In today's paper:
DEVELOPMENT: Bus rapid transit effort may be running on fumes
By KEVIN COLLISON
Columnist
Last April, Mark Huffer, Kansas City's top transit official, told downtown leaders that bus rapid transit would be in place between the River Market and Country Club Plaza within three years.
It sure sounded good. It certainly is a no-brainer to want to connect the major urban core attractions -- downtown, Crown Center, Westport, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the Plaza -- with a frequent, fast and cool mass transit system.
As recently as two weeks ago, economic development guru Richard Florida was in town describing those places as our "creative corridor." A zone where lovers of urban living and their sympathizers could flourish.
And in its recent series, "Mending Our Broken Heart," The Kansas City Star cited bus rapid transit as one of the top 10 major projects that could help revitalize downtown.
All that being said, I have a sinking feeling bus rapid transit won't meet the deadline -- now less than 30 months out -- cited by Huffer and echoed by Mayor Kay Barnes.
Right now, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is uncertain whether it can keep its current bus system rolling because of its serious budget woes.
It is about to drop the Downtowner, the little 25-cent shuttle bus that runs between Crown Center and City Market. Not a good sign that bigger and better things are on the way.
The ATA folks are going to need a major-league, politically savvy champion if they are going to fulfill their bus rapid transit vision.
Someone who can get the estimated $60 million it will cost, obtain special lane rights on busy arteries, acquire land for new stations, buy the unique vehicles and modify dozens of traffic signals -- all before April 2005.
You want to stop a conversation fast? Ask community leaders who might be willing to take on that challenge. The silence says everything.
City Hall? Nope. The Downtown Council? Uh-uh. The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce? Negative. The citizens? While a solid majority said downtown needs more transit in a recent poll, light rail has failed four times at the polls.
The former champions of light rail? Well, their support appears to be lukewarm. Many remain skeptical about bus rapid transit and cling to the hope that light rail may live again.
The only cavalry on the horizon appears to be Sen. Kit Bond, who shifted $8 million from the federal funding set aside for light rail to help plan for bus rapid transit.
Bond will be the new chairman of the public works subcommittee on transportation and infrastructure and will have a big role next year in rewriting the federal highway bill -- which includes mass transit.
Bond, who already has brought home plenty of bacon for downtown Kansas City, is ready to help find more for bus rapid transit when local leaders tell him what they want, an aide said.
The crucial time will be January, when the Mid-America Regional Council will come out with its specific recommendations on pursuing regional transportation needs, including bus rapid transit.
At that point, we'll find out whether Kansas City is serious about becoming a great city.
Bus rapid transit between downtown and the Plaza is a small step compared with what our peer cities are doing with mass transit.
Let's get rolling.
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To reach Kevin Collison, development reporter, call (816) 234-4289 or send e-mail to
kcollison@kcstar.com.