Bus may link JCCC with KU’s main, Edwards campuses

A proposed bus route between Lawrence and Johnson County could be a precursor to “light rail” between Topeka and Kansas City, transportation officials said Wednesday.

The bus route would carry commuters along Kansas Highway 10, to stops at Kansas University’s Lawrence campus, Johnson County Community College and KU’s Edwards Campus.

“This service would be open to the general public,” said Cliff Galante, director of the Lawrence Transit System, “but we thought (campus stops) would be a good start.”

Mell Henderson, transportation director for the Mid-America Regional Council, said buses could be used to build a base of customers who use mass transit to commute along the Topeka-Lawrence-Kansas City corridor.

“Over time, you might look at upgrading them to rail technology,” Henderson said.

The comments came Wednesday morning at a “transportation summit” hosted by Lawrence officials at City Hall, designed to get officials along the corridor – including Douglas, Johnson, Jefferson and Leavenworth counties – to work together to plan and seek funding for transportation projects.

Bus driver Fred White takes the Lawrence Transit System No. 5 bus east Wednesday afternoon on 23rd Street toward the East Hills Business Park. Lawrence and Johnson County transit officials are considering a proposal to begin mass transit along the K-10 corridor between KU's main campus, Johnson County Community College and KU's Edwards Campus in Johnson County.

“We’re much more likely to get what we want by working together than working separately, and at cross-purposes,” Lawrence Mayor Boog Highberger said in opening remarks.

SLT future

Much of the morning was given to discussions of the progress of ongoing transportation plans, including a proposed turnpike interchange for Tonganoxie – Leavenworth County officials said they remain committed to the project, despite complaints – and completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

Kansas Department of Transportation officials repeated their stance that there is no money in the state budget to complete the SLT. Douglas County Commissioner Charles Jones asked if the project might be under way by 2012.

Transportation Summit attendees sit in a packed house Wednesday afternoon at City Hall to listen to officials from Douglas, Leavenworth, Johnson and Jefferson Counties, who agreed to cooperate more on transportation projects in the future.

“That’s optimistic,” said Terry Heidner, KDOT’s director of development and planning.

But Galante and Alice Amein, director of the Johnson County transit system, expressed optimism about their proposed transit systems linking area college campuses. They said they, along with KDOT, were working with KU officials to survey students in the spring about the need for such a service.

“At this point, our primary market is going to be students going back and forth,” said Amein, with business commuters welcome to join.

Based on those responses, Galante said, initial service between Lawrence and Johnson County could be offered on small vans or big heavy-duty buses.

Until the surveys are completed, however, Galante said it’s impossible to measure the costs involved in starting the program, or a timeline for startup.

But Galante and Amein said their respective systems had seen an upsurge in riders during the recent spike in gasoline prices.

“There are people looking for options, but you have to give them a good option not to spend $3 on a gallon of gas,” Amein said.

The proposal drew a favorable response from environmentalists and officials at the summit.

John Patrick Segale, a Johnson County commissioner, said: “When I was a student at KU, I thought it would be good to have a bus service between Lawrence and Johnson County, and I still think that today.”