Forward Together, TriMet’s reevaluation and redesign of the bus service, moves into a new phase this week. As part of Forward Together, TriMet developed a draft service concept that includes a sweeping re-envisioning of when and where the buses might run to better serve the community given changes in travel caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency took the concept to riders, members of the community and the public and posed the following questions:
- What do you think?
- Are we on the right track?
- Will Forward Together allow more people, especially those with low and limited incomes, more access to services to reach more jobs and places at more times?
A revised Forward Together service plan will be taken to the TriMet Board of Directors for approval in December. If the plan is approved, the community will have more opportunities to provide feedback on any of the individual changes TriMet plans to pursue in the future as part of the annual service improvements. Two rounds of outreach and public comment are held annually for service improvements.
October outreach wraps up
TriMet spent the month of October engaging the community around the ideas presented in the Forward Together draft concept. The agency hosted a series of more than half a dozen open houses, both in-person and virtually, in English and Spanish, across the TriMet service area and in partnership with community-based organizations.
It also posted details of the concept online and conducted a survey to gain a better understanding of how adjustments included in the concept might impact riders. Nearly 4,600 people completed the survey, with about 125 responses submitted in languages other than English. In addition, the agency interacted with about 500 people during open house events, who were invited to speak with a TriMet service planner and leave hand-written comments on the concept.
What happens next?
During the next several weeks, TriMet will review the feedback received with the Forward Together contractor, Jarrett Walker + Associates, and put together a plan. Then, TriMet will present the findings from the survey, as well as a revised service concept, in a resolution to the Board of Directors at the Dec. 14 business meeting. The resolution will request the board’s approval on the direction of the Forward Together project to date and support for continued development. Additional outreach and public comment periods will come when adjustments to individual bus lines or schedules are proposed as part of the annual service changes.
All meetings of the TriMet Board of Directors are open to the public, and business meetings include a public forum. During the public forum, members of the community can follow steps to offer testimony on any topic for the public record.
Moving forward together
If the board approves the Forward Together resolution, TriMet will take the comprehensive plan back to the Mobility Planning and Policy, Scheduling and Operations teams to start talking about implementation. The soonest the riders and the public could see any of the changes identified in the Forward Together plan roll out would be September 2023. That will occur as budgets and operator staffing levels allow but not before the public has opportunities to provide more comment about the individual bus line proposals.
The goal for Forward Together is to become a guide that shapes annual service improvement plans for years to come. The annual service improvement process includes at least two rounds of public engagement and feedback periods on every proposed bus line change. TriMet will hold more open houses, accept comments online and by phone, as well as provide opportunities for testimony and discussion during regular meetings of the TriMet Board of Directors during those feedback periods.
The company is tentatively planning an open house in January 2023, which could include the first proposed Forward Together service adjustments that would go into effect in September 2023.
Learn more and follow the process at trimet.org/forward.
