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Build your high capacity system

Planning and conservation  ›  Transportation  ›  Regional Transportation Plan  ›  High capacity transit plan  ›  Build your system

Consider new transit connections between activity centers using the new build-a-system tool.

The public comment period for the High Capacity Transit System Plan closed on April 26, 2009. The build-a-system tool will remain accessible, but the related questionnaire is no longer available. 

The build-a-system tool lets you compare each of the transit corridors being evaluated by the project team. The corridors could, individually or in combination, connect places within the region with high capacity transit. With this tool you can compare how each corridor performs and learn about the benefits and costs of the system you've created.

Get started

The amount of time it takes to build the system is up to you
Download the detailed build-a-system
tool tutorial (PDF)
Launch the build-a-system tool

How to use the tool

To get started, click on any activity center that you would like to see connected by high capacity transit. You'll see the name of the center and an aerial map of the area; there will also be a link to the web site showing you what amenities are nearby. Once you know a little bit about the centers, select a corridor or transit line to connect them. You'll see key evaluation results for the corridor in a pop-up box. Add corridors until your budget runs out or until you feel that your system is finished.

Next, compare the results of your transit systems in the left toolbar. Each system that you create will be saved here, with some systemwide evaluation criteria to help you compare your systems.

Find step-by-step instructions in the tutorial or review answers to frequently asked questions.
Download the detailed build-a-system tool tutorial (PDF)

Public participation

Outreach efforts for the build-a-system tool led 4,256 people to the web site, 657 of whom provided input through the online questionnaire, available March 23 to April 26, 2009. The questionnaire included nine questions about their priorities and values related to the overall high capacity transit system and individual corridors. These included questions about the level of investment in the high capacity transit system, the relative importance of systemwide evaluation criteria and the relative importance of individual corridor evaluation criteria. Responses to the questionnaire are included in the decision-making process for consideration before finalization of the High Capacity Transit System Plan. The summary of the build-a-system tool questionnaire results is available for download below.
Go

When asked about the budget limit in the build-a-system tool that approximated the funding expected for high capacity transit in the Regional Transportation Plan, two-thirds of respondents said that this was too little to invest in high capacity transit. Only 6 percent said this was too much to spend.

When asked about which criteria were most important in evaluating the total system, 75 percent of respondents said ridership was very important; more than two-thirds said it was the most important criterion. Environmental benefits and capital costs were also important to respondents.

Corridor priorities

When asked about the importance of criteria in selecting corridors, nearly all respondents said that ridership was very or somewhat important, with more than 75 percent saying it was very important. Many respondents also said that "linking places that I want to go" was very important. Fewer respondents said that reducing costs was very important. When asked which criterion was most important, most respondents selected ridership or "linking places I want to go."

When asked about whether constructing radial lines from downtown Portland or circumferential lines between suburban communities was more important, more than 70 percent respondents said that a combination of these types of lines should be advanced.

Need assistance?

Metro transportation planning
503-797-1756
trans@oregonmetro.gov

Documents and related materials

Related Documents

Files that are downloadable from this page

• Detailed build-a-system tool tutorial 77K Adobe Acrobat PDF
• Build-a-system tool questionnaire summary 1.1M MS Word | Published May 11, 2009