November 1, 2017
Page 3
INSIDE
The
Week in Review
M ETRO
This page
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photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver
TriMet is considering several service improvements, including splitting up the number 4 line
for increased reliability and a low income fare option. Open houses to hear from the public are
scheduled over the next two weeks.
Next Stop: Better Services
TriMet calls
for input on
service needs
D anny p eterson
t he p ortlanD o bserver
TriMet wants to hear from
you as it considers new ser-
vice improvements, including
24-hour-bus service to the air-
port, rerouted bus lines to reflect
workers’ commutes, and splitting
up the No. 4 bus, which often gets
slowed down by heavy traffic, to
improve reliability.
The No. 4 is the longest route
in the transit system, running
from St. Johns to downtown Port-
by
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
pages 6-11
land and all the way to Gresham.
A recent report showed that
TriMet’s ridership is down over-
all since 2001 and even more so
in north and northeast Portland,
where the city’s historic African
American communities have lost
population.
The report pointed to in-
creased housing prices, which
have sky-rocketed over the past
two decades, as a possible cul-
prit. Portland also recorded the
sixth-fasted rise in rent prices
in the nation. The high housing
costs are thought to be a major
factor for people not being able
to afford public transportation or
for being forced to move.
To combat this lower ridership,
TriMet is proposing a low-income
fare, which was made possible by
a $678,000 federal grant from
the Department of Transporta-
tion, part of a state transportation
package passed by the Legisla-
ture. The proposed low-income
fare would be the same cost as
honored citizens’ fare, which is
currently $1.25 per two and half
hour ride, as opposed to the usual
$2.50 for a regular adult.
“We recognize the need for a
low income fare—that some folks
have to choose between paying
for their bus pass or feeding their
family,” TriMet Communications
Manager Roberta Altstadt told
C ontinueD on p age 5
Healthcare Open Enrollment Begins
O PINION
C LASSIFIEDS
C ALENDAR
pages 12-13
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Gov. Kate Brown is highlight-
ing the importance of health insur-
ance and the local help available
to Oregonians who wish to sign
up for insurance in 2018 under the
Affordable Care Act.
Beginning Nov. 1, Oregonians
can sign up for, renew, or change
their health insurance plans at
HealthCare.gov.
“In Oregon, we want people to
get health insurance,” said Gov.
Brown. “Already, 95 percent of
Oregonians are covered and 100
percent of children have access.
Now is the time to get health in-
surance if you don’t already have
it, and to re-enroll if you have cov-
erage through HealthCare.gov.”
Open enrollment -- for those
who buy plans on their own be-
cause they do not have cover-
age through their employer runs
through Dec. 15. It opens the door
to change plans and, for those who
do not have insurance, to buy a
plan and avoid a potential penalty
on their 2018 taxes.
Despite the ongoing debate
about the nation’s health care sys-
tem on the federal level, health
insurance and financial assistance,
including special plans with lower
out-of-pocket costs when getting
care for those who qualify, are still
available to Oregonians through
HealthCare.gov.
The Oregon Health Insurance
Marketplace, a division of the
Oregon Department of Consumer
and Business Services, provides
local assistance over the phone
and through a statewide network
of health insurance agents and
community partners. To get con-
nected to free local help, visit
OregonHealthCare.gov and click
“Find local help.”