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===Transportation=== {{Main|Transportation in Portland, Oregon}} {{multiple image | align = right | direction = vertical | header = | header_align = left | header_background = | footer = | footer_align =left | footer_background = | width = | image1 = MAX Type 4 cars crossing 185th.JPG | width1 = 200 | alt1 = | caption1 = [[MAX Light Rail]] is the centerpiece of the city's public transportation system. | image2 = PortlandStreetcar5.jpg | alt2 = | width2 = 200 | caption2 = [[Portland Streetcar]] is a three-line system serving [[Downtown Portland|downtown]] and nearby areas. }} The Portland metropolitan area has transportation services common to major U.S. cities, though Oregon's emphasis on proactive [[Land use forecasting|land-use planning]] and [[transit-oriented development]] within the [[urban growth boundary]] means commuters have multiple well-developed options. In 2008, 12.6% of all commutes in Portland were on public transit.<ref>{{cite web|title=Means of Transportation to Work by Selected Characteristics: 2006 American Community Survey|publisher=United States Census Bureau|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_06_EST_S0802&prodType=table|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212214522/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_06_EST_S0802&prodType=table|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2020|access-date=January 11, 2013}}</ref> [[TriMet]] operates most of the region's buses and the [[MAX Light Rail|MAX]] (short for Metropolitan Area Express) [[light rail]] system, which connects the city and suburbs. Opened in 1986, the MAX system has expanded to five lines, with the latest being the [[MAX Orange Line|Orange Line]] to [[Milwaukie, Oregon|Milwaukie]], which began operating in September 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://trimet.org/alerts/service-change/2015fall/index.htm|title=Fall 2015 Service Improvements|access-date=September 26, 2015|website=TriMet|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927203752/http://trimet.org/alerts/service-change/2015fall/index.htm|archive-date=September 27, 2015}}</ref> [[WES Commuter Rail]] opened in February 2009 in Portland's western suburbs, linking [[Beaverton, Oregon|Beaverton]] and [[Wilsonville, Oregon|Wilsonville]]. The city-owned [[Portland Streetcar]] serves two routes in the Central City β [[Downtown Portland|downtown]] and adjacent districts. The first line, which opened in 2001 and was extended in 2005β07, operates from the South Waterfront District through Portland State University and north through the West End of downtown, to shopping areas and dense residential districts north and northwest of downtown. The second line that opened in 2012 added {{convert|3.3|mi|km|adj=off}} of tracks on the east side of the Willamette River and across the [[Broadway Bridge (Portland, Oregon)|Broadway Bridge]] to a connection with the original line.<ref name="oreg-2012sep22">{{cite news|title=Portland Streetcar's eastside loop gets off to hobbled start Saturday|last=Rose|first=Joseph|author-link=Joseph Rose (journalist)|newspaper=The Oregonian|page=1|date=September 22, 2012|url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2012/09/portland_streetcars_eastside_l.html|access-date=November 6, 2012}}</ref> The east-side line completed a loop to the tracks on the west side of the river upon completion of the new [[Tilikum Crossing]] in 2015,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trimet.org/pdfs/pm/Fact-sheets-timelines/PMLR-Bridge-Fact-Sheet-August2011.pdf|title=Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge to bring new options for transit, cyclists and pedestrians|publisher=Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617125637/http://trimet.org/pdfs/pm/Fact-sheets-timelines/PMLR-Bridge-Fact-Sheet-August2011.pdf|archive-date=June 17, 2012}}</ref> and, in anticipation of that, had been named the Central Loop line in 2012. However, it was renamed the [[Loop Service (Portland Streetcar)|Loop Service]], with an A Loop (clockwise) and B Loop (counterclockwise), when it became a complete loop with the opening of the Tilikum Crossing bridge. Fifth and Sixth avenues within downtown comprise the [[Portland Transit Mall]], two streets devoted primarily to bus and light rail traffic with limited automobile access. Opened in 1977 for buses, the transit mall was renovated and rebuilt in 2007β09, with light rail added. Starting in 1975 and lasting nearly four decades, all transit service within downtown Portland was free, the area being known by TriMet as [[Fareless Square]], but a need for minor budget cuts and funding needed for expansion prompted the agency to limit free rides to rail service only in 2010,<ref name="oreg-2009aug12">{{cite news|last=Rivera|first=Dylan|title=The days of a free bus ride are over|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=August 12, 2009|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/no_more_free_bus_rides_in_port.html|access-date=September 2, 2012}}</ref> and subsequently to discontinue the fare-free zone entirely in 2012.<ref name="oreg-2012aug31">{{cite news|last=Bailey|first=Everton Jr.|title=TriMet boosts most fares starting Saturday; some routes changing|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=August 31, 2012|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/roadreport/index.ssf/2012/08/trimet_boosts_most_fares_start.html|access-date=September 1, 2012}}</ref> TriMet provides real-time tracking of buses and trains with its TransitTracker, and makes the data available to software developers so they can create customized tools of their own.<ref name="transit apps">{{cite news|last=Rose|first=Joseph|title=TriMet's open source heaven: The 5 best transit-rider apps|date=July 16, 2009|newspaper=The Oregonian|url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2009/07/open_source_heaven_the_5_best.html|access-date=September 2, 2012}}</ref><ref name="google adds trimet">{{cite news|last=Rogoway|first=Mike|title=Google Maps adds live TriMet arrival and departure times|date=June 8, 2011|newspaper=The Oregonian|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/06/google_maps_adds_lives_trimet.html|access-date=September 2, 2012}}</ref> [[File:UnionStationPortland.jpg|thumb|left|Union Station]] [[Interstate 5 in Oregon|I-5]] connects Portland with the Willamette Valley, [[Southern Oregon]], and California to the south and with [[Washington (state)|Washington]] to the north. [[Interstate 405 (Oregon)|I-405]] forms a loop with I-5 around the central downtown area of the city and [[Interstate 205 (Oregon-Washington)|I-205]] is a loop freeway route on the east side which connects to the [[Portland International Airport]]. [[U.S. Route 26 in Oregon|U.S. 26]] supports commuting within the metro area and continues to the Pacific Ocean westward and [[Mount Hood]] and [[Central Oregon]] eastward. [[U.S. Route 30 in Oregon|U.S. 30]] has a main, bypass, and business route through the city extending to [[Astoria, Oregon|Astoria]] to the west; through [[Gresham, Oregon]], and the eastern [[Commuter town|exurbs]], and connects to [[Interstate 84 in Oregon|I-84]], traveling towards [[Boise, Idaho]]. [[File:PDX from Rocky Butte.JPG|thumb|right|[[Portland International Airport]]]] Portland's main airport is [[Portland International Airport]] (PDX), about 20 minutes by car (40 minutes by MAX) northeast of downtown. Portland is also home to [[List of airports in Oregon|Oregon's]] only public use heliport, the [[Portland Downtown Heliport]]. [[Amtrak]], the national passenger rail system, provides service to Portland at [[Portland Union Station|Union Station]] on three routes. Long-haul train routes include the ''[[Coast Starlight]]'' (with service from Los Angeles to Seattle) and the ''[[Empire Builder]]'' (with service to Chicago). The ''[[Amtrak Cascades]]'' state-supported trains operate between [[Vancouver|Vancouver, B.C.]], and [[Eugene, Oregon]], and serve Portland several times daily. The city is also served by [[Greyhound Lines]] intercity bus service, which also operates [[BoltBus]], an express bus service. The city's first airport was the [[Swan Island Municipal Airport]], which was closed in the 1940s. [[File:PortlandTramCar3.jpg|thumb|The [[Portland Aerial Tram]] connects the [[South Waterfront]] district with [[Oregon Health and Science University|OHSU]]]] Portland is the only city in the United States that owns operating mainline [[steam locomotive]]s, donated to the city in 1958 by the railroads that ran them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orhf.org/capital-campaign/|title=Capital Campaign|publisher=[[Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation]]|access-date=December 31, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230073054/http://www.orhf.org/capital-campaign/|archive-date=December 30, 2011}}</ref> [[Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700]] and the world-famous [[Southern Pacific 4449]] can be seen several times a year pulling a special [[excursion train]], either locally or on an extended trip. The "Holiday Express", pulled over the tracks of the [[Oregon Pacific Railroad (1997)|Oregon Pacific Railroad]] on weekends in December, has become a Portland tradition over its several years running.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thebeenews.com/news/story.php?story_id=132423175015250800|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426082537/http://www.thebeenews.com/news/story.php?story_id=132423175015250800|archive-date=April 26, 2012|title="Holiday Express" delights families, benefits new S.E. museum|author=Ashton, David F.|newspaper=The Sellwood Bee|date=December 20, 2011|access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref> These trains and others are operated by volunteers of the [[Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation]], an amalgamation of rail preservation groups which collaborated on the finance and construction of the [[Oregon Rail Heritage Center]], a permanent and publicly accessible home for the locomotives, which opened in 2012 adjacent to OMSI.<ref name="oreg-2012sep">{{cite news|last=Tims|first=Dana|title=Oregon Rail Heritage Center ready for grand opening Saturday, Sunday|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=September 20, 2012|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2012/09/oregon_rail_center_is_now_arri.html|access-date=September 28, 2012|page=B1<!--in Sep 21 print edition-->}}</ref> [[Cycling in Portland, Oregon|In Portland, cycling]] is a significant mode of transportation. As the city has been particularly supportive of [[urban bicycling]] it now ranks highly among the most [[bicycle-friendly]] cities in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virgin-vacations.com/11-most-bike-friendly-cities.aspx|title=11 Most Bike Friendly Cities in the World β Bicycle friendly cities|work=Virgin Vacations|publisher=Virgin Airlines|access-date=June 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729015011/http://www.virgin-vacations.com/11-most-bike-friendly-cities.aspx|archive-date=July 29, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bicycles accounted for 2.8% of commuting in 2021. Bicycle commuting declined by 46% between 2016 and 2022 according to [[Portland Bureau of Transportation]] report.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Watson|first=Evan|date=March 17, 2023|title=Bicycle ridership in Portland has dropped off significantly over the past 6 years, PBOT says|url=https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/bicycle-ridership-portland-dropped-significantly/283-f49b9a66-2494-4c99-afcb-b1bc0e746db6|access-date=December 2, 2023|website=kgw.com}}</ref> For its achievements in promoting cycling as an everyday means of transportation, Portland has been recognized by the [[League of American Bicyclists]] and other [[cycling organization]]s for its network of on-street bicycling facilities and other bicycle-friendly services, being one of only three U.S. cities to have earned a Platinum-level rating.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bikeleague.org/media/press/|title=League of American Bicyclists * Press Releases|publisher=Bikeleague.org|access-date=October 6, 2008|archive-date=May 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530133918/http://www.bikeleague.org/media/press/}}</ref> A new [[bicycle-sharing system]], [[Biketown]], launched on July 19, 2016,<ref name="biketown launches">{{cite news|last=Njus|first=Elliot|title=Biketown bike-share program launches with inaugural Tilikum Crossing ride|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=July 19, 2016|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2016/07/biketown_bike-share_program_la.html|access-date=July 20, 2016}}</ref> with 100 stations in the city's central and eastside neighborhoods.<ref>{{cite news|last=Njus|first=Elliot|date=June 13, 2016|title=Biketown bike-share launch date, pricing, station locations announced|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/index.ssf/2016/06/biketown_bike-share_launch_dat.html|work=The Oregonian|access-date=July 8, 2016}}</ref> Portland abolished the requirement for parking minimum as well as [[Minneapolis]] and [[Austin, Texas|Austin]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=FECHTER|first1=JOSHUA|title=To fight climate change and housing shortage, Austin becomes largest U.S. city to drop parking-spot requirements|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/02/austin-minimum-parking-requirements-housing-shortage/|access-date=November 7, 2023|agency=Texas tribune|date=November 2, 2023}}</ref> As of 2015, Portland is owed $32.4 million in unpaid parking citations due to the [[Government of Portland, Oregon|city government]]'s refusal to collect more aggressively.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Oregonian/OregonLive|first=Joseph Rose {{!}} The|date=2015-06-19|title=Portland parking tickets: City's worst scofflaws owe $32.4 million β with no easy way to collect|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2015/06/portland_parking_scofflaws_owe.html|access-date=2024-05-25|website=The Oregonian}}</ref>
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