Friday, March 13, 2009
KU on Wheels and the Lawrence Transit System will have fewer bus routes and more stops if the city supports recommendations for a consolidated transit system.
Derek Meier, Independence, Kan., sophomore and transportation coordinator for KU on Wheels, said the recommendations would provide benefits for students.
Nick Gerik
“The proposed service better connects students to south Iowa commercial shopping or downtown entertainment,” Meier said. “Students living along the route corridor will have decent transit service even on days when the University is not in session, and also two hours later into the evening.”
The recommended changes include combining KU on Wheels routes No. 24, 31st and Iowa and No. 25, Downtown, into what would be route No. 11.
City route No. 8 would also be added into route No. 11,. Route No. 11 currently runs through Daisy Hill, around Pioneer Cemetery near West Campus to 19th Street, and down to Ousdahl Road from 19th to 23rd streets.
The proposed route No. 11 would run an alternate route in the evening and on the weekends, stopping at Daisy Hill and Oliver Hall and traveling downtown and to 31st and Iowa streets.
Alyssa Jordan, Olathe freshman, lives in McCollum and said she would use the bus on the evenings and the weekends because of the convenience.
“As long as it came up to Daisy Hill,” Jordan said. “Normally I have to take a bus to get down to campus.”
Bo Herring, Lenexa freshman, said he would use the bus to go shopping.
“With Wal-Mart being right there, I would definitely use that bus,” Herring said.
A minor change is also suggested for KU on Wheels route No. 26, 25th and Melrose. The proposed change would cut Oread Avenue from the current route.
Other changes include coordinating city route No. 1 with route No. 2, and city route No. 3 with route No. 4. The current system interlines city route No. 3 with route No. 2 and city route No. 1 with route No. 4.
The KU Transit Commission will hold a public hearing from 4 to 6 p.m. this Wednesday in the Relays Room at the Burge Union for students to give feedback on the recommended changes.
Meier said KU on Wheels would explore the possibility of implementing a designated-stops-only system at off-campus locations. This would replace the current flag-down system, which allows students to hail buses off campus at locations other than at designated stops.
Meier said there would be more stops put in place to compensate for the change to the system.
“Designated stops only improve the safety, reliability, and timeliness of the transit system,” Meier said. “If the Transit Commission decides to move forward with implementing such policy, sufficient time will be given for students to request stop locations.”
There will also be a Public Transit Advisory Committee meeting from 4:10 to 5:30 p.m., March 24 in the Lawrence Public Library Auditorium for any member of the public to comment on the route recommendations.
Casey Toomay, budget manager and interim transit administrator, said PTAC would take any public comment into consideration and then give recommendations to the city commission. The recommendations are on the agenda for the March 31 city commission meeting, where commissioners will decide whether to approve the new routes.
— —Edited by Susan Melgren
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