Opening Day – Public Takes C-Tran’s Transit Hub for a Spin

By JOSE PAUL CORONA

A man waits for a bus at the new 99th Street Transit Center at Stockford Village in Hazel Dell on Sunday afternoon. The transit center opened Sunday.

Susan Shepherd had Sunday off, so she decided to go for a bus ride.

It was a good day for a dry run on a new bus route, the Hazel Dell resident said.

“I’m not in a hurry,” Shepherd said while waiting for the number 32 bus at the new 99th Street Transit Center at Stockford Village.

The transit center opened for business Sunday and a number of service changes began, said Scott Patterson, spokesman for C-Tran.

It cost just over $18 million to build, Patterson said. It has more than 600 parking spaces with 10 bus bays handling nine bus routes.

The service changes have been a couple of years in the making. C- Tran was able to build the center and extend service on many routes after voters approved a sales tax increase two years ago, he said.

The modifications made to existing routes allow C-Tran to deal with changing community needs, he added.

Service to Delta Park/Vanport light-rail station in Portland and reintroduction of transfers for all-zone and express cash fares are among the changes.

The new transit center is in the growing Stockford Village business center along 99th Avenue near Interstate 5. Its location also reflects the transportation demands created by the increasing population north of Vancouver, especially in Ridgefield and Battle Ground.

The center will offer three express routes to downtown Portland.

“It’s beautiful,” Shepherd said Sunday. And it’s in a great location, she added.

The opening of the new center brought the closure of the Seventh Street Transit Center in downtown Vancouver. Seventh Street will reopen to auto traffic soon. C-Tran, however, wants to keep some kind of presence downtown.

Some bus riders may be unaware that the Seventh Street Transit Center closed. C-Tran did all it could to get the word out, but not everyone is going to know about the closure, the new transit center and route changes, Patterson said.

Shepherd, who said the bus is her primary mode of transportation, knew all about the changes. Despite that, she figured it would be good to take a ride on the route on a slow day.

There were only a handful of people at the new transit center on Sunday afternoon.

“I’m expecting it to be a lot worse (today),” she said

Janeen Loughlin, C-Tran’s senior transportation planning manager, was at the new transit center helping confused riders. Most seemed to be doing OK, she said.

C-Tran employees will be at the new center, the closed Seventh Street center and the Vancouver Mall Transit Center until Wednesday to help riders who have questions, Patterson said.

Bus riders who have questions can visit www.c-tran.com for route information. They can also call 360-695-0123.

The confusion may cause some headaches, but bus riders can get a free ride today.

Free fares will be offered systemwide today, Patterson said.

Jose Paul Corona can be reached at jose.corona@columbian.com or 360-759-8038.

Originally published by JOSE PAUL CORONA Columbian staff writer.

(c) 2007 Columbian. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.