Visionary ideas for commuters

We hope a study by the Iowa Department of Transportation on commuter transportation needs in Corridor counties proves to be the spark needed to aggressively expand public transportation for the region's workforce.

The study, which will be presented to the Iowa Legislature later this month, calls for express intercity bus service connecting Iowa City, North Liberty, Coralville and Cedar Rapids. It also points to the need for ridematching software to help commuters identify van and car pools.

The buses envisioned by the study would be outfitted with power outlets and Wi-Fi service and could run at regular intervals during peak hours with a round-trip ticket costing just $7. Service could connect important regional facilities, campuses and business districts. It's no surprise that consultations with 15 of the region's top employers revealed transportation as an ingredient needed to bolster the workforce. Subscription bus services to large employers also are a possibility, according to the study.

Estimates of how much the service would cost to launch and maintain haven't been released, but it's likely they're a far cry from the hundreds of millions of dollars it will take to expand Interstate 380 to six lanes between Cedar Rapids and Interstate 80. That's the route that carries many of the 7,000 people the DOT estimates commute north and south along the Corridor daily.

Not long ago, we acknowledged the need for state leaders to find dollars needed to repair and maintain the state's existing highways and bridges. But we also urged the governor and lawmakers to think differently about the state's transportation future beyond current needs.

We think this study is a good start. Commuters want more safe, efficient and less costly options for getting to work. The bus and ridematching services that the DOT report describes fit those categories.

So as the Legislature prepares to debate how best to fund highways, including the possibility of a gas tax increase, we hope they don't lose sight of other possibilities. The sort of expanded public transit and transportation options described by the DOT study could save wear-and-tear on highways, ease congestion and make the state's economic engines more attractive to workers.

Fixing today's system will show that lawmakers are responsible. Considering ideas like those contained in the study will show they also have vision.

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