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BUSES: Public transit savior

| December 31, 2021 1:00 AM

I am not alone in that I plot out when to cross through town and what road I use depending on the time of day. Avoid Ramsey at school bus times, NW Blvd at 4:30-5:30 p.m., U.S. 95 ALL the time.

We obviously did not build the roads to handle this river of people in cars.

Folks complain about traffic congestion, stoplights and lack of infrastructure. A high functioning, frequent-trip bus system for public transit would get us there in concert with our current roadways.

I see elderly, disabled, students and car-free citizens standing at bus stops all over town. Waiting a long time as they stand or even sit on the snowy ground. Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai County need to commit to proper bus shelters with benches including weather safe covers; regular and timely bus service; bus pull-outs that do not block or impede traffic flow; commit to a bus service that is user friendly and accessible to all. Even get folks to nearby towns — perhaps into Spokane even!

Our roadways are getting more impassable with each year in one of the fastest growing cities in the fastest growing state in the USA. We need to get to the 21st century and make buses and bikes integral parts of our traffic solution. Buses move more people in the same direction while keeping hundreds of cars off the road, off parking lots and saving the ozone. It is long overdue.

LYNN FLEMING

Coeur d’Alene