News Releases
First round of recommendations from transit implementation specialists released; Three public meetings scheduled to gather feedback
(Sent: 2009-03-03 14:28:16)JOINT NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF LAWRENCE
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2009
Contact: Casey Toomay, Interim Public Transit Administrator, 832-3409
Derek Meier, Transportation Coordinator, kuonwheels@ku.edu, (785) 864-4644
First round of recommendations from transit implementation specialists released; Three public meetings scheduled to gather feedback
(Lawrence, KS) – The first round of recommendations from the team of implementation specialists hired to look at coordinating city and university transit systems has been released.
Work to coordinate route and schedule design for the City of Lawrence and the University of Kansas has been underway since last fall. Conversations with more than 30 community groups were held in February. Field observations have occurred and ridership data from both agencies has been analyzed.
Today, the planning team working on coordination of the systems released the short-term recommendations, to be implemented in August 2009. The most significant impact for riders is the creation of a new route that will serve downtown, campus and 31st and Iowa Streets at 30 minute intervals using coordination of both systems. Route #11 will provide more frequency to passengers currently using the city’s route #8 and extend service to evenings, weekends and school breaks for current KU on Wheels riders of routes #24 and #25.
The new route #11 can be described as the spine of a coordinated system moving beyond August 2009. The route will be used as the basis for creating other coordinated routes. The route will also share the KU on Wheels buses with the community at the same time, serving students and the KU community with Lawrence Transit System buses. The coordination will result in seamless services to riders along a new route #11.
In the coming weeks, the planning team will review the recommendations and assemble an action plan.
The complete list of short-term recommendations, to be implemented in August 2009 follows;
• Produce one joint map and timetable
Work is currently underway to create a single map with plans to release in August.
• Use one Information Hotline call number
The planning team will be working in the coming weeks to determine the options for using a single contact phone number.
• Create a new route #11, replacing the city’s route #8, 31st Street and Iowa to downtown via KU campus; and the university’s route #24, 31st Street and Iowa to campus; and #25, serving downtown to campus.
The KU route hearing on March 11 and the Public Transit Advisory Committee meeting on March 24 will be used to gather input on the recommendation.
• Modify the alignment of the university’s route #26, serving 25th Street and Melrose to campus to respond to the creation of route #11. The KU route hearing on March 11 will be used to gather input on the recommendation.
• Interline city routes #4 and #3 allowing the same bus to travel from a Lakeview Road to the I-70 business center going through downtown. Interlining allows the city the opportunity to use smaller vehicles to serve the same area and capture efficiencies where less riders use the system. Interlining allows systems to optimize the vehicle size based on rider demand. This is a change from using the same buses for service of routes #3 and #2.
The Public Transit Advisory Committee meeting on March 24 will be used to gather input on the recommendation.
• Interline city routes #1 and #2, and explore assigning smaller vehicles. Again, a change from using buses currently on routes #1 and #4. The result would be service to the most southern points of the system, Prairie Park Nature Center and Haskell Indian Nations University by the same buses.
The Public Transit Advisory Committee meeting on March 24 will be used to gather input on the recommendation.
A detailed report of these recommendations, including maps of proposed route changes, can be found at getonthebuslawrence.org.
Three public meetings are scheduled to gather feedback on the recommendations:
KU Transit Commission Public Hearing
4-6 p.m., Wednesday, March 11
Relays Room, Burge Union
Served by T Route 8 and all KU on Wheels routes.
KU Route Hearing for feedback on the recommended modifications to the university’s routes.
City of Lawrence Public Transit Advisory Committee
4:10 to 5:30, Tuesday, March 24
Lawrence Public Library Auditorium
Served by T Routes 3, 4, and 6 Counter-Clockwise.
This regularly scheduled meeting of the Public Transit Advisory Committee has been moved to the library. It will serve as a public meeting for discussion of the recommendations.
6:35, Tuesday, March 31
City Commission Room, City Hall, 6 E 6th St.
Served by T Route 6 Clockwise.
City Commission meeting
The initial recommendations were requested by early March, so that university officials could consider approving changes in time for KU Spring Break, when many students are deciding where to live for the next academic year. The implementation specialists will continue working on the next phases of their study through 2009 and will release a second round of more extensive recommendations in January 2010 for August 2010 implementation.
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