Transit Center a 'done deal' thankfully

Brent Regan is wrong to keep opposing a new Kootenai County Public Transit Center ("Why bus Taj Mahal is unwise and unsafe," June 3). Funding for the Riverstone Transit Center was approved by the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners in January 2017. In early May, Commissioners reaffirmed their approval for the new Center. Done deal.

The Center will be used to better accommodate connections between Citylink’s three routes, to provide offices for Public Transit staff and law enforcement, and to provide shelter for bus riders. A paved parking lot will be added.

Mr. Regan wishes the federal grant received for Transit Center construction could be used to build shelters at bus stops, to retain current service hours and to avoid adding fares. Kimberly Hobson, Kootenai County Public Transit Office program specialist, reports the grant can only be used for building the Transit Center; it cannot be used for any other purpose. Ms. Hobson adds “we will have discount passes for low-income and disabled clients, and we have worked closely with our Social Services Advisory Board in determining the best options for helping those in need.”

Mr. Regan opposes any plans to have the Center serve as a hub for Greyhound and the Spokane Transit Authority (STA).

As reported in a May 13 article in the Coeur d’Alene Press, Ms. Hobson says while linking the Center with other carriers such as STA and Greyhound was noted as a possibility in the planning stages, a possible pilot project with STA for 2025 would need approval from County Commissioners. “It would require a

tremendous amount of research, discussions with all the involved parties, the input of law enforcement and the direction of Kootenai County Commissioners. In addition, after all the groundwork, there would be extensive public outreach required and an inter-government agency agreement involving the commissioners with the participating cities.”

If it is ever decided to proceed with public transportation to and from Spokane, data suggests that it would primarily be Kootenai County residents in our workforce and seniors and persons with disabilities using the bus. Idaho Dept. of Labor Regional Economist Samuel Wolkenhauer estimates about 8,400 Kootenai County residents are employed in Spokane County and 4,300 Spokane County residents work in Kootenai County. Ms. Hobson states “we get several calls a week about how to get into Spokane or to the airport and we do not have a viable alternative for them as many of the calls we get are from people who are elderly or disabled.”

I’m retired now, but from 2006 to 2016 I rode a Spokane Transit Authority van to my office in Spokane. I was so thankful for this service, as I saved much on fuel and wear and tear on my car. But I would have preferred taking advantage of frequent and flexible bus lines.

Mr. Wolkenhauer has developed a model that predicts Idaho’s population will grow 15.3 percent between 2015 and 2025, reaching 1.9 million. The main driver of growth is in-migration, especially in urban counties. Two-thirds of the population growth is expected to occur in the state’s three most populated counties: Ada, Canyon and Kootenai. Yes, Kootenai County. The model predicts North Idaho’s population will grow from 225,007 in 2015 to 256,936 by 2025.

I-90 and U.S. 95 will become more congested with this substantial increase in population.

As Kootenai County population grows, the availability of a regional public transit system will become more essential in providing mobility and easing congestion, not just between Coeur d’Alene and Spokane, but also between Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint. Let’s support exploring a forward-looking inter-jurisdictional public transit system, not oppose it.

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Cindy Algeo is a Coeur d’Alene resident.