Camas and Washougal voters have an opportunity on Nov. 8 to keep existing C-Tran bus service intact, in their community and throughout Clark County, by voting ‘yes’ on Proposition 1.
C-Tran bus service, while admittedly not always used by a majority of Camas and Washougal residents, offers a critical link for those who need it to reach jobs, schools and health care services in the Vancouver and Portland areas.
If Proposition 1 fails, the Camas-Washougal Connector route and the Camas-Washougal daily commuter route No. 41 are targeted for elimination. In addition Camas-Washougal commuter route No. 92 would be cut back to stops every hour instead of the current every 30 minutes. County-wide the C-Tran No. 19 route to Washington State University’s Vancouver campus is also high on the list for potential elimination. And, C-Tran would offer no Sunday service. These service cuts, along with several others county-wide, are scheduled to go into effect in 2013 should the measure fail at the polls.
To maintain existing bus service and avoid further service reductions, C-Tran has placed a 0.2 percent sales tax increase (2 pennies on a $10 purchase) proposal on the ballot. An increase in our local sales tax may not be popular for many given that Clark County businesses compete with sales tax-free Portland for shoppers.