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MINUTES OF JOINT PUBLIC HEARING WITH EUGENE CITY COUNCIL, Page 14 <br />METROPOLITAN POLICY COMMITTEE, AND LANE TRANSIT DISTRICT <br />BOARD OF DIRECTORS, FEBRUARY 8, 2011 <br />should be treated right, and there should be a place for people to store stuff on the buses. All people <br />should be treated like they were worthwhile. <br />Tommy Lane, Eugene, said LTD is hemorrhaging cash and will burden future generations. It is <br />frustrating to see that we were at the point of becoming mere subjects, and not "we the people." He <br />said EmX should be put on the ballot. <br />Randy Prince, Eugene, said that he heard most of the support was based on forward thinking. Most <br />of the town had been built around rail lines. Transit rails and electric lines showed access. The bus <br />shelters and bus lines that came later were not quite as effective. BRT was comfortable and ran <br />frequently. Established transit corridors will spur development. Transit - oriented development will pay <br />for development. He does not want to build one system only to need to build another one in the <br />future. He suggested that EmX lines be rail ready with power lines and signaling. If that is not <br />possible, EmX should not be built on West 11 Avenue. West 6 th /7 Avenue to Highway 99 looks <br />better to him, and the area needs redevelopment. <br />Clark Cox, Patterson Street, Eugene, said that he has a vision problem, and he rides the bus. He <br />has lived through construction in the past and shops at Fred Meyer pharmacy in West Eugene. He is <br />interested in having EmX go there. He hopes it can be done while mitigating the loss of parking and <br />trees. <br />Frank Svejcar, Eugene, has cared for elderly people and suggested the officials get into shoes of <br />those who will ride the various modes of transportation. They should be careful when changing the <br />design. He does not support the No Build option and does not support EmX. The Transportation <br />System Management (TSM) option is where the existing LTD system in West Eugene improved <br />dramatically. There is already an existing bus system, and the proposals are duplicating what is <br />already there. He is concerned that money that can be used for education will be used for EmX. He <br />wants TSM to be restored to the list of options being considered. The route was established and <br />reduced friction between businesses and ridership, while restoring trust in City government. <br />Greg Rikhoff, Eugene, said that he is a 20 -year resident and property owner on West 11 Avenue. <br />He supports EmX. Tonight he represents UO President Richard Lariviere at the public hearing. The <br />UO is working hard to help students succeed in Eugene as car -free as possible, and it needs the <br />community's help to do that. EmX helps the UO be more connected to the community and helps the <br />community be more connected to the UO. While there are more than 1,300 students living in the <br />residence halls, there are only 277 cars parked on campus overnight. Twenty -three percent of the <br />18,000 students who live off - campus arrive on campus by bus, and many use EmX. Twelve percent <br />of the faculty and staff use LTD buses. If the UO is to succeed, it must increase ridership numbers, <br />and it needs EmX to do that. While the long -term benefits may not be immediately visible, this is a <br />legacy project. He said that he traveled to the public hearing by EmX. He extended an invitation to <br />join him on campus at Dad's Gates and at the Walnut Station to see how EmX works. <br />Mike McCallum, (address not given), said the problem appears to be one of integration. He has met <br />with LTD management about utilizing software for smartphones that is used in other cities. He said <br />local small business jobs should not be killed because of a poorly executed plan. He likes the option <br />that would use the existing right -of -way. There is a need for better ideas and a better plan. <br />Boyd Iverson, (address not given), submitted information previously and will resubmit it. He is not <br />against EmX, but he supports a sustainable plan for West 11 Avenue. LTD has tried to make the <br />business owners look like they are selfish and trying to stop the project, which is not true. His family <br />has owned property in the area since the 1950s. He owns AutoZone. When LTD said it is going to <br />take 15 feet from his property, it will mean that AutoZone would be gone. Those who are opposed <br />are a diverse group, but there is a common thread that this system does not work. The facts from <br />