Public transportation seen differently around the region

VALPARAISO | As executive director of the Regional Bus Authority, Tim Brown has plenty of arguments in favor of investing in public transportation.

Public transportation can put money back into the local economy, offers solutions to rising gasoline prices and congestion, and provides vital assistance to the elderly and low-income residents, he said.

Yet selling the value of this investment to the public has proven to be a challenge. The Regional Transportation District proposal put before voters in the fall of 2009 was shot down.

Part of the problem is the differences in perceptions and needs of public transportation that exist between Lake and Porter counties, and even within the counties themselves, said Brown and Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission Transportation Planner Belinda Petroskey.

"It comes down to, we agree as a society this is something we want," Petroskey said.

While public transportation played a big role in the past in both counties, the only communities where buses have continued to be a common site and remain in the awareness of residents are Hammond, Gary and East Chicago, and Chicago's south suburbs, where Pace buses link up to the Hammond system. Valparaiso began running buses just a few years ago.

The South Shore train has continued to carry commuters to Chicago and South Bend over the years, and targeted audiences, such as the elderly and disabled, have been served by the much more costly demand-response type bus service.

Brown said he believes need ultimately will be the impetus for the necessary change in public perception on this issue.

A 2008 study by the American Public Transportation Association found that once gasoline prices hit $3 a gallon, motorists make changes in their driving habits, he said. That benchmark was reached during the recent holiday season.

Petroskey said more aging baby boomers are going to find themselves unable to drive and without assistance getting around.

In order for the local transportation systems to take off, they are going to have to be affordable and convenient, she said.

Brown and Petroskey said what are needed are bus routes operating within many of the communities in Lake and Porter counties with connecting lines making up a regional system.

While Petroskey voiced confidence that public transportation will overcome the odds like recycling and the creation of bike trails, the necessary funding remains elusive.

Regional bus officials said recently they will have to cease their consolidation efforts and shut down unless a long-term funding source is established by the state and/or local officials. Regional officials were reportedly told not to expect increased support from the state during the forthcoming legislative session.