The postings contained in this collection were all done BEFORE Trimet regulations were adopted limiting blog activities of all Trimet employees. It's the personal collection of the blog owner:
alyourpalster@gmail.com
So what did we learn during President Barack Obama's visit to Elkhart, IN on Monday?
Here's one thing:
When it comes to taking questions, it appears Obama is fair and balanced. In Elkhart, he made that point clear at the start, informing his audience that those who would be called upon to ask questions had not been pre-screened.
You might recall Obama's predecessor was so disinclined to hear from critics that a 2005 Fox News piece looked into "how far President Bush will go to ensure friendly, sympathetic audiences at his town hall-style forums.
Obama explained his philosophy on the matter this way: "We want to take questions from everybody." So when the Elkhart crowd booed mildly at a woman who asked about Cabinet nomination controversies, Obama cut them off. "No, no," he said. "Look, I think it was a perfectly legitimate question."
It was. And it was a reminder that all politicians should expect and welcome questions from those who perhaps didn't vote for them.
As far as Fred Hansen, when there is any sign of trouble, he hides under a rock and makes himself unavailable to the general public and the TriMet front line employees. President Obama inherited a big mess. Much of TriMet's problems are a result of Fred Hansen's tenure as General Manager. I would be embarrassed to face the public too.
(This post is strictly the opinion of Ross Wrede and not the owner of this blog.)
Initial budget cut of 5 percent may not involve frontline employee layoffs. Feedback from employees will be important as we refine proposed service cuts.
2/13/09 What service reductions mean to Operations
Stephen R. Banta, Executive Director Operations
Earlier this week General Manager Fred Hansen announced that due to the economic recession, TriMet is making a 5 percent budget cut across the board for fiscal year 2010. This includes a reduction in service. Today, a detailed list of proposed service cuts was put on TriNET for employees to review and comment on. Please take a moment to look at it and send your feedback to servicechangefeedback@trimet.org.
An important question that is being asked by many employees is, "What does this mean for my job?" I want to assure you that we are doing everything possible to reach our new budget targets without laying off frontline employees. There are numerous variables at play that will impact our ability to achieve that goal, including the federal stimulus package, revenues from the payroll tax vs. projections, and natural employee attrition rates.
The proposed service reductions add up to approximately 70 fewer operator positions. That sounds alarming, but there are some important offsets that should help to ease your mind. We have stopped hiring classes of new operators. We will be hiring additional rail operators and controllers for Green Line, as well as additional rail and bus supervisors--all from the existing operator ranks. When you then figure in operator retirements, even if less retire than projected, we may be able to weather the 5 percent cut in service without laying off operators.
We are looking through every part of the Operations budget to make cuts strategically, including materials and services, allocations of overtime, and our management structure. Over the years, many efficiencies were gained through PIP such that there aren't many areas in our division where we are "fat." For example, in Bus Maintenance there are 33 fewer employees today than in 2001. This is extraordinary, given that they have successfully maintained and dramatically raised the reliability of a fleet of aging buses. Because the proposed reduction does not substantively change the number of vehicles we will be running, I cannot cut any more frontline positions from Bus or Rail Maintenance. Similarly, our need to keep up the state of good repair and cleanliness of our facilities, bus stops and rail platforms does not change, so I will not be cutting Facilities Maintenance frontline positions.
I want to emphasize that the work each and every one of you do is critically important to successfully delivering service to our customers. Please, take some time to look at the proposal and let us know what you think. Your input is important, and your comments will be read and taken seriously.
After a year-long review of Fareless Square policy objectives, alternatives and comments from the public, TriMet is seeking feedback on possible changes to Portland's fare-free zone. Four options have been proposed
No changes
Limit Fareless Square to rail only
Adjust the Lloyd District boundaries
Institute a $1 fare
You can help decide the future of Fareless Square.
MAX service has been disrupted between Elmonica /SW 170th and Beaverton Transit Center stations. Buses are providing service between the stations. Service is expected to be restored in about two hours.
Snow on the beaches today, Portland tomorrow Anywhere from one to three inches of snow could hit the northern Willamette Valley tomorrow, forecasters said, with snow falling from about mid-morning to early afternoon. -- The Oregonian Read the update
I sent the following email to Steve Banta regarding the new 2900 series buses that are coming to Merlo:
Great news regarding the new 2900 buses assigned to Merlo garage. Having worked at Merlo my entire 12 year TriMet career, most of us operators feel that Merlo has been slighted in the past with bus assignments.
I have one favor to ask. Could it be possible to rotate at least temporarily some of the new buses into as many routes as practical? I drive a 62 line, and it normally gets the oldest of the oldest of the fleet. The passengers get really excited on those rare occasions when a low floor (usually a 10+ year old 2000 series) rolls into their stop.
Steve Banta's response:
Low floor buses are assigned to routes based on ridership and passenger needs. We will assess where they are best placed into the system. I do not know the make up of the Line 62 offhand, so we'll see. I will have a better idea of how they will be distributed later this week. Thanks for the suggestion.
Complete unedited uncensored tourist view of the max from the airport to pge park. View from out the window, in real time. This movie is a playlist and runs 40 minutes.
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