Light Rail in Kansas City: Go Big or Go Home?

By Kevin Klinkenberg The Kansas City Post Now that light rail has failed handily in KC once again, the question is what next? For those of us who remain in the camp that rail transit is important to the city’s future, what is the right strategy going forward? After all, despite the naysayers, the need for choice in transportation and increased density in the city are not going away. They are absolutely essential to our city’s economic health and competitiveness. A quick post-mortem, though, on the election. As I feared early this year, separating out rail issues from bus issues unnecessarily creates division and opportunities for negativity. The roots of this loss are wedged deep into Kansas City’s unique political geography. That is, we have a very large city, with urban, suburban, exurban and rural areas all within the city limits. When rail transit is positioned as its own issue in this environment, the political issues outweigh the practical ones, and we inevitably end up crafting a starter line that is too large, too expensive, and doesn’t serve an obvious purpose. The skeptics immediately question spending such sums of money on a system that’s bigger than a true starter line but smaller than a complete system. Combine this with KC’s extremely cautious political culture (reluctance to embrace new ideas, young candidates, etc) and it predictably fails. All this happens even in a Democratic year and in a scary era of fuel prices. And one last thing for fans of rail (myself included). Can we please have a clear message next time as to the purpose of what is being proposed? The Pro-rail campaign did a very poor job in explaining what this line would do, or why people should vote for it. Is it for development? Commuting? A job program? (really?) It certainly appeared to the neutral mind that the NO campaign was better funded and better organized than the YES campaign, although we know that was not the case. At any rate, the NO folks definitely controlled the message. So what to do now? There are basically 3 options – go big, go small, or give up. Suffice it to say that I’m absolutely not in the “give up” camp. If someone wants to have that debate – fine, bring it on. The question then is, go big or go small? Already the rumblings coming from City Hall are to go big – come back early next year with a regional transit plan, likely voted on in the 3 Missouri-side counties. The plan would probably be a blend of commuter rail, light rail and better bus service. Those who are proponents of this approach will soon be making their case, likely pointing to polling that shows a desire for a regional system. God bless them and good luck making that case, on the heels of a well-funded failure in the jurisdiction with the highest support for transit. If they prevail, I no doubt will support them, as I did this initiative. While this piece reflects my particular desires, I’ve never been a fan of letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. Allow me to make the case for going small, though. In fact, I’d like to go back to what the Urban Society recommended nearly 18 months ago, but with a slight variation. Our core recommendation at that time was for a starter rail line from the river south to the Plaza essentially on Main Street. It would use streetcar technology, which is far cheaper and quicker to build than light rail cars. It stops more frequently also, which is better for economic development. And time after time it’s been proven that such a service will encourage far more riders than bus service will. So – let’s do a streetcar line down Main Street, with an easterly spur down Linwood to Prospect. Then, you ask, who would vote for that? 2 options, really. Option A – we do like some other cities (Omaha, for one) are doing which is to fund it with localized sales taxes and/or property taxes just in the affected area, plus private funding and other creative sources. Not too bad, but for 8 miles of line there may not be enough $ to pull that off. So, Option B – we do a transportation omnibus bill for the City, and give to each District something it needs. For the heart of the City – the rail line and increased bus service; for north and south, increased bus service (especially express bus), a direct express bus to the airport, and throw in some needed road/bridge/trail improvements. Basically, we tailor a bill to fit the needs of each District. Package it all together, and fund it along the lines of what was just voted on with a sales tax increase. Is this the perfect solution? Of course not – there are no doubt aspects that need greater thought and detail. But, we need new solutions, and we need them fast. It’s long past time we crafted a new strategy for success, and recognize that the approach we’ve used in the last couple decades is a recipe for failure. Wake up rail proponents – it’s time for an entirely new approach.