As an infrequent user of public transportation both from my former Cornelius, Ore., address and since 2014 via C-Tran Route 30, I would like to support Don Howard’s point of view regarding bus rapid transit.
I am a longtime fan of light rail but I am experiencing a modest epiphany. I have used various versions and combinations of routes 60, 65, 105 and 164 to connect with TriMet light rail and bus routes around the area using Google Maps to plan. It was an eye-opener to discover that the express bus routes were more efficient than light rail.
So, I wonder if maintaining the C-Tran bus interface at Delta Park instead of light rail to Vancouver would not only satisfy service criteria but allow bridge design modifications that would permit greater river clearance and allow another extra lane for which the Port of Vancouver has advocated for commercial truck traffic reliability.
C-Tran has cast its lot toward bus rapid transit in Clark County. TriMet is transitioning to electric buses with its first fleet purchase of 24 units in April. Continued and enhanced bus rapid transit to major commercial centers in the Portland area seems to make more sense, and less cents.
