The Gorge Transit Summit is a superb probability to plug into transit advocacy, and it comes at an important second for the way forward for bus companies in Oregon.
Should you haven’t observed but, intercity and rural bus service in Oregon having a second. Take the Columbia River Gorge as only one instance: The Gorge Categorical service (operated by Columbia Space Transit or CAT), noticed a 72% bounce in ridership from 2022 to 2024. And the LINK service (operated by Mid-Columbia Financial Improvement District) that connects Hood River to The Dalles noticed an 80% improve from 2022 to 2023.
Buses are so cool throughout Oregon proper now that Oregon Public Broadcasting devoted a complete sequence to it. And with Oregon’s devoted transit funding supply (referred to as the Statewide Transportation Enchancment Fund or STIF) going into its eighth yr of investments, whereas lawmakers in Salem have heard loud and clear that Oregonians need extra bus service, the longer term appears to be like very shiny.
However there are clouds on the horizon. Sources in Salem say the STIF — which is funded with a 0.1% payroll tax — is in unhealthy form. A mix of inflation, the drying up of Covid aid funding, and different components, means extra funding is required to preserve what’s been constructed since 2017. As lawmakers polish up a serious transportation funding bundle for launch within the coming weeks, transit investments might be in danger.
I’ve digressed an enormous from what I sat down to jot down about, which is now is a superb time to become involved in transit advocacy and attend the Gorge Transit Summit on Thursday April tenth in Hood River. “Be a part of us for a day exploring transit within the Gorge from the breathtaking pace of progress over the previous few years to the methods it’s serving to to resolve a number of the largest points in our area,” reads the occasion web site. “Hear from our specialists panel and from our riders sport present. Take part a hands-on workshop to create your personal route system. Be there for giant reveals and discover the probabilities of how Gorge Transit can look sooner or later.”
Sounds enjoyable, proper? And the keynote speaker is none aside from Jarrett Walker, a Portland-based transit guru and writer of Human Transit!
So take a look at the complete agenda, seize a shuttle bus out to Hood River, and join with other people who will write the subsequent chapter of transit within the Gorge and past.
