Governer Kulongoski decides to invite several Portland-area police departments to a friendly competition. The Beaverton Police Department, the Gresham Police Department, and the Portland Police Department all take part.

A jackrabbit is marked with blue dye, then released into Forest Park. Each of the Police Departments in turn is given a chance to locate and capture the rabbit.

First, the Gresham PD goes in.
They place animal informants throughout the Park.
They question all plant and mineral witnesses.
After weeks of extensive investigation, they conclude that rabbits do not exist.

Then, the Beaverton PD goes in.
They set up dozens of infrared surveillance cameras, each equipped with a GPS receiver and connected to the Internet by satellite.
Undercover officers in bear suits roam the woods.
After two weeks with no leads they call a press conference to announce that the rabbit has definitely left the area, and is probably now in California using an assumed name.

Finally, the Portland Police Department goes in.
They come out two hours later with a badly beaten raccoon.
The raccoon is yelling: “Okay! Okay! I’m a rabbit! I’m a rabbit!”

On November 14, Portland Officer Aaron Dauchy confronted a 12-year-old girl on a MAX platform for violating a Trimet “exclusion”. She and Dauchy began to scuffle. At this point Portland Officer Chris Humphreys discharged a shotgun loaded with a nonlethal “beanbag” round point-blank into the thigh of the girl.

Here’s the TriMet video that captured the incident.

As a result, Humphreys was placed on administrative leave by Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman and Police Chief Rosie Sizer. In response, hundreds of Portland police officers marched through downtown in support of Officer Humphreys. Twelve-year veteran Officer Peter Taylor penned a passionate explanation of why he, personally, felt he had to take part in the march.

The Portland Police Association conducted a “no-confidence” vote on Saltzman and Sizer, taking the position that Officer Humphreys “had acted as he was trained to act and did everything to minimize injury to the 12-year-old girl” and that “her actions is what led to the use of force against her”.

Under pressure from the union, Officer Humphreys was reinstated to desk duty, and in return the union is withholding the results of the no-confidence vote. The net result is an increased erosion in the relationship between the Portland Police Department and the public that they are sworn to protect.

Let’s put this incident into some sort of context.

The 12-year-old on the platform was under TriMet exclusion for the prior theft of a purse. According to TriMet Code Chapter 28, the District may exclude an individual from all or any part of the District Transit System for a provision of the TriMet code, or a violation of any criminal law of the State of Oregon while on the District Transit System, for up to six months. There are certain exceptions, but they aren’t relevant here.

Under “Enforcement” (section 28.20), the Code states that “all peace officers of the State of Oregon are authorized to issue citations, as provided by Oregon law, to any person who violates any provision of TMC Chapter 28″. So, the young lady was under an exclusion, and therefore could be cited for being at a MAX platform.

When confronted, she struggled. This was a bad decision, and certainly not her first. But the response that followed was entirely out of proportion for the situation. Much has been made of her height and weight, but even if she is the size of some adults, her size is not the issue. She was twelve. Children at 12 may not make rational choices. Applying an adult standard of behavior to a 12-year-old is inappropriate.

However, even if she were an adult, getting shot by a shotgun at close range was not justified by the seriousness of the situation. She was unarmed, not a threat to anyone, and guilty only of violating exclusion.

The seductive trap of less-than-lethal (LTL) weapons is the mistaken belief that they are “safe”, coupled with the realization that hitting a suspect with a taser or a beanbag round is a lot faster and easier than either arguing or grappling with them. But let’s get one thing straight, “non-lethal” does not mean harmless. In fact, experts refer to beanbag rounds, baton rounds and the like as “less-than-lethal”, or LTL. LTL ammo can break bones, rupture organs, destroy eyes, and even kill.

Furthermore, beanbag rounds are more traditionally used for stand-off applications such as riot control, and not close-range confrontations. Optimal range for use of a beanbag round is between 21 and 50 feet, according to the Police Assessment Resource Center, and when fired at less than 10 feet beanbag rounds can cause death or serious injury.

So, to put this in plain English, a 12-year-old girl was in a position to get a citation, and when she resisted she was shot, point-blank, by a 12-gauge shotgun firing 1.4 ounces of lead shot encased in a fabric sack.

This represents a dangerous use of force. And what is even more troubling, the use of excessive force appears to be becoming more and more common with the Portland Police Department. To wit, it’s beginning to look like the most serious crime you can commit in Portland is resisting arrest.

In 2003, not too long after I moved to Portland, 21-year-old African-American Kendra James was shot to death by Portland Police Officer Scott McCollister during a traffic stop. Ms. James, who had a warrant out for her arrest, had been riding in the back seat of the car. After the driver had been removed, Officers attempted to arrest Ms. James. Unexpectedly, she jumped from the back seat into the front seat of the car, started it, and tried to drive away. Indicating that he believed his life to be in danger, Officer McCollister fired his weapon, killing Kendra James.

In 2006, a homeless schizophrenic named James Chasse was “subdued” by Portland and Multnomah County police officers, resulting in 16 broken ribs, a broken shoulder, a broken sternum, and massive internal injuries. He died in custody. Mr. Chasse was guilty of public urination, and running from police.

My interest in the Portland bicycling community has made me aware of a few other incidents, where bicyclists have been chased, grabbed by the hair, handcuffed and arrested, and even tackled, pushed off their bike, and tasered repeatedly. Their crimes? Riding at night without a light, and not immediately stopping when shouted at. Even in the dark, when the arresting officers couldn’t remember if they properly identified themselves.

In the immortal words of Chris Rock, “If the police have to come and get you, they’re bringing an ass-kicking with them.”

I’m concerned. When I was a kid, I was taught that if I had a problem, if I was lost, if I was scared, I should find a policeman. That if someone was wearing a police uniform, I could trust them. Now I’m becoming afraid to give my own children the same advice. The Portland Police are in danger of being uniformly perceived as abusive, of using excessive force, and of being unable to police themselves.

The Portland Police department has many, many fine officers, who go to work every day under threat of violence, and spend their shifts dealing with the worst that humanity can offer. But those fine officers do themselves, and their city, a grave disservice when they fail to recognize excess within their own ranks, and fail to condemn it without equivocation.

Related Posts

• July 1, 2008 -- New MAX trains coming this Fall (2)
• October 8, 2009 -- PDX in Your Pictures: Silver Dude on the Bus (1)
• September 28, 2009 -- A Green Line Redux (2)
• September 1, 2009 -- Irritation to the MAX (1)
• August 24, 2009 -- Sleek, Sexy… and Inconvenient (12)

I’ve been doing a slow burn about this for months now — but the match hit the haystack Saturday afternoon.

See, over the last few months, I’ve been trying to reduce my driving trips downtown. Between the challenges finding on-street parking, the non-functioning new smart readers, the parking tickets I’ve gotten mere seconds after my meter expired, or the new Sunday parking regulations, well — it’s just easier to plan ahead and take the MAX. Or to skip the trip downtown in favor of shopping with a more convenient local retailer.

But I had a plethora of fun activities to attend Saturday afternoon that made driving my car downtown for stop #1 a necessity. So I girded my loins, found on-street parking, and bought the maximum amount of time allotted, just to make extra super-special sure I didn’t get a ticket this time. I was even going to leave my parking coupon behind for the next recipient, thinking that going for some extra karma couldn’t hurt.

I opened my passenger door (the one facing street-side), pulled down the parking coupon from the night before (where I’d been a solid corporate citizen and sprung for 20 minutes of parking until 7 pm), and pasted the new one on the window. So, far, so good — right?

Wrong. Before I could move three steps away from my car, a stern parking meter attendant barked at me from across the street. “You can’t DO THAT, Miss! You’ll have to move your car.” Huh-wha? I’d just parked it, Mister!

He proceeded to lecture me about my obvious attempt to stuff the meter, and even went as far as insisting that I produce last night’s coupon to prove my honesty when I explained the circumstances. And when he couldn’t nail me for any wrongdoing, he stomped off to find the next parking ne’er-do-well.

Now, I could just make the resolution to just avoid downtown driving altogether & leave well enough alone. But then I heard about this new crazy-ass promotion: Spend $150.00 downtown at any holiday retailer this Saturday (while parking for free at a SmartPark garage, no less, if you get there between 10 am & 12:30 pm) and win a $50.00 American Express gift card if you’re one of the 1st 250 people to turn in your receipts to a kiosk downtown. (This via today’s PDX Sucks podcast; haven’t been able to find info re. this anywhere else…)

And then my head exploded. (Or as Robert Wagner put it, “if you’re so #%$#%^&&% worred about the economy’s impact on shopping downtown, why make it harder? Why not just let people park downtown for free on Sunday instead of running a #%$#%^&&% promotion?”)

But I freely admit that I might just be a tad cranky about the whole parking situation. Or impatient. Or unwilling to pay for the revenue that our fair city so desperately needs. Or something.

So I turn it over to you — what do you think?

Related Posts

• September 22, 2008 -- No more parking on 5th and 6th (2)
• January 23, 2010 -- Looking For Tales of Portland Parking Woes (14)
• December 7, 2009 -- Portland Police: The Problem is Perception (3)
• October 5, 2009 -- Inquiring Minds… (0)
• September 28, 2009 -- A Green Line Redux (2)

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…

Related Posts

• May 13, 2009 -- No Rollerskating on the new bus mall (3)
• February 15, 2009 -- If you cut me… (5)
• December 7, 2009 -- Portland Police: The Problem is Perception (3)
• September 1, 2009 -- Irritation to the MAX (1)
• August 24, 2009 -- Sleek, Sexy… and Inconvenient (12)

You would think they had never seen a train before.

I deboarded the bus on Main Street yesterday, and caught my first glimpse of the Yellow Line rolling down SW 6th. I stopped and took in the sight, a momentous occasion. It seemed like a ‘What’s wrong with this picture?’ test. Normal, yet odd.

I wasn’t the only one. As I walked, I saw others pulling up to take a moment, probably a half-dozen folks in the blocks between the bus stop and Pioneer Square. I was fetching a monthly bus pass, and many others were doing the same. I held the door for a few people, then realized they would all end up in line in front of me, so I moved in. It was my nice-guys-finish-last moment of the day: I was about fifteen deep waiting to get to the window.

Disclaimer: I love TriMet. It’s my ride. But dammit, it feels like the ride I praise so highly is trying to get me to start driving again.

I haven’t paid fare on a bus in ages. I do the all-zone monthly pass and make every effort to get my $86 worth. I try to buy well in advance to avoid the last minute rush, but that didn’t happen so I fell in with the procrastinators. Three windows were open, with two other windows in ‘be right back’ mode. (They were helping someone with lost and found, I think.) The others? Long, complicated stories about how they had changed their name and shouldn’t have gotten the ticket blah blah blah. Everyone seemed to have a complex issue. Couldn’t one window just sell tickets and passes?

Seriously, I’ve watched one well-meaning fellow spend ten minutes telling the nice lady behind the window about how the garbage can at the bus stop by his apartment was overflowing, and they should do something about it. Hers was the patience of Job. I’d have come out from behind the window and found a fresh garbage can to stuff him into.

Having secured the pass, I noticed the new schedules were out. Woohoo! I grabbed the usuals, including the MAX schedule. I can take the Green line in two weeks! Yeah, right. It stops running downtown before I get off work. Hey TriMet, not everyone is done working or drinking by 11:30 PM.

At least I can catch the Yellow line up to PSU, closer to my bus, right? Of course not. With a few exceptions, the Yellow line will be ending at the Rose Quarter early in the evening. One will have to transfer to the Green line, or one of the others that heads up Morrison. The Green line runs every half hour. Great.

Bus? Well, I live out in Southeast, and had pretty good bus service up ’til now. After the 12th of September, Saturday service near my house will stop. A grocery run will mean hauling stuff 9-12 blocks. That’s fun times. It’s a good thing I’ve embraced walking, I’ll be doing a lot of it. Work? Where the bus ends, I have to walk most of the way to work to get to the first MAX stop, so why bother? I’d catch it one stop, then have to backtrack. Sensible shoes are in order.

I won’t even start about how the half-hour waits at the MAX stop near my house will increase the appeal of a late-night walk. Maybe I can borrow the neighbor’s pitbull…

All this bitching isn’t getting us anywhere, but thanks for listening. I’m grateful to have a bus and MAX to get around on, but I’d be more grateful if they hadn’t carved service back to 1975 levels. We bought our house with the knowledge that construction would be eternal, but first-class transit was on its way. First class? Maybe, but I’d settle for second rate buses that get me a little closer to home. Since I’m stuck with buses, guess I’d better settle, huh? It added insult to injury when I noticed the bus stop by the Foster MAX was moved yet another long block away. Thirteen blocks to the bus now.

My driver’s license with the horrible picture is valid until 2013. Maybe it’s time to start watching the police auctions for a hooptie…

Related Posts

• December 7, 2009 -- Portland Police: The Problem is Perception (3)
• September 28, 2009 -- A Green Line Redux (2)
• August 24, 2009 -- Sleek, Sexy… and Inconvenient (12)
• May 13, 2009 -- Pains, Trains and Automobiles (3)
• May 13, 2009 -- No Rollerskating on the new bus mall (3)

TriMet’s new light rail vehicles (purchased to build up the fleet for the upcoming Green Line service) have been described as “sleek” and “sexy.” As I started watching them in operation, noting that the new cars only have operator controls at one end, I realized there’s a snag in this plan.

Currently, when one car of a two-car train has problems, TriMet staff can decouple the cars, set one of the cars into a side track out of service, and continue service with the remaining car. With the new cars and only one direction for controls, I wondered what would happen given a malfunction with one of the cars. I posed the question to TriMet’s public relations person, Bekki Witt, and she confirmed:

I verified that the two-car consist would be taken out of service together, even if there was a problem with just one of the cars.

In related news: tonight as I got off the train at Gateway, there was a two-car set of the new vehicles in the side track, out of service.

Did style win over function?

Related Posts

• February 10, 2009 -- TriMet Question of the Day (2)
• May 13, 2009 -- No Rollerskating on the new bus mall (3)
• March 28, 2009 -- TriMet Warning: Gateway Area to be Borked Starting Tuesday (1)
• December 7, 2009 -- Portland Police: The Problem is Perception (3)
• September 28, 2009 -- A Green Line Redux (2)

No, I have not been hanging out with Wizardboots again. That happens Friday night.

But now that the provocative title has caught your eye, heh heh, allow me to burst the bubble. This is all about TriMet, downtown, and the folks who keep an eye on such things: Security guards.

Besides Portland Police and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, the city has contracts with several security companies. PPS (or is it PPI?) guards Pioneer Square, for example. And according to a reliable source, Downtown Clean & Safe will be replacing Wackenhut as transit mall security on July 1.

Regular downtowners (and the criminal element) can tell the difference between the factions. They have varying degrees of enforcement authority. Downtown Clean & Safe are a mix of retired law enforcement officers, unarmed security and current Portland Police officers. Wackenhut’s downtown security contingent is mostly military -trained and unarmed, with Observe and Report as their basic tenet. They wear fluorescent green uniforms, earning them the nickname ‘The Isotopes.’ Clean & Safe are called The Blue Crew. I have frequent contact with both, and know several officers on a first-name basis.

Wackenhut has been in charge of securing MAX platforms and light rail construction sites. Officers populate Fareless Square, offer assistance to riders and clear trains at the end of the Yellow line. They do foot-patrol, ride Segways and cruise on bicycles. They are a friendly bunch, although I think some may be a bit envious of their Clean & Safe counterparts. (I get visions of Tackleberry from the first Police Academy movie: “GUNS! When do we get guns?!”) Despite their professional nature, having a gun may leave them tempted to use it on the lovely types who spend their evenings cruising the mall, taunting folks and taking advantage of Fareless Square.

Well, it’s time for change — and I don’t mean spare change. There is talk of eliminating Fareless Square for buses, leaving just the trains in the current free setup. With that, and the changing of security measures, can we expect a cleaner, safer downtown?

While some folks see Downtown Clean & Safe nothing more than jackbooted thugs lock-stepping to a fascist beat, I see them quite differently. Clean & Safe’s basic function is to respond to nuisance calls, freeing up PPD to take care of more serious business. Got a homeless kid plucking the shrimps out of your dinner at the sidewalk cafe? A Clean & Safe officer will come along and tell him to knock it off. Sure, he may be gruff and armed to the teeth, but he or she probably has two or three decades of tolerating this type of nonsense, and can often get cooperation with minimal fuss. And let’s face it, if gunfire breaks out a few blocks away, you don’t want to have to wait for PPD to finish ticketing that guy peeing in the alley before responding. Clean & Safe handles that kind of dirty work.

Wackenhut is limited in how much they can do in regard to panhandling, loitering and such. Clean & Safe takes a more direct approach. They are not afraid to engage miscreants in conversation, check IDs, etc… While they *do* go looking for trouble, and often find it, they would just as soon have a peaceful, friendly night. A good night is when the biggest problem is settling on a mutual spot for lunch. They aren’t out to curb your fun so much as to make sure your fun doesn’t infringe on others.

I’ll still be able to see my Wackenhut buddies. They’ll be patrolling the eastside MAX platforms and the airport.

I should clarify that this hasn’t been officially announced. They’re still dotting their T’s and crossing their I’s. I heard it from “a little bird.”

Can you believe it? After all this time, downtown is almost fully open for business! I saw one of the new MAX trains test-driving up 5th Avenue. It was a beautiful site and, corny as it sounds, it filled me with civic pride.

I love this town.

Related Posts

• December 7, 2009 -- Portland Police: The Problem is Perception (3)
• November 17, 2009 -- Drive to Downtown PDX? Not Any More… (15)
• September 28, 2009 -- A Green Line Redux (2)
• September 1, 2009 -- Irritation to the MAX (1)
• August 24, 2009 -- Sleek, Sexy… and Inconvenient (12)

Here at OurPDX, we are all TriMet, all the time. (Kidding. It just looks that way today.)

Coming May 24, downtown bus service will undergo massive changes. For the last two years, construction of the MAX Green Line and transit mall remodeling have had buses running along SW 3rd and 4th Avenue. In a couple of weeks the buses will return to 5th and 6th, and light rail trains will begin cross-cutting downtown.

Full MAX service won’t start until September, but there will be lots of practice runs. A train will be dedicated to downtown only, running back and forth between PSU and Union Station. The Green Line will travel from PSU to Clackamas Town Center. The Yellow Line will remain the same on the northeast side of town, switching to north-south on 5th and 6th after arriving downtown.

Some bus lines will change. Buses from Southeast, the #10 Harold and #14 Hawthorne specifically, will no longer cross downtown. They will travel up SW Main to SW Broadway, loop around on SW Madison and return across the bridge. Felony Flat-foots will now have to either walk or take a connecting bus/train.

I took a walk along SW 4th last night. Green-suited information officers walked about, handing pamphlets to commuters and answering questions. This week will focus on information; next week will feature safety, along with some pricy sanctions for transit misbehaviors. Police will be along 5th and 6th in full force, citing people for right turns, jaywalking, obstructing trains. The warnings of a few weeks ago will be replaced with substantial fines. Get ‘em where it hurts; in the wallet.

Businesses along 4th are mixed regarding the change. Chad, the bookie at The Rialto, thinks it will refocus the crime element back to 4th. (Dealers usually make contact near the bus stops, then wander to less populated areas to consummate the deal. It’s all fun and games until someone tries to smoke a macadamia nut, then all hell breaks loose.) With the bus stops removed, the dealers will have one less excuse for hanging out, but expect to see a lot more funny hand-shaking going on in the coming months.

Richard, manager of Peterson’s on 4th, fears the move will cause a downtick in business. No longer positioned across the street from two major bus stops, his captive audience will be diminished. He has noticed an upswing in lottery sales. Instead of coffee, people are throwing their last buck at a dream.

I spoke with Wackenhut officers, they of the neon green outfits. When I asked officer Philip Chan if he thought the move would bring significant changes? “No.” I asked if I could get a picture? “No.” Could I quote him? “No.”

Sorry Chan, I did anyway. Your protests were duly noted.

Clean & Safe officers I spoke with were of the same opinion. General consensus? The bad-guy faces will stay the same. Locations may vary.

I must admit, the wide expanse of 5th and 6th looks nice. I visualize it packed with commuters and people in a hurry to go everywhere, just like a big city. I don’t want to be one of those guys who resists change ‘just because.’ I will give it every chance to woo me before I praise or condemn. I’m kinda looking forward to it.

For more in-depth details, visit TriMet.org or check out this guy. He’s up on the transit scene.

Related Posts

• May 13, 2009 -- No Rollerskating on the new bus mall (3)
• December 7, 2009 -- Portland Police: The Problem is Perception (3)
• September 28, 2009 -- A Green Line Redux (2)
• September 1, 2009 -- Irritation to the MAX (1)
• August 24, 2009 -- Sleek, Sexy… and Inconvenient (12)

photo.jpg
Originally uploaded by dieselboi

TriMet has been very busy the past month with final preparations for the re-opening of the 5th and 6th st. bus mall. Buses will move there later this month with MAX coming in September. As of yesterday, not all of the mall shelters and kiosks were finished, so I know they are getting down to the wire with this project.

Along with ticket machines and fancy new shelters, TriMet has put up new signage detailing what is prohibited in the “area only for boarding, exiting or waiting for a bus or train.” The obvious no no’s are there – no smoking, no skateboarding, and no bike riding. What struck me as odd is the final prohibition – No Rollerskating. Wow, seriously? I honestly haven’t seen a rollerskater in 10 years. Back in the 90’s, the craze was rollerblading and yes, you saw them everywhere, but today? And rollerskates? Are we talking the 4 wheeled while laces ups we had as children? If so, again I have to call shenanigans. When was the last time you saw gangs of rollerskaters disrupting bus and train travelers in Portland? Ooh, ooh, flashmob idea people. Rollerskating pillowfighting Santas with clown makeup.

I’m guessing someone from a different generation than mine put together this display. They still live in an era of big wheels, full size Tonka trucks, light bright and yes, rollerskates. I wonder, maybe the TriMet team was forced to come up with a 4th item for the sign and this is all they could come up with. If you had to fill in the blank for a 4th prohibition, what would you put in? No meth? No chuggers? No puking (that is a serious problem downtown if you didn’t know.)

Related Posts

• September 28, 2009 -- A Green Line Redux (2)
• August 24, 2009 -- Sleek, Sexy… and Inconvenient (12)
• May 13, 2009 -- Pains, Trains and Automobiles (3)
• February 15, 2009 -- If you cut me… (5)
• February 10, 2009 -- TriMet Question of the Day (2)

As you know, Twitter jumped the shark a couple of weeks ago when Ashton Kutcher and Oprah jumped aboard.  Needless to say, Twitter has been all over the news and everyone is asking about it.  On Mother’s Day, did your mom A) give you her Twitter handle or B) ask you “about this twitter thingy…?”  When I spoke with my parents over the weekend they didn’t bat an eye when I used the phrase “live-tweeting.”  So, with Twitter now as ubiquitous as, say, email, can we begin holding certain tweeters accountable?

TriMet is on Twitter and actively tweets news, service updates, outages and the like, yet it doesn’t seem they are actively engaging their audience.  This morning, for example, I tweeted @TriMet regarding a late Yellow line MAX train.  I asked “why the delay?”  More than 12 hrs later, I have yet to receive a response from @TriMet.  In this day and age, I have come to expect at least some acknowledgment that my question has been read, and honestly, I feel I deserve at least some answer…even if it may not be applicable hours later.  I feel as a business, once you engage on Twitter, you should understand that there is a code of implied conduct with regards to followers and their engagement with you.

I have traveled a fair amount over the past year and discovered how the airlines have embraced Twitter as part of their business model.  I have been in other cities where I see a tweet from Northwest or Continental Airlines regarding a specific flight and gate number before I get the reminder text message.  By either automating the tweets with a robot or staffing the Twitter account appropriately, these businesses have successfully engaged their customers and audience.

My message to TriMet and other businesses who are trying to get into the Twittersphere – understand what you’re signing up for.  If you’re a small business, you can get away with not tweeting ever hour of every day.  There isn’t an expectation for that.  If you are a public entity that lives by a schedule, you better be prepared and staffed accordingly to react to the latest incidents, schedule changes, breaking news and other types of alerts.  With a service like Twitter, where you have the ability to broadcast information to thousands, you need to manage it properly.  Ignoring tweets from followers specifically asking about your service doesn’t bode well for your twitkarma (I made that up.)

What do you think?  Should businesses like TriMet be held to a hight standard when they decide to embrace a service like Twitter?

UPDATE: It has been asked if the TriMet twitter account is officially TriMet. It does state on the Trimet Twitter page “This is TriMet’s officisl Twitter.”

Related Posts

• December 7, 2009 -- Portland Police: The Problem is Perception (3)
• September 28, 2009 -- A Green Line Redux (2)
• September 1, 2009 -- Irritation to the MAX (1)
• August 24, 2009 -- Sleek, Sexy… and Inconvenient (12)
• May 13, 2009 -- Pains, Trains and Automobiles (3)

If you ride MAX, be aware that starting Tuesday (and through next Sunday), there will be service disruptions around Gateway Transit Center in order to perform signal work related to the new Green Line.

During this entire period, there will be no Red Line (Airport) trains between Gateway and the Airport. TriMet will have shuttle buses providing alternate service.

Next Saturday and Sunday, Blue Line service will be affected as well, with no trains between Gateway and 102nd. Shuttle buses will bridge the gap.

If your travels will take you via these routes, expect delays. Hopefully the Gateway delays won’t ripple too much through the rest of the system, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if it does…

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