Sign the Ride TriMet Day Petition!

Please be sure to sign the Statement of Support for Ride TriMet Day petition!

We, the undersigned, believe that a re-routed Line 39 benefits TriMet, Lewis & Clark, the City of Portland, and the environment by providing a more sustainable transportation option for our community. We ask that TriMet strongly consider the proposal made by the College last year and strive for ways in which all members of the Portland community can have access to efficient and rider-friendly public transportation.

Stop by the Student Activities office and sign the petition!

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Ride TriMet Day
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Ride TriMet Day: An invitation from Lewis & Clark students to students, faculty and staff

Undergraduate, graduate and law students are banding together to show our support for TriMet Line 39 on Wednesday, March 18. On that day, we will sponsor Ride TriMet Day where we ask the entire Lewis & Clark community to join us in using Line 39 to get to and from campus all day. Whether you usually drive, bike or take the Pioneer Express shuttle, we are asking you to take Line 39.

Why Ride TriMet Day?
TriMet is considering reducing service on Line 39 even though Lewis & Clark has repeatedly offered to fully subsidize a direct route on Line 39 from downtown as a replacement to the Pioneer Express shuttle and purchase TriMet passes for all students, faculty, and staff members to use throughout Portland. We want to send TriMet a clear message that we care deeply about the vitality of our community’s public transportation system and are committed to helping TriMet improve service on this route.

In a time of economic challenges and environmental threats, the Portland community must find new ways to do business that encourage collaboration to save financial resources for all parties and reduce our community’s carbon foot print. By deliberately overwhelming Line 39 on Wednesday, March 18, we will demonstrate to TriMet our hope that it will give serious consideration to the College’s proposal and work together to build new solutions.

Please act
THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE HAS AGREED TO SUSPEND SERVICE ON THE PIONEER EXPRESS SHUTTLE SERVICE THAT DAY. In addition, the administration is purchasing $595 worth of bus passes - the equivalent to its expense to run the Pioneer Express shuttle from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. on a weekday. FREE BUS PASSES and route directions will be distributed at tables on all three campuses (College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and the Northwestern School of Law) on March 17. We will print 100 t-shirts and 500 buttons for the community to wear with the slogan L&C Loves #39 and distribute these on the day of the event, Wednesday, March 18. Watch for information late next week about distribution points at the three schools and times of operation.

We acknowledge that using Line 39 on Wednesday, March 18 will inconvenience many, however if we are successful, we believe this effort will encourage TriMet to reconsider the College’s proposal.

If you have questions about Ride TriMet Day, please e-mail any of us. If you would like a copy of the College’s proposal to subsidize a direct route for Line 39, please e-mail Public Affairs and Communications at public@lclark.edu with “TriMet proposal” in the subject line.

Thank you for your support.

Shane Rivera
President, Associated Students of Lewis & Clark College
srivera@lclark.edu

Matt Dowling
President, Student Bar Association
mdowling@lclark.edu

Holly Shumway
Representative, Graduate Student Union Network
hshumway@lclark.edu