September 2017 STA Service Revisions

During the November 2016 General Election, Spokane area voters approved STA’s Proposition 1 to fund STA Moving Forward, a 10 year plan to maintain, improve and expand public transit throughout the region.  The first round of improvements will take effect this May with:

·         Later Saturday night service system-wide

·         New service on East Indiana and East Broadway in Spokane Valley

·         Improved weekend service on Wellesley Avenue

·         Improved weekend service to Airway Heights

Now STA is asking for your feedback about the next wave of system improvements scheduled for September 2017.  The September Preliminary Service Change Proposal includes:

     ·  Adding midday weekday trips on I-90 between Liberty Lake and downtowna

        Spokane

·         · Adding weekday morning and evening non-stop express service between Liberty
       Lake and downtown Spokane

·         · Add Sunday service to north Nevada Street

·         · Improve schedule reliability on Division Street and Sprague Avenue

·         · Improve passenger amenities on Division Street

STA developed three short surveys to help you weigh in on services impacting these areas.  You can find them here.

How Buses Will Work If Lanes Are Reduced on Monroe Street

There has been a lot of talk lately about a proposal to reduce about a mile-long section of Monroe Street from five lanes to three. Businesses are worried about the impact a long-term construction project will have on their bottom line, people who drive through the area are concerned about delays and a lot of people have voiced complaints about getting stuck behind buses stopping at multiple bus stops through the area if there is just one lane in each direction.

According to The Inlander, Monroe is STA's third busiest route, with nearly 650 bus trips taken on the route every week. So the newspaper asked STA how things will work with buses stopping to pickup and drop off passengers on a narrowed roadways.

To start, the Inlander reports, STA plans to reduce the number of bus stops in that stretch- but only by one stop, so there will be a total of three stops.

STA officials are hoping that off-board ticketing that lets bus riders pay ahead of time will speed up the boarding process and "level boarding" will put wheelchairs at the same level as the buses, which will reduce the time required to load them onto buses.

Even if STA didn't reduce stops or implement the other technology that could speed things up, officials say the lane reductions would only add about 25 seconds to your commute during the "rush hour" period.

Voters Approve Spokane Transit Upgrades

Voters yesterday approved Spokane Transit Authority’s Proposition 1 by
55.41 percent.

According to the Spokesman-Review, the measure calls for a tenth-of-a-penny sales tax increase next April and a second tenth of a penny in April 2019, with both taxes running through 2028.

The funding – more than $200 million over 11 years – pays for many improvements in every neighborhood across STA’s service area from more night and weekend buses to new park-and-ride facilities.

The local taxes will be leveraged to take advantage of $86 million in state and federal grants to pay for the new Central City Line electric bus route from Browne’s Addition through downtown and the University District to Spokane Community College.

Also in the budget is $12 million for a new West Plains Transit Center at the Medical Lake interchange on I90. Bus service will be expanded on Indiana Avenue east of Sullivan Road to Greenacres. Park-and-ride lots will be added or expanded at Liberty Lake, the Mirabeau Park area, Moran Prairie and Spokane Community College.

Liberty Lake will see renewal of nonstop express service while north and south Spokane will be connected with a through route from Five Mile to Moran Prairie.

Near the end of the 10-year implementation, an experimental run into Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene will be tried in 2025.

Plan Identifies Transit-Supportive Economic Development Opportunities

As part of ongoing planning for the Central City Line (CCL), the City of Spokane and Spokane Transit Authority have recently developed a draft Strategic Overlay Plan to identify transit-supportive economic development opportunities and land use policy changes. This plan recommends policies and actions that will advance Spokane’s vision for community vitality along the CCL corridor.

The draft plan is available for review at: https://www.spokanetransit.com/projects-plans/central-city-line-strategic-overlay-planning and the City and STA are asking for your input on it. Please send your comments to kweinand@spokanetransit.com. Comments submitted by Thursday, June 23^rd can be incorporated into the next edition of the draft plan.

Upcoming Meetings & Actions:

• A City Plan Commission hearing on the draft plan will be held on Wednesday, July 13^th at 4:00 pm in the Council Chambers, in the Lower Level of Spokane City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
• The CCL Steering Committee will be asked to make a recommendation on the draft plan to the City Council on Monday, July 18^th, 1:00-2:30 pm, at the Spokane Regional Transportation Council Office, 421 W Riverside Ave, Suite 500, in the Paulsen Building.
• The City Council is scheduled to take action on the plan in early August. Updates will be posted on the above webpage.

Spokane Transit Revises Proposal to Increase Fares

Spokane Transit has updated their proposal to increase fares after talking extensively with the public. The most significant change is that the  proposal was revised to phase in the increase between 2017 and 2018, rather than all at once. If approved, changes to the fare structure will not go into effect until July 1, 2017. The proposed changes are below. Click the graphic to view it full size.

The Draft Recommendation will go to the Board of Directors for a Public Hearing on June 16, 2016 at 1:30 pm in the STA Board Room at 1230 W. Boone Avenue so attend if you have comments or
email them to Jan Watson, Clerk of the board at jwatson@spokanetransit.com.

STA Taking Tax Increase to Improve Transit to the Public Again

Spokane-area voters will be asked, again, to fund a major expansion of transit service, including a new Central City Line. According to the Spokesman-Review, the Spokane Transit Authority board last night voted to place a transit proposal before voters in November.

The measure calls for a 0.1 percent sales tax increase in April 2017, followed by a second 0.1 percent increase in April 2019, with both taxes running through 2028.  Last April, voters  rejected a similar measure. It would have raised the tax by 0.3 percent for 10 years.

STA officials say the increase is smaller this time around because an improving economy could raise money at a faster rate in coming years.

In addition to building a Central City Line from Browne’s Addition to Spokane Community College, the measure would improve the convenience and frequency of bus and paratransit service.

Spokane City Will Ask Voters for Transit Tax if STA Doesn't

Spokane's city council last night voted to allow the city to use sales taxes and vehicle licensing fees to fund public transportation in addition to streets and pedestrian infrastructure. And there plan is to put the Central City Line on the November ballot if STA doesn't.

According to the Spokesman-Review, the move was spurred by the council’s support for the Central City Line that would connect Browne’s Addition to the University District and Spokane Community College. STA’s board hasn't decided on whether it will ask voters for a tax to support it. Last month, it postponed a decision to put a measure on the ballot asking for a 0.2 percent sales tax increase. A similar transit measure was narrowly defeated in April 2015.

Not everyone agrees that it is the City's place to force a vote. Councilman Mike Fagan, who voted against the proposal, said it could take money from road repairs and opens the door for increased vehicle licensing fees.

Conversely, Spokane Valley Councilman and STA board member Ed Pace said he supports the change because the Central City Line is Spokane City-based, and he doesn't feel Spokane Valley taxpayers should pay for something that doesn't benefit them.

If STA puts the measure on the ballot, they will ask for a 0.2 percent tax increase. If the City does it, it would also be 0.2 percent, but City Council President Ben Stuckart said the city’s current vehicle licensing fee of $20 could be removed thanks to increased tax revenue.

It would cost $4 million per year to operate the line. That funding would have to come from a local source.

The proposed route of Spokane Transit's Central City Line (click to view full size)

Renovations Start in April on the STA Plaza

Remodeling of the Spokane Transit Authority Plaza is finally ready to get underway. In the plans since 2008, the Plaza's $3.5 million face lift has been delayed for multiple reasons.


According to the Spokesman-Review, the yearlong construction project starts in April and will consolidate transit services on the first floor and renovate the second floor for other uses.

Here is what the remodel includes:

• Customer service will be moved from the second to the first floor and combined with security.
• The Sprague Avenue side of the building will be opened up with indoor waiting areas and windows.
• Retail space on the second floor will be eliminated and new retail space will be built on the west wall of the first floor to go along with an existing Subway sandwich shop.
• The first-floor rotunda will be made available as commercial space.
• The existing escalator will be removed and a new escalator  built along the south wall.
• The two cougar sculptures will be moved to the exterior of a new elevator on the south side.
• An interior construction wall will be erected so bus operations can continue during the work.

Major work will be performed at night so as to not disrupt Plaza operations. The Plaza will close to riders at 8 p.m. Bus loading zones will not be changed.

Central City Line Workshop

Spokane Transit is hosting its third All-Community Central City Line Workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 1 to update citizens on the project, and gather input on the project’s implications for the West Downtown and Browne’s Addition neighborhoods.

Specific components of the workshop include:

 -  Downtown and neighborhood alignment (which     roads the CCL will travel on)- Stop locations

 - Station design and features

- Potential City of Spokane land use policies and economic development incentives

The workshop is at the Southwest Community Center, 310 S. Spruce Street, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

All-Community Central City Line Workshop Scheduled

Mark your calendars- Spokane Transit is hosting an All-Community Central City Line Workshop to update citizens on the project and gather input on a variety its elements including:

•  Alignment (which roads through Downtown it will travel on)
• Stop locations
• Station design and amenities
• Potential land use policies and economic development incentives to complement the project’s transit function

The workshop is Tuesday, February 2 in the lobby of the Pharmaceutical & Biomedical Science (PBS) Building at WSU Spokane from 4-6 p.m.

Public Meeting To Kick Off West Hills Planning Study

Spokane Transit is conducting a planning study for a transit station at Spokane Falls Community College in response to requests from community members. The City of Spokane also anticipates constructing street improvements on Fort George Wright Drive in the near term future. As a result, the STA will team up with the City for a collaborative planning effort with the following proposed scope:

• Inventory existing conditions and develop a vision and goals for the corridor
• Identify alternatives for a mixed use/neighborhood serving commercial center
• Assess alternatives for a transit station at Spokane Falls Community College
• Develop concepts for transit access improvements for the Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute
• Identify and map concepts to improve multi-modal (bike, pedestrian & transit) connections on and to the corridor
• Develop a concept for streetscape improvements for Fort George Wright Drive

A community meeting will be held to kick off the effort on Tuesday, January 12, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Spokane Falls Community College, 3410 W. Fort George Wrigth Drive in Falls Gateway Building 30, Falls Conference Room 30-212.

The Neighborhood’s goals and desires for the corridor will be discussed at that meeting. More info on the study can be found on the Spokane Transit website here.

STA Board Considering Asking Voters For Tax Increase Again

Spokane Transit Authority officials are considering putting another measure on the ballot this year. 

According to the Spokesman-Review, support has emerged to rerun the ballot measure in 2016 that failed last year  that would have raised the sales tax 0.3 percent for systemwide upgrades. That's according to Spokane County Commissioner Al French, also an STA Board member.

A trolley was the centerpiece of the proposed service improvements that would have also extended night and weekend bus service and added new park-and-ride facilities.

The April ballot measure lost narrowly. It would have raised $270 million over 10 years and brought in $60 million in state and federal grants.

In the meantime, STA staff has been trying to obtain a $50 million federal “small starts” transit grant for the Central City Line (CCL) and state lawmakers included $15 million for the CCL in a state transportation funding package to provide the match money required for the federal grant.

In December, the STA board voted to continue supporting the "Moving Forward" plan that was the basis for the unsuccessful ballot measure.

Spokane Buses Get "Smart Bus" Technology

Ever get to your bus stop and you're not really sure if you missed your bus, and if so, when the next one will be there? Wonder no more. Spokane bus riders can now use real-time bus tracking that shows when the next bus will arrive at a particular stop.

An article in today's Spokesman-Review says you can track your bus by computer or on your smartphone at spokanetransit.com/betatripplanner. Each bus and bus stop has its own unique number. Buses are tracked by GPS. Maps on the website show the progress of each bus. Highlight boxes give estimates of the buses’ progress in real time.

This will be especially useful during winter storms when buses often fall behind schedule. The information can be used to reduce waiting time for bus passengers in bad weather. In the future, STA will get new electronic reader boards at the Plaza that will tell riders when their bus will pull into its loading zone.

The $4.9 million smart bus technology was funded in part with $2.2 million in federal congestion mitigation grants distribute by SRTC.

Spokane Rising Asks "Who Killed Prop 1?"

Since the recent election where Spokane Transit's Proposition 1 was voted down by a tiny margin, there has been a lot of talk about why the proposal didn't pass. While it's been mostly water cooler talk and letters to the editor, Spokane Rising threw out some of their own theories in a post yesterday. Some of their thoughts? That the proposition didn't sell the package enough to people not currently using transit, that the difference between current service and service to be implemented by Prop 1 wasn't obvious enough and that misinformation contributed to its demise.

Read the entire post here.

Spokane Transit Sales Tax Increase Voters Guide

If you're reading this, I'm sure you're aware that Spokane Transit has a proposed sales tax increase on the ballot for this April.You may not know what all that will cover though or what the effect will be to your wallet. For instance, did you know that the tax won't apply to gas or most food?

There's a TON of information on the ballot measure in an electronic voting guide that STA just published to their website. Check it out here before making up your mind on how to vote. 

STA's Board Agrees To Send Tax Increase Proposal to Voters

It took four hours to get it done, but members of the Spokane Transit Board yesterday voted to send STA's Central City Line project to voters in the spring.

The project would cost $300 million and includes a sales tax increase of 0.3 percent to fund the plan that would extend hours, expand service to new areas, and fund a trolley-like route between Browne’s Addition and Spokane Community College.

For a while it wasn't clear what the outcome would be, as discussion among board members turned contentious at points.

There were also decisions made yesterday regarding an overhaul to the downtown STA Plaza.

Here's the Spokesman-Review's take on the meeting.

Editorial Calls For Scaling Back Spokane Transit's Central City Line

Spokane Transit Authority directors vote tomorrow (Thursday) on a plan aimed at boosting
revenue and service throughout Spokane County by 30 percent and launching a new central city line that would shuttle passengers from Browne’s Addition to Spokane Community College.

Most of the funding to implement it would come from federal and state grants.To help cover all of the projected $160 million though, the local sales tax would be raised 0.3 percent, or 3 cents per $10 purchase.

An editorial in today's Spokesman-Review says the plan is too ambitious and a scaled-down plan and smaller tax increase should be undertaken first. While the piece credits much of the plan for being needed additions to the transit system, it names the downtown STA Plaza as the plans' weakest link and says, "Some (people), unfortunately, also pursue a life around the Plaza that has little or nothing to do with transportation."

You can read the entire editorial here.

Spokane Transit Reportedly Considering "AutoSocks" for Bus Traction

KREM 2 News is reporting that Spokane Transit is looking into useing "AutoSocks" to give their buses better traction in the winter.

The AutoSock is an alternative traction device to chains that slips over your wheels and is made of fabric. It's manufacturer claims the tire socks do no damage to the roadways and are reusable.

KREM 2 has more on this story.

Bus Rapid Transit Taking Off Around the World

If you've been paying any attention to Spokane Transit's plans for the future lately, you've probably heard mention of "bus rapid transit." Bus rapid transit (BRT) is longer distance transit service with few stops. Wikipedia says it's sometimes described as a "surface subway," combining the capacity and speed of light rail or metro with the flexibility, lower cost and simplicity of a bus system.

So why do I mention BRT? Because a post on Jarrett Walker's Human Transit blog from yesterday talks about a new study that shows that growth of BRT around the world has been explosive in recent years. It's growing fastest in Latin America, followed by middle-wealth countries like China, India, Mexico, and Brazil. 

Why these locations? For a number of reasons that you can find in the article here. Also, you'll be surprised I think at just how fast BRT has grown in a decade.

Free Vanpool Trial This Month

If you live in Deer Park and work in downtown Spokane, check out the free vanpool trial the week of November 17-21. 

STA is offering the free trial vanpool for anyone who works downtown or somewhere between Deer Park and downtown.

If you're interested in giving this a try, email STAvanpool@spokanetransit.com or call 326-POOL(7665). The deadline to sign up is this Friday, November 7. There could be more free vanpool trials from other areas so keep watching.