Invest in public transit

Vice Mayor Steve Kay noted in the Herald-Leader interview by Tom Martin and most recently in his own Aug. 14 commentary that infill development in the urban service area, especially downtown Lexington, will prompt more residents to use public transportation.

That’s an intriguing proposition. Since this is an Urban County Government proposal, what if city employees and appointees whose offices are downtown were no longer to have government parking permits?

This means that city employees along with council members and other city officials could lead by example in using the Lextran bus system or bicycling or walking to work. Those employees who still opted to drive automobiles would then face the same parking situation as most downtown residents and visitors.

I hope this proposal will encourage citizens and city employees and officials to comment on how they, too, will embrace Kay’s plan for increased-density residence plus reliance on public transportation.

This story was originally published August 21, 2017 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Invest in public transit."