After urbanism summit, NW Arkansas officials push bus-based rapid transit
Officials in Northwest Arkansas want to create a bus rapid transit system for the region to help improve multimodal transportation throughout the area.
About 20 Northwest Arkansas delegates joined hundreds of others from cities across the country for the 25th Congress for the New Urbanism in Seattle this month. The annual event connects attendees with a host region to participate in workshops, hear speakers, collaborate on projects and learn strategies to address issues such as climate change, design and development, according to its website.
This year, attendees included officials from cities, advocates of city bicycling infrastructure and downtown developments, and representatives of higher education institutions and regional and state transportation agencies. They discussed ways to build a successful multimodal transportation system, a news release from the Walton Family Foundation states.
The foundation paid for the Northwest Arkansas delegation to attend. This year, the foundation partnered with Ozark Regional Transit on a mass transit feasibility study. An online survey and a series of public-input sessions are included in the study, which aims to find cost-effective, unobtrusive ways to create a bus-based rapid transit system in the U.S. 71B corridor.
A bus rapid transit system involves dedicated lanes for bus travel, as well as buses and bus stops designed to reduce traffic delays from passengers boarding and getting off a bus. The buses also get priority through intersections. The idea is to combine the capacity and speed of a metropolitan rail system and the flexibility, lower cost and simplicity of a bus system.
The Walton Family Foundation previously spearheaded the effort to make the Razorback Regional Greenway a reality.
“Once again, this will be an opportunity to channel that momentum to achieve an even bigger goal — connecting our
region through a mass transit system,” Karen Minkel, the director of the foundation’s Home Region Program, said in the news release.
Joel Gardner, executive director of Ozark Regional Transit, said he couldn’t believe how frequently public transit was mentioned at the conference. Nationally renowned planners spoke of public transit in the same breath as walkability, being bicycle friendly and having complete streets, something that isn’t always the case in Northwest Arkansas, he said.
“Watching this helps me go ahead and say, ‘Whatever city you’re in in Northwest Arkansas, go to one of these things and see what they think about transit,’” Gardner said.
Delegates went on tours in Seattle and experienced how a well-orchestrated transportation system incorporates different ways to get around, making it possible for residents to get from one end of the city to the other without driving a car the entire way, said Tim Conklin, assistant director of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission.
The big takeaway for Conklin was realizing the importance of addressing all modes of transportation. Streets with sidewalks and accommodations for bicycles allow travelers to seamlessly go from one mode to another, for example.
“Building one system in isolation does not work very well,” Conklin said.
Fayetteville Alderman Sarah Marsh didn’t attend the event as part of the delegation, but went using her continuing education money through the city. Marsh lived in Seattle for eight years without a car and said she saw how features such as light rail, streetcars and rapid public transit transformed neighborhoods, reduced crime and revolutionized corridors in the city.
Making all of that happen in Northwest Arkansas will be expensive and will take time, but the return on the
investment will make the effort worthwhile, Marsh said.
“I think that it’s imperative that we do it. It’s a race toward livability,” she said. “People are selecting where they want to live and then try to find a job. Many have the ability to work from anywhere. We really have to provide a high-quality environment to live, to work and do business in, and this is a key part of that.”
A 2014 study conducted by consulting firm URS Corp. and paid for through a Federal Transit Administration grant found that a traditional bus rapid transit system from Greenland to Bella Vista along U.S. 71B would cost an estimated $97 million.
The new study looks at a “light” version of that concept, looking for less expensive and less intrusive options done relatively quickly with existing infrastructure. The study will consider traffic signal priorities, population densities, park-and-ride locations with bus stations and bus pullouts, among other things.
Karen Wagaman, vice president of downtown development for the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, said rapid bus transit would serve as an excellent way to facilitate economic development. She cited cost savings and efficiency for employers and employees, a reduction of cars on the road, and the increased opportunities for residents of one city to work in another. Partnerships would make it all possible, she said.
“It would open a lot of doors for people who maybe don’t pursue a job because of the distance or because of the congestion,” Wagaman said. “It’s the ease of getting somewhere, whether you have extra time to sleep or extra time to work or extra time to communicate with friends because you can be online while you’re traveling on the buses. I think it’s a great opportunity for the individuals as well as the businesses.”