Click here for Minutes of
the meetings
of the Salem Area Mass Transit District Board of Directors.
Expiration of Board Members terms:
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Joe Green
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6/30/11
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Hersch Sangster
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6/30/09
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Eric Jacobson
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6/30/11
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Shelley Hanson
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6/30/09
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Jerry Thompson
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6/30/11
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Lloyd Chapman
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6/30/09
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Marcia Kelley
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6/30/11
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Filing to become a candidate:
Marion County Elections, (503) 588-5041, handles
Board elections (held the third Tuesday of every odd-numbered
year) for both Marion & Polk Counties.
Committee information from our By-Laws:
"The president, from time to time, or the Board, by majority
vote of its members at any meeting, may appoint Board members
and other interested private citizens and representatives of groups
and organizations to serve on standing or special committees.
At the time of appointment of such members, the president shall
state the purpose and duties of the committee. Any committee authorized
by the Board shall perform the duties prescribed by the Board
at the time the committee was created and shall be subject to
the direction and control of the Board. All committees shall have
a chairperson elected . . . . Recommendations of such committees
shall be considered as advisory only.
"All members of the Board and committees serve without compensation."
The Budget Committee is the only active committee at this
time.
"[the] budget committee shall consist of the Board and a
like number of qualified electors of the District who shall be
appointed pursuant to the following:
1) Prior to the first meeting of the Budget Committee in any given
year, vacancies in the office of appointive members of the committee
shall be filled by appointment of the Board.
2) Appointments to the Committee may, at the discretion of the
Board, be made as follows:
a) The Board member representing the subdistrict of the vacancy
may recommend to the Board the appointment of a qualified elector.
b) The Board member representing the subdistrict of the vacancy
may call for applications for the Budget Committee.
c) Appointive members of the Budget Committee shall be appointed
for terms of three years, and subsequently, upon recommendation
of the Board members and subject to Board approval, may be reappointed
to such position."
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Ordinances
Part of making everyone's visit a pleasant one is providing a
clean, safe and comfortable environment in which to use the bus
system. A "code of conduct," similar to rules and customs
that guide civic behavior in other public places within our community,
has been developed by the transit district. Its purpose is to
describe the intended uses of our facilities, and inform the public
of what types of activities and behaviors are not allowed in Cherriot
facilities.
Unacceptable Conduct
For the safety of all of the public, State of Oregon Statutes
prohibit certain types of conduct. The District ordinance is consistent
with the State statutes. It is a violation of this Ordinance for
any person to engage in conduct in violation of any of the following
laws if such conduct occurs within or in any way affects any District
Facility:
Initiating a false report.
Giving false information
Assault in any degree
Menacing
Reckless endangering
Public indecency
Trespass
Disorderly conduct
Interfering with public transportation
Unlawful use of a weapon
Concealed weapon
Possession or delivery of controlled substances
Littering
Posting Notices
Damaging District Property
Possession of dangerous weapon in a public building
For the complete Courthouse Square Rules of conduct and Ordinances,
please click here: Link
to Cherriots Ordinances
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History of Salem Area Mass Transit District
The Salem Area Mass Transit District—better known as the Cherriots—was
formed by a vote of the Salem/Keizer area electorate in 1979,
with the purpose of consolidating transit services within the
urban growth boundary and securing an ongoing funding base for
the operation of the system. In 2003, the organization change
its name to better reflect the population it serves. The District
is now known as "Salem - Keizer Transit".
A nine-member, elected Board of Directors was called for in the
enabling legislation (later changed to the present-day’s seven-member
Board), and the new Board took over the staffing and operation
of the Cherriots system from the City of Salem, in July 1981.
Several serial levies were passed by voters to support the transit
system until May of 1986, when the District passed its first tax
base measure to provide permanent funding support for transit
in the Salem and Keizer area. That funding base, intended to maintain
service for 5 years, provided the resources to maintain service
and provide very modest growth into the early 1990’s.
By 1994, however, the District needed new revenue if it was
to grow and meet an increasing public need and expectation for
more transit service. Following an unsuccessful payroll tax measure,
in May 1996 the voters of the District approved a new property
tax base for a significant increase in services, which included
later evening service, several new routes, and the implementation
of park & ride services. The implementation of these services
over the past four years has resulted in a 50% increase in ridership
on the Cherriots.
Today’s seven-member Board provides the policy direction for
a 70-bus transit operation serving nearly 200,000 residents in
the Salem and Keizer urban areas. The District is developing a
new strategic plan and 10-year financial plan which will maintain
the services now offered by Cherriots, as well as plan for and
provide the resources for the continued improvement of public
transit services in the future.
Cherriots ridership grew from 2.7 million trips in 1990 to over
4.3 million in 2000...a 60% increase during the decade. An increase
in fares led to a modest drop in ridership in 1994-95, but Cherriots
quickly rebounded and by 1999 broke the 4 million rider mark for
the first time in District history. In 2001, we experienced another
7% growth, pushing us over the 4.6 million mark. Cherriots carried
over 5 million riders in 2003, new ridership record!
Ridership comparison 1996 - 2005
Ridership got a boost most recently from the opening of the
District’s new transit mall and customer service facilities at
Courthouse Square. Several hundred new daily riders have been
added to the Cherriots system since the opening of Courthouse
Square in October of 2000. West Salem Service Improvements The
Cherriots most recent improvements in service just took place
on January 2, 2001. Two new routes were added to the west area,
existing routes were modified to better serve the neighborhoods
and business community, and frequency of bus service was improved
to 30 minutes on all West Salem routes. The five neighborhood
routes in West Salem now meet at the Glen Creek Transit Station,
near Wallace Rd. and Glen Creek Rd. At that point, the West Salem/Downtown
shuttle bus picks up riders heading across the bridge and proceeds
directly to the Capital Mall area and to the Courthouse Square
transit mall.
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Cherriots Buses
The Cherriots bus fleet is as clean and well-maintained
as any fleet in the country. The quality of vehicle maintenance
translates directly to service reliability and a high level
of customer satisfaction. The Distrcit is in the process of
replacing its fleet of older diesel buses with Clean Diesel
Buses. These buses not only meet the 2007 EPA emission standards,
but are as clean or cleaner than their CNG conterparts. The
first 10 of these new buses will be arriving in March of 2008.
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Customers tour CNG buses.
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Courthouse Square The District’s offstreet transit mall and
customer service facilities are located in the heart of the
downtown area, at 220 High St. NE, between Chemeketa and Court
Sts. Up to 22 buses can meet at the mall, with covered pedestrian
walkways connecting all buses to the Cherriots’ comfortable
waiting room and customer service counter.
Salem Transit’s administrative office are located on the 5th
floor of the Courthouse Square building, in Suite 5230. |
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The general manager, finance, planning, operations, and
human resource functions are all headquartered in the Courthouse
Square location.
Cherriots buses also connect at the Mall to "SMART"
buses operating commuter schedules to and from Wilsonville,
as well as to CARTS buses which provide service to rural
Marion and Polk County locations.
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Buses departing from
Courthouse Square
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Fareless Square
| Travel on Cherriots buses for free within the Downtown Salem/Capital
Mall area! Bounded by Mission St., Front St., Union St., and
12th St., all Cherriots bus travel within the Fareless
Square boundary is fare-free. The free buses work great for
riders who want to head from the Capital area downtown for
lunch, people heading from their work site to nearby meetings,
or shoppers who want to move around the downtown area. And
now, riders can travel fare-free into the "downtown"
West Salem area, on route 25, the West Salem/Downtown Shuttle.
This route, which connects the Courthouse Square Transit Mall
with the Glen Creek Transit Station and the five West Salem
routes, operates fare-free, acting as an extension of the
Fareless Square into the commercial area of West Salem. |
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Airport Road Shuttle
The Cherriots route 20, Airport Road Park and Ride, provides
shuttle service from the State’s Motor Pool on Airport to the
Capital Mall and Downtown Salem. The shuttle is particularly convenient
for State employees who want to park at the motor pool and catch
a bus to their Mall office. The Shuttle runs every 15 minutes
in the morning and afternoon peak periods, and half-hourly in
the midday (9:15 am to 3:15 pm). With limited stops along the
way, it only takes 5 minutes to get to the Capitol building, 10
minutes to Downtown, and less than 15 minutes to get to the North
Mall area at Capitol and Union Sts.
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Bike Racks
All Cherriots buses have bike racks installed which will transport
two bikes. They are very easy to load and unload...just lower
the rack, place your bike wheels in the steel channels, and swing
the retainer bar down onto the wheel. Reverse the process when
unloading. Many of our riders bus-in with their bike in the morning,
and then get their exercise biking home in the evening. There’s
no cost to use The Cherriots bike racks! (for information on using
the bike racks, click here)
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State Bus Pass Program
State employees who work on the Capitol Mall are eligible to
for the State’s bus pass program. Under this program, employees
who work at designated agencies within the Mall area may obtain
a bus pass, valid for use on all Cherriots routes and park-and-rides,
at no cost. For information about the State pass program, call
the Department of Administrative Services at 503-378-5090. Much
of the Cherriots bus service is routed through the Capital Mall
area, with bus stops and shelters located close to the Mall office
structures. Many State agencies have designated "transportation
coordinators" who are prepared to assist employees with information
about bus routes, park and ride services, and the Airport Road
Shuttle.
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Park & Ride Lots
Park and ride service is just the thing for people who want a
quick trip to the Capital Mall and Downtown Salem, with a minimum
of stops in between. In addition to the Airport Rd. lot, there
are five park & ride lots in the Salem/Keizer area available
to all transit riders. They are located at the following addresses:
2855 Broadway NE (at the Fred Meyer Store), 5250 Commercial St.
SE (Walmart), 4500 Commercial St. SE (Rite Aid), Market St. at
Hawthorne St., and in West Salem on Wallace Rd. at Brush College
Rd. The South Commercial St. lots and the Market St. & Hawthorne
St. lot offer express shuttle service in the morning and evening,
as well as being served by a regular route. Parking at these locations
is free. Mall-area State employees may use their State Bus Pass
for the P&R routes. Other riders may use their regular Cherriots
bus pass, or pay the regular cash fare. There is no premium charge
for Cherriots P&R service. Travel times are brief...for example,
the South Commercial lots are just 16 minutes from the Capital
Mall, and the Market St. lot is less than 10 minutes away.
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