North by Northwest CONNECTOR

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Benton County Transit

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Columbia County Rider

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Lincoln County Transit

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Sunset Empire Transit District

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Tillamook County Transportation District

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January 16, 2011 Transit Partners Roll Out Service Changes

OREGON - This month, public transportation agencies in Clatsop, Tillamook, Lincoln, Columbia, and Benton counties will begin service changes to help make travel by transit more convenient.

The ‘Coast to Valley Express’, which is jointly operated by Lincoln County Transit and Benton County Rural Transit, will now add weekend service and provide a stop at the Amtrak station in Albany.  Passengers riding the Coast to Valley Express route were previously asked to change buses at Ellmaker State Park near the Benton/Lincoln county line, to transfer from one transit service to another.  However, these two transit agencies are now collaborating to provide direct service all the way from the Amtrak station in Albany to Newport on the coast, without the need for a transfer.    “This has been our goal for a long time,” notes Cynda Bruce, executive director for Lincoln County Transit.  “Direct service should help make it easier for people to get between the coast and inland communities without having to rely on a car.”

In the northern part of the five-county project area, Columbia County Rider (CC Rider) and Sunset Empire Transportation District (SETD) are also improving their connecting service.  Both transit providers are adding weekend service along US30 that will allow coordinated transfers at Westport. 

CC Rider will begin offering Sunday service from Westport to Portland in addition to the current Saturday service from St. Helens to Portland along US Highway 30.   The Westport connection will allow riders to transfer from SETD to the CCRider system, which will take riders along US Hwy 30 to downtown Portland.   

Sunset Empire Transportation District is also working with Tillamook County Transportation District to add weekend service along US101 from Astoria, with coordinated connections in Cannon Beach and Manzanita. The new weekend US101 service will coordinate with the new weekend US30 service to provide full connectivity between Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook Counties 7-days-a-week.

Other adjustments to connections between Benton, Lincoln, Tillamook, Clatsop and Columbia counties are also in progress, with more to follow as transit agencies continue to collaborate.  All buses have bike racks for the convenience of those who want to “bike and ride”. 

Bob Kenny, a board member for the Tillamook County Transportation District has been serving as interim director for his transit agency over the past few months.  “We are absolutely committed to these partnerships,” he says.  “In tight economic times, a cooperative approach is essential.” 

The initial service changes are part of a larger project funded by a $3.5 million US Department of Energy grant, which is aimed at increasing transit use by commuters and visitors in rural northwestern Oregon.  Successful strategies piloted by the five-county transit alliance will serve as a national model for other transit providers across the country.

December 19, 2011 Transit Agencies and New Non-Profit Promote Rural Transit Service

OREGON —Public transportation leaders in Clatsop, Tillamook, Lincoln, Columbia, and Benton counties have teamed up to improve transit connections between counties.  The group’s work is a national model for improving coordination between transit agencies.

In July, the group began working with a team of technical experts led by Oregon consulting firm, David Evans and Associates, Inc. (DEA).  In a short amount of time, the transit alliance has made significant progress on a five-county branding campaign and community partnerships.  While each transit agency is retaining its own name and service area, collectively the five-county interconnected bus service will be known as the “North by Northwest CONNECTOR” system.

Using a special grant from the US Department of Energy, the transit group is also beginning to look at modest operational changes that can help make connections between counties more convenient.  “Once you divide the grant dollars between five counties, our funds are really pretty limited”, says Janet Wright from Columbia County who is serving as the current chairperson for the transit alliance.  “It’s important that we use the money carefully.  We want to make sure that anything we start can be continued after the grant is used up.”

The transit alliance has considerable help in this regard.  A private, non-profit group, the North by Northwest Transportation Foundation, has formed to assist the transit agencies with fundraising and building community support.  “This is an incredibly exciting aspect of the project”, says Heidi Henry of Banner Non-Profits, who is working to help the non-profit group get started.  “It’s a great example of how private-public partnerships can get things done.”

Jay Flint, transit director for Sunset Empire Transit District in Clatsop County, has been impressed with the community support so far.  “At every turn we are finding people who are willing to step up.   We really appreciate that.  As smaller rural transit agencies, we all have limited resources.”

November 15, 2011 Be Driven.

OREGON -- With a U.S. Department of Energy grant of $3.5 million, transportation leaders in Clatsop, Tillamook, Lincoln, Columbia, and Benton counties are working together to create an interconnected bus system that will serve as a model for rural communities across the nation. The groundbreaking transit coordination project will improve connections between communities, and promote transit ridership to reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.   Project partners envision a future where travel by transit is a convenient, popular option of choice -- even in rural areas of northwestern Oregon.

A partnership of five transit agencies — Columbia County Rider, Sunset Empire Transportation District, Tillamook County Transportation District, Benton County Transit, and Lincoln County Transit —  was awarded funds to implement the innovative bus system.  They have joined forces to create the “North by Northwest CONNECTOR” transit system.

Over the next two years, the pilot project will improve transit connections between communities, brand and market transit service in all five counties as a single seamless service, build community partnerships to increase transit ridership, and implement funding strategies for continued transit development.

The individual bus systems cover 5 counties, encompassing 4,235 square miles and 112 towns and cities.  Bringing together five distinct transit services is no small task. Each system has its own history, needs and challenges.

In Clatsop, Tillamook and Lincoln counties, for example, the coastal economies are closely tied to tourism where visitor travel could be improved through inter-county connections and collective marketing efforts, according to Oregon-based consulting firm, David Evans and Associates Inc. (DEA).  DEA is leading the team of transit, marketing and economic development professionals working on the project.    Last August, over 130 people attended workshops facilitated by the consultant team, including state and local government leaders, economic development groups, business owners, and resource agencies.

In Columbia County, additional service and connections to the Portland area was identified as a pressing need.  Subthemes included strengthening transit connections for local employers, and using transit to help promote seamless, easy to use connections with neighboring counties.

In Benton County, improved connections to cities in the I-5 corridor, to the Amtrak station, and to rural areas surrounding Corvallis, are considered critical.  Student travel and coastal connections were also considered significant issues.  “We are a rural office with limited staff,” notes Sharon Fipps, Special Transportation Coordinator for Benton County Rural Transit.  What began as a one-woman effort to serve senior citizens and the disabled has expanded to a full system serving municipal needs while also working with neighboring counties to provide connecting service.

As transit leaders work to improve connections, Noble Erickson Inc., an award-winning graphic design firm working as part of the DEA consulting team, is helping to promote regional transit with a marketing strategy that includes a new name, tagline, and logo.   “A new system needs to delight, engage, and elevate,” notes Jackie Noble. With this regional system, she says, branding and design will provide communities with much-needed cohesion, and will foster a strong sense of ownership, pride and usefulness.

“If one agency succeeds, it makes the system stronger,” says Cynda Bruce, director of Lincoln County Transit. “This is a really good model of partnership, and a project that we can take pride in.”