April 4, 2013 Kansas City Area Transportation Authority Redesigning Downtown Transit Need for a New Downtown Transit Plan

. Final component of CSA . Coordinate bus and streetcar service . Things have changed: – New development – Street configurations – Demographics – Travel patterns – Introduction of streetcar . Provide better service Goals

. Easy to use and understand . Better service within downtown . Convenient connections . Efficient bus routings . Facilities and services that will strengthen downtown – Promote vibrant street life – Support development Existing Downtown Transit

. Not intuitive: – Which routes leave from where? – Where are connections made? – How to get around within downtown? . Different operating patterns preclude schedule coordination

4 Existing Downtown Transit

. 50 routes – 42 KCATA – 8 JCT . Over 300 stops (!) . Over 30,000 transit trips to, from, and within downtown Existing Downtown Transit Facilities

. 10th & Main transit center . 3rd & Grand transit center . MAX stations . Stops almost every block . Bus-only lanes based on older street patterns . Streetcar (soon) Best Practices from Other Cities

. Service design . Transit priority corridors . Transit centers . Transit malls Focusing Service - Intersecting Trunk Routes

. Connections between all or most services . Understandable pattern

St Paul Indianapolis Intersecting Trunk Routes for KC? Transit Priority Corridors

. Service concentrated in select corridors . Provide high priority to transit

Portland

Portland Seattle Bus Only Lanes

. Dedicated traffic lane to speed bus service . Regular flow . Contraflow

New York Pittsburgh Transit Priority Corridors?

. Where: 11th, 12th, Grand, Main, other? . Single street or one-way pair? . Regular flow or contraflow bus lanes? Transit Malls

. Most Successful Transit Malls in: – Minneapolis – Portland – Denver Transit Malls: Minneapolis

. Bus and taxi; streetcar being considered . Downtown’s “Main Street”, 13 blocks long . Lined with restaurants, office buildings, retail stores, and cultural facilities

Minneapolis Nicollet Mall Transit Malls: Portland

. Bus and light rail . Portland’s transit spine, 18 blocks long . Pair of one-way streets; 2 of 3 lanes are transit-only

Portland Transit Mall Transit Malls: Denver

. Single dedicated bus route in mall . Other routes on adjacent streets . 16 blocks through the center of Downtown . Lined with outdoor cafes, offices, restaurants, and retail

Denver 16th Street Mall Transit Mall for KC?

. Where: 11th, 12th, Grand, other? . Single street? . One-way pair? Transit Centers

. Focal point(s) for downtown transit . However, need to avoid concentrating too many buses and people in single location

Charlotte Transportation Center Grand Rapids Central Station Downtown Transit Centers: Cincinnati

. Single downtown terminal in heart of downtown . Focal point of most Cincinnati transit service (>40 routes) . Stops distributed around most of one city block

Cincinnati Government Square Transit Center Superstops

. Better/more comfortable facilities at major locations . Enhance attractiveness of downtown streets . Faster service/fewer stops

Portland Transit Centers/Superstops for KC?

. Single downtown transit center or multiple? . Consolidate local stops into Superstops? . Where? Approach for Downtown Kansas City?

. Best practices from other cities – More focused services? – Transit priority corridors? – Bus-only lanes? – Transit mall? – New transit center(s)? Your Input Tonight

1. What works and what doesn’t? 2. How can things be improved?