Next EmX line needs a different kind of conversation.

Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Kitty Piercy and Mike Eyster

Our community is in the midst of a crucial conversation about the future of transportation in west Eugene, one of our city's most challenging transportation environments.

West 11th Avenue averages nearly 25,000 vehicle trips per day. Commuters can count on traffic tie-ups, and buses are unable to stay on schedule. While little has been accomplished, transportation improvements to the west Eugene area have been debated for many years. It is important for all residents to focus on positive solutions.

At the heart of this discussion is Lane Transit District's proposed West Eugene EmX Extension. EmX is a key component of the Regional Transportation Plan, adopted in 2001, that calls for a 61-mile network of bus rapid transit lines along major transportation corridors. The high-frequency EmX service will be supported by "neighborhood connectors" that provide connections within neighborhoods and to the EmX service.

EmX is one of the key strategies identified in the Regional Transportation Plan to meet the transportation needs of our growing community, support economic development, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on foreign oil. Expenditures on transit have been determined to be among the most beneficial in stimulating economic growth.

Our bus rapid transit plan has already proven successful with the implementation in 2007 of the Franklin EmX line, which has more than doubled transit use along the congested Franklin Boulevard corridor. An extension of that initial EmX line into the Gateway area is under construction and has an anticipated completion date of late 2010.

West Eugene would be a further extension of the system to the west, which when complete, would provide direct (no transfer), high-frequency rapid transit connections between west Eugene and downtown Eugene, the University of Oregon, downtown Springfield, and the Gateway area.

During the past fall and winter, an extensive public involvement process helped to determine a range of possible alignments for the West Eugene EmX. Alternatives include an alignment along West Sixth Avenue and West Seventh Avenue, an alignment along West 13th Avenue and West 11th Avenue (avoiding the residential section between Jefferson Street and Chambers Street), and an alignment along the Amazon Creek. Technical experts are now collecting data and analyzing those alternatives. When the possible alignments are presented in early 2010, information will be available on transit ridership, costs, and the environmental impacts of each.

It is clear that all of the potential alignments will have both benefits and drawbacks. It is also clear that many people have strong opinions and are passionate about the various alignments, which is very positive. We strongly encourage public participation.

The most effective public participation will occur when the technical information on the alignments is available in early 2010. The information will be extremely useful to both the public and the decision makers in analyzing the various alignment options. In early 2010, the Eugene City Council and the Lane Transit District Board will solicit public input through a series of public events before selecting a "locally preferred alternative" for EmX in west Eugene.

Federal and state funding that currently is being secured could allow a $75 million investment in the west Eugene corridor to move forward. This investment has the potential to lead a transformation of that important part of the community, while creating an estimated 1,425 jobs for the region.

To realize this potential, we need to have a different kind of conversation. We cannot fall into a discussion about economic development or the environment, neighborhood or region, long-term or short-term. This new conversation has to be about setting up new choices. Success in this conversation rests on our ability as a community to find the "and" choices: economic development and environment, neighborhood and regional, long-term and short-term.

For now, we are asking people to wait until complete information on all of the options is on the table in January before coming to conclusions about potential route alignments. We are asking for people to trust in the robust process that has been put in place by the city of Eugene and LTD to ensure meaningful input, and to contribute as honestly and openly as they can to this most crucial conversation.

This isn't a plea for silence - in fact, it's just the opposite. We want to hear from as many voices as possible that are informed by the analysis currently being developed and involved in the conversation about the future of the west Eugene corridor. Important decisions that involve the investment of public funds should be based on the best information available. This includes both technical information and the information that comes from engagement with the full community. We feel this is the foundation of true community building. Together we can meet today's very real challenges and build a promising future that we can all be proud of.

Kitty Piercy is mayor of Eugene. Mike Eyster is president of the Lane Transit District board of directors.