The future of transportation will soon be coming to Eugene in the form of a Bus Rapid Transit Line, a new method of public transportation that Lane Transit District officials say will be faster and more environmentally friendly.
Working closely with the Eugene and Springfield city governments, LTD has been developing the transit line for more than four years. LTD spokesman Ed Bergeron said the need for the transit line is based on the growing problem of traffic congestion in Lane County.
“Our current buses are just too slow,” Bergeron said. “They are constantly stopping for passengers and then end up stuck in traffic.”
LTD officials got the idea for the Bus Rapid Transit line from similar projects in various European cities and from Brazil’s successful transit line. Though similar to a rail line, such as Portland’s MAX, the rapid transit line will use bus-like vehicles and will cost far less to build than a rail line.
Some proposed plans for the transit line, which could be completed as early as 2003, include building a separate track and having traffic lights designated for buses, Bergeron said.
Phase 1 is to build a line that will run from downtown Eugene to downtown Springfield, a route that will include stops at the University and Sacred Heart Medical Center.
“It was sort of a political move to have the first line include both cities,” BRT project engineer Graham Carey said. “We want to serve both cities in the region and allow both to have a piece of the pie.”
This line will eventually replace LTD bus route 11, which covers the same area. Additional lines will be built until all of the current bus routes are replaced, according to current plans.
The first line is estimated to take two years to construct, but will have as little of an effect as possible on traffic during the construction, Bergeron said.
“The guideways can be pre-fabricated and done a block at a time,” Bergeron said. “We plan to get this done as soon as possible.”
LTD officials agree the important thing is to begin the construction quickly.
“We need to get started with this project when congestion levels aren’t at a gridlock,” Carey said. “Right now there is the space, we need to do it and if we wait, it could cause some problems.”
Concerns have been raised by everyone from environmental groups, which are concerned about which trees will be cut down, to business owners in Glenwood, who are worried about the lines hindering their incoming traffic.
Bergeron said the plans are being developed to meet environmental concerns as well as keeping business traffic intact. The vehicles that will be used on the lines, which are being manufactured in France, are also being designed to meet the current 2004 clean-air standards.
“We’re doing everything we can to please everyone without compromising our plans,” LTD transit planner Lisa Gardner said.
Seventeen cities across the United States have begun planning for similar transit lines.
“Not only will the line be compatible with cars, it will cost 10 percent less than comparable rail lines,” Bergeron said.
The plan is receiving $9 million in federal funding and a possible $3 million in local funding, as long as city governments approve the plan.
“We are anticipating complete approval from the local governments,” Gardner said. She also said the plan can go ahead without local approval, but LTD is committed to working together with local government.
Carey added that the project will require no additional taxes thanks to the federal funding, and the cost of riding the new line will be the same as the current bus rates.