Is TriMet ready for a subway-style light-rail system to Tigard?
Erik Halstead says the transit agency should at least consider it.
The 32-year-old Tigard resident is pitching his subway idea on YouTube. Viral, the video is not. So far it's got just 37 views. But a TriMet bus driver with a blog did link to the 4 minute 44 second clip.
Halstead's concept includes stops at PCC Sylvania, Multnomah Village, Hillsdale and Oregon Health & Science University, among others.
"If people talk about it as a good idea, great. If it makes a difference, great. Do I expect it will happen?" Halstead asked. "Probably not."
A MAX line between Portland and Tigard is among three high-ranking light rail concepts that could be built in coming decades. As it stands, Tigard -- population 47,460 -- is the largest city within Oregon's metro area not served by MAX.
Halstead says he's a daily transit rider and a regular TriMet critic. In recent years, he's written nearly a dozen letters to the editor of this newspaper, many if not all of them about TriMet.
Building a subway would be expensive, Halstead admits. But TriMet's already proven it will make its own path -- or tunnel -- on the Beaverton/Hillsboro line that runs through the West Hills.
More importantly, going underground wouldn't impact traffic along crowded Southwest Barbur Boulevard/Oregon 99W, Halstead says. That's a big concern because alternative routes for cars don't exist, as they do on existing lines to Gresham, Hillsboro and North Portland.
TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch shared the idea with some transit planners on Tuesday. Among their thoughts: "Subsurface alignments are very expensive, which is why they are often used just in dense downtowns (or through hills in the case with Westside MAX)."
TriMet says early planning may begin sometime next year.
Halstead, a customer service rep for Pacific Power, says he spent about 20 minutes looking at Google Earth to map his route. The video took about an hour to produce.
Said Halstead: "I think the subway makes perfect sense."
So, what do you think?
-- Brad Schmidt
http://www.oregonlive.com/tigard/ind..._a_subway.html