Population boom creates transportation needs in NWA

By: Jaclyn Johnson

Posted: 10/27/06

Signs of growth are continually popping up in Northwest Arkansas. The recent opening of Roger's outdoor mall, new parking garages on the UA campus and extended housing development all clearly reflect the region's blooming population.

Fayetteville, Springdale and Rogers were grouped together in the 2000 census and judged to be the sixth fastest growing metropolis area in the United States. Between 1990 and 2000 it was estimated that the area's population increased by 47.5 percent.

With population growth comes a higher dependency on public transportation. The next census will therefore be a determining factor in what happens next to Northwest Arkansas' public transit systems.

There are currently two transit systems available to the public. One is the Razorback system centered around the UA campus and second is the Ozark Regional Transit, both of which service various parts of Northwest Arkansas.

Each provides free service to UA students, though Ozark Transit does have a per-use or monthly fee for the general public.

Razorback Transit services the entire campus and branches out to places across Fayetteville, such as the Northwest Arkansas Mall and Wal-Mart. About 85 percent of the passengers are UA students, said Mike Seither, associate director of Transit and Parking.

An average of 8,800 riders (including those who ride multiple times) are serviced daily using about 14 buses at any given time, Seither said.

The university is like a "mini New York," Seither said, due to the large number of people in a limited area. He believes the UA therefore has a "dramatic" need for mass transit and also mentioned that "transit works best where you have population density."

The university, like any busy city, has limited parking. According to the UA Web site, 14,652 permits were sold as of Jan.12, 2006. However, only 9,918 parking spots are available at one time.

The number of riders per day tends to decrease throughout the week, with Monday being the busiest, Seither said.

Ozark Regional Transit services between 300 and 400 people per day with 24 buses in use.

The system attracts a diverse population of riders, such as seniors, students, those with disabilities, single moms and the general public, said Phil Pumphrey, executive director of Ozark Transit.

Operations have a budget of about $2.4 million per year, yet the Ozark system really needs about $7.8 million, Pumphrey said. As Northwest Arkansas' population keeps growing and the baby boomers begin to age he expects a higher demand for public transit.

"Building more roads isn't going to solve congestion," Pumphrey said. He added that only increased mass transit systems will help.

The Federal Transit Administration funds parts of both Northwest Arkansas systems. For this reason, the Razorback buses are not exclusively for students but for the public as well. The money is administered by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, according to the Ozark Transit Web site.

The next census will be in 2010 and will determine the amount of funding Northwest Arkansas will receive for transportation. At this point the region will most likely be considered a metropolitan area.

Having a larger population would then boost the transportation system into a category for higher populated areas. Seither said this will cause loss of funding for the local transit systems.

However, the funding probably won't affect the UA until 2013, once the census has been counted and funding adjustments are made. It is possible that the university will have to depend more on local funding, including student fees. If this happens, the buses might require a student ID to board, thus closing it off to the public, Seither said.

Paratransit buses also operate to service those with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act has required public transportation be made available to those with disabilities. Appointments with paratransit buses can be made beforehand.

Other transportation available on campus is the Safe Ride Program. The program is designed to pick up students in Fayetteville and drive them back to their dorm if the student is in an "uncomfortable or inconvenient situation," according the UA Web site.

Three new Safe Ride vehicles are being picked up today and will soon be in use.

Another transit option some Fayetteville citizens want to have considered is the light rail. Money, however, is one of the main issues currently preventing a rail.

The university has approximately 18,000 students enrolled for 2006, according to the UA Web site. Benton Country has 187,000 residents while Washington country has a little less at 180,000, as reported in a 2005 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau.