Valley bus service could progress, if voters adopt ballot measure

Spokane Valley bus service would see a range of improvements if voters adopt a ballot measure to increase funding for the Spokane Transit Authority this spring.

STA is seeking a 0.3 percent increase in sales tax collected in its service area to provide major improvements to the system, expand evening and weekend service and shore up ongoing finances.

Currently, bus No. 90 on Sprague Avenue is the busiest in STA’s fleet.

Last year, the No. 90 saw 1.04 million passenger boardings with those passengers riding 4.4 million miles.

The Division route carries about the same number of passengers, but their trips are shorter.

The No. 90 is so often full that drivers have a difficult time staying on schedule. As a result, there are backups at bus stops, which can lead to uneven passenger loads – one bus is packed while the next bus travels light.

Karl Otterstrom, director of planning for STA, said the ballot measure includes money to add an additional bus and driver on the No. 90, which currently provides service every 15 minutes.

That will improve on-time performance by giving drivers an added 15 minutes to finish their routes, ensuring that buses leave the STA Plaza on time, Otterstrom said.

In addition, the No. 90 could be converted to a high-performance route with additional passenger amenities and real-time bus arrival information for passengers waiting at stops.

STA is also proposing $6.3 million in passenger amenities on routes serving Spokane Valley, especially bus stops on busy arterials such as East Sprague.

Sheltered stops could be equipped with technology showing bus arrivals in real time.

STA is also looking at new transfer points so more riders can avoid going downtown, which would save time on individual trips.

The ballot measure would permit the tax increase for 10 years. After that, voters would have to reapprove the tax.

One idea is to extend Spokane Valley express service into Liberty Lake on a trial basis in the latter years of the Moving Forward program.

The Mirabeau Park and Ride lot on East Indiana Avenue could receive $8 million for expansion, and perhaps a relocation to be closer to Spokane Valley Mall or one of the nearby freeway interchanges, Otterstrom said.

The No. 98 to Liberty Lake would be extended farther east into that city to provide service to more residents and workplaces.

East Indiana, east of Sullivan Road, would also get bus service, which it currently does not have even though there are several new medical, office and residential developments there.

STA is also exploring the possibility of freeway “flyer” stops at the Argonne Road interchange with I-90.