People waiting for the bus in Portland get help from informative signs and labels. SW 4th heads north with alternating bus stops grouped as X, Y and Z. See the white sign on the right that points the way towards each one? Then there's the blue and white sign at this stop on the corner of SW 4th Avenue and Main, an X, that lists each bus that stops there. The sign in the plastic-covered rectangle shows a map of SW 4th and the corners where each of the X, Y, and Z stops is located, as well as the A, B, and C stops on SW 3rd Avenue. Finally you've got the lighted sign above the bus windshield which announces the bus route number and either the most prominent street or road on the route or the transit center at the end of the route, words that help the rider make the correct choice before boarding the bus.
SW 4th & Main in Portland going north, Stop ID 12767
Served by
12-Barbur Blvd
12-Sandy Blvd
17-Holgate
17-NW 21st Ave/St Helens Rd
19-Glisan
19-Woodstock
94-Sherwood/Pacific Hwy Express
Amenities
Shelter
Stop is on the near side of the intersection
Bench near stop
Sidewalk near stop
Schedule display
When I first walked up to the stop after disembarking at SW 2nd and Main, from the bus that brought me over the Willamette, commuters waited in large number.
Increments of time passed and people boarded each bus that stopped, leaving fewer on the sidewalk.
About 15 minutes, only a few were left waiting, like me. When the 17 came, I got on happily only to find that, while it was a newer-style bus, the air conditioning did not work and the slender slivers of windows that opened did little to alleviate the aggravating warmth in close quarters. When the driver explained that another 17 was right behind him and it's A/C worked, I got off at the next X stop and changed to that 17, bound for home Trader Joe's and home.
3 comments:
I guess we get to a point where we depend on modern things, like air conditioning, too much. In the old days cars all came with stick shifts, and no heaters and no air conditioners and before that, they didn't have power assisted brakes and I don't mean, power, power brakes, I mean those brakes that used hydraulic fluid to assist in pushing the pedal down and a step up above mechanical brakes. My first car has mechanical brakes. No assit. I could stand up on the brake pedal with my hind end in th eair and coast to a stop in about 500 feet. That was better than dragging my feet but not by much.
Love your post. I think it tells a tale we all find ourselves in.
What an adventure!! I can't remember the last time I was on a bus, but when I had to take public transportation, I usually enjoyed it, lol. I guess I'm just a people watcher!
I smiled when I read your phrase "May 15, right after work, the sun shone".
Lynette, I'm very pleased you have chosen to participate in the Daily Photo Map. A thumbnail of your latest photo now appears on the map.
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