News

The Region’s Long-Range Public Transit Plan Moves Forward

Residents of the St. Louis region will have one last opportunity to help shape the next 30 years of public transit by attending the final round of public workshops that begin on January 19, 2010.

Metro will present a draft of the “Moving Transit Forward” plan that will address the region’s short-range, mid-range, and long-range transit needs at the January meetings. The draft incorporates suggestions from the public collected during 18 workshops held in October and December. Suggestions include:

• Restoring service for MetroBus, MetroLink, and Metro Call-A-Ride following reductions made last year, and then expanding service and adding routes as needed.
• Improving passenger comfort and security.
• Considering new transit options like commuter rail service and bus rapid transit to serve job centers in the region.

The draft will be posted at www.movingtransitforward.org on January 18, 2010. Ray Friem, Chief Operating Officer of Transit Services, encourages residents from across the region to review the draft online, and attend one of the workshops that will be held around the region or participate in the interactive online webinar, to ensure that the final plan reflects their priorities and meets their needs.

“People throughout the bi-state area gave us their ideas on where and how to expand transit in the region,” Friem said. “Now, everyone can see the blueprint they helped create for transit investments over the next five, ten and thirty years.”

Metro, in cooperation with the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, is creating this comprehensive Long-Range Plan to guide the development of public transit in the St. Louis region. The plan is intended to be a 30-year vision for how the transit system can bolster the regional economy, improve customer service to the community, and continue an established tradition of operational excellence into the future.

To help guide the formation of this plan, Metro has asked community leaders, elected officials, business owners and the general public to take part in community workshops and share their ideas on how to evolve public transit in the St. Louis region.

After this final round of workshops, Metro will present the draft to the Metro Board of Commissioners and the East-West Gateway Council of Governments for consideration. The East-West Gateway Council of Governments serves as the planning authority for the bi-state area, and will make the final decisions on future public transit expansion.

Dates and locations for the final round of public workshops are available at www.movingtransitforward.org.