Swag and interactive cardboard bus displays greeted the public in the Shute Park Library as part of TriMet's Forward Together open house held in Hillsboro on Thursday, Oct. 20.

TriMet’s new Forward Together bus service proposal contains both positives and negatives for Hillsboro, city officials say.

In particular, the proposal would eliminate the bus route that shuttles people to the Brookwood Public Library.

“The bus that services Brookwood Library is a lifeline for some community members,” said Hillary Ostlund, library director for the City of Hillsboro, in a press release from the city. “Our diverse community needs to be able to access this key public resource without an automobile. Work must be done to enhance access, not take it away.”

That Line 46 bus also serves some employees of the Dawson Creek Corporate Park.

However, other areas of town would see an increase in bus service under the proposal, particularly to educational facilities like Liberty High School, Century High School, and Portland Community College’s Rock Creek campus and Willow Creek center.

New bus lines would also expand service to new and planned residential developments in the South Hillsboro and Amberglen neighborhoods.

Other areas, however, would be affected by the loss of bus lines. Northwest Hillsboro, currently served by the Line 46 and 47 buses, would see that service discontinued. Hillsboro officials called this a blow to some of Hillsboro’s elderly residents.

“The loss of bus routes 46 and 47 also impacts some of Hillsboro’s most vulnerable community members — the elderly and disabled residents who rely on the lines to provide door-to-door paratransit service in NW Hillsboro,” the city’s press release says.

TriMet officials were on hand for an open house held at the Shute Park Library on Thursday, Oct. 20, to discuss precisely these kinds of impacts of the Forward Together draft concept.

“That’s where the feedback comes in,” said TriMet spokesperson Tia York. “Really, this is about … coming up with strategies to come up with the transit system of the future. We really do want to hear from people, because at this point, this is not a plan.”

She reiterated that point to many attendees of the open house, who were resoundingly interested in what the proposal meant for the bus services in their neighborhoods. Many thought that the Forward Together concept was a done deal, but TriMet says it is gathering community feedback to help shape the final proposal for next year.

Forward Together aims to expand ridership, York explained, particularly by increasing bus services to high-traffic areas and underserved communities. While this will bring more frequent service to areas like Hillsboro’s downtown and north industrial zone, it will also likely mean cutting service to other communities that are currently served by bus routes.

“This plan was drafted with ridership and equity in mind,” York said. “We want to increase ridership, particularly by increasing service to lower-income and minority communities.”

The full breakdown of affected lined under the current TriMet proposal, which has not been adopted, is as follows:

Discontinued Lines

• Line 38 — Boones Ferry Rd: Discontinued due to low ridership and redundant service along Boones Ferry Road, Terwilliger Boulevard, Kruse Way and 72nd Avenue.

• Line 46 — North Hillsboro: Discontinued due to low ridership.

• Line 47 — Main/Evergreen: While discontinued, most of this route would be served by a new Line 115 bus service that would connect the North Hillsboro Industrial Area and South Hillsboro via Century Boulevard. Service on Evergreen would likewise be replaced with a new Line 111, and service on Main Street replaced with a new Line 120.

New Lines

• Line 111: Would cover much of the former Line 88 route, with service upgraded to every 20 minutes. The route would extend from Willow Creek along 185th Avenue, Walker Road, Stucki Avenue and Evergreen Parkway to the North Hillsboro Industrial Area.

• Line 113: Would provide service between North and South Hillsboro via Cornelius Pass Road.

• Line 115: Would connect the North Hillsboro Industrial Areas and South Hillsboro via Century Boulevard. Service in Bethany would be discontinued.

• Line 120: A new line that would cover a portion of the former Line 47 route between Century Boulevard and downtown Hillsboro, and provide new service along East Main Street.

A couple upcoming open houses remain as opportunities for the public to learn more and provide feedback to TriMet about the proposal.

A Spanish-language virtual open house will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. Another virtual open house, this one in English, will take place on from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27.

Find the Zoom links online at TriMet’s .