HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 02 Lane Transit District (LTD) Route Review AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 2/18/2014
Meeting Type: Work Session
Staff Contact/Dept.: Gino Grimaldi Staff Phone No: x 3700
Estimated Time: 25 Minutes
S P R I N G F I E L D C I T Y C O U N C I L Council Goals: Maintain and Improve Infrastructure and
Facilities ITEM TITLE:
LANE TRANSIT DISTRICT (LTD) ROUTE REVIEW
ACTION REQUESTED:
Review and discuss proposed route changes and provide feedback to Lane Transit
District.
ISSUE STATEMENT:
The Lane Transit District is proposing several route changes throughout the metropolitan area including two in the City of Springfield. LTD staff will be presenting the proposed
changes. This is an opportunity for the Mayor and City Council to provide feedback to LTD regarding the proposed changes.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Memorandum from Andy Vobora, LTD
2. Existing Route System Map
DISCUSSION/ FINANCIAL IMPACT:
LTD is proposing to adjust the current service along Main Street (Route 11) to provide service south of Main Street. The new service would provide service along 32nd Street to
Jasper Road and 42nd Street. LTD is also proposing to eliminate Route 19 which serves the Willamalane Adult Activity Center, Mill Street, Fairview Drive North of Centennial
Boulevard and Aspen Street North of Centennial. See Attachment 1 for additional details and maps of the routes being impacted.
Attachment 1 – Page 1
DATE OF MEETING: February 18, 2014
ITEM TITLE: 2014 ANNUAL ROUTE REVIEW AND PRICING PLAN
PREPARED BY: Andy Vobora, Lane Transit District
Director of Customer Services and Planning
ACTION REQUESTED: None. Information Only.
BACKGROUND:
Lane Transit District staff has begun the 2014 Annual Route Review (ARR). Staff will provide a
description of the proposed changes identified for consideration during this review period as well as the public engagement process and decision-making steps leading to the LTD Board’s adoption of service changes on April 16, 2014.
To date, LTD Service Planning staff have identified several changes and have reviewed them with the Service Advisory Committee, which is a staff committee composed of drivers, Operations staff, and
service planners. In addition, these proposals have been presented to and discussed by the Board
Service Committee.
The attached maps illustrate the changes being considered and the following chart describes the details
of the proposal:
• Route 11 Thurston – Requests have been made for bus service to the Springfield Relief Nursery and
to the neighborhood along Jasper Road. Walking distance and lack of street connectivity make it
difficult for residents living in the neighborhoods south of Jasper Road to access bus service along Main Street. By deviating route 11 once per hour, two-way service can be provided to this
neighborhood. Service would operate weekdays and cover a span from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Two-
way service allows students attending Thurston High School to access a direct trip to and from school, and similarly, residents wanting to access shopping, services, and restaurants along Main
Street and at the 58th Street node will have good weekday connections. Those wishing to connect to other LTD routes will have a direct connection at the Springfield Station. The staff sees this proposal as an interim solution and it is envisioned that stand-alone route or a connector route will serve this
area in the future.
• Route 19 Fairview – This route exhibited substandard ridership productivity in the 2010 and was
slated for deletion as part of the District’s restructuring of services. The Board chose to reduce the service frequency to provide a lifeline level, six daily trips, in an effort to maintain some service along the route. Ridership continues to struggle, and because the service is very costly to operate, staff is
again recommending deleting the route. Access to nearby service is available to many of the residents who wish to use transit.
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Attachment 1 - Page 2
• Route 27 Fairmount – Inbound routing is proposed to be shifted to Oak Street. Currently the bus uses High Street. This change provides better connections to nearby shopping.
• Route 28 Hilyard - As part of the 2010 restructuring, two routes serving the Amazon corridor were
consolidated into one route. However, the span of service on this new route didn’t match the span that had previously been offered. Staff is recommending the addition of a 9:45 p.m. and 10:45 p.m.
trips Monday through Saturday. This fills out the span of service for these neighborhoods.
• Route 40 Echo Hollow – A change in the departure schedule is recommended in order to create
consistency throughout the day and to reduce inefficient deadheading that had been occurring. The use out-of-service buses (deadheading) is currently used to begin inbound trips ahead of the bus operating the route. The current practice allows the route to connect to major pulse connections at
the Eugene Station, but is costly to the District.
• Route 55 River Road Connector – This route circulates through the neighborhood west of River Road
and north of Park Avenue. It is used by some North Eugene High School students and resident who
wish to access shopping and services near River Road and Belt Line Road. It’s an inefficient route to operate and productivity is lagging. Staff is recommending the same level of service, but a re-routing
to have the bus begin and end at the Eugene Station. This means less neighborhood coverage, but better connections and more consistent timing of trips.
• Route 78 UO – This route currently operates from late September to mid-June and serves the 18th
Avenue corridor and the University of Oregon. The proposal is to operate the route year-round. This is partly due to interest from riders who continue travelling to the UO during the summer and because
the Rexius Forest Products property, along Bailey Hill Road, is developing into a mixed-use residential development.
• Route 96 Coburg – The proposal is the re-route this service from the Coburg Road corridor through the middle of the Ferry Street Bridge neighborhood west of Coburg Road. This provides a minimal level of service to a low income housing site. Additionally, the change in routing to utilize County
Farm Road will allow the route to service new high density housing and the future low income Bascom Village development. Two additional trips are proposed, bringing the total number of trips to
six daily. This service only operates weekdays. This proposal is seen as an interim solution and staff
will be evaluating how to better serve the neighborhoods currently unserved in the Ferry Street Bridge area.
• Holiday Service – Since the restructuring of service in 2010, holiday service has been one the most asked for services. The District had traditionally operated 363 days each year. Thanksgiving and
Christmas had been the only two days that service was not provided, however in 2010 four additional
holidays were eliminated. The need for riders to access jobs and other activities on these days is very important and therefore the proposal is to restore Sunday service levels on the 4th of July, Labor
Day, New Year’s Day, and Memorial Day.
As part the process of reviewing potential service changes, District staff develops a multi-year package of service needs. During the Council discussion, staff will highlight a number of the service additions that
are coming over the next several years.
In addition to a review of service changes, the District’s fare policy supports rotating fare price increases, which means that the District should evaluate a monthly pass fare increase for 2014. The Board chose
not to adjust any part of the fare structure in 2013, and the last fare increase occurred in 2012 when cash
fares were increased. The last monthly pass fare increase occurred in 2010.
A $2.00 increase in adult monthly passes and a $1.00 increase in youth and half-fare program pass prices is under review, and, if approved, these increases would represent approximately a 4 percent increase. The consumer price index rose an average of 2 percent per year during the past four years.
Staff will present a review covering each of the fare policy considerations and will request direction from
the Board.
Attachment 1 - Page 3
The District’s fare policy states the following:
When considering changes to the fare, the Board will consider:
• The effects of the change on Title VI populations
• The inflation rate
• Ridership and revenue trends
• Local economic trends
• Trends in automobile-related costs, such as gasoline
• Service changes
• Economic impact on customers
• Market conditions and opportunities
• The District's financial situation
• The District's goals and objectives The Title VI analysis, which looks at the effects of a fare change on minority and low-income riders, is
underway. If complete in time for presentation at the January 15 Board meeting, Staff will review the analysis; otherwise, this report will be provided to the Board prior to the February Regular Board meeting.
Group pass pricing changes are traditionally made annually; however, the Board has, in response to the economic downturn, chosen not to increase prices during the past three years. An increase in the rate would not affect current participants until contracts are renewed in January 2015. Rates stand at $5.12
per participant, per month (taxpayer rate), and $5.95 per participant, per month (non-taxpayer rate). The group pass policy allows the Board flexibility in setting prices and provides the following language to guide
the Board’s discussion: “The base rate will be increased annually, not to exceed the three-year rolling
average of LTD cost increases.” LTD’s three-year rolling average is 5.8 percent, which would set the upper limit of an increase at $5.42 (taxpayer rate) and $6.30 (non-taxpayer rate).
If the Board supports moving forward with a fare increase, staff will prepare the proposal for public review. Outreach will be implemented along with efforts to communicate the annual route review and would
include paid and non-paid media, direct marketing to riders, a mailing to Title VI organizations, and more. A public hearing is required; and at this time, the District is planning for this hearing to take place at the Eugene Public Library in March. If a second hearing is necessary, it would be scheduled in conjunction
with the April 16, 2014, Board meeting and also would be held at the Eugene Public Library.
If, following a discussion of the public testimony, the Board approves a fare increase, the effective date of the increase would be July 1, 2014. The exception to this implementation date is the change in group
pass rates, which is coordinated with the calendar year. Changes in service would be effective September 22, 2014, with the possible exception of holiday service that may involve operating Sunday service schedules on Independence Day, Labor Day, New Year’s Day, or Memorial Day.
ATTACHMENTS: Service Proposal Maps
PROPOSED MOTION: None.
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Attachment 2