Northwest Indiana has a hodgepodge of transportation providers and planners working at cross-purposes. It's time for consolidation.

Northwest Indiana has many signs of disjointed transportation planning.

The current power struggle between the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District and the Regional Bus Authority is a good example of why this change is needed.

NICTD, which operates the South Shore passenger service, isn't endorsing a 1 percent food and beverage tax in Lake County to help fund the RBA. And the RBA is planning to start a Lake County-to-Chicago commuter bus line that would compete with the South Shore.

Enough already! What's needed is cooperative planning and operational efforts, not competition.

A boon to that effort could come from state Rep. Terri Austin's House Bill 1660, which would allow counties to set up regional transportation districts to deal with all modes of transportation.

In Northwest Indiana, that could include bringing the planning for bus and railroad service, highways and Gary/Chicago International Airport under a single umbrella.

The advantages would include the development of a single, seamless system moving people between their homes, their workplaces and other destinations.

HB 1660 would offer counties a variety of options for paying for this transportation need.

Failing to adequately plan a regional transportation system -- especially where there is so much traffic not just from the local population but also between the East Coast and the Chicago area -- is not an option.

Austin, D-Anderson, heads the Roads and Transportation Committee. She understands the needs not just of her area but also the entire state.

Her legislation deserves the entire General Assembly's support.

The could be the answer to Northwest Indiana's struggle to develop public transportation that works -- meshing rail, bus and (soon, hopefully) airline schedules.