Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

This column reflects the opinion of the writer. Learn about the differences between a news story and an opinion column.

John Robert Smith: Will Spokane get on board or be left behind?

John Robert Smith

Early in my career, workers would follow jobs and move to other cities. That’s changing across the country and here in Spokane. Of all college-educated 25- to 34-year-olds, roughly two-thirds looked for a job only after they chose the city where they wanted to live, according to census data.

Is Spokane the kind of place where young, mobile, talented workers want to stay after they graduate? Will the Lilac City be able to compete with other midsize cities in the Pacific Northwest and beyond to attract a younger workforce and prosper for decades to come?

The surprising attribute being sought by young job-seekers and corporate workforce developers is a dependable, accessible bus or multimodal transit system.

From Raleigh, North Carolina, to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Eugene, many midsize cities are moving to make investments in transit, taking important steps that will leave other peer cities lagging behind. Will Spokane be able to keep up?

I heard a story out of Indianapolis recently (a city facing similar talent retention challenges as Spokane). A younger resident testified in the Statehouse about efforts to build a new system of bus rapid transit lines across the region. Lawmakers were told that “selling a city without transit to millennials is like selling a phone without a camera.”

Remember the brick phones from 1990? Maybe Spokane needs an upgrade to compete.

Transit improvements can and should be a bipartisan effort. Conservative Republican and former Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard says, “Indianapolis is thriving as a magnet for top talent and growing businesses, and strategic investment in a healthy mix of transit options will only strengthen our position as a globally competitive city.”

While a fraction of millennials still move to suburbs, they don’t prefer the prototypical, isolated car-only commute. Only one out of 10 says she or he would prefer a suburban neighborhood comprising houses only. They’re driving less, too, with the average annual number of vehicle-miles traveled by people ages 16-34 dropping 23 percent from 2001-2009. Many in that age group don’t have a driver’s license at all. Boy, have times changed!

The urban environment is not just about providing more of what millennials demand these days. Baby boomers and young families also seek walkable, more compact services, with a wider range of jobs and things to do within a more accessible area.

In “Core Values,” a study my organization conducted on the movement of companies across the country relocating to downtowns, businesses reported that current and potential employees want neighborhoods with restaurants, cafes, cultural institutions, entertainment and nightlife as well as easy access by public transportation.

Spokane-area voters will get to weigh in on a ballot measure this fall that could improve existing transit by adding new services and expanding frequency. It would also provide the operating funds – federal and state funds would cover the rest – for a new bus rapid transit line, the Central City Line, that would connect downtown Spokane with five college and university campuses, as well as four urban neighborhoods, with jobs and services.

Bus rapid transit has some characteristics similar to light rail. You purchase your tickets before you ride and board all doors. The route is fixed and the stations are more substantial than a normal bus stop, so the private sector sees the investment as more permanent than a regular bus line and can respond accordingly with new housing, retail or office space nearby. Users can access buses more frequently and at more convenient times.

Bus rapid transit done right can bring economic benefits akin to more expensive light rail systems, but at a lower price – a great recipe for midsize cities that aren’t quite ready for rail-based transit.

As our nation’s economy has slowly recovered from the recession, the areas around bus rapid transit stations from Las Vegas to Cleveland have seen more rapid middle- and upper-wage job growth compared with other parts of those regions.

In Eugene, a well-designed bus rapid transit line has brought strong economic benefits. In the three years after Eugene’s EMX bus rapid transit line opened, 42 percent of new jobs were located within a quarter-mile of the new BRT stations. A recent study showed a 4-to-1 return on investment of Eugene’s bus rapid transit line.

The possibility of a similar success story for Spokane will be up to voters this November. If voters approve this ballot measure, Spokane could join a growing movement of other midsize cities realizing that increased access to public transportation is a crucial part of an emerging new recipe for long-term economic success.

John Robert Smith, chairman of Transportation for America, served as mayor of Meridian, Mississippi, for 16 years, where he guided the development and construction of the Southeast’s first multimodal transportation center.