WEA's Transportation Committee talked about a few different issues at its last meeting.

   TriMet's Grant O'Connell and Tom Mills gave a short update about the possible closure of MAX stops in downtown Portland.

   O'Connell said the stops being considered for closure have nearby stops within a 1-2 block area - it equals walking about a row of booths at Saturday Market.
   He said this is one step in trying to speed up the whole system (MAX is short for Metropolitan Area Express).

   Right now a five mile stretch outside the downtown core takes 9-11 minutes to travel by MAX, while the three miles through downtown Portland currently takes 22 minutes.

   One committee member pointed out that if you are competing with travel via a single occupancy car, it requires speeding up transit service, saying it's about people getting to work and home in a timely manner.

   Committee members also visited with Washington County Commissioner Roy Rogers, who asked the group to think about what projects it sees as being a priority.

  WEA Executive Director and County Commissioner Pam Treece also gave an update on the Metro Transportation Funding Task Force she co-chairs.