New Park And Ride Could Make Life Easier For Commuters
A new Spokane Transit Authority park and ride lot scheduled to open next month near Division Street and Hastings Road is expected to make taking the bus a little easier for North Side commuters.
The $660,000 project includes paved parking for 135 cars, shelters, bike lockers, a driver’s restroom and information kiosks.
Riders can park in the lot and ride the bus down Division, to the downtown STA Plaza, or straight to Eastern Washington University.
“There is so much traffic coming on Highway 395, especially with all the development planned, it makes the bus an attractive alternative,” said Teresa Stueckle, STA customer relations manager.
North Side commuters now park their cars and catch the bus at the Fairwood Shopping Center.
Ed Woessner, a Gleneden resident, is a regular park-and-ride commuter. He drops his daughter at Mead High School, then heads to the Five Mile Road parking lot.
His company provides him with a free bus pass. He says he saves money, gas and time taking the bus.
He’s looking forward to the new lot opening closer to his home, but says there should be more bus stops even farther north.
“I’d prefer something a lot closer, so I didn’t have to drive at all,” he says.
Bus driver Larry McLean also sees advantages to the new park and ride lot.
“I think it will improve service and give us more access to the North Side that is growing so fast,” says McLean.
Funding for the project, which shares its location with the state Department of Transportation and the Washington State Patrol, is divided almost equally between federal and local sources. The contractor is Acme Construction.
A trip downtown from the new lot will take about 30 minutes and offers commuters respite from heavy Division Street traffic. A trek from the new lot to EWU will take 50 minutes on the North Side Express.
“People like the economic advantage of using the bus, it’s a good value,” Stueckle said. “They also like frequent service. We try to make the bus as much like an automobile trip as possible.”
McLean, who’s been driving buses for 18 years, says efficiency is the key to luring commuters out of their cars.
“If transit makes it fast enough and efficient enough, then they’ll take the bus,” he said. “For transit to flourish, riders have to save time.”
Stueckle said there are 1,988 North Division-route riders on an average day. The Fairwood route has 247, and the North Side Express carries 119.
Bus trips are 75 cents or 35 cents for senior citizens. Children five and under ride free. A monthly pass is $25.
, DataTimes