KC Skyscrapers Public Transportation Survey

KCK · Post by **KCK** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 8:25 am

What city do you live in?
Which public transit service(s) does your city use?
How close is the nearest bus stop to your residence?
How close is the nearest bus stop to your place of work/school?
How long would it take you to get to work/school using public transportation?
Have you ever used your city's public transportation?

Any comments?

KCforumer · Post by **KCforumer** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 10:55 pm

I live in suburban KCK and, believe it or not, Leavenworth Rd has a bus route. Although, like the Parallel PKWY route, it only runs Monday through Friday at a frequency of once per hour and from about 6:00 AM until 6:00 PM.

Before I drove, I rode the bus a lot, whether it was to go eat on State Av or go to Walmart or Kmart or to ride into the city to Crown Center or the Plaza for the movie theaters and such.

KCforumer · Post by **KCforumer** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 11:10 pm

Now that I have a car and can drive, I haven't ridden the bus in a long time, until today. Today, I rode my bicycle from my area of western KCK to St. Joseph Medical Center in South Kansas City at I-435 and State Line! I took my time along the way, enjoying the ride. I went down Leavenworth Rd, Parallel, State, Central, 7th St/Rainbow BLVD, 39th St, Wornall, Brookside Drive, the Trolley Track Trail, and more. I hit Central Av in KCK, the KU Med area, Volker, Westport, the Plaza, Crestwood, Loose Park, Brookside, Waldo, and South Kansas City. Anyway, I was tired and chose to ride The Metro back home from the hospital, which I only did part of the way. I rode the #156 Red Bridge route, which is basically an extension south of the #56 Country Club route, from St. Joseph Medical Center at I-435 and State Line to that routes northern terminus--Waldo. For some reason, I had thought all of The Metro's buses are equipped with bike racks, which I found not to be true. Luckily, the #156 Red Bridge driver was a nice guy and allowed me to take my bicycle on the bus through the rear door, which was great, because the part of the ride between Waldo and South KC is the worst part. When I arrived in Waldo, I had planned to transfer to the #56 Country Club route, which would have taken me downtown to 10th and Main, where I would have gotten on the #101 Minnesota Av route, which would have taken me to Indian Springs mall in KCK, which I had planned to ride my bike a few miles from to get to my neighborhood of have my mom pick me up. However, the #56 Country Club bus, at that time, did not have a bike rack. Of course, the woman driver wouldn't allow me to bring my bike on to the bus. So I changed my plans and rode my bike from Waldo along the Trolley Track Trail back through the Plaza, then Westport, and into the KU Med area of KCK, where I got on the #107 7th St/Parallel route, which had a bike rack, and took me to Indian Springs via downtown KCK, where my step dad picked me up.

As you can see, I rode the bus today! Also, my butt hurts. I need a gel seat cover for my bike.

Anyway, one thing I don't understand is why so many routes that could be one are chopped up into two. For example, the #156 Red Bridge route is simply an extention of the #56 Country Club route. The two routes should be one. That way it would be much more convenient. A person could ride all the way from St. Joseph Med Center to downtown KCMO at 10th and Main and the other way around. I do understand that the route #156 Red Bridge makes trips less frequently, but that can be dealt with in a way that The Metro already used. Simply having only every other (or every 3rd, whatever is needed) #56 Country Club route travel the entire length of the #156 Red Bridge route. the #56 and #156 are just one example. There are many other routes like this, even in KCK.

Oh.. and I wonder why so many of the buses do not have bike racks?!

carfreekc · Post by **carfreekc** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 11:48 pm

KCforumer wrote:Anyway, one thing I don't understand is why so many routes that could be one are chopped up into two. For example, the #156 Red Bridge route is simply an extention of the #56 Country Club route. The two routes should be one. That way it would be much more convenient. A person could ride all the way from St. Joseph Med Center to downtown KCMO at 10th and Main and the other way around. I do understand that the route #156 Red Bridge makes trips less frequently, but that can be dealt with in a way that The Metro already used. Simply having only every other (or every 3rd, whatever is needed) #56 Country Club route travel the entire length of the #156 Red Bridge route. the #56 and #156 are just one example. There are many other routes like this, even in KCK.

The #156 Red Bridge route did used to be part of the #56 Country Club. Only some of the 56 buses went out that far, just as some 51 routes go out to Ward Pkwy mall and others don't. However, in 2002 they chopped the 56 route in two after the state cut funding to the ATA. And typical...the ATA hasn't included the 156/56 in planned improvements from the recent sales tax increase. I used to ride the 156 to work (thankfully I don't have to anymore), and I don't think they've ever even fixed the too-close transfer times between the two routes at certain points in the day. Nothing like missing your bus by a couple of minutes and having to wait for another 45-60 minutes because they aren't timed to transfer.

Post by **staubio** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 1:00 am

DeadManWalking wrote:What city do you live in?
Which public transit service(s) does your city use?
How close is the nearest bus stop to your residence?
How close is the nearest bus stop to your place of work/school?
How long would it take you to get to work/school using public transportation?
Have you ever used your city's public transportation?

Any comments?

I live in Kansas City, Missouri.

The #51 runs right outside my bedroom window. The 51 rules! I can also walk to the 39, 47, 56, 57 if one of those routes serves me better and I have some time.

The Jo has a service starting a reasonable walk from my apartment to my workplace.

It takes an hour via bus(a few out-of-the-way stops), 30 minutes via car, 40 minutes via bike.

I seldom drive anywhere during the weekends as I never leave the core. I always take the bus or ride my bike. When I go out, I take the bus downtown and take a cab home.

I've heard others that have complained about the lack of racks on some buses. Personally, I haven't used them yet, but they are usually always on the front of the 51.

Post by **bahua** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 4:37 am

DeadManWalking wrote:What city do you live in?
Which public transit service(s) does your city use?
How close is the nearest bus stop to your residence?
How close is the nearest bus stop to your place of work/school?
How long would it take you to get to work/school using public transportation?
Have you ever used your city's public transportation?

Any comments?

I live in Kansas City, MO, where the KCATA claims to serve primarily.

The #12 stops eight feet from my living room door, the #25 stops on Broadway, about 100 feet away, and the Transit Plaza at 10th & Main is a four-block walk.

I worked at 89th & State Line until very recently, and the #51 would drop me off every morning right at the corner, and I picked it up in the evening at 88th & State Line. Now I work in Leavenworth, so it's back to the carpool.

It used to take about 40 minutes for me, each way.

I used the ATA almost exclusively, to get around, for a good deal of 2003 and 2004, and I miss it horribly now. Whenever I have friends visit, I always make it a point to ride the bus to get to Midtown, Westport, or the Plaza, and they are always ecstatic at the idea of not having to deal with parking, worrying about who's driving(hence, not drinking), and getting in some good exercise on one of Kansas City's many beautiful days.

I love riding the bus, and I want more than anything for the ATA to succeed, and be needed.

scooterj · Post by **scooterj** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 7:01 am

I live in KCMO. The nearest bus stop is 2 blocks from my home. I have never used public transportation in KC. I considered using it last fall when the lease ended on my previous car, but when I used the Metro's online route planner I found that the quickest route to work would take 35 minutes while it only takes 20 minutes for me to just walk there. So I bought a cheap car for errands and bad weather, and walk to work whenever the weather is nice.

KCforumer · Post by **KCforumer** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 8:03 am

carfreekc wrote:
KCforumer wrote:Anyway, one thing I don't understand is why so many routes that could be one are chopped up into two. For example, the #156 Red Bridge route is simply an extention of the #56 Country Club route. The two routes should be one. That way it would be much more convenient. A person could ride all the way from St. Joseph Med Center to downtown KCMO at 10th and Main and the other way around. I do understand that the route #156 Red Bridge makes trips less frequently, but that can be dealt with in a way that The Metro already used. Simply having only every other (or every 3rd, whatever is needed) #56 Country Club route travel the entire length of the #156 Red Bridge route. the #56 and #156 are just one example. There are many other routes like this, even in KCK.
The #156 Red Bridge route did used to be part of the #56 Country Club. Only some of the 56 buses went out that far, just as some 51 routes go out to Ward Pkwy mall and others don't. However, in 2002 they chopped the 56 route in two after the state cut funding to the ATA. And typical...the ATA hasn't included the 156/56 in planned improvements from the recent sales tax increase. I used to ride the 156 to work (thankfully I don't have to anymore), and I don't think they've ever even fixed the too-close transfer times between the two routes at certain points in the day. Nothing like missing your bus by a couple of minutes and having to wait for another 45-60 minutes because they aren't timed to transfer.

It seems that it would be more efficient and less expensive or at least not any more expensive to have the route as one rather than chopped. It is far more convenient. It doesn't make sense to me. I understand the frequency differences, but like you said, it is simple as only sending the Country Club bus farther south as needed. They already do that with many routes, such as Ward Parkway, like you said.

StL_Dan · Post by **StL_Dan** » Fri Apr 09, 2004 4:09 pm

What city do you live in?
Olathe
Which public transit service(s) does your city use?
The JO
How close is the nearest bus stop to your residence?
1/4 mile
How close is the nearest bus stop to your place of work/school?
don't know....assume it's a few hundred feet from the front doors
How long would it take you to get to work/school using public transportation?
45 mins or so
Have you ever used your city's public transportation?
No
Any comments?
I'm ashamed to admit I've never used or am formulating a way to consistently use The JO for home to work to home transportation

Post by **bahua** » Fri Apr 09, 2004 5:25 pm

One problem with the JO is that it only runs a couple of trips a day to Olathe, so if you miss the last bus in the evening, you're kind of screwed.

KCPowercat · Post by **KCPowercat** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 8:24 am

What city do you live in?

KCMO

Which public transit service(s) does your city use?

Metro

How close is the nearest bus stop to your residence?

100 feet?

How close is the nearest bus stop to your place of work/school?

On a metro flex route so could be right at the door

How long would it take you to get to work/school using public transportation?

1 hour plus

Have you ever used your city's public transportation?

Yes but not to work

KCK · Post by **KCK** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 1:24 pm

What city do you live in?

Kansas City, KS

Which public transit service(s) does your city use?

The Metro

How close is the nearest bus stop to your residence?

Right outside my front door

How close is the nearest bus stop to your place of work/school?

1 mile+ away, and it does not provide service in the hours I work

How long would it take you to get to work/school using public transportation?

If it did provide service in the hours I work, it would take me an hour or more to get to my job, and I would have to transfer several times. To get to school at Devry would take around an hour, I am guessing.

Have you ever used your city's public transportation?

Yes, but never to work or school.

Any comments?

It is impossible for me to get to work using public transportation due to the hours I work. The nearest bus stop is far away and I would have to walk quite a distance. The time it would take to get from my house to work makes it especially difficult. I could take The Metro to Devry every day, however, I go to class as soon as I get off of work, meaning that I would have to drive home from work, and catch the bus there. Kind of defeats the purpose. By the way, I work in Shawnee.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 2:58 pm

What city do you live in?

Overland Park, KS

Which public transit service(s) does your city use?

The Jo

How close is the nearest bus stop to your residence?

0.75 miles away (at JCCC)

How close is the nearest bus stop to your place of work/school?

Right outside the security guard shack, but doesn't provide service at 1am.

How long would it take you to get to work/school using public transportation?

Probably less than 10 minutes.

Have you ever used your city's public transportation?

No.

Any comments?

The Jo offers two routes daily to/from downtown KCMO. I believe one is around 8am and the other is around 5pm. It's completely inconvienant for me because of the schedule. I'd go downtown for dinner or entertainment and would be stranded there until the next morning.

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