I have definitely noticed lighter car traffic and more bikes on the road, and now this: TriMet reports its highest rail ridership ever in May. We are also noticing more and more Home Buyers looking for houses with good access to public transportation. It turns out this isn’t too difficult because, according to the Brookings Institute, 83% of residents of the Portland metropolitan area live near a transit stop, compared with 69% nationwide.
If you ride TriMet and use an iPhone, here is a great app: PDX Bus. (Works for all TriMet, not just buses). Plan a trip, find the nearest stop, learn when the next bus or train is coming, get service alerts and more. This is one of those really handy programs that makes the iPhone seem like magic.