b: I'm a regular Metrolink rider and the vehicle traffic around the North Hanley stop has become very congested in the last few months. One factor is the increased ridership, which is great for Metro, but another is the opening of a cut-through to Express Scripts.

When it comes time to leave the parking lot at the end of the work day the lot is a zoo. There seems to be very little order as everyone has to merge/fight there way into one main exit lane and it has taken me as long 10 minutes (I know because the next train arrived at the station) to get out of the lot and onto Hanley.

Can anything be done to better manage this traffic flow?

Todd Plesko: The temporary reroute is difficult and causing delays. It was done to permit the fastest reconstruction of Geiger Road. I will discuss the operational issues of the peak hour with our engineering staff and St.Louis County traffic engineers.

Patrick Williamson: Has there been any discussion of providing a bus shuttle from Saint Charles to Hanley metro station?

Todd Plesko: St. Charles County and the municipality have requested a proposal for park ride style express service to St. Charles County. Our plans are nearly complete. However, expansion to St. Charles will require a source of funds to offset the cost of this service.

dsharfarz: It must be very difficult for Metro to maintain stable service levels and fares when it has to depend on annual funding from St. Louis County without knowing from year to year how much Metro will receive. Wouldn't it help to make service more dependable for riders if Metro had a multi-year, predictable funding source that was not subject to changing political winds?

Todd Plesko: Mr.Sharfarz: Yes. That would be the Holy Grail, which is often just beyond reach of most public transit systems. The lack of a stable source of funding makes short and long term planning difficult. For FY10, Metro faces a loss of approximately $30 million in revenue that we have today to support the transit system. We will also face inflationary cost increases in the face of these revenue reductions.

JMedwick: Two questions. Thanks for your help!

1. Why will Metro only be proposing one Metrolink extension in the County with the proposed funds rather than two?

2. Many county voters seem confused about which line will be funded with the tax increase. With recent studies of the Northside-Southside line in the City and the MetroSouth line in the County, corridors other than the West Port line have gotten a lot more press in the past few years and others I have talked to confuse these lines as what Metro will be expanding. When will Metro begin publicizing the preferred rout and station locations for a Metrolink extension to West Port so that County voters will know what they are voting on?

Todd Plesko: JMedwick: First, East West has approved multiple extension of Metrolink. It is my understanding that the Westport Extension is the preferred next extension for St.Louis County. There are also extension proposals to extend the Shrewsbury line south into South County and another to extend Metrolink north of the Hanley Station to I-270 in North County. Extending Metrolink to Westport (or any other location) will require obtaining federal funding to match the funds available from the 1/4th cent expansion revenue if the referedum is approved. The tax will also reportedly have a 20 year sunset provision which may not be sufficient time to build more than one alignment unless State or new federal sources are available. Metro would certainly like to see the rail system expanded to multiple corridors, but the funding is not yet available to do all of them at one time.

The extension to Westport has not been designed nor has the environmental impact study been completed. Proceeding with preliminary engineering and federal grant applications will be necessary to define exact station locations.

veggie1: There is a bus from St. Charles to N. Hanley, I believe. It's called SCAT or something? I see it at N. Hanley, don't know how often it runs.

Too bad the St. Charles voters didn't want to pay for MetroLink. Granted, many of the people living there today weren't there when the people voted Metro funding down, but the anti-MetroLink campaigning in St. Charles was pretty nasty, as I recall, so that tempers my sympathy.

What can we do to help with the campaign for the tax in St. Louis County in November?

Todd Plesko: Veggie1: Metro is not permitted to advocate for any specific initiative. Metro will provide citizens in the region an opportunity in September at public hearings to view the two possible directions for the system. One direction would be stable funding and expansion. The other will be service reduction to match the available funding. I encourage those with interest to attend the public hearings. The dates will be announced in August.