The Community Transit Board of Directors this afternoon selected the so-called "Hybrid Alternative" as the service plan for the agency's 2012 System Change.
The Hybrid Alternative combines the commuter route network proposed in Alternative I with the local route network proposed in Alternative III, with some modifications to each. The Hybrid Alternative does not include Sunday service.
Community Transit will reduce bus service by 20 percent in February 2012 due to low sales tax revenue as a result of the recession. A public outreach period this summer generated more than 2,000 public comments about the original three alternatives for service reductions, plus the hybrid alternative that was added in early August.
Board members were divided over the service plan, with Snohomish County Councilmember Dave Gossett, Lynnwood Councilmember Ted Hikel, Mountlake Terrace Mayor Jerry Smith, Snohomish County Councilmember Dave Somers, Mill Creek Mayor Mike Todd and Stanwood Mayor Dianne White voting for the hybrid alternative, and Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine, Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring and Gold Bar City Councilmember Steve Slawson voting against the hybrid alternative.
Although several board members said their first choice was another of the alternatives, no motion was made for a vote on any but the hybrid alternative.
In coming months, schedules and maps for the new service plan will be created. An extensive public outreach effort will take place early in 2012 to help riders get familiar with the new routing and schedules. The new service plan will take effect on Monday, Feb. 20, 2012.
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This is the worst possible choice for my ability to use the bus. I have always voted in favor of increasing funding for Transit, but this is a slap in the face. I hope that Community Transit doesn't hope for any further support from me.
ReplyDeleteGreedy!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it is a terrible choice, but all of the options had their downsides. It eliminates the two routes I always rode. But without funding, there is not a lot they can do to move towards more service at this time and not supporting them, which most likely means less ridership, will only decrease funds more and create a bigger problem. I don't think we are going to feel like we are back into a winning situation until things pick up economically, and unfortunately, this targets many of those who are already in a worse economic situation.
ReplyDeletePlease let #410 stops at Ash Way Park & Ride when returning back from Seattle in the afternoon...
ReplyDeleteI feel sry for the 435 riders who start there trips in mays pond and along BOTHELL-EVERETT HWY and not CANYON PK. it seems as though CT wants all these ppl to make transfers whn commuters, like myself prefer to take one bus and not transfer between buses.
ReplyDeleteIt would be good if the later PM route 435 trips that end at Canyon Park and then return to the Kasch Park bus base would travel along SR-527 and continue in service at least to 186th St SE. Similar for early-morning 435 trips coming from Kasch Park.
ReplyDeleteThe mileage on the buses would be about the same, and the platform hours probably would increase only a little. To make up for the increase in hours, you could end evening service on route 106 at 6:30 pm instead of 7:30 pm--ridership from the Bothell business parks should be lower at that time of day.
I'd be curious to see how many votes each category actually received and if the board even took that in to consideration. I voted to keep Sunday schedule on, not even for myself but for others that rely on that service to get them to work, church, and other places they need to be. It is a shame that the board did not think about those that have no other transportation aside from Community Transit and actually would like to be able to get places on Sundays. I personally work a 9-5 Monday to Friday so I really only need the bus at those times, but there are many others in our communities that do not fall under the white collar category. Shame on Community Transit for continuing to not offer service on Sundays. There are many people in our community that now cannot even go to church for an hour in the morning thanks to the board's decision.
ReplyDeleteGood idea swamp creek, the 435 is a regular ct bus and comes from main base not kasch park, same route to get their though.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThere are several good comments about what can be done along some routes now that a service decision has been made. I'd like to remind you that this blog is here for discussion purposes so we can all talk about things like this. But if you want to formally submit a comment to our planners, please send your comment to riders@commtrans.org.
ReplyDeleteOur planning staff take input from riders all year long. Unfortunately, not every suggestion can be implemented, but they are always looking for good ideas from those who use our service.
@Anonymous #4, a summary of comments received this summer is available on our website at http://www.communitytransit.org/News/2012Comments/.
Thanks to the added time to the 417 route and the already full PnR lots; you just lost a rider.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to see anything on the buses about the plan picked, most of the riders don't know anything about it, and most of the bus drivers I talked to have said they have not been told by the company what plan was chosen, or anything about it, just info and rumors from a few passengers who read it on web.
ReplyDeleteThe October Important News flyer will have information about the board decision on the hybrid alternative.
ReplyDeleteOnce the board made its decision, we immediately updated the website, posted a blog article and sent out a news release. The news was carried on most TV stations and in The Herald newspaper that weekend.
We debated creating a Rider Alert for buses to carry the news of the decision, but simply saying which alternative was chosen might not mean much to those who did not know the details of each alternative.
Important News is our regular monthly news piece, so it seemed most appropriate to include the information there. Truthfully, I did not feel like creating a "special edition" because it would seem like we were spending extra money to let people know we don't have money.
How soon are they going to give an idea of what the new schedule will look like for local busses?
ReplyDeleteThis is more than likely going to affect what time i can get to work, so knowing sooner than later is going to be a benefit
There is still considerable work to do on the service planning side to get us to actual schedules for the new network. Considering that the local network is being reconfigured, there is even more work than most years.
ReplyDeleteWe're hoping to have a planner write a blog about what this work is they they're doing now, but they're pretty busy at this moment.
Beginning last year, we began putting PDF versions of the new schedules online once we sent the Bus Plus book to the printer, which is typically about 7 weeks before the service change. This gives riders almost two months to know the stop times before this takes place.
As mentioned in the article, there also will be in-person outreach on buses and at park & rides to help people get prepared.