On Thursday, the Greenville City Council will consider a recommendation to locate a proposed and needed transportation center downtown. Construction of this center is a top city priority and promises to address the glaring transportation needs in this community.
However, Councilman Bryant Kittrell was correct to question if the proposed location is the best fit. The council cannot afford to gamble that hopes for a comprehensive, coordinated mass transit system will be realized, and would do well to give greater consideration to Kittrell's justified concern.
Transportation looms as a key need for the future of Greenville and Pitt County. Growth demands infrastructure improvements, especially in the area of mass transit, and that issue has not been addressed in the thoughtful, visionary way it requires.
For more than three years, Greenville has planned to build an intermodal transportation center downtown as a transfer station for local transit service as well as bus service beyond the county line. The city's lobbying group has secured $3 million in federal earmarks for the project, which is estimated to cost $8 million.
On Thursday, the council will consider the proposed location for that center, bordered by Cotanche, Evans, Eighth and Ninth streets. A consulting group making the proposal contends that location offers the best balance of access to downtown and East Carolina University, and is therefore suited to act as a transfer station.
At Monday's meeting, Kittrell asked if university students would use the center, since East Carolina operates a bus service independent of the city. A representative of the consulting group indicated that university officials are open to coordination between city and school bus systems.
However, openness is hardly the equal of a plan to introduce the type of comprehensive mass transit system that would serve all citizens while reducing the overall cost. While there are obvious impediments to such a plan, it certainly warrants consideration as it would impact the most attractive location for the new center.
The city needs this center to be properly situated, even if that requires more time.
