RTA is crossing Parish lines

By Christopher Tidmore
Contributing Writer

RTA’s Decision to extend the Tulane Avenue bus line into Jefferson Parish by September 30, past Ochsner Medical Center and onward to Causeway Boulevard, drew almost universal praise in both parishes, save for one person.

Jefferson Transit Director Sharon Leader said the Orleans-based Regional Transit Authority leadership should have run their plans past her sooner because any extensions of Orleans lines into Jefferson could affect her system’s revenue.

While she also complained to the daily paper that she opposes ad hoc integrative moves, the preferred step-by-step unifying process of the two bus systems’ governing boards, there may actually be a simple way to solve her first fiscal complaint, and make transit easier for Kenner, Old Jefferson and Central City residents.

Some have proposed extending the Jefferson Transit’s E-3 Kenner Local line all the way to downtown with regular stops on S. Claiborne Ave.

Jefferson Transit’s E-3 Kenner begins at the South Claiborne/South Carrollton intersection and runs past Ochsner, but RTA riders heading to Ochsner have been forced to transfer to the Jefferson bus and pay a separate $1.50 fare. If RTA wishes to be generous, the Orleans system could allow the buses to begin not at Rivertown but at Louis Armstrong Airport, complementing the express line, and bolstering JeT’s revenue. Perhaps the route could go as far as the Union Passenger Terminal, to which the RTA only provides a limited direct airport connection, drastically increasing intermodal resources.

Such a change would allow JeT to intersect two separate streetcar lines, St. Charles Avenue and Rampart/St. Claude, as well as the heavy ridership bus lines around Tulane/Elk Place/Canal. That would fully integrate the riverfront communities from River Ridge all the way to Bywater in public transit.

In an interview with The Louisiana Weekly, Alex Posorske, executive director of the public transport advocacy group Ride New Orleans noted, “More regional coordination and cooperation is absolutely essential moving forward. It was great to see the political leadership in both parishes come together on this issue unanimously and push for the New Orleans CBD/Ochsner extension. It will make a big difference for transit riders and we’re really excited to see it launch on September 30.”

“Regarding your specific suggestion,” he continued, “it certainly matches up with one of the RTA’s key identified regional corridors for high capacity transit – Jefferson Highway/S Claiborne. So if JeT was interested in it, then we would certainly encourage Orleans Parish/RTA to approve. More important for more riders might be better West Bank connections between the parishes though.”

Posorske did warn that JeT would have to consider such a route fiscally and logistically feasible, but he added, “Moving forward we should see more regional cooperation. But it shouldn’t be about one agency being generous or another agency conceding anything. Rather it should be about what works best for riders to get a seamless affordable transit ride with the least amount of door-to-door travel time. It should be one of the top priorities for both transit agencies.”

“The RTA’s long-term plan shows the key corridors where better regional connections are really needed. JeT’s about to put together a long-term strategic plan that we hope will ratify those corridors as well. Both agencies and parishes need to build off of this momentum and find the next steps to implement.”

Many of his organization’s proposals for better integrated regional transit can be found at www.rideneworleans.org.

This article originally published in the September 24, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.