EDITORIAL: A route to success for regional transit

Times of Northwest Indiana

Public transportation in Northwest Indiana is broken. It's so disjointed that it doesn't meet basic needs.

The proposal by Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, is the answer the region needs.

The plan calls for establishing a regional transportation district allowing an income tax to fund transit needs in Lake, Porter, LaPorte and St. Joseph counties -- a district wide enough to include the entire route of the South Shore as well as the many existing local bus lines.

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which operates the South Shore passenger trains, and a new regional bus service board -- truly regional, not limited to just one county -- would replace the existing Regional Bus Authority. The new bus authority would report to the newly established regional transportation district board.

This is a truly regional approach that takes us from the disjointed "what's in it for me" status of the many local transit operations and creates a system that works.

To be sure, there is already opposition. "The King of No," Porter County Commissioner Bob Harper, is singing his usual anti-anything song. He needs to be ignored and relegated to the discard pile of the past.

Establishing a true regional transportation district to serve all of Northwest Indiana is a plan that is urgently needed. Don't let the likes of Harper, always yakking in opposition, get in the way of meaningful progress.

Under the legislation, a nine-member regional board would coordinate all forms of public transportation, making sure it functions properly. Bus and train schedules would mesh. Community boundaries would no longer matter. Fares would be consistent.

The board would have the power to impose a slight income tax to support the local share of these costs. The 0.25 percent income tax would raise an estimated $22 million annually in Lake County, $12 million in Porter County, $5 million in LaPorte County and $15 million in St. Joseph County.

The fact that Kenley, a downstate legislator and a leader in the General Assembly, is pushing the bill is a good sign for it to get statewide support.

We urge House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend; Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville; and the region's entire legislative delegation to get on board.

House Bill 1607, in this form, can be the answer to the region's current transit dilemma.