Ponderings on Portland Traffic

I've decided that I don't like driving in Portland. Fortunately, this city is known for it's public transportation (TriMet) and we plan to take advantage of it soon. They have buses, trolleys, and trains that take you all over town.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Brandt and I have both decided not to take the freeways, if at all possible. I attempted taking one on my way to get groceries last week. It was fine, at first. The problem was that the traffic on the freeways here is so congested, you often find yourself not moving or your top speed is 30 mph. After this happened to me once, I decided to save myself the stress and set my GPS to avoid all highways. My trips are a little longer, or so my GPS claims, but at least I'm moving and not stuck on a ramp hundreds of feet in the air.

The driving is cramped, as in the lanes are small and sometimes you're driving so close to parked cars that I'm surprised we haven't taken off anyone's side-view mirror. The trees around here are great, unless you'd like to see what street is coming up. Then their branches almost always cover the street signs. That is, if there is a street sign to begin with. I appreciate the wonderful way Wichita has labeled their streets. The huge signs that hang between the lights are amazing. I wish Portland would do that. If there is a sign saying which street you're about to cross, it's one of the small ones that you see in neighborhoods. Its also tucked away off to the side, barely visible.

I have a Garmin and Brandt uses his phone, but they only help a little. Even those aren't very good at directing among these crazy streets that suddenly fork, and don't look like what the GPS says they should. I've taken many "long ways" to my destination because I've missed a turn or took the wrong fork. Even though I try to be safe and not switch lanes at the last minute, which is the number one cause of driving accidents, I have made a few dumb decisions while driving in the last week. I'm sure at least one person behind me yelled profanities and cursed Kansas drivers, when s/he saw my plate.

Driving downtown is similar to Old Town. There are a lot of one-way streets and little parking. Some of the streets don't allow left turns, even if they aren't one-way. That can make navigating a little difficult as well. They've got these amazing parking structures called Smart Park that have an app that tells you if there are any spaces left. We used that when we went to CityFair on Saturday. When I went to Voodoo Doughnuts (famous doughnut shop, with huge yummy doughnuts) I used a machine that lets you pay with cash or card. You decide how long you're going to take and it prints a piece of paper that you leave on your dash.

Bicyclists and motorcycle drivers aren't as smart as I'd hoped. There are a ton of bicycles in use here and when there's bike lanes, it's great. I love that these people are staying in shape and not contributing to pollution. However, some need a refresher on the rules of the road. Brandt was driving and was about to cross an intersection, when a bicyclist came out from behind a car to ride through a red light. We both jumped and yelled when we saw him. There have been other bicyclists doing similar things. They have the right of way but being stupid doesn't count. Most of the bicycle riders I've seen have been great riders, wear helmets, and follow the rules. It's just those few that give you a quick heart attack and make you glad for good breaks.

We're going to get day-passes for the TriMet and give it a try soon. Hopefully we'll be able to figure out the system and not get lost. I've never actually ridden in public transportation (besides the subway in Washington D.C.) and Brandt rode the bus occasionally in Topeka. It'll be an adventure!