever wonder why they are always running over pedestrians, bicyclists, cars, and MAX trains? Because they have idiots who are drivers and they do not have to answer to anyone.
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 03:48 AM
OH JASON MCHUFF!!
if your reading this it would be nice if you would get in touch with me...
al_margul@yahoo.com
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 04:33 AM
You folks that think that TRIMET BUS DRIVERS are so horrible I suggest you watch this video i made for bus emergency
http://busemergency.blogspot.com/2008/02/muni-out-of-control_01.html
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 04:39 AM
Al M ... whatta video! I am certain I won't be riding MUNI!
I do ride Tri-Met. I have had less than great drivers and seen many less than great passengers. I could drive, I choose to ride the bus. Inside the bus, I feel safer from traffic than I do driving. (I ride the #72 ....)
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 06:16 AM
LOL, I can't believe someone wrote "thetrain should have swerved to avoid the bus." I hope he/she wasn't serious.
Adding the 5th and 6th is going to add more confusion. As it is, most people drive down those streets as if it is a two lane road, however, the max tracks ride down the center of the road until it makes its necessary stops. How much more confusion will this add?
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 06:27 AM
MAX has now killed 20 people.
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 06:28 AM
The American car thing is just a silly conversation. My boss ragged on me for driving my rice burner while he supported 'merica by getting a POS Pontiac. Well guess what, my rice burner was made in Kentucky while his GM was made in Canada with a Chinese tranny. So who's buying American?
BS, I lived in a country with amazing public transit but people there still preferred to drive whenever they could. They all viewed it the same way people here do, its for lowlifes mostly.
This is one of the funniest threads I've read on here in a while. I have confidence Portland will stay weird for a long time. ;)
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 08:27 AM
Dear "Dave"
Thank you for your service a lot of the folks these days forget that it was men like you that gave us the ability to make posts like this "in old russia we would not be posting any thing" I agree with you the way they are treating the vets these days sucks my opinion is the VA med should be free and not be taken out of your retirement, about you chevys don't buy them I like ford's, dodge's and toyota's they just last longer and are of better quality compared to chevy's these days.
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 08:27 AM
I hope that this bus/MAX accident shows everyone that more help is needed on the west side, immediately. If this doesn't prove it, nothing will! More dollars need to be spent on security for west siders so this sort of thing does not just continue to happen willy-nilly all around town. It is the only answer to this problem that makes any sense.
Fred Hansen, if you are listening, please form a special sub-committee to look into this right away. It's the least you can do, sir. There is no time to delay.
Mary Foetch, Tri-Met's public relations go-to gal, is away on week 8 of a 16 week Yoga retreat in the Caribean, and could not be reached for comment.
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 09:53 AM
Mary driving bus fred operating train. Ha!
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 09:54 AM
actually bs i have ridden the bus system and trolley system in san diego numerous times and it is head and shoulders above portlands trimet and max system..the trolley down there has better security and regular fare inspections and not even 1/8 th of the problems that trimet and max has.
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 11:30 AM
bobaganoosh said, "i have a ford focus pzev that is a zero emmissions car! and gets great gas mileage."
The reason that is is zero emissions is that it is probably up on blocks in his front yard next to an old washing machine with large weeds growing in it, moldering and slowly returning to the Earth. There is no such thing as a zero emission car, especially one made by Ford.
How many times does it take the people to vote against MAX and yet our socialist government still built one?
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 12:33 PM
This blog definitely has its good points!
The comments can be very entertaining!
Even the nit wits can be fun to read, as long as they are not being too tasteless, which unfortunately they are more often than not.
And putting max right on the street was really another example of idiotic planning by our city leaders.
They want Portland to be Europe, except they forgot to consider one thing;
AMERICA AINT EUROPE!
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 01:04 PM
Watching the telly tonight it looks like the bus was crossing in front of the max and the way the max was bounced off the track also looks like the bus was driving in front of the max just my observations.
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 02:35 PM
I was on a TriMet bus in Feb07. It blew through a red light and smashed into a car. I got (minor) whiplash. I sued them and won a hefty sum. I was discouraged by TriMet's own inept employees that I would never win the case. Well I did! They paid for 2 months of chiropractor, lost wages and nearly $10,000 for "pain and suffering". I hope everyone who suffers in TriMet accidents sue them, especially when they are obviously at fault. People's safety should be paramount - not "keeping on schedule" which is often the justification for running red lights. They don't even "keep on schedule" most of the time. What a bunch of morons from top to bottom. TriMet will only change if they get the pants sued off them several times. Otherwise it will be continuing lousy and non-customer service. I'm so glad I moved out of Portland! Your city is a interesting morass of never-ending scandal and bumbling incompetance!
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 04:35 PM
I think there are a lot of bankers who are stupid but I would never think of walking into their office and blurting it out. Bus drivers are disrespected in Portland and that is a shame.
(email verified)
Sat, Feb 02, 2008 at 05:30 PM
Jim Redden, I think you need to investigate and report on this issue. A few years ago you did a report on how bad the new Mall would be. This is just a small glimpse of things to come. What if this were to happen at 6th and Yamhill? No buses can go through, no MAX in either direction... Total gridlock in the city of Roses! Oops, I guess nobody gets to go home after work today.
It looked like it was one of the newer TriMet buses in the accident. Don't they have front end cameras? Let's make the video public and prove if the bus had a green or not! These videos are shown after police incidents, why not from a bus incident?
In downtown, trains do not have all the automatic stuff like they do in other places, and contrary to what others believe, the power is not shut down. All that juice running through the lines is still live after an accident or after a train blows a stop.
Don't try to stop TriMet, they have immenent domain.
(email verified)
Sun, Feb 03, 2008 at 01:12 AM
"Bus drivers are disrespected in Portland and that is a shame."
SADLY, its not just Portland, but all of America.
Buses and bus drivers are hated, by the riding public and the driving public.
I did a guest editorial right here in the TRIB about this.
AND,
abc7news in san francisco got a hold of MUNI footage!
I would love to see TRIMET'S greatest hits too!
Of course they would never give it up with a court ruling.
How bout it trib, with your sister station kptv?
(email verified)
Sun, Feb 03, 2008 at 05:17 AM
btw, there are some photos and a video of this incident posted over at my personal blog;
amargul.blogspot.com
(email verified)
Sun, Feb 03, 2008 at 05:25 AM
Al M,
You must love George Bush. You sound like you do, same kind of logic and reasoning. Glad you're not in politics.
(email verified)
Sun, Feb 03, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Al M,
It doesn't take a mix of cars, buses and trains to have accidents. All you have to do is but cars on the road and people have no problem being idiots and causing crashes.
So what's your point, accidents don't occur unless there are different types of vehicles? That is one of the stupidest things I've heard in ages. Only bus drivers are morons? Hell, the road is full of idiots who don't know how to drive. Everyday there are accidents between cars. Your argument makes no sense.
(email verified)
Sun, Feb 03, 2008 at 10:36 PM
To all of you who think public transit should go away,
So we just keep building roads to handle all the cars? How? Haven't you noticed that we haven't been able to keep up with demand? And how are we supposed to build more roads in the city? Tear down buildings and houses to increase capacity? I guess we could start bulldozing buildings downtown to widen the roads so everyone can drive. But then why would they come, there's only roads down there, no buildings, no jobs, no city, its just roads.
So really, eliminate public transit and how do you keep up with demand for roads? We already don't have the capacity to handle all the cars, roads are expensive to build, and we don't have the open space to expand existing roads.
So how do you do it? Let's here from all you geniuses.
(email verified)
Sun, Feb 03, 2008 at 10:43 PM
BS,
Apt name. We haven't kept up with road building for a pretty simple reason: we haven't built any. There hasn't been a significant increase in lane capacity in years.
As to your next brilliant statement, yes, we may have to tear down building and houses to widen some roads. What do you suppose happened along the MAX RoW out to Gresham? How do you think I-205 and its contained MAX RoW was created? Are we supposed to wait around for continental drift to move houses apart?
No one has said to end public transit. What most here have suggested is that since public transit is limited in overall usage and availability to the majority of the population, it isn't wise or helpful to continue to advance public transportaion projects to the virtual exclusion of basic road improvement and construction.
BTW, roads may be expensive to build....Light rail is no bargain either. Given the vastly differing carrying capacities, what is your point?
Your turn, Genius.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 12:40 AM
Okay, so a bus and train had an accident....so what? Cars have accidents all the time (I read of at least two such accidents in the last two minutes on local news sites----highway 6 had a head-on with fatalities and up in Vancouver a privately owned pickup ran over three girls. Just because a vehicle is publicly owned doesn't mean that they aren't going to get into accidents. Yes, bus drivers and train operators are required to have specialized training/testing, but at the end of the day, they are human beings and human beings make mistakes. Same thing with airplanes. The difference is that due to the number of people on these transport vehicles, the chances of injury/fatalities automatically goes up. Accidents happen, you investigate, you either discipline/fire/retrain those responsible and you move on. Honestly. Compared to the number of privately owned vehicles on the road today, public transporation (be it our local MAX and buses or nationwide Am-Track and airlines) are, percentage-wise, much safer than driving a privately owned car. Yes, there are crappy bus drivers out there. But there are also crappy drivers in Hummers, Volvos, Acuras, Rangers, and every other vehicle. It's not the vehicle---it's the human element involved. Get a grip.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 01:32 AM
I was about a block away when they hit, and it was on my path home. So, like most curious by-passers, I took a peek at what was going on before cutting through the mall to avoid the crowd. I am a little confused as to the description of the bus "T-boning" the MAX. What I saw looked like the bus was most of the way through the intersection and the MAX had hit the back half of the bus. My thoughts are- it looked like the bus ran the light (as they usually do) and the MAX was not prepared to stop in time.
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 04:49 AM
BS - You refer to Corporation as bad, yet who benefits from public transit dollars to build more Light Rail Cars and Infrastructure? Bechtel, Siemens, and numerous other large conglomerates - that are mostly based in foreign countries. Riding the Bus and MAX is rarely convenient and contributes little, or nothing, to our LOCAL economy. A relative few rely upon it for transportation to and from work or school. Our focus is always about building public transportation infrastructure for MAX and to serve Downtown Portland, but serving the needs of the public never seem to be the #1 consideration. The most important function of providing Public Transportation seems to be securing Federal Funds. Employment is not increasing Downtown, and the overall income of local residents is declining, so who's purpose does TriMet serve? Don't get me wrong we should provide transportation for older residents, those attending school and those with jobs that don't require that they be mobile, but please define who' purpose does it serve, and does it actually work for those who use it?
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 05:01 AM
Breaks, they are called breaks and if they fail well then just use a bus!
(email verified)
Mon, Feb 04, 2008 at 06:18 AM
How is it that I am like or do like George Bush?
Am I missing something?
I'm not 'arguing' about anything!
Hell, accidents happen. The more cars, people, trains, the more accidents.
Make sense nit wits?
(email verified)
Tue, Feb 05, 2008 at 03:23 AM
Mark;
You advocate getting rid of public transport?
Mark, that's pretty nuts if you ask me.
Can you imagine no public transit in Portland?
IT WOULD BE A MADHOUSE, it already is a madhouse!
Jeez Mark, you seem like such a nice guy, then you have to ruin everything by being a whacko!
(email verified)
Tue, Feb 05, 2008 at 08:14 AM
Rachel wrote: "My thoughts are- it looked like the bus ran the light (as they usually do) and the MAX was not prepared to stop in time."
The problem is that there is absolutely no delay between 3rd Avenue getting a red light, and MAX (on Yamhill) getting a proceed.
Let's just assume that the bus driver ran a red light (which we must only assume, because TriMet has the only evidence of such which is being withheld, the video footage from the forward facing camera).
At the same time that the yellow light is shining at the bus driver (which according to Oregon law it is still legal to proceed through a yellow light if it is safe to do; given the weight and momentum of the bus it cannot 'slam on its brakes' like a 3,000 pound car can) the MAX Operator is getting a flashing proceed signal telling him to prepare to enter the intersection. If the MAX operator is stopped at that signal, he is releasing the brakes and applying throttle when the light flashes, so that when he gets the solid proceed he starts through the intersection.
Meanwhile, the bus (which again may not be able to stop) is making a legal move through a yellow light. While in the intersection the light turns red. The MAX operator has prepared to enter the intersection - and BAM, collision.
If you don't believe that argument, then try this argument, courtesy of TriMet:
http://www.trimet.org/bus/frequentservice.htm
"Signal priority and roadway improvements help buses stay on time
Frequent Service buses are given traffic signal priority, using a wireless system that holds green lights a few seconds longer to allow a bus to go through when it's behind schedule. Curb extensions reduce the number of times your bus must merge into traffic, and bus-only lanes help keep you moving through congested intersections."
So if that bus made the stop at Yamhill & 3rd and had just started to pull away, the green light that he had held automatically due to Opticom could have turned yellow just as he pulled away from the stop, moving very slowly. Again, the light would have turned red, and the MAX train could have entered the intersection on a "conflicting" signal - and collision.
Of course the only solution in TriMet's eyes is to give MAX far more protection, resulting in a degradation of bus service which is consistent with its policy of discouraging the use of the bus system.
(email verified)
Tue, Feb 05, 2008 at 11:24 AM
Al - I did not, or have not EVER advocated for "getting rid of Public Transportation"! I have ALWAYS advocated for transportation funds to serve the public and be reactive to the public transportation needs. To build MAX, Tram, Trolley etc. for the "future" is ludicrous. Roads have a much longer history of advancing the economy and serving the needs, even improving public health and economy of everyone. My point is that Public Transportation has limited appeal and limited value for a community.
(email verified)
Tue, Feb 05, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Simple....get rid of public transportation, government take the money and buy everyone a Lexus. People would be more careful when driving a shiny, waxed chick mobile. Ya'll make it so complicated.
(email verified)
Tue, Feb 05, 2008 at 02:01 PM
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Re: Max train and bus collide, train derails
Hope no one was hurt. Bet the bus driver was at fault. I've seen so many trimet bus run red lights and caue havoc on our roads.
"Dot"
(email verified)
Fri, Feb 01, 2008 at 01:16 PM