BonnerSprings.com

Edwardsville — A regional transportation planner briefed the Edwardsville City Council Monday about a plan in the works to serve the area's transportation needs.

The meeting included a presentation by Thomas Gerend, assistant director of transportation for the Mid America Regional Council, about the SmartMoves Regional Transit Plan.

SmartMoves is a cooperative effort between M.A.R.C., the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Johnson County Transit and the Unified Government Transit.

The group is just putting the finishing touches on the plan, Gerend said, which began development between 2002 and 2005. Initial development came on the heels of an unsuccessful light rail initiative in 2001, he noted.

In their studies, planners quickly learned that people in the region travel regionally. That is to say, rather than having most trips originate in the suburbs and end in the city, the Kansas City area's travel is as diverse as its population. People in Grandview might need to commute to jobs at Village West, or people in Bonner Springs might need to travel to Independence, Mo., or Kansas City International Airport.

The plan hopes to blend existing services, Gerend said. Although it is weighted heavily in favor of bus service, he noted that 75 percent of respondents surveyed as part of the study said they wanted improved rail access.

M.A.R.C. has held almost 30 public meetings in urban, suburban and rural communities in an attempt to gauge interest in and need for transportation services, Gerend said.

The M.A.R.C. staff is developing concepts that will be taken to workshops beginning in late February. They will present survey results, attempt to identify costs and possible funding sources.

In response to a question by Mayor Heinz Rodgers about rail, Gerend said the staff is looking at all modes of rail . Some corridors, such as Interstate 35, might be more adaptable to commuter rail services, he said. Various light-rail approaches have been proposed for downtown Kansas City, Mo.

More information about the plan is available at the SmartMoves Web site, http://www.marc.org/kcsmartmoves/.

Comments