Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Public Transit

 

TO:

Dave Corliss, City Manager

 

FROM:

Cliff Galante, Public Transit Administrator

 

CC:

Debbie Van Saun, Assistant City Manager

 

Date:

October 30, 2006

 

RE:

PTAC Recommendation to Eliminate “Wave Down” Policy and Move Towards Implementing Designated Stops for the Transit System

 

PTAC Recommendation

The Public Transit Advisory Committee (PTAC) at its October meeting unanimously approved eliminating the current “wave-down” policy to board a bus anywhere along a transit route to moving towards implementing a designated bus stop system.  Designated stops will help eliminate the current practice of multi-block stops and will assist in improving the reliability of service by keeping the buses on schedule.  In addition, designated stops should improve traffic flow along busy transit corridors such 6th Street and 23rd Street where frequent stops are made. 

 

Background & Analysis

Recent on-board passenger surveys completed indicate that 47% of transit patrons utilize the T to get to and from employment.  An additional 18% of passengers utilize the transit service to get to and from school.  In order for this service to work for these passengers it is imperative that the service be reliable.  Currently the transit system’s on-time performance routinely exceeds 95% that out performs the transit industry standard of 90%.  As the transit system has matured and ridership has increased, it has put a strain on the system to maintain it’s current on-time performance.  Increasing traffic congestion along City streets during certain times of the day also impacts service performance. 

 

PTAC working with Transit Department staff evaluated the 216 existing bus stops currently located throughout the City, identified gaps, and determined an appropriate standard distance between stops.  Standard transit industry practice is to place stops every other block in densely populated areas such as downtown and every quarter mile in other locations.  Currently bus stops are located at major destination points such as the hospital, medical facilities, schools, public facilities, major retail establishments, employers, and social service agencies.  In addition, stops have been installed in locations based on customer and bus driver feedback. 

 

To determine where to place 100 additional stops, PTAC members and staff obtained feedback from bus drivers and transit patrons on the locations they routinely board and de-board the bus.  That information was mapped out through the assistance of the Information Services Department.  PTAC members and staff then conducted a physical inspection of all 316 existing and proposed stops and evaluated each stop on the following criteria:

 

(1)  Is the stop located in a highly visible location?

(2)  Is the stop located in a location that would not create a traffic hazard? (i.e., around the bend or corner in the road)

(3)  Is the stop accessible?  This was particularly a challenge since many roads that transit routes are on only have sidewalks on one side of the road. 

(4)  How far is this stop located between other existing or proposed stops?  (i.e., what is the approximate walking distance?)

 

Upon creating this inventory of existing and proposed stops, the information was made available to the public to provide comment.  The information was made available at the Lawrence Public Library, Planning Department at City Hall, Lawrence Transit System Administrative Office, and online on the City’s transit system website at www.lawrencetransit.org.

 

Public Feedback

The Transit Department received feedback from 15 individuals. The feedback was mixed with the majority of people supporting the move to eliminate the “wave-down” policy for the reasons indicated.  However there were two individuals with disabilities that expressed concern over their ability to walk an additional distance to board or alight a bus at designated stops.  In addition, one person indicated that even though the City does provide complimentary demand-response, door to door paratransit service for people with disabilities, they were concerned over the additional cost to take paratransit compared to fixed-route especially for those on a fixed-income.

 

Action Taken to Address Concerns

To alleviate this concern, PTAC members and staff support having certified passengers with disabilities be able to continue to wave down a bus with the caveat that they must utilize a brightly colored and reflective placard issued by the Transit Department upon becoming ADA certified through the existing T-Lift process that identifies the passenger as being disabled.  This placard will assist the bus driver in recognizing disabled passengers along the route during the day or at dusk so that they will know to stop to avoid any person being passed by on a route that is not at designated stops.

 

Implementation of eliminating the wave-down policy cannot go into effect until signs are installed at proposed bus stop locations.  In addition, based on what the consultant recommends from the Coordinated Public Transportation Development Study some routes may be changed impacting stop locations.  At that point, bus stops along any new or revised route would need to be evaluated.  The Transit Department’s goal is to implement designated stops by early next summer 2007.

 

In the meantime, PTAC will continue to work on the specific locations of proposed bus stops.  The Transit Department received feedback concerning 5 locations that will need to be evaluated.  In addition, PTAC will evaluate existing bus stop signage and determine if any changes would need to be made to make the stops more identifiable and user-friendly, and will work with staff on developing a policy for certified passengers to wave down buses along fixed—routes.

 

Seeking City Commission Approval

At this time, the Transit Department and Public Transit Advisory Board respectfully seeks City Commission approval to eliminate the current “wave-down” policy in favor of designated stops along all fixed-routes throughout the City, except for people with disabilities who must be certified through the T-Lift certification process, and upon completion of the installation of bus stop signs at proposed stops.