AS I SEE IT
Can Kansas City finally agree on a transit plan?
August 24, 2009
I’m almost afraid to say it; so many failed efforts; so many false starts; so much time lost. At the risk of jinxing the latest start at developing a plan for public transit in Kansas City, here goes:
- Overland Park and Mission have developed a concept called Vision Metcalf, featuring a reserved right-of-way for high tech busses from 119th Street and Metcalf across Shawnee Mission Parkway connecting to the MAX BRT (bus rapid transit) line at the Plaza and on to the new Troost BRT line now under construction.
- The KCK Unified Government is planning a similar line from the booming development around the Kansas Speedway along State Avenue through downtown KCK and across the Kaw connecting to the two KCMO BRT lines in downtown Kansas City.
- Johnson County, after many false starts on relieving congestion on I-35, has settled on a plan for commuter busses on the I-35 shoulders, a plan that has had success in the Twin Cities.
- Jackson, Clay and Platte counties have been meeting since last summer to forge an agreement to connect their various communities together in a coordinated series of commuter transit services.
- And while these activities have their own constituencies that do not always concur, they are all cooperating with a Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) grant that is funding two regional studies, Urban Corridors and Commuter Corridors, combining them into a coordinated whole.
This is the aspiration that the Regional Transit Alliance was created to foster, and is the reason for our sense of optimism over these events. But here’s the caution: we’ve been on a high before and been disappointed. What are the pitfalls that can upset this initiative this time, and how can we avoid the demise again?
- The cost of all this public transit is very high, so how can we afford it?
- The economy is in the tank, so how can we expect voters to approve more taxes?
- If gas prices stay down, why should we embark on another transit fiasco?
- Our congestion is really minor, so what’s the fuss about transit?
- The Missouri/Kansas “border war” will never let us reach a regional resolution.
- Let’s wait for Chastain’s new proposal.
Why get excited now?
- This time the initiatives have been born in disparate communities within the region, not the old regulars along the central business corridor.
- This time there is a belief that our congested freeways might really have a chance for relief, from a different kind of transit proposal.
- This time there is a real sense that more freeway lanes won’t help and further sprawl dependent on automobile transportation is not the answer.
- This time there is a growing demand for a more walkable lifestyle that promises a feeling of “community”…not just downtown, but in little towns all across the region.
MARC is pushing forward the Urban Corridors study to be ready for a 15 September deadline for a Transit Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant.
Competition is tough, and hundreds of grant applications from across the nation are being prepared by other regions. But with a promise of a modest and really seamless regional transit proposal supported by local elected officials and congressional representatives in two states, there is a sense of optimism.
If we can score on this proposal, the Commuter Corridors plan will have new energy and we could indeed be on the track to the breakthrough we’ve been seeking for thirty years or more. Keep your eyes open…keep your mouths open to tell your council, your mayor, your county commissioner, your state representative, your congressman, your senator this is our time…do it…we’re ready.
Kitty McCoy
Chair, Regional Transit Alliance
