The city of Tallahassee is seeking input as it plans for rapid bus service through downtown. It’s the same system cities like Eugene, Oregon, have already. It uses longer buses running on dedicated lanes to move a large volume of people more quickly than regular buses. StarMetro planners will present a few potential routes at meetings on Thursday.
StarMetro wants to offer the new route through the city center. After gathering public input, planners have narrowed down the route choices to four. StarMetro’s Brian Waterman says he envisions a rapid bus leaving every 10 minutes from C.K. Steele plaza.
"Just think about how that changes transportation options in the community. Imagine being able to come to work, driving in or you take the bus in, parking your car, and be able to navigate the downtown to go to restaurants, go to meetings and stuff, all on a very high-frequency bus," he says.
The public’s input will determine which route gets passed to the City Commission.
Waterman says, “We want to receive input from our current riders, those who ride the bus every day, business owners who are impacted by this type of construction and the economic development that could be recouped by doing this type of thing, and future riders.”
The options include a route completely on Tennessee Street and one that goes through the Gaines Street corridor.
Thursday’s meetings are scheduled for C.K. Steele bus plaza at 7 a.m and 2:30 p.m and at the downtown public library from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. And riders who can’t attend are invited to give their input on the StarMetro website.
