On the plus side, it has accomplished the purpose of scaring away business, financially harming the local economy, and creating another street blockage, even if temporary!

It isn't the MAX, it's the bus. Didn't you know that within one hour, TriMet spokeschick Bekki Witt already blamed the bus driver of being at-fault for running a red light?

The Oregonian reported that a MAX rider claimed to see the light turn red, even though it would have been extremely difficult to see from the passenger area of a MAX train; and it would have been difficult to judge if the bus was in motion or not - if the light had just turned green, what was the MAX signal indication? Was the orange bar still flashing?

When MAX craps out, TriMet insists on a "full investigation"; yet when there is a bus Operator to blame, the spokeswomen can usually issue a public guilt statement within one hour...something is screwed up with that process.

"The bus ran the red light and the MAX couldn't stop in time and it collided with the train" and the tax payer will pick up the tab,

Another Maxident? Unpossible.

He said the MAX was carrying three passengers at the time of the accident.

Three less cars!

How do you think they justify the replacement budget for MAX trains?

He said the MAX was carrying three passengers at the time of the accident.

Three less cars!

Yeah but that's like 12 boardings.

Erik,
It's sort of like an electrical short... blame takes the shortest path to ground, in this case, the always guilty fallible human being.

As soon as I first traveled down 5th/6th during construction, I anticipated this sort of stuff becoming commonplace. I'm still waiting for the side-swipe collisions between Bus and MAX with the drunken way the tracks are laid.

And the three passenger thing--too funny. And pathetic . . . we spend all this money on this ridiculous project, and then only three people are riding the thing. Tells you how screwed up our local government's priorities are.

As Erik has so aptly put it, the priority in this case is "developer oriented transit".

Probably explains why, an hour later, about a thousand people were crammed on the in-bound, late, train from the eastside heading into downtown. Was also a mess yesterday morning, apparently due to some problems out in Gresham.

Also, not sure how anyone would know how many people were on the Max - since there's usually two cars. Though low number of riders on a Clackamas outbound train wouldn't be surprising. Too early to get to Clackamas Town Center to break into some cars.

I won't criticize the ridership given that the train was approaching the second stop of the route; however what I will criticize TriMet for is insisting that out-of-service/no-rider MAX trains get signal priority over crowded buses.

When MAX trains leave the southbound PSU Urban Center stop (on 5th) they are out of service; yet buses get held up by these trains.

For the record, my 94 bus this morning was standing room only, on a 21 year old 1400 series Gillig Phantom bus. And there were at least four buses that I saw involved in the incident on 6th Avenue either trapped by the stopped train or trying to get around the train; four TriMet supervisor vehicles and at least one ambulance.

But, a few months ago when my bus was disabled in the center turn lane of Barbur Boulevard with a full load of riders and no safe way to get passengers off the bus, only one supervisor showed up, immediately walked to the driver's window, lit up a cigarette and did absolutely nothing. Never mind he had a vehicle with safety lights and could have blocked a lane of traffic to at least let us get off the bus. The bus driver pretty much said "I can't force you to stay on the bus, but if you get off the bus you're doing it at your own risk." In the time that we started to get off the bus, our following bus didn't even stop to help those of us continuing.

One of the things I find interesting about this incident is that although The Oregonian ran an article about it, there were no photos. The accident took place within a block of the Big O's headquarters. Either they are incredibly incompetent or they are playing a double game and trying to protect one of their major advertisers. Either way, they don't look good. Sort of like the Pakistanis.

Ya well Trimet management has managed to create a maze of confusion down there:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MAZE OF CONFUSION

al m: The bus was the 45, which runs west on Jefferson, the MAX was running north on 6th. Either the train ran a red light or (as the multiple witnesses stated) the bus ran a red light, there's no confusion in this case because the two vehicles were operating on intersecting routes, not along the same street.

Jack: Isn't it disingenuous to suggest that the mall redesign is at fault in this case? The same problem could have happened at 6th and Morrison under the old configuration.

Without the senseless mall re-do, there would be no train running on Fifth or Sixth.

al m: The bus was the 45, which runs west on Jefferson, the MAX was running north on 6th. Either the train ran a red light or (as the multiple witnesses stated) the bus ran a red light, there's no confusion in this case because the two vehicles were operating on intersecting routes, not along the same street.

~~~~~> Further adding to the maze of already confusing procedures and rules!

Light rail train collides with bus running red light on busy urban transit mall, no one hurt. O what a story! Must be a conspiracy there somewhere. Just more evidence that light rail trains are bad for_______ (insert your choice-unionized bus drivers, businesses, cars commutes, bikes, pedestrians, dogs, cats, raptors, etc).