The agenda for this week's Christiansburg Town Council meeting on Tuesday has been published, yet again something is absent. Discussion of expanded bus service provided by Blacksburg Transportation (BT) and included in the budget.
Between July 2008 and July 2009, alternative transportation options has been a topic here 27 times. Simply use the search feature, to the upper left, enter the word "bus" and you'll get 22 pages -- but discard results for "busy," "robust," "abuse" and "business."
During this same time period, beginning at an October 7, 2008 council meeting and up through adoption of the current fiscal year budget, Town Council discussed expanded bus service five (5) times. It was learned at a Blacksburg Town Council meeting within the past month that purchasing buses for Christiansburg was proceeding, as well as hearing about BT receiving more awards for outstanding service.
And if Christiansburg isn't interested in proceeding as a partner, it appears Radford may be.
During the budget preparation process in Christiansburg this year, the Town Manager had said that, given current economic conditions, he didn't initially think this would be the year to consider changes to the bus service. Upon receiving the survey results and hearing the BT options, he saw it differently. To clarify questions and the range of options for council members, a special work session was held with BT and MPO officials before the annual budget was adopted.
Regular followers of this topic know this service has direct connections to linking residential neighborhoods to commercial hubs, and is therefore something tied to economic sustainability and quality of life for citizens. Regular followers know there were some concerns about fares and routes, understanding this would be determined by council. Regular readers know that some town residents would never, ever utilize public transportation. But there are some other town services that citizens can choose not to utilize as well (garbage pick up, recreation programs or facilities, website, fire and rescue, etc.).
Yet it has been 13 weeks, and this subject has not been discussed during regular council meetings nor at any other council work sessions. No committee has been assigned this task, no public forums scheduled for obtaining additional citizen input. It has simply disappeared from Christiansburg's public meeting schedules and dialog.
Perhaps, like other items voted on and approved by council (and allowed by Town Code and Town Charter) -- such as executing contracts, paying the bills, enforcing proffers or conditions and federal or state regulations, and performing inspections or ensuring compliance to all applicable code requirements, including zoning and subdivisions -- the responsibility has now shifted to the Town Manager to make it happen in accordance with the proposed timeline and as allowed by council's vote in adopting the budget.
If so, readers needn't worry about whether it will happen, rather where and how much it will cost for a ride. And what strong and quick steps will be taken to expand awareness of this service, cultivate business partners and sponsors, and develop a strong ridership.