Flores 1

Brian Flores
Dr. Evan Farr
FRINQ Portland (UNST 108I-001)
27 January 2016
Annotated Bibliography
Dill, Jennifer, and Asha Weinstein. "How to Pay for Transportation? A Survey
of Public Preferences in California." Transport Policy 14.4 (2007): 34656. Academic Search Premier [EBSCO]. Web. 26 Jan. 2016.
Dill and Weinstein's article discusses the favorability of different tax
implementations in order to fund transportation policies. The article
finds that support for new taxes, such as the gas tax or a sales tax, is
divided evenly at 40%. However, results vary by regional and economic
differences from previously used surveys.
Glaeser, Edward L., Matthew E. Kahn, and Jordan Rappaport. "Why Do the
Poor Live in Cities? The Role of Public Transportation." Journal of Urban
Economics 63.1 (2008): 1-24. ScienceDirect. Elsevier B.V., 19 Jan.
2007. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
Glaeser, Kahn, and Rappaport explain the unique role public
transportation has on low-income people living in city centers. In the
past, public transportation was used as an escape from poverty by the
wealthy, not a supportive tool for the poor. The authors connect public
transportation to encouraging people to live in cities for convenience
and ease of mobility.
Jaffe, Eric. "Public Transit Is Worth Way More to a City Than You Might Think."
CityLab. The Atlantic Monthly Group, 14 Aug. 2013. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
Jaffe explains the main benefit to a city with a public transportation
system and high population density. Public transit amplifies the value
of local economies while adding innovation to areas of frequent social
interaction.
"Performance Dashboard: December 2015." TriMet: Performance Dashboard.
TriMet, n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2016.
TriMet displays their annual performance on a monthly basis, focusing

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on ridership, efficiency, budget revenue, and safety. During the last

three months of 2015, there was an increase in MAX ridership,
compared to the same monthly range in 2014, linking to the opening of
the Orange Line. However, operating costs and MAX accidents have
increased, most likely from weather conditions affecting train mobility.
"Public Transportation Benefits." American Public Transportation Association:
The Leading Force in Public Transportation. American Public
Transportation Association, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2016.
APTA provides general benefits on the application and use of public
transportation. Ranging from bus lines to trains, the article states that
investing in public transportation, on average, quadruples as economic
returns. In addition, job opportunities increase while reducing
dependency on using vehicles and consuming oil. However, APTA
mentions that home values increase by 42 percent, which may
contribute to gentrification as an unintentional by-product of public
transportation.

Rose, Joseph. "TriMet Proposes Raising Taxes on Portland Area Businesses to

Improve Service." OregonLive. Oregon Live LLC, 24 June 2015. Web. 19
Jan. 2016.
Rose's article explains the reasoning behind TriMet's planned tax
increase to Portland Metro Area employees and self-employed citizens.
Since TriMet has plans to expand their MAX service and create new bus
rapid transit lines, a small increment of the current employer payroll
tax rate by one-tenth of one percent can fund transportation
development.
Schmitt, Gerhard. "How to Create Sustainable, Pulsating Cities of the Future."
New Perspectives Quarterly 32.3 (2015): 32-36. Academic Search
Premier [EBSCO]. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.
Schmitt outlines the guidelines of creating a sustainable city,
considering population density and ecologically sensible ideas. The
article describes the key ideas that make a city efficient and proactive,

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such as using electric vehicles and Internet-capable devices to

responsibly monitor city issues.
"Southwest Corridor High Capacity Transit Mode Comparison." Southwest
Corridor Plan. Metro, 31 Dec. 2015. Web. 26 Jan. 2016.
Metro outlines the comparison between adding a bus rapid transit
(BRT) line or a light rail transit (LRT) line. Using a BRT for the Southwest
Corridor Plan reduces construction costs and increases bus arrivals on
every station, but an LRT provides schedule reliability and fewer
operating costs. A survey from December 2015 shows 61% of strong or
moderate support to constructing an LRT from 600 respondents living
between South Portland and King City. The same survey provided 21%
strong or moderate support to apply a BRT line in the plan.
McCurdy, Christen. "TriMet Adopts $2.50 Flat Fare, Kills Free Rail Zone After
Heated Four-Hour Meeting." The Lund Report. The Lund Report, 14 June
2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2016.
McCurdy's article emphasizes the opposition of TriMet's proposal to end
the zoning-based ticket fees and place a flat rate while ending the Free
Rail Zone. Multiple health advocates argue that raising fare prices and
eliminating a fare-free zone will pose risks for people with disabilities.
Additionally, one advocate stated that ridership will decrease, which
takes a toll among frequent public transit riders and senior citizens.
"The TriMet Story." TriMet. TriMet, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2016.
TriMet began operating in December 1969, after the near-bankruptcy
of the Rose City Transit Company. Most bus lines focused on 5th and
6th avenues to encourage transit use, which is believed to have
created the existing retail center of Portland. The first light rail line
opened in 1986, extending from Gresham to Downtown Portland. This
history section stops on events from 2009.