Kim (KC) Traver, President of the new InlandRail group, left this pro light rail comment on a thread in the Spokane Regional Transportation Council blog. We are going to post it out front today because this topic has been coming up in conversations among many transportation officals in our region lately. And many citizens are interested in this issue. Check out the comments left on an earlier light rail thread here. And this is what KC has to say on the matter:
How high do gasoline prices have to go before we plan for alternative transportation that is affordable, sustainable, and supportive of the Growth Management Act?
A majority of Spokane County residents are supportive of rail transit but the Spokane Transit Authority Board of Directors discontinued the work on light rail as "too proactive and ahead of its time".
All we are asking is that PLANNING for light rail transit resume so the region is postured to implement a system whenever the time is right for implementation.
Ironically, the former STA Light Rail Steering Committee calculated that the annual cost of delaying light rail is more than the annual cost of operating a light rail system.
It is time to conduct preliminary engineering for a south valley route between Spokane and Liberty Lake. We should also start NOW on planning the route to connect Spokane's downtown business district with the Spokane International Airport.
What IS in STA's comprehensive transit plan "2020", if not provisions for a regional high-capacity rail transit system? -- KC Traver, PE, President
He's got a point. The national media was reporting yesterday that gasoline prices could rise any where between $3.75 to $4.00 per gallon this spring. What are your thoughts?
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