City of Lawrence
Public Transit Advisory Committee – Special Meeting
March 9, 2010 minutes
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MEMBERS PRESENT: |
Chair Lyle Hettinger, Howard Hill, Alan Black, Jim Canaday, Mark Hurt, Marian Hukle, Derek Meier |
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MEMBERS ABSENT: |
None |
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STAFF PRESENT: |
Robert Nugent, Wendy Koerner, Mike Sweeten |
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PUBLIC PRESENT: |
Todd Girdler, Gunter De Vries, Gotfred Beardshear |
1. Call to Order
Committee Chair Lyle Hettinger called the meeting to order at 4:10 p.m.
2. Approval of Minutes
No minutes available for approval. Staff will begin e-mailing minutes to committee members who attended the specific meeting for approval via e-mail. Members who did not attend the meeting will be copied upon approval.
3. Agenda Review
No changes or additions were made to the agenda.
4. Public Transit Administrator Update
PTA said that Olsson is just about done with their work for us and said this meeting was called to discuss the recommended route changes in Chapter 6 of Olsson’s report.
5. Discussion – Final Recommendations for Coordinated Transportation Service (Chapter 6)
PTA said that once Chapter 6 of the Olsson recommendations is approved by the City Commission, they will be incorporated into the document as a whole, which is currently 128 pages long. Chapter 6 as written will be given to the City Manager to include in the City Manager’s Report at a near future commission meeting. PTA intends to present the final recommendations to the City Commission around the first week of April. Final approved report will be available to the public and presented at the next PTAC meeting. Copies will be made available on our web site, the public library, transit office, and City Hall.
PTA distributed copies to the committee summarizing the proposed route changes and maps showing the route alignments. Timing and schedules cannot be determined until the routes are set and approved by the City Commission. PTA gave a brief overview of each of the proposed changes.
Routes 1 and 2 will be combined into a single route that loops through the existing service area, with the exception of the Prairie Park neighborhood, which has been eliminated. It has yet to be determined if the route will travel in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction.
Route 3 will maintain the same alignment as it operates today during peak service hours of 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. During the off-peak hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., we will operate demand response service. Every trip will still travel to and from the hospital, but the industrial and residential areas will be served on an as-requested basis. Hopefully this will attract more choice riders during off-peak hours since people will no longer be required to walk to a bus stop. Jim Canaday asked if we anticipate any savings in relation to operations or resources during the off-peak hours. PTA said no, since we will have to commit one full vehicle to this area, the same as now. The goal is to maintain consistent service to the hospital and industrial areas during peak hours when people tend to travel to and from work/school, and to provide better service into the neighborhoods to attract choice riders during off-peak hours. People should make reservations for rides 24 hours in advance. However, we fully expect to accommodate same day requests as well.
Route 4 will remain essentially the same for the time being. The route will no longer be interlined, necessitating a small loop through Downtown. Initial recommendations suggested we go to demand response service in North Lawrence, however, staff feels it is too early to implement this type of service in this area. Route 3 will be our pilot demand response project and once we are confident the bugs are worked out, we will then move forward with adjusting the North Lawrence service to meet ridership demands. In addition, staff will work closely with the neighborhood to develop the type of service that makes the most sense for the area.
The current Route 5 will be split up into two separate routes, Route 5 and Route 9. Route 5 will maintain the same basic alignment from 31st and Iowa Street to East Hills Business Park. We plan to operate 2 vehicles during peak hours at 30 minutes intervals and 1 vehicle every 60 minutes during off-peak.
Route 6 will no longer be a looping route, and has been split into 2 separate routes. Route 6 will travel from Downtown to 6th & Wakarusa, via 6th Street. The Merc will also be served by Route 6 westbound as the bus will travel south on Iowa to 9th, west on 9th to Rockledge, and then north on Rockledge to 6th Street. The bus will follow the same route in reverse on its eastbound return to Downtown. Although the handouts show a loop through the Congressional neighborhood, we will most likely continue to use the current Lawrence Indoor Aquatic Center stops instead.
Headway on Route 7 will be reduced to a 60 minute route. We cut out one of the South Iowa loops, and the bus will come up Nieder Road rather than Iowa, to better serve the businesses in the area.
Route 9 is a continuation of the western portion of Route 5. The bus will run from the south Iowa retail area, west to Wakarusa, and then north to 6th Street. Over the years, we’ve had many requests for north/south service on the west side of town. This route will run every 60 minutes and will connect with Routes 5, 6, and 10.
No route changes are planned for Route 11.
Route 12 is the 2nd route created by splitting Route 6. This route will run essentially the same southwest portion of the current Route 6, but will have a small counter-clockwise loop that serves the main campus, Downtown, west 9th Street, and The Merc. The Congressional loop shown on the handout may be removed.
The new Route 14 will not be implemented.
Route 26 will no longer serve Campus Court Apartments, and will use Ousdahl rather than Naismith. There was a problem with this bus filling up with students before it reached Stewart Avenue, which has high student population.
Public Comment was held before the vote and Gunter De Vries said he lives in North Lawrence and depends on the bus system. He is concerned about timing. He rides Route 4 and transfers to Route 6 to get to his job in the area of Bob Billings and Wakarusa. If he cannot reach his destination by 7 a.m., then the system won’t work for him. These proposed route changes are not helpful to him without the schedules. PTA said we do not have finalized schedules, but that they are the next step after the routes are approved by the City Commission. Gunter also said he has classes at 23rd & Harper which get out at 8 p.m., and he can’t get back to Downtown since that is the time service ends. He would also like to see service to the jail. He said the proposed flex service in North Lawrence doesn’t make sense and he recommended we work with the North Lawrence Neighborhood Association for their input.
6. Action Item – Accept Final Recommendations for Coordinated Transportation Service (chapter 6)
Jim Canaday moved to accept the proposed changes, and recommends forwarding them to the City Commission for approval. Derek Meier seconded. Motion carried.
7. Public Comment
Provided above.
8. Tentative Next Meeting Date
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
9. Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m.
Submitted by Wendy Koerner
Approved via e-mail