When a Tempe Express bus pulls away from the curb on Broadway Roadnear Loop 101, it begins a 50-minute journey to downtown Phoenix.That 19-mile trip, on Route 520, winds through severalneighborhoods and includes up to 12 stops before the bus reachesthe freeway -- not exactly "express" in the literal sense. But the pace soon could pick up. Looking to save money andstreamline service, Valley Metro wants to revamp its 20 Valley-wideExpress routes and make them truly express. The routes would becomemore like Rapid buses, which operate within Phoenix and travel fromoutlying park-and-ride lots directly to downtown. The Rapids alsooffer more comfortable seating.
Under the new plan, the Express buses, which would keep their name,would allow riders from across the Valley to reach theirdestinations more quickly. An Express bus would have one pickuppoint at a park-and-ride lot near a freeway, and then, within afairly short time, get into the carpool lane to whisk passengers totheir destination. Typically, that's downtown Phoenix. "We are restructuring our entire Express bus system to be morepark-and-ride-based," said Paul Hodgins, Valley Metro'sregional-planning manager. "The Rapids have shown how successfulthat park-and-ride system can be." Valley Metro's board is scheduled to vote Thursday on the changes,which would take effect at the end of July, marking a major steptoward the goal of a more efficient commuter bus system.
"Our ultimate goal is to have an entirely park-and-ride (commuter)system," Hodgins said. The changes also would include cuts to service. Six Express routesthat start in Glendale, Mesa, Chandler and Avondale would beeliminated. Other routes would be adjusted or have fewer daily runsor stops. Only six of the 20 routes would be unaffected.
Modified Express runs would be 10 to 30 minutes faster, Hodginssaid. The new Tempe Express, which would be 4 miles shorter, wouldreach downtown Phoenix in 34 minutes. The changes may alienate some passengers but attract many new ones,Hodgins said. "Current users will be inconvenienced. They will have to drive tothe park-and-rides or transfer buses," Hodgins said.
"It maydissuade some people from taking the Expresses. There will be somelost riders, but the gains will far outweigh them." Hodgins predicts that the bus agency will save $2 million a year inoperating costs by running fewer and more-direct buses. Michele Gamez, who's ridden Route 520 in Tempe since 1999 and hasattended public meetings about the changes, said many riders areskeptical of the changes. She predicted that 90 percent of the people on her bus instead willdrive to downtown Phoenix, where she works, because they'll losetheir neighborhood stop and won't want to drive to a park-and-ride.
"Most people I know, if they are going to get in their car, theywill stay in their car," she said. Others will be stranded becausethey don't have a car or are disabled. "They won't (gain) riders," Gamez, 46, said of the system. "They'lllose the ones they have now." Valley Metro officials point to ridership figures to justifystreamlining Expresses. Four Rapid lines carry more than 3,600 passengers per weekday onaverage, more than all 20 Express buses.
In the last 12 months,combined ridership on Rapid and Express buses jumped 12 percentover the previous year. That growth was four times what it was onlocal routes. Among the Expresses, those that already rely on park-and-ride-basedservice saw a nearly 24 percent increase in ridership, while thosethat circulate locally to pick up passengers, like the TempeExpress, lost riders. People who ride Express and Rapid buses are different thanpassengers aboard local service.
The Express and Rapid buses caterto commuters, who tend to have higher incomes, more cars and morechoices. A local passenger typically walks to the bus stop whenit's a quarter-mile or less away, but people will drive as far as10 miles to a park-and-ride lot. Many Express routes were introduced years before the region builtup its network of freeways, carpool lanes and park-and-ride lots.Consequently, buses like the Tempe Express wind their way throughneighborhoods, picking up passengers along the way, before gettingon the freeway. Valley Metro says that system is outdated and inefficient. Regional-transportation planners are seeking to entice solo driversout of their cars to reduce freeway congestion and air pollution.The light-rail system is part of that strategy, along withpark-and-ride lots and carpool lanes.
Most of it is being paid forby Proposition 400, a transportation sales tax passed by voters in2004. I am a professional writer from Energy Related Products, which contains a great deal of information about eastern star emblem , brown corduroy jackets, welcome to visit!
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