Forum editorial: F-M wins with new bus shuttle

It’s a good thing for Moorhead and Fargo that the Moorhead City Council finally got over its parochial skepticism and now has embraced a shuttle bus route that will connect the downtowns of both cities. The shuttle idea was proposed by Fargo officials first as a way to alleviate parking during downtown construction, then as a means by which Moorhead gains a bus route with several key stops on the near east side of the Red River.
Moorhead Council people contended the delay was needed in order to get a better deal for Moorhead. Hard to see how either the first iteration or the final could be better. Fargo pays for everything. Everything. The bus service comes free of charge for Moorhead. Several members of the Moorhead Council seem strangely proud of that. But the public relations face of it suggests Moorhead’s snicker about its freebie (“Fargo’s paying for the cost of this. I like that,” said Councilman Mike Hulett), makes the city look chintzy.
But all that aside, the long term effect of the shuttle connection will benefit both cities, not only from the obvious bus service, but also from the cross-river collaboration. Both towns are focusing on their central business districts, in particular the untapped potential along the river. As plans emerge for the new Fargo civic complex, and Moorhead looks to enhance its near-river districts, connections are now routinely part of the discussion.
The negotiations over the shuttle bus proposal took on the character of a petty, chip-on-the-shoulder attempt by Moorhead to stick it to Fargo. Better heads prevailed on both sides of the discussion, and the approved bus route looks good for all. Indeed, Moorhead’s business community was far ahead of balky council members in seeing the benefits of the connecting shuttle. In time, and certainly after hearing from potentially affected businesses, the council came along.
Good news for both towns.
Forum editorials represent the opinion of Forum management and the newspaper’s Editorial Board.