Citizens Helping Plan Transportation Strategy

Which comes first, the bus or the bus riders? The commuter train or the commuters?

OK, those questions aren’t quite as catchy as that chicken-or-egg conundrum, that is the riddle facing Spokane transportation planners.

Should we drop a new transit system into an existing neighborhood and wait for people to come and use it? Or should we design a mixed-use, high-density community that will appreciate things like express bus service or a light rail system.

Choice No. 2 - sketching out land uses and then deciding on the best transit system - is the approach being put into play by the Spokane Regional Transportation Council in an 18-month study.

Through public workshops and meetings with a carefully selected focus group, the SRTC is enlisting citizens in the planning for some type of high-capacity transportation system between Liberty Lake and downtown Spokane.

It could be a new corridor along the Milwaukee Road/Second Avenue right of way - either a highway with special lanes for express buses, car poolers and van poolers, or perhaps a light rail system.

“We’re very open-minded,” says Glenn Miles, transportation manager for the SRTC.

He says the study will result in recommendations for transportation investments in the Valley, which could be funded and developed during the following seven to 10 years.

That won’t be one bit too soon considering the intense growth we’ll be seeing in the next few years: county population is expected to grow by some 150,000 by the year 2010.

Whichever mode of high-capacity system is recommended, it’s likely that the U-City mall vicinity will be a hub of activity.

“U-City is one area that would have a high potential for redevelopment, especially with the Valley Transit Center already there,” Miles said. At a recent public workshop, held at the mall, people were invited to envision the kinds of development they would like to see around the mall.

Planners asked citizens questions such as how many homes per acre they would prefer around the mall and what types of stores, open space, parking lots, public buildings or police and fire stations would be appropriate for a transportation hub.

To varying degrees, people at the workshop warmed to the task, but some questioned how much development could really be controlled because these choices are largely up to private investors.

But Miles said the planning for a major investment in transportation, with the prospect of tens of thousands of people passing by storefronts, will provide incentives to business to develop in appropriate ways.

One of the problems with mass transit in the Valley is the low density of housing, with four or fewer housing units per acre, on average. For mass transit to be really effective, densities up around six or seven units per acre are desirable. That might make apartments and condominiums the best option for the area around U-City.

Developers anticipating new transportation facilities might decide to build that kind of housing.

So which comes first? Probably a little of this, a little of that, and finally, a happy mix of both.

$140 for your thoughts?

That’s the sum being paid to about 60 focus group participants who were randomly selected and who are looking at Valley high-capacity transportation issues.

Bill Robinson, who is contracting with the county for the research, is paying that fee and says it is well worth that expense to ensure participants attend all of the sometimes-grueling sessions.

, DataTimes MEMO: On Your Way is a Valley Voice column focusing on commuter lifestyles and issues. Your views on any of the topics discussed are invited. Please write: The Valley Voice, 13208 E. Sprague, Spokane, WA 99216.

This sidebar appeared with the story: NEXT WORKSHOP Another public workshop in a series on a possible high-capacity transportation corridor through the Valley is scheduled for March 26 at Sheridan Elementary School.