Northwest Arkansas officials head to Seattle, learn about bus rapid transit

Officials in Northwest Arkansas want to bring a bus rapid transit system to the region, and if successful, it could become the tip of the iceberg in improving multimodal transportation throughout the area.

About 20 Northwest Arkansas delegates joined hundreds of others from cities across the country for the 25th Congress for the New Urbanism in Seattle last week. The annual event connects attendees with a host region to participate in workshops, hear speakers, collaborate on projects and learn new strategies on everything from climate change to design and development, according to its website.

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The survey for bus rapid transit closes Monday. To provide feedback, go to:

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The delegation

About 20 Northwest Arkansas partners attended the 25th Congress for the New Urbanism in Seattle.

Fayetteville

• Mayor Lioneld Jordan

• Andrew Garner, city planner

• Chris Brown, city engineer

Springdale

• Kathy Jaycox, City Council

• Brad Baldwin, city engineer

Rogers

• John McCurdy, director of community development

• Kevin Jensen, City Council

Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce

• Karen Wagaman, vice president of downtown development

Johnson

• Mayor Chris Keeney

Lowell

• Mayor Eldon Long

• Kris Sullivan, planning director

Ozark Regional Transit

• Joel Gardner, executive director

Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department

• Jessie Jones, head of Transportation Planning and Policy Division

Arkansas Highway Commission

• Philip Taldo, highway commissioner

BikeNWA

• Paxton Roberts, executive director

University of Arkansas Community Design Center

• Stephen Luoni, director and principal designer

University of Arkansas

• Gary Smith, director of transit and parking

Northwest Arkansas Council

• Rob Smith, communications and policy director

Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission

• Tim Conklin, assistant director

Source: Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission

This year, officials from cities, bicycle and downtown advocacy groups, higher education institutions and regional and state transportation agencies came together to discuss ways to create a successful multimodal transportation system, a news release from the Walton Family Foundation states.

The foundation paid the way for the Northwest Arkansas delegation. This year, the foundation partnered with Ozark Regional Transit on a mass transit feasibility study. An online survey coupled with a series of public-input sessions comprises the study, which aims to find cost-effective, unobtrusive ways to bring a bus-based rapid transit system to the U.S. 71B corridor.

A bus rapid transit system involves dedicated lanes for bus travel with buses and bus stops designed to reduce traffic delays from passengers boarding and getting off a bus. The buses also get priority through intersections. The idea is to combine the capacity and speed of a metropolitan rail system and the flexibility, lower cost and simplicity of a bus system.

The Walton Family Foundation previously spearheaded an effort to bring community leaders together and make the Razorback Regional Greenway a reality.

"Once again, this will be an opportunity to channel that momentum to achieve an even bigger goal -- connecting our region through a mass transit system," the foundation's Home Region Program Director Karen Minkel stated in the news release.

Joel Gardner, executive director of Ozark Regional Transit, said he couldn't believe how frequently public transit came up at the conference when discussing improving transportation as a whole. Nationally renowned planners spoke of public transit in the same breath as walkability, being bicycle friendly and having complete streets, something that isn't always the case in Northwest Arkansas, he said.

"Watching this helps me go ahead and say, 'Whatever city you're in in Northwest Arkansas, go to one of these things and see what they think about transit,'" Gardner said.

Delegates went on tours in Seattle and experienced how a well-orchestrated transportation system incorporates different ways to get around, making it possible for residents to get from one end of the city to the other without driving a car the entire way, said Tim Conklin, assistant director of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission.

The big takeaway for Conklin was realizing the importance of addressing all modes of transportation. Complete streets with sidewalks and accommodations for bicycles allow travelers to seamlessly go from one mode to another, for example.

"Building one system in isolation does not work very well," Conklin said.

Alderwoman Sarah Marsh of south Fayetteville's Ward 1 didn't serve as part of the delegation, but attended the event using her continuing education money through the city. Marsh lived in Seattle for eight years without a car and said she saw how features like light rail, streetcars and rapid public transit transformed neighborhoods, reduced crime and revolutionized corridors in the city.

Bringing all of that to Northwest Arkansas will be expensive and will take time, but the return on the investment will make the effort worthwhile in a variety of ways, Marsh said.

"I think that it's imperative that we do it. It's a race toward livability," she said. "People are selecting where they want to live and then try to find a job. Many have the ability to work from anywhere. We really have to provide a high-quality environment to live, to work and do business in, and this is a key part of that."

A 2014 study conducted by consulting firm URS Corp. and paid for through a Federal Transit Administration grant found a traditional bus rapid transit system along U.S. 71B from Greenland to Bella Vista would cost an estimated $97 million.

The new study looks at a "light" version of that concept, looking for less expensive and less intrusive options done relatively quickly with existing infrastructure. The study will consider traffic signal priorities, population densities, park-and-ride locations with bus stations and bus pullouts, among other things.

Karen Wagaman, vice president of downtown development for the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, said a rapid bus transit would serve as an excellent way to facilitate economic development. Employees and employers would enjoy cost savings and efficiency. The system would make it safer for motorists by putting fewer cars on the road. More residents could live in one city and work in another. Partnerships would make it all possible, she said.

"It would open a lot of doors for people who maybe don't pursue a job because of the distance or because of the congestion," Wagaman said. "It's the ease of getting somewhere, whether you have extra time to sleep or extra time to work or extra time to communicate with friends because you can be online while you're traveling on the buses. I think it's a great opportunity for the individuals as well as the businesses."

NW News on 05/14/2017

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