News Archive

PART is ready to do its part

Greensboro News & Record - Saturday, Sep. 22, 2007

We don't know what regional public transportation will look like in the future, but one thing's clear: It will be an essential part of the Triad.

That was underscored at the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation's recent board of trustees meeting. Brent McKinney, PART's executive director, said the service had its highest ridership ever in August. It counted 28,294 using its buses, breaking its previous record by almost 3,000. That was set in September 2005, after Hurricane Katrina shut down Gulf Coast refineries and raised gas prices.

Indeed, ever since Katrina, McKinney said, PART ridership has been brisk. No wonder. Gas prices may be lower now than post-hurricane, but they remain high enough to make a bus ride cheaper than driving for many. And that will become true for more people as time passes because we're not going to see the return of cheap gas. Increasing demand for oil by developing countries, a dwindling supply of easy-to-access oil and geopolitical instability guarantee that. Indeed, this week has seen a historic rise in prices, with a barrel of crude oil topping $84. Oil prices have quadrupled since 2002, and the International Energy Agency has warned of an oil "supply crunch" as soon as 2012.

The Triad is fortunate to have an organization that is forward-looking on transportation, which will be hard hit by the energy crunch. PART's plans for purchasing buses and for developing park-and-ride lots in Randolph and Davidson counties make good sense. So does its commissioning of a study on a possible 33-mile commuter rail line between Greensboro and Winston-Salem. As envisioned, the rail line would make 11 stops, including at Greensboro's Galyon Depot, N.C. A&T, UNCG, Piedmont Triad International Airport and Kernersville. (It's possible, though, that its cost would be prohibitive.)

Whether it's by building commuter rail or by increasing bus service, the Triad will want to expand its regional public transportation system. In the future, single-car commuting may be a luxury few can afford.