Follow up to "Letter to Kaiser Permanente"

Weird -- a 2006 story on the Statesman-Journal website has the vital information missing from the Cherriots website: "route highlights" --- in other words, a list of the major destinations that tells you which bus you need to get where you're going. Critical to making the bus system usable.

(However, what is also needed is to have the information both ways -- in other words, in addition to the listing by bus route, Cherriots should also provide other listings of these "route highlights," one alphabetical (a white pages approach) and one categorical (health care, public offices, etc. -- a yellow pages approach), with each one listing the destination and the route(s) that serve it.

But, anyway, if you stumble on the story from the SJ website, you can find out that the Cherriots route 14 serves the Skyline Kaiser Permanente clinic. Assuming that the routes haven't changed since then.

Cherriots bus schedule

April 25, 2006

On weekdays, most Cherriots routes operate on a half-hour frequency, leaving the downtown transit mall at 15 minutes and 45 minutes after the hour. During peak commute times, some routes operate on a 15-minute frequency, leaving at the hour and 15, 30 and 45 minutes after the hour. During midday, some routes drop to hourly service, leaving at 15 minutes after the hour only.

West Salem routes depart the Glen Creek Transit Station on the hour and half-hour.

There is no Sunday service.

For more information, call (503) 588-2877 or visit www.cherriots.org.

ROUTE HIGHLIGHTS

ROUTE 1, SOUTH COMMERCIAL: Serves Vern Miller Civic Center, Fred Meyer South, Wal-Mart and Battlecreek Golf Course.

ROUTE 2, JAN REE: Serves Chemeketa Community College, McKay High School, Lancaster Mall, North Salem High School, Parrish Middle School, Stephens Middle School, Kaiser Permanente and Fred Meyer East.

ROUTE 3, CAPITOLA: Serves Salem Senior Center, Parrish Middle School, Salem Clinic, Oregon State Fairgrounds, DMV and Portland Road.

ROUTE 4, KEIZER EAST: Serves Oregon School for the Deaf, Whiteaker Middle School and Salem Senior Center.

ROUTE 5, ROYAL OAKS: Serves Salem Rehab Center, Oregon State Hospital, Marion County Health Department and Lancaster Mall.

ROUTE 5A, LANCASTER MALL: Serves Salem Rehab Center, Oregon State Hospital, Marion County Health Department and Lancaster Mall.

ROUTE 6, 12TH & SUNNYSIDE: Serves Salem Hospital, Amtrak station, Judson Middle School and Pringle Road.

ROUTE 7, STATE and FAIRVIEW: Serves Salem Main Post Office, McNary Field, Hillcrest, Tokyo International University and Big K.

ROUTE 8, LIBERTY ROAD: Serves Salem Public Library, Crossler Middle School, Fairmount, Candalaria and Sunnyslope Center.

ROUTE 9, KEIZER CENTRAL: Serves Fred Meyer North, Whiteaker Middle School, McNary High School, River Road N and Keizer.

ROUTE 10, ORCHARD HEIGHTS: Serves West Salem High School, West Salem business area and Orchard Heights Road; does not go downtown.

ROUTE 11, LANCASTER DRIVE: Serves Chemeketa Community College, Lancaster Mall, McKay High School, Santiam 11 cinema, Willamette Lutheran Home and Lancaster Drive; does not go downtown.

ROUTE 12, SALEMTOWNE: Serves Salemtowne, Michigan City Loop, Brush College Park and West Salem Business area; does not go downtown.

ROUTE 13, LANSING and CLAXTER: Serves Oregon State Fairgrounds, Waldo Middle School, State Farm and 17th Street.

ROUTE 14, SUNNYRIDGE: Serves Bush’s Pasture Park, South Salem High School, Fred Meyer South, Sprague High School and Kaiser Permanente.

ROUTE 15, LAUREL SPRINGS: Serves Willamette University, South Salem High school, Fred Meyer South, Salem Heights and Madrona Avenue.

ROUTE 16, FOUR CORNERS: Serves State Street, East Salem, Houck Middle School, Oregon State Penitentiary and Marion County jail.

ROUTE 17, HAYESVILLE: Serves Oregon Employment Office, Market Street, Chemeketa Community College, Fred Meyer East and Hayesville.

ROUTE 18, KEIZER WEST: Serves Fred Meyer North, Schoolhouse Square, McNary High School and Chemawa Road.

ROUTE 19, GLEN CREEK: Serves Glen Creek Road, Hidden Valley and West Salem business area; does not go downtown.

ROUTE 20, AIRPORT ROAD: Serves Oregon motor pool, Capitol Mall, Costco, Salem Radiology and Hawthorne Avenue.

ROUTE 21, TURNER ROAD: Serves Salem Hospital, Willamette University, Western Baptist College, Willamette Humane Society, Marion County jail and Turner Road.

ROUTE 22, BATTLE CREEK ROAD: Serves South Salem High School, Leslie Middle School and Battle Creek Road.

ROUTE 23, EOLA: Serves Edgewater Street, Eola Drive, 35th Avenue and West Salem business area; does not go downtown.

ROUTE 24, WEST SALEM LOOP: Serves Capitol Manor, Kingwood West, Walker Middle School, Eola, Kingwood, Parkway and Orchard Heights and West Salem business area; does not go downtown.

ROUTE 25, WEST SALEM SHUTTLE: Travels among the downtown Salem Transit Mall, Capitol Mall and the Glen Creek Transit Mall in West Salem. No fare is charged.

COMMUTER SHUTTLES: Two commuter shuttles from park-and-ride lots are available, one at Market Street and Hawthorne Avenue and another at the Wal-Mart on Commercial Street SE. Both serve the Capitol Mall area. These operate during peak hours only. A commuter shuttle between Salem and Wilsonville also is available several times each weekday.