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Business has big stake in transit plans

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The business community has stepped forward to elevate the local discussion about the future transit needs of Central Iowa. Why? Because mobility is a key factor in deciding where to live and work. The current 19.2-minute average commute in Greater Des Moines is a strong tool to bring new companies to the area, retain workers and expand our workforce.

The traffic growth rate for Greater Des Moines was 2.3 percent annually over the past four years, and during that period, almost 82 percent of all commuters drove in single-occupancy vehicles. The number of Iowans traveling to jobs outside their counties of residence almost doubled between 1980 and 2000, and Dallas, Madison and Warren counties sent more than half of their residents to other counties for employment.

The Greater Des Moines population of 456,000 is expected to nearly double to 751,000 by the year 2030. The two largest employment centers — downtown Des Moines and West Des Moines — also are growing exponentially. Downtown has 60,000 workers, and that number is expected to grow to 114,000 over the next 25 years. West Des Moines’ employment is projected to increase to 74,000 workers from 35,000. This increase in residents and workers will result in 4.5 million vehicle trips in 2030, compared with 2.8 million in 2000.

As population and employment grow, roadway volume increases and average vehicle speed decreases. The multimillion-dollar Interstate 235 reconstruction project is considered a minimal build and will not be able to accommodate this projected growth. Without a plan to deal with this problem, our current transportation infrastructure will be overwhelmed, we will have to build more and more expensive parking garages, our air quality might suffer and our quick commute will become a thing of the past.

Last June, a group of civic and business leaders headed by Martha Willits, president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, unveiled the Transit 2030 Vision. The full plan and initial implementation strategies can be viewed at www.desmoinesmetro.com/transit. To increase the business community’s involvement in the transportation planning process, the Transit 2030 Vision Committee charged the Partnership with developing strategies to implement the plan.

To that end, the Partnership established the Transit 2030 Task Force, consisting primarily of business leaders as well as representatives from the Iowa Department of Transportation, the Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Greater Des Moines Transportation Management Association and other critical stakeholders.

Last fall, business and civic leaders traveled to Kansas City to learn more about the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s new bus rapid transit service. The TMA continues to implement and promote the “Avoid the Rush” and “Rest Your Car” campaigns in an effort to work with the business community to reduce freeway traffic. The Transportation Department awarded the MTA a grant to conduct a bus rapid transit study for Greater Des Moines. The MTA added bike racks to a number of buses and soon will unveil a strategic plan to improve services and develop plans to meet future transportation needs. The Metro Advisory Council is working to establish a new regional transit district. Task force members have been working with Polk County leaders to integrate the vision plan into the county’s comprehensive plan now being developed. Private and public developers have consulted with members of the task force to discuss strategies to integrate transit goals with future planned development efforts. The regional multimodal trails network continues to be expanded to provide enhanced commuting opportunities.

This is only the beginning. The task force is working to bring in national transportation experts to challenge and inspire our community to find innovative solutions and will continue to help coordinate fact-finding trips to other cities. We will continue to develop strategies to improve the connectivity, effectiveness and accessibility of the regional transportation system and promote regional economic growth.

Kevin Prust is managing director at RSM McGladrey Inc. and chairman of the Greater Des Moines Partnership’s Transit 2030 Task Force.