Spokesman-Review Letters To The Editor
Give transit a chance to grow

One of the green issues that our legislators are looking at this session is transportation needs in Washington state. I take the bus every day to work but would like to see Spokane build a mass transit system to supplement the bus system.
After living in Portland for 17 years, I saw how transit-oriented communities functioned. At first, many people thought that few people would take it, but as time went on, life grew along the light-rail lines where apartments, condominiums and houses as well as stores were built. Because people could walk or take the light rail there was a decrease in traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. Portland started with one light rail; now they have four. One even takes you right to the airport.

Transit-oriented communities would revise how Washington plans for its future transportation needs and how it uses land as its population grows.

Sue A. Orlowski
Spokane


I spent a week in Portland not too long ago and, because I was travelling on the government’s dime and times are tight, didn’t rent a car. Turns out I didn’t need to, because as Ms. Orlowski said, I got everywhere I needed to go on the light rail, or transferring from the light rail to a bus. I’ve been getting asked about the possiblity of light rail again a lot lately so seems there’s still a lot of interest. What’s your position?

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