Lane Transit District Extends Community Input Timeline About Transit Tomorrow
EUGENE, OR (January 10, 2020) - The Lane Transit District (LTD) Board of Directors has asked for more community engagement before it will make a final decision on the implementation of Transit Tomorrow, a draft plan on how best to deploy the District’s fleet to provide more frequent bus service to more riders in the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area. The deadline for public comment has been extended until late spring in 2020.
“Some community members have expressed their concerns about changes in service as well as how much they like their current access,” said Carl Yeh, President of the Lane Transit District Board of Directors. “To utilize this feedback, the Board has decided to take additional time for LTD planners to study this further. As such, the Board will be voting on a Transit Tomorrow proposal no earlier than this spring. This also gives the community more time to understand what the current proposal could achieve for ridership, usability, and the environment.”
The last LTD system review happened 20 years ago. Transit Tomorrow provides an opportunity to collaborate with the community, take a comprehensive look at the system, and provide feedback. Since 2018, more the 62,000 local residents have participated in public meetings, media outreach, online engagement, surveys, and received printed materials about Transit Tomorrow. Based on information from those outreach activities, the LTD Board of Directors made a key decision between investing resources to provide frequent bus service in areas where the most people are likely to ride (ridership) or prioritizing service to reach as many neighborhoods and commercial areas as possible (coverage).
“We are grateful to know that LTD is doing a pretty good job of transporting people—especially people who do not have any other way to get around Eugene-Springfield. However, other board members and I wanted to know if LTD could get more people to where they wanted to go faster and without a schedule,” Yeh said. “Our transit consultant, with public feedback, showed that frequent service in areas where people are likely to ride could lead to higher ridership due to the speed and convenience.”
Yeh added, increased transit frequency along corridors would also support local and national initiatives to help reduce the number of cars on the road resulting in lowering greenhouse gas emissions and reducing traffic congestion.
In addition, Transit Tomorrow is expected to inform the development of a new bus system to provide more frequent access to bus service for people experiencing poverty, seniors, commuters, and all other residents.
“When people see the possible wonderful impact a new system could have for our community, I think they may be more willing to discover new ways to access the transit system. If we do approve such a plan, I know that LTD and its board are committed to helping those neighborhoods with service changes adapt.” Yeh said.
Comments about the draft Transit Tomorrow plan can be made in person at any LTD monthly board meeting, submitted in writing via e-mail at Transit-Tomorrow@LTD.org , on the website at www.TransitTomorrow.org – click on the “Provide Feedback” button, and by mail to Lane Transit District, PO Box 7070, Springfield, OR 97475. Comments can also be left in the Transit Tomorrow phone mail box at 541-682-3240.
Neighborhood associations, civic groups, and other organizations can request a Transit Tomorrow presentation by sending an email to Transit-Tomorrow@LTD.org.
More information about Transit Tomorrow is at TransitTomorrow.org.
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About Lane Transit District (LTD)
LTD provides more than 10 million boardings per year on its buses and EmX Bus Rapid Transit line in Lane County, Oregon. Encompassing the Eugene-Springfield metro area, LTD is a special district of the State of Oregon and led by a seven-member board of directors appointed by Oregon’s governor. LTD also operates RideSource, a paratransit service for people with disabilities, and numerous transportation options programs to promote sustainable travel county wide.