Neighborhood connections key to STA plan

Spokane Transit Authority officials are hoping better connections to neighborhoods will help garner community support for a major expansion of transit service they’re calling STA Moving Forward.

Several years of planning went into the proposal that would make bus service faster and more convenient for riders.

A key element in the plan is creation of a new Moran Prairie park-and-ride lot in the vicinity of 57th Avenue and Palouse Highway.

The lot with 80 to 100 spaces would be a terminus for a new high-performance route connecting North Monroe Street from Five Mile Road and Ash Street with South Regal Street.

The concept is to bring faster and more frequent service and connect urban mixed-use commercial centers along that corridor. More sheltered bus stops would be installed, and additional improvements could be made over time, STA officials said. Pre-paid boarding is also in the plan.

Already, North Monroe is one of the most heavily used transit corridors in the city. Having a route that extends to the South Side would eliminate the need to transfer at the Plaza downtown.

The route has support from neighborhood groups, and was recommended in a South Hill neighborhood planning effort, said Karl Otterstrom, STA planning director.

“There are a lot of people who care about bus service in their neighborhoods and want to see more of it,” Otterstrom said.

In addition to the North Monroe-South Regal line, the STA Moving Forward proposal also seeks to create a new south commuter express route from the Moran Prairie park-and-ride.

The South Side is the only broad area within STA’s service area that does not have an express option for riders living near the outer edges of bus service.

The express likely would run west from the park and ride and arrive downtown by way of High Drive. Several stops would be included along the way.

The Moving Forward proposal calls for making the South Side improvements, including the North Monroe-South Regal route, within about two years.

The Five Mile park-and-ride already gets heavy use with the current level of service there.

The improvements outlined in Moving Forward would require voter approval of a sales tax increase of as much as 0.3 percent.

If approved, the tax would pay both for expanding transit and restoring some of the service cuts made a few years ago.

A new Central City Line running from Browne’s Addition through downtown to Gonzaga University and Spokane Community College also is in the plan.

The STA board is scheduled to take up the Moving Forward plan at its Dec. 18 meeting.

The board could send the measure to voters as early as April.

Susan Meyer, STA’s chief executive officer, said that package of transit improvements should appeal to residents across the transit service area because of specific improvements to neighborhood service.

Otterstrom said the plan is fashioned in a way that the improvements would be built and implemented as tax collections become available rather than through borrowing.