Camas Mayor Scott Higgins, from left, Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt, C-Tran board member and Vancouver City Councilor Anne McEnerny-Ogle, and Jill Carrillo, labor representative on the C-Tran board, cut a ribbon Tuesday during a celebration for the recently expanded Fisher's Landing Transit Center in east Vancouver. (Ariane Kunze/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
Commuters, rejoice. The morning hunt for a parking space at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center in east Vancouver will soon be a lot less difficult.
C-Tran added 198 parking spots — including several for disabled motorists and five electric-vehicle charging stations — to the transit center, boosting parking capacity from 561 spaces to 759. Lighting in the parking lot also was improved as part of the expansion.
“C-Tran is so proud and excited to unveil these updates to Fisher’s Landing Transit Center,” the transit agency’s spokeswoman Christine Selk said. “As southeast Clark County continues to grow, we remain committed to helping our riders navigate that growth, getting them where they need to go quickly and efficiently. This expansion helps us do just that.”
On Tuesday, just before the regular C-Tran Board of Directors meeting, local officials and a few community members celebrated the transit center’s expansion with a ribbon-cutting.
“The discussions about the Fisher’s Land Transit Center have been going on for many years, and what to do here,” said Tim Leavitt, Vancouver mayor and former C-Tran board member. “C-Tran is in the enviable position to evolve very quickly and adapt and adjust to the growth that is occurring in our communities.”
Commuters shouldn’t get too excited just yet. The expansion won’t officially be open for use until Saturday.
The $1.7 million expansion is being paid for entirely by a regional mobility grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
“My guess is these will be full in no time,” WSDOT Regional Administrator Kris Strickler said of the new parking spaces.
Fisher’s Landing is C-Tran’s most-used facility, and the transit agency expects the transit center’s popularity to grow as the region’s population increases. It serves seven fixed routes: 30, 37, 41, 65, 80, 92 and 164.
On an average weekday, prior to the expansion, 90 to 95 percent of the transit center’s 561 parking spaces were full, according to C-Tran estimates. Route 65, one of C-Tran’s two limited routes that takes passengers directly to the Parkrose Transit Center in Portland, had 214,300 passenger boardings in 2015. The Fisher’s Landing Transit Center also is used for parking for gatherings at the nearby Rose F. Besserman Community Room.
The grand opening came less than two weeks after C-Tran underwent one of its largest service changes in more than a decade and adjusted fares. The agency also is preparing to unveil its bus rapid transit system, The Vine.
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