On the Road Again



Traffic is arguably among the most significant public problems on the Grand Strand, and it’s hard to say for sure what is a more conspicuous absence: the lack of an interstate highway, or of reliable public transportation.

The interstate problem may be somewhat out of our hands, but public transportation is largely our own cross to bear. It’s had a spotty tenure here in recent memory, from the rampant mismanagement of the previous administration to the constant tension between expanding and downsizing that has held The Coast RTA in thrall since its restructuring.

Myers Rollins Jr., general manager of The Coast RTA, would defend this back-and-forth between more routes and fewer as good business practice. As the amount of money he receives from local governments to support the bus system rises and falls, he constructs new routes and dismantles them accordingly. Amazingly, ridership has grown, though it’s hard to know how much is attributable to his smart management and how much is due to growing economic pressures on his riders.

This constant crisis management may keep the bus system from diving into the red, but it is no way to build a public asset. Rollins has long argued for a more stable funding stream – a dedicated amount of property tax money – and the Horry County Council now appears ready to take him at his word, if the voters give their assent Nov. 2.

We hope they will. This vote of confidence could prepare The Coast RTA for a grand transformation that is long overdue. Because the bus system is not currently easy to use, it’s now primarily traveled by those who have no other choice. Providing for these people is noble, but the primary point of a public transportation system should not be welfare.

Instead, The Coast should be branching out to two other groups of customers, locals who currently drive but who might like to leave their cars at home, and, obviously, to tourists. Serving these two groups would take cars off the road, reducing travel times for everyone. If the buses were easier to take, more consistent, more accessible with more places to catch them and (on the other hand) faster with more direct routes, they would soon become the preferred method of travel, rather than a last resort.

The Coast RTA will never reach this point on its own; none of the great (or even good) public transpiration systems in our country are sustained by riders’ fares. Instead, it must be supported by tax dollars.

Several members of the Horry County Council have expressed frustration with a seeming lack of long-range planning by The Coast, a sentiment we’ve shared. Yet, it is hard to hold Rollins or his administration at fault for this – our local governments make him dash from appearance to appearance begging for each year’s funding, dodging back to the office to figure out how to handle each year’s cuts, and long-range planning seems like a luxury that perhaps he hasn’t had.

A dedicated funding stream would be the first step toward this opportunity. A “yes” vote Nov. 2 does not raise any taxes or effect any change; it simply sends a message to county council (and other local governing bodies who will be watching) that the Grand Strand is ready to pay for the public transportation system it needs. Let’s hope that message is loud and clear in favor of The Coast RTA.

 

Myers Rollins Jr., general manager of The Coast RTA, would defend this back-and-forth between more routes and fewer as good business practice. As the amount of money he receives from local governments to support the bus system rises and falls, he constructs new routes and dismantles them accordingly. Amazingly, ridership has grown, though it’s hard to know how much is attributable to his smart management and how much is due to growing economic pressures on his riders.

This constant crisis management may keep the bus system from diving into the red, but it is no way to build a public asset. Rollins has long argued for a more stable funding stream – a dedicated amount of property tax money – and the Horry County Council now appears ready to take him at his word, if the voters give their assent Nov. 2.

We hope they will. This vote of confidence could prepare The Coast RTA for a grand transformation that is long overdue. Because the bus system is not currently easy to use, it’s now primarily traveled by those who have no other choice. Providing for these people is noble, but the primary point of a public transportation system should not be welfare.

Instead, The Coast should be branching out to two other groups of customers, locals who currently drive but who might like to leave their cars at home, and, obviously, to tourists. Serving these two groups would take cars off the road, reducing travel times for everyone. If the buses were easier to take, more consistent, more accessible with more places to catch them and (on the other hand) faster with more direct routes, they would soon become the preferred method of travel, rather than a last resort.

The Coast RTA will never reach this point on its own; none of the great (or even good) public transpiration systems in our country are sustained by riders’ fares. Instead, it must be supported by tax dollars.

Several members of the Horry County Council have expressed frustration with a seeming lack of long-range planning by The Coast, a sentiment we’ve shared. Yet, it is hard to hold Rollins or his administration at fault for this – our local governments make him dash from appearance to appearance begging for each year’s funding, dodging back to the office to figure out how to handle each year’s cuts, and long-range planning seems like a luxury that perhaps he hasn’t had.

A dedicated funding stream would be the first step toward this opportunity. A “yes” vote Nov. 2 does not raise any taxes or effect any change; it simply sends a message to county council (and other local governing bodies who will be watching) that the Grand Strand is ready to pay for the public transportation system it needs. Let’s hope that message is loud and clear in favor of The Coast RTA.