KCRag Forum

jct will hold two open house public meetings next week -- tuesday at slyvester powell center in mission and thursday at matt ross center in overland park -- to gather public input on their plans for improved transit / brt in the metcalf / shawnee mission parkway corridor.

http://www.thejo.com/resources/MetcalfS ... tudy.shtml

both meetings are accessible by transit and hours are 5 to 7 pm.

i've been told that the tusday meeting might be accompanied by citizen expressions of opposition to mission's new "driveway tax."

it's good to have meetings, of course, but jct needs to get serious about building ridership in this corridor.  if they don't, there won't be any federal money to implement brt.

This is probably DOA.

Johnson County panel offers plan to fund expanded bus service

Johnson County should slowly raise property taxes or impose a countywide vehicle registration fee to pay for expanded bus service, a new report recommends.

The report, compiled by a task force created by the Johnson County Commission, suggests a phased approach to improving transit in the county.

Also:

One route, which runs along 75th Street to the Waldo area of Kansas City, has seen a gradual increase in ridership since starting last July. In its first month, it had 442 boardings. By December, it had 1,150.

Ridership has risen about 11.5 percent on two Metcalf Avenue routes, which go to downtown Kansas City and the Plaza. There were 4,172 boardings in December, compared with 3,742 in July.

A 160% increase in ridership in sixth months is gradual?

I think Ed Eilert is quoted in the article as saying any tax increase is a non-starter.

chingon wrote: I think Ed Eilert is quoted in the article as saying any tax increase is a non-starter.

which is why he MUST hear from his constituents... frequently and loudly. maybe we need to assemble a form email?

I got a better idea:

Give them enough rope and let them hang themselves.

^^^^ there were 23 days of service in december, 22 one-way trips each, for a total of 506 trips.  1150 boardings / 506 trips = 2.27 boardings per trip.  that's pretty low riderhip.

^ who is the "them" that you would let hang themselves, and what would that accomplish?

KCMax wrote: A 160% increase in ridership in sixth months is gradual?

JO ridership is so microscopic that 160% increase likely equates to a dozen people.

^ who is the "them" that you would let hang themselves, and what would that accomplish?

Johnson Co.'s elected leadership and their constituents. I suppose it would accomplish allowing them to continue to ignore funding transit in their county.

I think the writing is on the wall for cities that fail to provide viable mass transit in the near future, KC included. I don't see any reason to write letters to elected official who campaign on anti-community, anti-tax platforms begging them to promote a tax for a community service that seems pretty marginal now but soon will not.

the jo's 75th street route (575/875) now connects with troost max at 75th and troost as well as main street max at waldo.  http://www.thejo.com/pdf/Rider/575-875.pdf 

another tiny bit of progress toward a well-connected regional transit system. 

on the down side, the midday schedule still requires several intermediate stops to kill time.  troost to jccc takes about 50 minutes morning and evening, about 80 minutes middays.  the schedule is designed to be slow to accommodate people who call for off-route pickup or dropoff.  very few people request that service, however, and the resulting trip is excruciatingly slow for other transit riders.

This is great news, although I can already imagine Johnson Counties complaining over the fact that people on Troost now have transit access to their neighborhoods. FEAR!!!!

80 minutes for a midday trip from Troost to JCCC?  Wow.  Transit will never (and shouldn't necessarily have to) compete with a private auto in pure trip time in city like KC but that is just insane.  Given that huge limitation, I don't forecast a large number of new riders (and probably 0% car owners) on what should otherwise be a nice new regional connection. 

rxlexi wrote: 80 minutes for a midday trip from Troost to JCCC?  Wow.  Transit will never (and shouldn't necessarily have to) compete with a private auto in pure trip time in city like KC but that is just insane.  Given that huge limitation, I don't forecast a large number of new riders (and probably 0% car owners) on what should otherwise be a nice new regional connection. 

What if you don't have a car?

What if you don't have a car?

Then I suppose you make do with whatever service is available, however lackluster. 

I'm more concerned with building desirable, USEABLE connections that will enhance the connectivity of our region, particularly within the urban core.  Desirable, in this case, to not only those that have no other choice, but more specifically to do those that do, to encourage a broader way of thinking about moving throughout our region and to get people out of cars.  No one is going to leave their car for this commute to JCCC.

the jo has tweeted that they will do a customer survey beginning april 1.  it'll be online http://www.thejo.com, or ask for a survey form from a driver.

so let's get ready:  what's on your wish list?

I don't use the JO due to my job entailing traveling to more than a single office, but I do see JO riders waiting out in the weather for the buses.  It would seem to be a smart business move to provide shelters at larger JO stops for those riders.

When did the JO buy coaches?  Do they use them?  On what routes?

Very nice.  I didn't know metro KC had any commuter coaches.

I believe the coaches are for the K-10 route, which goes out to Lawrence.

has anybody taken the jo's customer survey?
http://www.thejo.com/survey.shtml

i think they need to hear from non-riders even more than they need to hear from riders.  (they do too much to cater to their regular riders and not enough to attract new ones, in my opinion.)

the jo is looking for another hundred people to take their survey, according to twitter. 
http://www.thejo.com/survey.shtml
questions are oriented mostly to current riders, but they need to hear from you even if you don't ride.

ten lucky respondents will be selected to receive free 10-ride passes. 

enough wrote: the jo is looking for another hundred people to take their survey, according to twitter. 
http://www.thejo.com/survey.shtml
questions are oriented mostly to current riders, but they need to hear from you even if you don't ride.

ten lucky respondents will be selected to receive free 10-ride passes. 

Please ask for weekend service!