[Colorado-talk] RTD Proposed August Service Changes

Gary Van Dorn garyvdrn at msn.com
Sat May 18 21:58:54 UTC 2013


RTD plans to make adjustments to Service in August, 2013.  The Operations and Customer Service Committee will vote upon these changes on 21 March 2013.  The changes will go before the Board on 28 March 2013 for consent for RTD to take these changes to the public for consideration and comment.  I am sending these changes, without any edits, so everyone has an idea what RTD proposes.  I would like your input on how these changes will affect you.  Send your comments to garyvdrn at msn.com; please be specific on how the change(s) will affect you.  Changes could impact those using Access-A-Ride.  These changes ARE NOT FINAL.  RTD could make changes based upon recommendations received by RTD and from the Board.  I will consolidate, and edit your comments for clarity, so the NFB of Colorado may send a letter or E-mail to RTD under Scott's signature.  

The proposed changes are:  

Route 6 – East 6th Ave/North Pecos
Extend 8:00am weekday westbound trip from 8th/Colorado to instead originate at Centrepoint & Sable Transfer Center at 7:21am. Relieves overloads on the following trip at 7:36am from Centrepoint & Sable. The cost is estimated to a be $10,300 annualized

Route 9 – West Tenth Avenue
School trippers would be discontinued due to parallel Light Rail service. (Offset against part of cost of Route 100W trippers added.)

Route 10 – East 12th Avenue
Schedule adjustments
No cost anticipated

Route 12 – Downing/N Washington
Add 3:20pm northbound trip from Downing/Colfax to 106th/Melody, relieving overloads on the following trip. 
Cost impact estimated at $8,300 annualized.

Route 14 – West Florida
It is proposed to extend the weekday trip that (in April) starts at Wadsworth/West Arkansas at 6:39 a.m. to instead begin service at Lakewood Commons at 6:24 a.m.
Estimated cost are projected to be $2,600 annualized

Route 16 – West Colfax
Peak and midday overloads are occurring at a level which clearly exceeds RTD service standards. These overloads occur on a regular basis on the link between Decatur-Federal Station and the Civic Center. This segment carries a heavy burden of social services and court traffic throughout the day, with space needed for disabled customers and strollers or walkers. West between Decatur-Federal Station and Wadsworth, peak period overloads are occurring, but more data is needed in order to place extra trips.  

RTD will add shuttle trips as soon as possible (June 9, 2013) to lead every Route 16 trip between Decatur-Federal and the 10th/Broadway route terminal on weekdays between the hours of 6:15 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. This will not only add back capacity, but also improve W-Line connections for Civic Center with matching headways, making the use of Light Rail more practical for trips west of Federal.  

Proposed for August runboard:  It is proposed to extend peak period extra service to the Zephyr Street terminal (Wadsworth Blvd.) and to extend one additional AM trip from Golden to Oak Station and one additional PM trip from Oak Station to Golden. Projected cost impacts for this proposal total $840,000 and 8 peak buses, including requirements for the Golden trip extensions.

Route 17 – Red Rocks College
With the extension to Indiana Street, the span of service that was appropriate for college hours begins too late for most commuting purposes. It is proposed to add a round-trip from Federal Center Station to Indiana Street on weekdays at 5:37 a.m. Estimated 

Route 21 – Evans Avenue
Add 7:21am westbound trip from Centrepoint & Sable to Evans Station. Relieves overloads on both the 7:06am and 7:36am westbound trips. Weekday cost impact estimated at $15,500

Route 46 – Cherry Creek/Dahlia/DTC
Running time analysis and schedule adjustments.
No cost impacts anticipated

Route 76 – Wadsworth Crosstown
Route 225 – Boulder/Broomfield via Baseline
Cut weekday routing of the Route 76 back from Lafayette to US 36 & Broomfield PnR.  Replace current Route 76 service with Route 225 extension from Broomfield to Lafayette PnR. Extend Route 225 to US 36 & Broomfield PnR from Lafayette PnR, hourly headway, weekday only, to replace current Route 76 segment. No cost impacts are anticipated.

Route 87X
The former Route 87 Express had three trips into CCS in the morning peak and three trips out from CCS in the afternoon peak. It averaged 128 boardings. The portion of the route west of Wadsworth near Hampden was replaced by Route 30Ltd, which has twice as long a span of service and a one-seat ride to the center of Downtown, as well as good transfer connections to the Union Station and Civic Center.  Although slower than Route 87X, that portion of the change has received little criticism.  It is proposed to restore the route on its former alignment, with the exception of the segment south of Yale Avenue, which was replaced by Route 30Ltd. That portion would be replaced by running on Wadsworth to and from the Wadsworth & Hampden Park-n-Ride.

Requirements for restoring the route, based on the August 2012 Service Recap with interlines, rounded up to 2 peak buses and $82,800 annualized.

Route 100 – Kipling Crosstown
A deviation from the current route on Quail Street is proposed to bring service closer to the new Jefferson County Public Health location at 645 Parfet Street. Both northbound and southbound buses would loop from Quail & Eighth via West Eighth Avenue, Parfet Street, West Sixth Avenue Access Road and Quail Street. A minor adjustment would be
made in the Route 100W – North Kipling school tripper service to mesh with this change.
No cost impacts are anticipated.

Route 100X – South Kipling Express
The former Route 100X had four trips into Civic Center Station (CCS) in the morning peak and five trips out from CCS in the afternoon peak. It averaged 191 boardings. Its service pattern was replicated by the Route 100Ltd at all of the neighborhood walk-on stops made by Route 100X, as well as at the Ken Caryl Park-n-Ride. Route 100Ltd is heavily interlined and would require time changes for conversion to Route 100X.

In order to maintain connectivity for non-Civic Center Station bound riders, it is proposed to re-create Route 100X via the Route 100Ltd alignment between Ken Caryl Park-n-Ride and Federal Center Station, and via the Regional routes alignment between Federal Center Station and Civic Center, with a short dwell at Federal Center Station (FCS). Minor schedule adjustments would be made. The fifth (final) trip in the evening would operate between FCS and Ken Caryl and the reverse peak trips would also operate only between FCS and Ken Caryl and return.  Requirements for revising the route, incremental to the current costs for Route 100Ltd and for special service that is replacing Route KC, are estimated at 1 peak bus and 6 weekday hours. Gate assignments would be adjusted at Federal Center Station. The newly implemented Route CS – Civic Center Station to Federal Center Station short turns trips would be reduced where replaced by Route 100X. Annualized weekday cost estimated to be $76,400

Route 116X – South Simms Express
The reinstated Route 116X would be maintained as restored; with further modification anticipated in January 2014, when Route 116Ltd and the Green Mountain call-n-Ride service can be analyzed. The cost of reinstating this service is estimated at $76,400 annualized.

Route 120X – Thornton/Wagon Road Express
It is proposed to add a SB AM trip from Thornton Park-n-Ride at about 8:40am, to alleviate the consistent 20+ passenger overloads on the current 8:45am SB trip. Weekday cost impact estimated to be $12,700.

Route 121 – Peoria Street
Reduce peak frequency between Nine Mile Station and Ulster/Tufts from every 15 to every 30 minutes. Ridership on peak direction trips averages between 2 and 3 passengers/trip.  Savings = 5.0 hours.  Add 1:37pm and 2:07pm northbound trips from Nine Mile, and 1:45pm southbound trip from Montbello, to relieve standing loads on current 30 minute midday frequency. Cost:  3.7 hours weekday.  Anticipated weekday savings estimated to be $13,400 annualized

Route 130 – Yale/Buckley
Modify service through Heather Gardens as follows:  Weekdays southbound, service will operate via Yale and Peoria to Nine Mile Station during the AM peak and evenings after 7:00pm. Service will operate via Heather Gardens midday and PM peak.  Weekdays northbound, service will operate via Heather Gardens during the AM peak and midday, and via Peoria and Yale during the PM peak and evenings.  All Saturday, Sunday, and holiday service will operate via Yale and Peoria.
No cost impact anticipated.

Route 131 – Iliff
Reroute off of Vaughn Way between Iliff and Yale, use Abilene instead. Eliminates neighborhood impact on Vaughn Way, will better serve future Iliff LRT Station.
No cost impact anticipated.

Route 133 – Hampden/Tower
Add 4:41am southbound trip from Centrepoint/Sable (feeds H-Line train at 5:23am), and add 4:55am and 5:25am northbound trips from Nine Mile (this productive route – 35
boardings/hour - does not start northbound service until nearly 6:00am currently).  Weekday cost impacts estimated to be $23,800 annualized.

Route 153 – Chambers Road
Extend northbound evening service one hour later to 11:42pm from Arapahoe Crossing.
Cost impacts estimated to be $14,500 annualized.

Route 204 – Table Mesa/Moorhead/North 19th
Running time adjustment; remove Vassar loop. No additional cost impact anticipated

Route 209 – CU/Table Mesa PnR
Re-route back through CU campus, via clockwise routing along Regent and Colorado to alleviate overloads occurring on Route Stampede; move south-end layover to Manhattan Circle, due to City of Boulder installation of a traffic signal at South Boulder Road.  Remove the ‘Adams Circle’ loop and service to Golden West from the route. Golden West is served by VIA, special services.
No cost impact anticipated

Route 225 – Boulder/Lafayette Via Baseline
Schedule adjustment weekday, Saturday and Sunday. No cost anticipated.

Route 228 –Louisville/Broomfield
Discontinue first Sunday morning southbound morning trip and add a Saturday southbound PM trip from Flatiron Mall to US 36 & Broomfield Park-n-Ride. No cost impact anticipated.

Route 323 – Skyline Crosstown
Reroute north-end layover/recovery location to Pace/17th SB, FS and remove current Deerwood loop, due to constituent complaints received; create deadhead for NB to SB north-end turn-around via Pace, Olympia, Pace routing. In addition, due to a request by the City of Longmont, it is proposed to add an AM school tripper on this route by using the current BOLT block 27 pull-out. Weekday annualized cost estimated to be $5,300

Routes CV/CS/CX – Pine Junction/Conifer/Denver
It is expected that the new Pine Junction Park-n-Ride will be opened during this Fall.  Minor schedule adjustments will be made in preparation for this change. Weekday cost impact estimated to be $5,900 annualized.

Route DASH – Boulder/Lafayette via Louisville
The city of Boulder is installing a traffic signal at South Boulder Road and Manhattan Circle which will allow RTD to move the layover/recovery for Route Dash short-turn trips back to the former location. It is therefore proposed to change the current layover from Table Mesa PnR back to Manhattan Circle, for the DASH short-turn trips.
No cost impact anticipated

Route JUMP – Boulder/Lafayette via Arapahoe
It is proposed to remove the excess layover at Erie Community Center in the mid-day and balance the current trips at Lafayette PnR, WB to 1/2 hour frequency; will result in some mid-day schedule adjustments. No resource impact anticipated.

Route KC – Ken Caryl/FC/Denver
This service has been cancelled in favor of operating reinstated service on the Route 116X – South Simms Express. The annualized savings of $70,300 would be used to operate the 6 weekday trips (3 in each peak period) on the Route 116X.

Route SKIP – Broadway
It is proposed to add one school tripper in the PM from Fairview High School to Broadway/Walnut at 3:29pm (or as warranted by the BVSD bell-times) due to overloads on the current 3:25pm trip. Additionally it is proposed that schedule adjustments be made to the weekday afternoon/evening peak period. Cost impacts include an additional PM bus
and $50,000 annualized.

W-Line Call-n-Rides: Belmar, Golden and Green Mountain:
With the opening of the West Line Light Rail, three new Call-n-Rides began operations on April 27, 2013. As with all new services, actual operations may require adjustments after a few months in operation.  Adjustments will be made based on customer travel patterns and customer requests. There should be no additional costs associated with these modifications except for the Golden Call-n-Ride. Annual weekday cost: $8,025.

School trippers restored/adjusted:
Routes 1W, 11, 16, 24, 30, 30Ltd, 31, 43, 51, 52, 65, 73, 76, 100W 206, 208
Cost estimated to be $15,800 annualized over previous year.
Seasonal schedule adjustment to fall/spring schedule
Route SKIP, JUMP, BOUND, DASH

Gary Van Dorn
President, Mile High NFBCO
Board Member, NFBCO



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