Sta’s Free Rides Seen As An Iffy Proposition, At Best
Will free bus rides on poor air quality days induce motorists to leave their cars home?
Transit user Sara Lindgren of Spokane doesn’t think so.
“I doubt that very many drivers would take advantage of a free bus ride during winter air pollution alerts,” she said. “However, buses would be jammed with people, such as kids, who don’t drive and are just wanting a free ride.”
Spokane Transit Authority recently announced plans to waive fares when carbon monoxide levels in the Spokane area exceed federal standards.
“I find it ironic, to say the least,” Lindgren wrote to Bagpipes, “that STA is offering free rides during winter air pollution alerts while at the same time pushing forward with their proposed route changes, which will force many regular riders to drive during the winter because they are unable to walk throught the snow and ice to their new, more-distant bus stops.”
Another reader is more of an STA fan, but he still thinks the transit system’s proposal could be improved.
“It’s difficult to entice people out of their cars, winter or no winter,” said James A. Nelson of Spokane. “An experimental three-month lower pass-fee plan, November through January, would be a start.
“Make it worth their while and these drivers will soon learn just how easy and inexpensive it is to take the bus,” Nelson wrote. “When they learn the benefits and convenience of this service, you create a regular rider for the rest of the year.”
Looking ahead
Bagpipes is about to hibernate for three weeks. The next column will appear Dec. 18.
By that time the holidays will be upon us, a layer of snow may be hiding the potholes and the calendar will be about to change. A new mayor and councilmember will be about to settle in at City Hall.
Folks in Spokane will be thinking, as folks do, about a new year and a new set of challenges (dare we say “resolutions”?).
Where should our civic energy be directed?
Readers who have ideas about appropriate community goals and plans for 1998 are invited to submit them to any of the Bagpipes addresses or phone numbers listed below. Look for a roundup on Dec. 18.
Happy Thanksgiving.
, DataTimes MEMO: Bagpipes appears Tuesdays and Thursdays. To respond, call Cityline at 458-8800, category 9881, from a Touch-Tone phone; or send a fax to 459-5098 or e-mail to dougf@spokesman.com. You also can leave Doug Floyd a message at 459-5577, extension 5466.