Build a better bus system
Citylink provides a tremendous service to Kootenai County, shuttling more than half a million passengers hither and yon in Kootenai County last year without a single rider having to pay a penny.
Operating on federal funds, more than $1 million from the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and subsidies from other public entities, the bus service has been a godsend not just for gamblers wanting a free ride to and from the tribe's casino, but for students, workers, shoppers, people with disabilities - well, for thousands and thousands of people.
Alas, when demand eventually outpaces the ability to meet it, problems emerge. In the case of public transit, funding is struggling to keep up with burgeoning ridership. The equation is muddied locally because another public-supported bus service for the elderly and people with disabilities suddenly turned up insolvent. That's adding a new level to public transit demand.
Before we go too far in debating specific options - charging passenger fees for services now free, trying to get bigger contributions from the county and cities, and so on - cooler heads are stepping back and looking at the bigger picture. And that may involve creation of something most of us don't like, but might need: Another bureaucracy.
Right now there is no master plan for meeting area transportation needs, but a regional public transportation authority would solve that problem. An RPTA is a government agency that coordinates services, monitors how federal grant money is spent and secures funding through federal and local sources. The authority would be led by a local board of directors and a manager, and ideally at least, greater efficiency for consumers and taxpayers would result.
We agree with area mayors and other public transportation experts who say now is a good time to consider a ballot measure that would authorize creation of an RPTA. After a ballot proposal is forged, a serious information campaign would be needed. The good news is that the RPTA would not go forward without voter approval.
We're believers that there's a place for a strong, essentially self-sustaining public transportation system in Kootenai County. It's good for the environment and is the only way some people are able to get to work, to school or to other activities that support a strong community. And if economists are correct that we'll see $5 a gallon gas prices a year or two down the road, public transportation might even become the best way for the middle class to travel, too.