Spring Break
Population boom creates transportation needs in NWA
Jaclyn Johnson
Issue date: 10/27/06 Section: News
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Signs of growth are continually popping up in Northwest Arkansas. The recent opening of Roger's outdoor mall, new parking garages on the UA campus and extended housing development all clearly reflect the region's blooming population.
Fayetteville, Springdale and Rogers were grouped together in the 2000 census and judged to be the sixth fastest growing metropolis area in the United States. Between 1990 and 2000 it was estimated that the area's population increased by 47.5 percent.
With population growth comes a higher dependency on public transportation. The next census will therefore be a determining factor in what happens next to Northwest Arkansas' public transit systems.
There are currently two transit systems available to the public. One is the Razorback system centered around the UA campus and second is the Ozark Regional Transit, both of which service various parts of Northwest Arkansas.
Each provides free service to UA students, though Ozark Transit does have a per-use or monthly fee for the general public.
Razorback Transit services the entire campus and branches out to places across Fayetteville, such as the Northwest Arkansas Mall and Wal-Mart. About 85 percent of the passengers are UA students, said Mike Seither, associate director of Transit and Parking.
An average of 8,800 riders (including those who ride multiple times) are serviced daily using about 14 buses at any given time, Seither said.
The university is like a "mini New York," Seither said, due to the large number of people in a limited area. He believes the UA therefore has a "dramatic" need for mass transit and also mentioned that "transit works best where you have population density."
The university, like any busy city, has limited parking. According to the UA Web site, 14,652 permits were sold as of Jan.12, 2006. However, only 9,918 parking spots are available at one time.
The number of riders per day tends to decrease throughout the week, with Monday being the busiest, Seither said.
Fayetteville, Springdale and Rogers were grouped together in the 2000 census and judged to be the sixth fastest growing metropolis area in the United States. Between 1990 and 2000 it was estimated that the area's population increased by 47.5 percent.
With population growth comes a higher dependency on public transportation. The next census will therefore be a determining factor in what happens next to Northwest Arkansas' public transit systems.
There are currently two transit systems available to the public. One is the Razorback system centered around the UA campus and second is the Ozark Regional Transit, both of which service various parts of Northwest Arkansas.
Each provides free service to UA students, though Ozark Transit does have a per-use or monthly fee for the general public.
Razorback Transit services the entire campus and branches out to places across Fayetteville, such as the Northwest Arkansas Mall and Wal-Mart. About 85 percent of the passengers are UA students, said Mike Seither, associate director of Transit and Parking.
An average of 8,800 riders (including those who ride multiple times) are serviced daily using about 14 buses at any given time, Seither said.
The university is like a "mini New York," Seither said, due to the large number of people in a limited area. He believes the UA therefore has a "dramatic" need for mass transit and also mentioned that "transit works best where you have population density."
The university, like any busy city, has limited parking. According to the UA Web site, 14,652 permits were sold as of Jan.12, 2006. However, only 9,918 parking spots are available at one time.
The number of riders per day tends to decrease throughout the week, with Monday being the busiest, Seither said.
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