Monmouth council approves application for trolley rapid-transit study

Monmouth City Council on a 6-0 vote authorized city staff to apply for a Transportation Growth Management (TGM) quick-response grant to study ways to speed the My Trolley route along Highway 51 and preserve service frequency as the system expands.

The study, proposed by community planner Carter Craig, would hire a consultant to work with the Oregon Department of Transportation and other partners to evaluate options including signal timing, bus-only queue jumps, and route changes to remove detours at Atwater. Craig said the objective is to reduce travel time so any route extension — for example to Western Oregon University or the new food bank in Independence — does not lower frequency and make the service less attractive to riders.

"The intention of the study is to look at the question how can we get the trolley moving faster down Highway 51," Carter Craig said. He told the council preliminary expectations for a study budget were in the $20,000 to $50,000 range and that the TGM program does not require a local match.

Councilor McKeel made the motion to adopt Resolution 2006 and direct the city manager to submit the TGM application; Councilor Lopez seconded. The roll call vote recorded affirmatives from Councilors Oberst, Kerrey, Belts, Ridgeway, McKeel and Lopez, and the motion passed 6-0.

The council packet characterizes the grant program as a partnership between the Department of Land Conservation and Development and the Oregon Department of Transportation that funds planning work to use transit to support efficient growth. The next steps on the study—if the grant is awarded—would include consultant selection and coordination with the City of Independence as part of the joint My Trolley management.

Votes at a glance: Resolution 2006 — Adopted; motion by Councilor McKeel, second Councilor Lopez; roll call: Oberst (yes), Kerrey (aye), Belts (yes), Ridgeway (aye), McKeel (yes), Lopez (aye); outcome: approved 6-0.