Thank you. I ride the streetcar a lot from NW to the Pearl and downtown, and back.
Almost every time I do, there is someone keeled over from drug use. In addition, many riders do not seem to pay fares, contributing to what PBOT says is a multi-million dollar fiscal gap in the streetcar operating budget.
Thank you for the article; hoping it results in some action. I recently reported to TriMet about a driver who nudged a passed-out passenger by asking if he was “alive”, left him when he moved, and did nothing when he then vomited all over the platform. I had to sit in the middle of that car to avoid a urine smell & homeless man in the front and the vomiting rider in the back. I received a response from 311 staff, who merely said to inform a driver if this happens again! No response from TriMet.
The cars almost always reek of urine and serve to shelter the homeless and drug users. This is becoming the norm and is such a shame.
What other city do you think would allow this behavior on their public transport? Chicago? No! San Francisco? No! Portland,Maine? No! No other city! This is an abomonation!
During the years we lived in the Pearl (2009-2023), we took the Portland Streetcar regularly to attend classes at PSU, go to medical appointments at OHSU in the South Waterfront, and visit other locations along the track route. Over that span of years, there was a steady decline in the cleanliness of the cars, an increased stench from urine and vomit, a rise in instances of public fentanyl and injection drug use, a growing number of drugged out locals slumped over in their seats, and only an occasional paying customer. Toward the end of our stint in the Pearl, we stopped using the Streetcar entirely as it was such a nasty experience. you can add this dereliction of law enforcement and maintenance as just more examples of how the City of Portland frittered away billions in infrastructure investment in the Pearl, rendering the region an excellent example of urban decline that was totally unnecessary.
The area's mass transit—once a point of pride—has become an expensive mess. My wife comes from China. She can't understand it. I tell, "It's a democracy. People eventually get what they vote for." And, to borrow a phrase, we've gotten it good and hard. New leaders are needed to join the few that can do something besides yell "ICE," "Trump," and "abortion." Those issues may be important, but we are much more likely to be able to do something about the street car and, say, the sewer that surrounds the Lansun Chinese Garden. It won't happen with the majority of our current leaders.
Thanks for highlighting what we stand to lose from the current lack of accountability. Can recycling comes to mind: I am much less likely to recycle if I feel the system is indirectly funding drug use.
So true. If the streetcar administration and the parks would enforce the most basic of controls, then these public amenities would not be destroyed for the use of the rest of the public at large. I saw a scene last week that is impossible to forget: A young homeless woman leaning against the window directly behind the driver, who had released a horrific stream of green vomit and/or other fluids all over the window and seat. Usually drivers just ignore such episodes, but he called for assistance, thank god.
The previous week, I noticed with great surprise that -- for the first time in three years -- there were no homeless on that particular streetcar at that particular time. Once in three years is nothing to hang hope on...
My first thought after reading this spot on article was the hope that our city councilors might see this and read it. Yet what am I thinking, they don’t care about the needs or opinions of taxpayers, the homeless are the protected class in this city, there should be no enforcement of any laws or expectations of pro social behavior from this marginalized group. In fact, how dare any of us privileged persons who have the means to pay for such services as TriMet even complain?
Sorry for my rant, I’ll shut up and go back to paying the Arts Tax.
My problem with the streetcar is it's slow and unreliable. I live downtown and go to NW on a regular basis and will walk if the weather is nice and use the streetcar when it's raining. If the goal of public transport is to transport people, I would prefer the same route be replaced with a dedicated Tri Met bus line. Agree the Streetcar people should fare check and monitor the shelters - seems like a no brainer. If they think fare checking is an equity issue, then work with the homeless to get them a monthly pass.
I live near PSU and take the streetcar (and Max and bus) regularly. It’s one of the best things about Portland. My opinion is that we should all use public transport more frequently and happily pay our fare. Who wants to drive around town and park? Abandoning public infrastructure, whether parks, libraries, or transit, and complaining online won’t solve anything.
P.S. Why buy an annual pass? Isn’t a Hop card or your phone more convenient?
It’s the City and County who are causing people to “abandon infrastructure” by refusing to fund infrastructure, & enforce public and environmental safety laws already on the books. Since neither public body is responsive to the taxpayers who fund them, we are forced to complain online in order to build a voting community of common sense individuals to get them removed from office.
I too no longer take MAX or the bus due to safety concerns. I used MAX weekly since its inception and loved it as well and pushed my friends for years to use it also. However, I too would never use mass transportation anymore for my own safety as a female.
I now have a business however that I need my car 5 days a week to carry everything I need for my job to clients.
But as Portland continues to flail abt as a city due to our continued seemingly lack of educated, aware, common sense leaders we just keep digging deeper and deeper holes as Portland’s vitality fights so hard to survive, let alone come back.
Our Eastside roads, due to Tri-Met cozying up with P-BOT continue to completely re-invent street structures, adding massive wide concrete islands, creating more dangerous scenarios on our roads, and more recently decimating lanes set aside for buses only………pushing cars during peak hours to sit in gridlock into one lane roads now with buses moving up and down ‘their own private BUS lanes” maybe once every 30 min.? And yet cars literally trying to just get to work sit in gridlock while bus only lanes sit wide open.
Our major streets (ex. Stark, Burnside, Glisan)to name a few have gone from 40+ years here of 4 lanes, with bike lanes, moving smoothly, to 2 lanes, one each way, with bike lanes and wide open bus lanes with no buses. Add to that, overly complex intersections that now have 5 different stoplights!
Adding insult to injury, consistent news pieces talking about the continued huge drops in ridership, and cancellations in routes due to multiple reasons including, crimes, drugs and folks working from home.
The citizens of this city have more awareness, common sense and viable ideas for solutions than the leaders that keep getting elected.
And the Council that was elected by sheer madness …….Headline November 2024:
“Portland’s ranked choice debut caused voters engagement to crater; 1 in 5 who cast ballots chose no one for City Council”
This yells the awareness of citizens, (besides the utter complexity of that debacle) vs. those who keep running and getting elected and then doing nothing trapped in our city’s government gridlock.
I did not mean to veer so far off of this particular subject but I know many Portlanders born and raised here that are yelling abt the spinoff issues too.
The deeper problem is not just fare enforcement on the streetcar. It is City Hall’s sense of priorities.
Over the past year, Portland’s City Council has devoted time and energy to sanctuary policy debates and to discussions about international conflicts such as Gaza. Whether or not those measures ultimately passed is beside the point. The fact that international solidarity resolutions and federal immigration positioning even rise to the council agenda in the middle of a sustained public order crisis says something about institutional focus.
In a city struggling with open drug use, fare evasion, vandalism, and declining transit ridership, the council’s central preoccupation should be restoring basic civic functionality. Instead, proposals to strengthen enforcement, increase inspection presence, and prioritize cleanup and rule compliance face resistance or get bogged down in philosophical debates about equity and harm reduction.
That sends an unmistakable signal. Symbolic politics receives oxygen, while day to day quality of life governance competes for attention.
Most voters, including many Democrats, are not asking City Hall to solve the Middle East. They are asking it to make the streetcar safe, clean, and functional. A responsible city council would not allow international positioning or activist signaling to crowd out the urgent work of enforcing local standards and protecting the infrastructure taxpayers have already funded.
I ride the street frequently and while there is an occasional "sleeper" I have never been threatened or feel uncomfortable. And yes, many do not pay. I also hear people say they will not go out in the north pearl after dark because it is so dangerous.
We do have some problem in the city, but let's not have an attitude of unreasonable fear.
Just to add further perspective--PBOT is insisting that the streetcar line be extended to the old Esco and Montgomery Park area. There is no funding, the surrounding neighborhood will have to pay a business improvement tax, Tri-Met has all but cancelled service to this part of NW Portland yet the planners keep sharpening their pencils (metaphorically) and insisting we have to do this for future development. And we can't even take basic steps to protect the system we already have. Folks--this November please make sensible choices when electing District 4 representatives. Take the time to read about the incumbent's record. Research new candidates. It's the only way to make a difference with the new city council structure.
Thank you. I ride the streetcar a lot from NW to the Pearl and downtown, and back.
Almost every time I do, there is someone keeled over from drug use. In addition, many riders do not seem to pay fares, contributing to what PBOT says is a multi-million dollar fiscal gap in the streetcar operating budget.
Thank you for the article; hoping it results in some action. I recently reported to TriMet about a driver who nudged a passed-out passenger by asking if he was “alive”, left him when he moved, and did nothing when he then vomited all over the platform. I had to sit in the middle of that car to avoid a urine smell & homeless man in the front and the vomiting rider in the back. I received a response from 311 staff, who merely said to inform a driver if this happens again! No response from TriMet.
The cars almost always reek of urine and serve to shelter the homeless and drug users. This is becoming the norm and is such a shame.
What other city do you think would allow this behavior on their public transport? Chicago? No! San Francisco? No! Portland,Maine? No! No other city! This is an abomonation!
During the years we lived in the Pearl (2009-2023), we took the Portland Streetcar regularly to attend classes at PSU, go to medical appointments at OHSU in the South Waterfront, and visit other locations along the track route. Over that span of years, there was a steady decline in the cleanliness of the cars, an increased stench from urine and vomit, a rise in instances of public fentanyl and injection drug use, a growing number of drugged out locals slumped over in their seats, and only an occasional paying customer. Toward the end of our stint in the Pearl, we stopped using the Streetcar entirely as it was such a nasty experience. you can add this dereliction of law enforcement and maintenance as just more examples of how the City of Portland frittered away billions in infrastructure investment in the Pearl, rendering the region an excellent example of urban decline that was totally unnecessary.
The area's mass transit—once a point of pride—has become an expensive mess. My wife comes from China. She can't understand it. I tell, "It's a democracy. People eventually get what they vote for." And, to borrow a phrase, we've gotten it good and hard. New leaders are needed to join the few that can do something besides yell "ICE," "Trump," and "abortion." Those issues may be important, but we are much more likely to be able to do something about the street car and, say, the sewer that surrounds the Lansun Chinese Garden. It won't happen with the majority of our current leaders.
Thanks for highlighting what we stand to lose from the current lack of accountability. Can recycling comes to mind: I am much less likely to recycle if I feel the system is indirectly funding drug use.
So true. If the streetcar administration and the parks would enforce the most basic of controls, then these public amenities would not be destroyed for the use of the rest of the public at large. I saw a scene last week that is impossible to forget: A young homeless woman leaning against the window directly behind the driver, who had released a horrific stream of green vomit and/or other fluids all over the window and seat. Usually drivers just ignore such episodes, but he called for assistance, thank god.
The previous week, I noticed with great surprise that -- for the first time in three years -- there were no homeless on that particular streetcar at that particular time. Once in three years is nothing to hang hope on...
My first thought after reading this spot on article was the hope that our city councilors might see this and read it. Yet what am I thinking, they don’t care about the needs or opinions of taxpayers, the homeless are the protected class in this city, there should be no enforcement of any laws or expectations of pro social behavior from this marginalized group. In fact, how dare any of us privileged persons who have the means to pay for such services as TriMet even complain?
Sorry for my rant, I’ll shut up and go back to paying the Arts Tax.
Don’t get me started on that abominable Art’s Tax…
Streetcar stop on NW 11th Ave. by PAM reeked of urine, I waited for the streetcar out in the rain rather than in the stinking covered shelter
My problem with the streetcar is it's slow and unreliable. I live downtown and go to NW on a regular basis and will walk if the weather is nice and use the streetcar when it's raining. If the goal of public transport is to transport people, I would prefer the same route be replaced with a dedicated Tri Met bus line. Agree the Streetcar people should fare check and monitor the shelters - seems like a no brainer. If they think fare checking is an equity issue, then work with the homeless to get them a monthly pass.
I live near PSU and take the streetcar (and Max and bus) regularly. It’s one of the best things about Portland. My opinion is that we should all use public transport more frequently and happily pay our fare. Who wants to drive around town and park? Abandoning public infrastructure, whether parks, libraries, or transit, and complaining online won’t solve anything.
P.S. Why buy an annual pass? Isn’t a Hop card or your phone more convenient?
It’s the City and County who are causing people to “abandon infrastructure” by refusing to fund infrastructure, & enforce public and environmental safety laws already on the books. Since neither public body is responsive to the taxpayers who fund them, we are forced to complain online in order to build a voting community of common sense individuals to get them removed from office.
Veering a little off of this…….
I too no longer take MAX or the bus due to safety concerns. I used MAX weekly since its inception and loved it as well and pushed my friends for years to use it also. However, I too would never use mass transportation anymore for my own safety as a female.
I now have a business however that I need my car 5 days a week to carry everything I need for my job to clients.
But as Portland continues to flail abt as a city due to our continued seemingly lack of educated, aware, common sense leaders we just keep digging deeper and deeper holes as Portland’s vitality fights so hard to survive, let alone come back.
Our Eastside roads, due to Tri-Met cozying up with P-BOT continue to completely re-invent street structures, adding massive wide concrete islands, creating more dangerous scenarios on our roads, and more recently decimating lanes set aside for buses only………pushing cars during peak hours to sit in gridlock into one lane roads now with buses moving up and down ‘their own private BUS lanes” maybe once every 30 min.? And yet cars literally trying to just get to work sit in gridlock while bus only lanes sit wide open.
Our major streets (ex. Stark, Burnside, Glisan)to name a few have gone from 40+ years here of 4 lanes, with bike lanes, moving smoothly, to 2 lanes, one each way, with bike lanes and wide open bus lanes with no buses. Add to that, overly complex intersections that now have 5 different stoplights!
Adding insult to injury, consistent news pieces talking about the continued huge drops in ridership, and cancellations in routes due to multiple reasons including, crimes, drugs and folks working from home.
The citizens of this city have more awareness, common sense and viable ideas for solutions than the leaders that keep getting elected.
And the Council that was elected by sheer madness …….Headline November 2024:
“Portland’s ranked choice debut caused voters engagement to crater; 1 in 5 who cast ballots chose no one for City Council”
This yells the awareness of citizens, (besides the utter complexity of that debacle) vs. those who keep running and getting elected and then doing nothing trapped in our city’s government gridlock.
I did not mean to veer so far off of this particular subject but I know many Portlanders born and raised here that are yelling abt the spinoff issues too.
I appreciate this forum very much.
J. Scott
The deeper problem is not just fare enforcement on the streetcar. It is City Hall’s sense of priorities.
Over the past year, Portland’s City Council has devoted time and energy to sanctuary policy debates and to discussions about international conflicts such as Gaza. Whether or not those measures ultimately passed is beside the point. The fact that international solidarity resolutions and federal immigration positioning even rise to the council agenda in the middle of a sustained public order crisis says something about institutional focus.
In a city struggling with open drug use, fare evasion, vandalism, and declining transit ridership, the council’s central preoccupation should be restoring basic civic functionality. Instead, proposals to strengthen enforcement, increase inspection presence, and prioritize cleanup and rule compliance face resistance or get bogged down in philosophical debates about equity and harm reduction.
That sends an unmistakable signal. Symbolic politics receives oxygen, while day to day quality of life governance competes for attention.
Most voters, including many Democrats, are not asking City Hall to solve the Middle East. They are asking it to make the streetcar safe, clean, and functional. A responsible city council would not allow international positioning or activist signaling to crowd out the urgent work of enforcing local standards and protecting the infrastructure taxpayers have already funded.
I ride the street frequently and while there is an occasional "sleeper" I have never been threatened or feel uncomfortable. And yes, many do not pay. I also hear people say they will not go out in the north pearl after dark because it is so dangerous.
We do have some problem in the city, but let's not have an attitude of unreasonable fear.
Spot on, Ken.
Just to add further perspective--PBOT is insisting that the streetcar line be extended to the old Esco and Montgomery Park area. There is no funding, the surrounding neighborhood will have to pay a business improvement tax, Tri-Met has all but cancelled service to this part of NW Portland yet the planners keep sharpening their pencils (metaphorically) and insisting we have to do this for future development. And we can't even take basic steps to protect the system we already have. Folks--this November please make sensible choices when electing District 4 representatives. Take the time to read about the incumbent's record. Research new candidates. It's the only way to make a difference with the new city council structure.