Downtown transit ideas

It seems a healthy and appropriate time to talk about the future of the city’s public transport. I think we should move beyond the us vs. them discussion. We are lucky to live in a dynamic city, one of the few whose downtown is thriving. I think the big picture should include improving the system and solving some of the issues at the same time.

The Amtrak building is beautiful, but more importantly, potentially a much better location if we change our thinking a little.

Most people who have visited Portland, before and after the light rail system, have seen the vast improvement along its route. Imagine a transport encircling the downtown, not unlike the ringstrassa in Vienna.

The ideal place for the hub of transport is on the perimeter. The intermodal area is close to the growing Riverpoint campus and well-positioned to start a circular route by the new Grand Hotel and Convention Center, skirting the park to Monroe Street, then looping south and back.

In the short term, perhaps some hybrid trolleys circulating, but in a few years GPS-guided vehicles. No need for light rail infrastructure in the near future. Let’s think big.

William DeLine

Spokane