TriMet’s MAX Green Line has been fully operational for two weeks now. I posted a few observations after the opening weekend, mostly critical. (Older folk are like that, with these confounded new-fangled gizmos…) I knew then that opening weekend would not be a true example of typical life on the Green Line, so I gave it a few more tries. It’s time to update my impressions.
Although I can think of reasons, I’ve had no call to use the Green Line for north/south travel. It will take much less time to get to Clackamas Town Center, or Mall 205, but I don’t have a lot of reasons to go there. I’m tempted to go to the movies at CTC, but the MAX stop is clear across the eastern parking lot, up by the freeway. Maybe it looks farther than it is, but if the weather is icy, or hotter than 85, I’m just not into trudging that far in both directions. If I feel like going to a mall, the one downtown is a crosswalk away from the MAX stop. (Bonus: Security guards at Pioneer Place discourage yelling from level to level, “WHERE YOU AT?”) I might be more tempted if it weren’t a fifteen block walk from home to get to the MAX in the first place.
Which brings my next gripe. It’s fifteen blocks to the MAX stop. The last few blocks are uphill, and by the time I huff and puff my way to the top I’m ready to sit for a second. Guess what? There is one bench, and it’s usually occupied by two teenagers smoking and drinking Arizona ice teas. Fortunately I know how to tell time, and haven’t been delayed by nonexistent trains. The schedule? I’ve heard that it’s supposed to take 39 minutes from PSU to CTC. But I’ve ridden the Green Line a dozen times or more now, and have yet to get from downtown to my stop in 39 minutes, let alone from end to end. Maybe if you count Rose Quarter as downtown…
The new trains have their drawbacks. I wrote previously about the 1-2 inch lip on the train floor, and the lack of overhead stabilizer bars. A co-worker had the same problem I did, with painful results. She lost her balance and fell, injuring her back. It’s affected her ability to work, and I wonder how many others have had this problem.
But enough bitching!
There are a lot of things I like about the new route. It has that new route smell, which means it’s mostly “normal” folk riding, at least when I’m on. I have traveled at all hours of the day and night, and have had no uncomfortable moments involving fellow passengers. I can’t remember the last time I’ve taken one of the other MAX lines and not encountered some sort of belligerent idiocy. So far the Green Line has hauled commuters and quiet people, which makes it a joy to ride. My worst encounters? A lady way too amped up on coffee and cigarettes bitching breathlessly to an unknown entity about life in general. We MAX riders call that entertainment.
No assessment of the Green Line would be complete without the obligatory after-11 PM Saturday night ride. The last time I took a Blue Line on a Saturday night, 10-15 juveniles were occupying the back car, smoking cigars and drinking jugs of Carlo Rossi. It was a most uncomfortable ride. I braced for that kind of fun, but apparently the party train was headed a different direction. There was no shouting, no groups of unruly teens. (Or adults either for that matter.) It was the kind of after-work commute we all pray for.
It is kind of fun to be dumped off in the middle of the freeway in the middle of the night. The bike path is well lit, and the freeway underpass isn’t as spooky as it used to be. The walk home is downhill, which makes me re-assess how often I will take the train home.
I still miss having Saturday bus service near my house. Grocery shopping is a drag. But I have new frontiers to explore, and a straight shot to the PSU food carts.
Now if I can just get up early enough to take advantage of that…
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Thanks for the review. If you ever see something like you described at the back of the MAX again, just press the emergency call button and the operator will have the police there by the next stop. I ride the MAX late at night a lot, and while there are folks that have been out partying for the most part they are just happy to be going home. I’ve never been hassled or felt threatened or uncomfortable though sometimes I am grateful for my MP3 player or a set of earplugs
You should forward your grievances to TriMet. Clearly it is in everybody’s best interest to do what’s best for Cosmic Charlie, whatever the cost.
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