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CO: RTD's draft plan proposes bringing back some Longmont, Boulder routes - Mass Transit Magazine

Feb. 18—Despite staffing shortages and budget constraints, the Regional Transportation District is hopeful that a draft plan will restore at least 85% of its pre-COVID-19 service hours, including reviving and expanding services for some Boulder and Longmont routes.

The proposed System Optimization plan is part of the Reimagine RTD initiative. Doug Monroe, RTD manager of corridor planning, said the plan is looking to evaluate the services RTD offers and to propose a route network that will meet the travel needs of the community. It will also take into account the fiscal and workforce challenges that RTD has faced throughout the pandemic. This means addressing things such as declining ridership trends and changing demand.

Bill Sirois, RTD senior manager, said work on the Reimagine plan began three years ago and has had to be adapted to those challenges posed by the pandemic.

"Even when we started, we understood that we were going to have to look to tighten our belts because we knew we were putting on more service than we could handle," Sirois said. "(Since the pandemic), we've been impacted even more. It's really challenged us from a resources standpoint."

While not all service will be restored, there is good news for Longmont and Boulder riders.

Among the planned restoration is a revival of Route LX1, which runs from Longmont to Denver. Service could run from Colo. 66 and Main Street to Denver Union Station. The route is among those that have been suspended because of the pandemic.

Route BOLT, which runs between Longmont and Boulder, could phase toward bus rapid transit with the introduction of a new pattern along Hover Road and to University of Colorado Boulder's east campus. As part of the State Highway 119 Bus Rapid Transit study a new park and ride could open by 2025 at Colo. 66 and Main Street. The plan also describes a new transit center at First Avenue and Coffman Street.

Some Flatiron Flyer routes also could return, including FF2 express service from Boulder Station and intermediate stops at Table Mesa and McCaslin; and FF4 from Boulder Junction with stops at Table Mesa, McCaslin, Broomfield and Sheridan.

Route DASH, which travels from Boulder to Lafayette is planned to provide additional service to residential areas. According to the plan, the Lafayette end-of-line layover will be on 120th Street, where a new bus layover facility is planned.

There are several Boulder County pre-pandemic routes not included in the plan, such as route 209, a University of Colorado Boulder campus area route; Route Y, which has been replaced with a taxi voucher program instead; LD2; 205T, FF6 and FF7. Route J, will have a different name designation, and is planned to be part of the State Highway 119 Bus Rapid Transit's Route BOLT.

To gather more feedback on the System Optimization Plan, RTD staff announced that they would be extending the public comment period through March 9. Initially, the public comment period was slated to end Feb. 9.

After the comment period ends, the RTD board is expected to consider adopting the plan in the spring. The proposed changes may be phased in over five years, with the full implementation likely not possible until 2027, because of workforce limitations and financial constraints, according to an RTD news release.

Monroe and Sirois said RTD continues to face challenges that other transportation industries across the nation are seeing because of the coronavirus pandemic. This includes the need for more staff. They said RTD is short about 150 bus and rail operators.

Sirois said travel patterns have also changed.

"We've seen a lot less commuting ... that has had a big impact on ridership," Sirois said. "Our services that have probably seen the biggest decreases in ridership have been our regional and commuter based routes and even some light rail routes. More of what has retained ridership is our urban bus routes and the A line to the airport."

Ridership is down about 40% to 50% across all areas that RTD services, they said. Fare revenue makes up about 15% to 20% of the transportation service's budget, Sirois said. RTD has received some federal COVID-19 relief dollars, which has helped to make up the difference, he said.

The System Optimization Plan is looking to address lost revenue and ridership.

"We think that a realistic target is that 85% (in revived service hours)," Sirois said. "We don't think we can go above that, because if we did, we would push our budget too far, in addition to having all the workforce challenges as well."

The plan marks the first overhaul of RTD's network across the entire service district since the late '70s, they said.

Sirois and Monroe encouraged people to share their feedback on the plan with RTD. So far, RTD has received about 1,000 comments about the plan. They said they hope that residents can provide constructive input that recognizes the challenges RTD faces.

Residents can see the full draft plan at bit.ly/3hbyRIF. Those interested can share comments via email to communityengagement@rtd-denver.com as well as through voicemail by calling 303-489-7792.

     ___

     (c)2022 the Daily Times-Call (Longmont, Colo.)

     Visit the Daily Times-Call (Longmont, Colo.) at www.timescall.com

     Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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