Small Town News

Proposed STA changes have Cheney riders concerned

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Petition being circulated voices displeasure at cut in service to EWU Pence Union Building, Salnave/South Cheney area

Buses in Cheney have been buzzing with discussion the past couple of weeks over proposed route changes.

Signs have been posted and a petition is being passed by bus riders who are concerned with changes to routes 65 and 66 proposed by the Spokane Transit Authority.

STA is proposing several service reductions and modifications to fix a budget deficit caused by reductions in sales tax revenues, their main funding source. In Cheney, they have proposed a rerouting of route 66 so that it would no longer stop at the Eastern Washington University PUB, but instead would take Fifth and Seventh streets to Washington, where it would turn around at K Street Station and return to Spokane. The 65 would no longer travel to Spokane, but would serve as a shuttle loop traveling on First, Betz and Washington streets and would no longer serve Salnave Road, Presley Drive or First Street past the K St. Station.

Nancy Eastman has been riding the 65 for a few years to get to her office job in Spokane. She gets on the bus a little after 7 a.m. at a stop about 400 yards from the corner of First Street and Presley Drive, a stop that would be eliminated by STA's proposed changes.

The 62-year-old walks with a cane and says she wouldn't be able to walk to K Street Station every morning if the service was cut off.

"I'm not healthy enough. I can't," she said. "That'd kill me."

Eastman and others who commute between Cheney and Spokane are upset about the proposed changes, and they're letting STA know. Surveys, letters and phone calls numbering in the hundreds have been directed to STA in the past few weeks, and now riders are signing petitions protesting the plan.

Cheney resident Jenny Zachman printed the petitions in the hope that a community outcry would change the outcome of the proposed changes in Cheney. She said she understands STA's budget troubles, but eliminating service in the Salnave area would negatively affect a lot of people who rely on the bus to get to work.

"To cut out a whole neighborhood like they are now, it's not a good idea," she said. "The changes they're proposing are just not feasible."

Zachman also commutes from her home in Cheney to go to work in Spokane, and she said she noticed a sign on the bus a few weeks ago that announced route changes, but it didn't mention routes 65 or 66.

"People had no idea," she said. "I think that they could do more to make sure that we know what the proposed changes are."

David McMillin, another Cheney resident who rides the bus to Spokane, is helping Zachman circulate the petitions. He lives near campus, and said the extra walk to a bus stop wouldn't matter to him personally, but he knows it will be unfeasible for some elderly residents. He hopes to present the petition to the STA board of directors at a public hearing in May.

According to STA's data, ridership in Cheney rose in 2008 but dropped in 2009. They recorded 660,000 riders in 2008 and 591,000 in 2009.

STA planning director Karl Otterstrom said that the reductions to route 65 were proposed to help make the Cheney routes more efficient.

"Right now the 65 is simply trying to do too much," he said. "It's not doing anything particularly well."

The changes would increase frequency to 30-minute intervals on the 65 and 15-minute intervals on the 66 during weekdays, which Otterstrom said would help reduce crowding during busy morning and evening hours.

He said the comments from Cheney residents were being taken into consideration, but he didn't say what it would take for citizens to change the plan.

"We are in a situation where we're having to cut service," he said. "At some point, in terms of public input, we still have to make the hard choice."

STA plans to implement the 2 percent cut in service starting in September, with 7 percent reductions expected in both 2011 and 2012.

Citizens can complete a survey at www.spokanetransit.com or by calling 509-343-1653 through March 25. A public hearing concerning the plan will take place at the STA board meeting May 19, with the board expected to reach a decision at their June meeting.

Becky Thomas can be reached at becky@cheneyfreepress.com.

"To cut out a whole neighborhood like they are now, it's not a good idea."

Cheney resident and bus rider Jenny Zachman



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