Look at light rail option

The question for the Charleston area is not whether to pursue mass transit, but what kinds to choose and which to do first.

The area is primed for the discussion. A recent Urban Land Institute forum on the subject drew city and county officials, real estate developers, environmentalists and others. It illustrated the need for that discussion to include light rail in addition to commuter and high-speed rail.

Now is a good time to get the dialogue going as gas prices fluctuate, traffic piles up, thousands of new homes are planned, major industry is arriving and the population is growing.

Commuters and visitors need a break from increasingly congested roads. The environment needs a break from auto emissions. And economic development efforts would be enhanced by better mass transit.

The ongoing $66 million project to widen three miles of I-26 should be a red flag. It is merely stop-gap relief for vehicular traffic that is sure to get worse. There has to be a better way to spend future allocations.

The state Department of Transportation is seeking $500,000 to study a federally designated high-speed rail corridor to link Savannah, Charleston, Florence and an area near Cheraw on the state line.

The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments for four years has been grappling with the idea of using existing rail to provide non-stop commuter service from Charleston to North Charleston and to Summerville, and Charleston to Goose Creek to Moncks Corner.

A group of business owners and environmentalists want the dialogue to include light rail, which moves on an independent track and makes multiple stops within an urban area. Light rail can be used by people for their daily business and can encourage business development near the stops.

And then there are street cars reminiscent of San Francisco's that make multiple stops as does light rail, but share the right of way with vehicular traffic.

The most useful dialogue about mass transit would be inclusive. And, given that the state of the economy precludes doing everything at once, the discussion should suggest a starting place by determining which forms of transportation will provide the best return on investment.

Enthusiasm for mass transit has grown nationally and here. The community needs to become part of the dialogue to ensure that the Charleston area gets transportation that is appropriate -- and that the area isn't left in a cloud of automotive dust.