On Nov. 8, voters said yes to preserving basic bus service for thousands of citizens who rely on C-Tran to get to work, school, shopping and medical appointments throughout the region. They also said yes to expanding C-VAN, C-Tran’s door-to-door paratransit service for Americans with Disabilities Act-qualified individuals who, due to their disabilities, cannot ride C-Tran’s regular bus service. In such hard economic times, this show of support is humbling for those of us who work for C-Tran and reflects, I believe, the strength of the spirit of community in Clark County. Passage of Proposition 1 assures that C-Tran can, for the foreseeable future, fulfill its core mission of providing safe, reliable, efficient bus and paratransit service in its service area.
Now comes Part B. Someday soon, Clark County will return to times of economic prosperity and again grow its population and employment base. What then of our transportation system and its ability to accommodate and strengthen that growth? In 2010, the C-Tran Board of Directors adopted a 20-Year Transit Development Plan that would turn C-Tran into more than a bus system. It envisions a C-Tran willing to provide a palette of services to empower citizens with more and better mobility options and thereby contribute positively to the region’s sustainability, livability and economic vitality.
Significant opportunities
In 2012, the C-Tran Board of Directors will wrestle with two significant opportunities to step into that future: The Columbia River Crossing (CRC) light rail extension into Vancouver and a Fourth Plain Boulevard Transit Improvement Project. While the CRC project and light rail has generated an intense amount of interest and discussion throughout the region, it is important to understand C-Tran’s role in the project and what citizens may be asked for in order to fulfill that part of the agency’s adopted 20 Year Transit Development Plan. In 2008, the C-Tran Board of Directors voted to support the CRC project with two funding-related conditions:
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That C-Tran would not have to ask its voters to fund any construction elements of Light Rail Transit (LRT); and …