March 09, 2004
(Updated) Public Debate On Transit Mall Options Continues
Station Design Options Narrowed To Two
Note: This post has been updated. Any and all updates appear at the end of the original post.
In all of our other running around today, we skipped the open houses on the Portland Mall Revitalization Project, so we have nothing to report.
However, we would be remiss if we didn't direct readers to the available material.
The station design options have been narrowed to two -- left-side and right-side. Previously, there was a third option, for an island platform, but that has been dropped altogether. As has its variant "flexible island" and another alternative called "wide right," both of which we mentioned previously.
There are however three new documents that can be perused now, beginning with the Final Conceptual Design Report -- Public Discussion Draft, March 2004. In addition, there is the Portland Transit Mall -- Urban Design Analysis & Vision (pdf) from the Bureau of Planning, and the Great Pedestrian & Transit Streets (pdf) study by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership.
Update
According to today's Oregonian (although we can't find it online), "TriMet's planning staff endorsed a light-rail option Wednesday for the Portland transit mall that would include a through lane for auto traffic and have both bus and rail passengers board on the right side of the street in the direction of travel."
This is the higher-cost "right side" platform option.
Comments (4)
Lynn Siprelle on 10 Mar 2004
OK, color me clueless, but why, with the right-hand stops, do the tracks need to curve like that? If the buses can drive over the tracks, why not just a relatively straight shot? Because I would think that the downtown business community would much prefer the left-hand passage for cars; I know I'd appreciate it.
Bob R. on 10 Mar 2004
Because the busses need to stop at curbs. If the tracks did not move in and out of the middle lane, the train would have to wait for any stopped busses. With the curves, busses and trains can leap-frog each other in their respective station blocks.
Lynn Siprelle on 11 Mar 2004
OK. Also color me stupid. :)
Bob R. on 11 Mar 2004
Not stupid or clueless - it's hard to tell what's going on just from the reports without watching the videos or being a transit freak, like myself. :-)
In a meeting that B!x and I had with a PDOT official, we were shown other plans that were being considered at the time. These plans did not make the final report.
One of those featured a "wide right" option, which was a big change to the mall.
Imagine:
1. A through lane of auto traffic all along the left side of the mall. (Much like the current plan B).
2. A straight line light rail track in the "middle" lane.
3. A bus lane on the right that is interrupted by wide pedestrian blocks at light rail stations. (Basically the opposite of the current case: Now, cars are interrupted by big pedestrian blocks. In this plan, busses would be interrupted.)
The idea is that by using traffic signal tricks, busses could pass trains and cars by going from the extreme right lane, across (and sharing) the tracks, to the left lane.
This idea appealed to me because it would A) maintain the idea of large pedestrian blocks and B) give the merchants what they wanted: a toy travel lane.
But, I was later told that analysis showed this criss-cross operation would limit capacity to 70 busses per hour per direction. The current plans support well over 100 even when trains are in the mix.
- Bob