Transit Customer Service from F to A grades

English: by me UTA bus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Bus 2909 of TriMet, the public transit agency in Portland, Oregon, is a 2009-built New Flyer D40LFR. It is pictured on Harrison Street at 4th Avenue in downtown Portland, outbound on route 54 to Beaverton Transit Center. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Denver - CBD: RTD Light Rail (Photo credit: wallyg)

     The following are three customer service examples from three different transit agencies in the western US. After reading the three incidents and the response from the transit agency, which one of these agencies would you like to be a customer of? The three offer the best examples of a total failure, adequate action, and giving outstanding customer service.

   

      

Denver RTD

Grade: F 

      Denver RTD gets the worst grade for customer service. My experience started when I flew into DIA for a meeting and took a RTD bus and light rail to my motel. I boarded one of their MCI commuter cruisers with an all day, all zone pass which I purchased on-line. The driver has to punch the day pass for it to be valid, well the driver did and punched the wrong day. Unfortunately the drivers do not carry day passes so when we got to the light rail station I had to purchase another day pass. 

      First of all I was not mad at the driver and when I talked to Denver RTD customer service I did not mention which bus or time that it happened. A couple of weeks, that's right weeks after I talk to them about the day pass they send me a nasty email saying basically too bad, not our problem. The email was extremely unprofessional and showed a lack of customer care by RTD. 

Portland TriMet

Grade: C

     I have been riding TriMet for about a year now since moving here to Portland. For the most part most of my trips are pretty uneventful except for the random person that has to talk on their cell phone way too loud telling the other person about their sex life and so on.  However, I have had two experiences with TriMet operators in which I took up an issue with their customer service department. I should point out that I have also sent in three commendations for drivers also so I am not only complaining, but also commend those that are excellent in their jobs. 

     In both incidents I got a email from a customer service rep that said sorry you had an issue and said the driver would be talked to. I will say that both letters were written individually and not form letters which I gives points to TriMet. TriMet does the basics in good customer service, nothing more so it gets a passing grade. 

Salt Lake City Utah Transit Authority

Grade: A 

     In my time riding UTA, I only one time sent in a complaint. That day I went to take one bus to a Park N Ride lot to catch a second bus. It was daylight out so that cannot be used as an excuse. The driver of the first bus passed me right on by didn't even bother to slow down. Immediately behind him was another bus deadheading to the Park N Ride lot. This driver hit is breaks but then kept on going. I then waited for the next bus to come along. Because the next was supposed to do a loop before heading to the Park N Ride lot I would miss my next bus. However, the driver of the next bus went ahead and dropped me at the Park N Ride Lot so I wouldn't miss my next bus. 

     The customer service person at UTA offered me two free day passes (since at the time I was not riding on a daily basis so I didn't need the discount on a monthly pass). Of course I didn't complain to get the free day passes and never sent in another complaint. However, UTA did the best job of taking care of the customer and ensuring they will be happy with UTA service. 

     You can clearly see why UTA gets the best grade here. Some would argue that they should not waste the money trying to please a dissatisfied customer however, that response would be narrow minded. Transit systems need to work on their customer service skills just like any other company that provides a service and deals with passengers every day of the week. 

     

       

Related articles

• Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective Customer Experience

Streetcar Basics

The interior of a Portland Streetcar. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: A car of the Portland Streetcar system at the eastbound Portland State University stop, on Market Street at the South Park Blocks. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A few years ago the thought of streetcars returning to our streets was a fantasy. Today several cites have either installed new streetcar lines, constructing lines, or in the advance planning stages. I support streetcars as I feel that they are a great step between basic bus service and full light rail service (notice I did not include BRT - Badly Repackaged Transit). 

The question is, what should be the priorities of new streetcar lines. The most famous new streetcar line is off course the Portland Streetcar. To be honest, I rode it on Monday but overall I rarely do. Now that I spend more time downtown at Portland State I most likely will be riding more especially to head to Powell's Books. 

People opposed to the streetcar line say is nothing but a subsidy to developers. It is easy to call it that, after all it goes through a part of town that was about to rapidly development. On the other hand the same people who make those kind of comments turn a blind eye to all the subsidies suburban sprawl developments get every day of the week. We could quarrel all day about the that, but instead lets see what the streetcar does do. 

1. The streetcar provides service along a corridor that has never had service. While the two ends of the network (in the northwest side of town and south of PSU), the bus service was not in direct competition with 

Tri-Met buses. In fact the one line that follows the streetcar in the northwest will be rerouted in September in a budget cut move that actually eliminates duplicate service. 

2. The streetcar provides an alternative form of transportation that makes that part of the Portland much more livable. While I don't go to Powell Book's everyday, maybe once a month at the most, it is much more convenient to take the streetcar than trying to drive and find a parking spot. 

The question is, what should the priorities be for a streetcar line? The problem with making a blanket statement is that every city has different priorities so what is important for Portland, is different for Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, Atlanta or any of the other cities that have projects in progress. 

While Portland is a great example here is some things that could improve the current Portland system and any future extensions: 

1. One problem was that the system was designed only to have single cars. From my understanding this was a compromise to ensure support along the line. However, one of the benefits of rail transit is when you add additional cars to a train to make it more efficient and carry more people. Any future lines should have the capability to run multiple car trains. 

2. There is no private right of way. The streetcar gets stuck in traffic. While in an ideal world the streetcar would have its entire right of way reserved, we know in the real world this is just not possible. However, I see no reason why on 10th/11th Streets the streetcar cannot have its own reserved right of way in stretches and other areas to. 

3. The streetcar should have signal priority plus priority at the four way stops like Couch and 11th were the streetcar gets stuck for extended periods of time. 

In September Portland will open its new East side streetcar line. Until the loop is completed with the opening of the Milwaukee MAX line in 20515 I am not overly enthusiastic about how well this line will do but we shall see. 

That brings up a good question, for a city looking to extend a streetcar line or put a new one in, what should the priorities be? As I said early every city has its own most important priorities but this is some general guidelines. 

1. The first priority of a streetcar line should be to provide an essential transportation function. If the city already has a light rail or rapid transit system, the streetcar should function as a feeder between the major rail line and important business and residential sectors. Salt Lake City is a perfect example of this. The streetcar will provide service from all three light rail lines to the Sugar House district which is currently a major retail center and will have high density housing going in. 

In a way the east side streetcar in Portland will provide this function also as it will connect from the Lloyd District light rail stations to the Pearl District offering customers an alternative to the current ways to get to the Pearl. 

Once the Milwaukee MAX line is completed, the Portland streetcar will provide an excellent feeder from that line to the northwest part of town that is not currently available because of the alignment of bus service (31.32,33 and 99) and the streetcar line. 

Another good route in  Utah would be from the Ogden Transit Center to Weber State University which is being studied at this time. This would create a feeder from the Front Runner Commuter trains to busy 612 bus line on Washington Blvd and onto the University replacing route 603. 

2. Another important priority would be to supplement a overburdened bus route along a busy corridor. In its transit plan Portland is looking to supplement bus service with streetcars in such corridors as Sandy Blvd. I mentioned this at one time where it will allow the 12 route to become limited stop along this section of route speeding up Trimets longest route (which is being split up in September and won't be so long anymore). 

Another good example would be the Barbur Blvd/Capitol Highway corridor. Currently there are in the study phase on this project for Badly Repackaged Transit or Light Rail, but as I see it know there is a slim chance of a good system being built. Chances are some half baked BRT plan will get built that will end up not having a major impact. 

You could run the streetcar down Barbur and Capitol Highway to the Hilsdale area. This would allow TriMet to cut routes such as the 45 at Capital/Sunset and make routes such as the 44 and 12 faster through the area speeding up bus rides for those through travelers. 

When it comes down to it, streetcars can function both as a feeder from major rail routes to major employment and dense residential areas. It can also be a relief valve for busy bus routes along major dense corridors. What it comes down to is that streetcar routes need to be done right the first time. No matter how successful the route would be there will be naysayers, however if a route is well designed and does the job it is easier to counterbalance the CAVE (citizens against virtually everything) types. 

Related articles

• New website to help fund streetcar line

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• Anti-Streetcar Resolution Narrowly Defeated in County Transit Committee

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• No federal money for KC streetcar

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• Arlington to Vote on Streetcar Agreement with Alexandria

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• Morning Poll: Streetcar vs. Articulated Bus

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• Councillor Ball renews push to get streetcar service back on track

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• The Star's editorial | Pursue KC's streetcar line but re-examine funding

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• Public Feedback Requested on Pike Streetcar Plan

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• Another Streetcar Line

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Pedestrian Dead Zones

Image via Wikipedia

Just because you build nice wide sidewalks and create a barrier between cars and pedestrians (such as trees) does not mean you will create an environment that conducive to pedestrian activity. To create pedestrian activity you need to have someplace to walk to but also reduce the number of barriers that exist to actually using those sidewalks to get somewhere.

Despite its very long blocks, there is some good pedestrian activity in downtown Salt Lake City from North Temple to about 350 South. If you travel any farther south than that you will see a remarkable decrease in the number of pedestrians. There is several causes of this drop off in pedestrian activity and I will cover some of the major ones in this posting.

Since Main Street is home to the TRAX light rail line I will start off at the corner of 400 South and Main. On the northwest corner of the intersection with have a court house. Court houses tend not to foster pedestrian activity because they are a single point destination, in other words people may go to the court house but that is the only reason they head there.

They are currently expanding the court house to take up most of the block from Main Street to West Temple. This will create a large barrier to pedestrian activity in the area. With court houses becoming even more fortified these days this makes court houses even more unfriendly toward pedestrian activity these days.

Here is a picture of the current court house looking north:

Here is a picture looking south diagonally from corner of 400 South and Main toward the corner of 500 South and West Temple.

Does this look like a thriving pedestrian and transit friendly downtown area or does it look like a parking lot of a suburban office park? This block of parking is made worse because of Salt Lake City's extremely long blocks. To the left of the picture is the Court House TRAX station and on the next block at State Street is another court house.

There is apparently a long story involving this parking lot barrier that covers the block between 400 South, 500 South, Main and West Temple. Despite all the opportunities that exist for development of this block with a TRAX station at the front door this lot will most likely stay as it is for the foreseeable future.

Once you walk pass the parking lot you face a new barrier for pedestrians-the 500 South and 600 South speedways to Interstate 15:

However, it is not three and four lanes of speeding cars that create a barrier to creating an effective pedestrian environment, it is the development that has occurred along the two streets. Because 500 South and 600 South are the two primary access streets to Interstate 15, the area along the two streets have become lodging row.

You would think that lodging facilities would want to foster pedestrian activity in the area but instead most lodging facilities are designed on two principles:

1. Everyone will arrive by car so there is no need to create effective pedestrian access points.
2. Especially if the lodging facility has on sight restaurants, the goal is to ensure the people staying at the facility only use their restaurants or have to get in their car and try to find parking if they want to eat somewhere else.

If you look at the picture above, you will notice that there is no pedestrian access point from the building in the picture to street level. This building is the Little America Hotel that covers all of the block with its sister property the Grand America Hotel taking up half of the block on the far side of Main Street (there is some irony that the Grand America was home to Railvolution back in 2005).

The next two pictures show the main entrance of both hotels on Main Street. While there is some pedestrian access to both hotels it is design more to foster getting guests between the two facilities than actually create any pedestrian activity on Main Street.

To be fair, the Little America does have a pedestrian entrance to its restaurant on Main Street about halfway between its main entrance and 500 South but it appears that there is few people that use it since pedestrian traffic on this section of main street is non-existent.

South of 600 South you have there is some areas of abandoned or barely used businesses and past 700 South you encounter several car dealerships including the Mark Miller Toyota Sprawl lot that completely kills most pedestrian activity in this neighborhood.

Heading back north we move one block west to West Temple and you have the only access point to the Little America from West Temple and as you can see from the picture it is not exactly pedestrian friendly:

To be fair to the Little America/Grand America hotels, they are not the only culprits as the Embassy Suites at 600 South and West Temple shows with its very small sidewalk providing the only pedestrian access to the hotel:

In fact I all of the hotels except for Motel 6, had very poor to no pedestrian access points to the hotel. This next photo is back at 500 South looking south toward 600 South with the Little America on the left. As you can see the east side of West Temple has the right elements for pedestrians, there is just too many barriers to using it.

Finally you look back toward downtown, so close yet so far away.

You can build sidewalks and put trees in to create an environment that should foster more pedestrian activity, but if development or the lack of it and street design creates barriers to pedestrians all sidewalks in the world will not encourage people to use them.

Related articles

• Do we need TOD Certification that goes beyond LEED Certification (transitinutah.blogspot.com)

Do we need TOD Certification that goes beyond LEED Certification

Some people appear to be under the mistaking impression that just because a building is LEED certified, the building is not only energy efficient but also transit friendly. To dispel that theory, take a look at a recently LEED certified building in Salt Lake City: Mark Miller Toyota.

Mark Miller Toyota sits on the corner of 700 South and West Temple just south of the downtown area. While the downtown area can be fairly walkable despite the extremely long blocks, this part of downtown sees very little pedestrian activity. In a future posting I will discuss how dead zones of pedestrian activity can be created using this area as an example but lets get back to the topic at hand.

This dealership is right on the main North-South TRAX line but the only stops are a couple of blocks away. There is several dealerships in the neighborhood that make this area very pedestrian unfriendly. In fact, Mark Miller takes up three quarters of a city block and we are not talking Portland, Oregon blocks here, no we are talking Salt Lake City blocks.

Ironically if you walk to the right of this photo to the next block you will find some live/work units.

While the Mark Miller building itself may be LEED certified, overall it is nothing but a sprawl lot that creates a barrier between the hotel/motel area of downtown and neighborhoods to the South. The area to the south has suffered from a lack of a cohesive connection to the downtown area and these dealerships do not help.

While LEED gives us a good start, we need something that goes beyond LEED and truly shows us if a building supports a pedestrian, bicycle and transit environment.

Related articles

• What is Leed Certification? (socyberty.com)
• LEED-Certified Guzzler Draws Criticism (triplepundit.com)
• LEED woes: A different perspective (mnn.com)

NIMBYism and Unintended Consequences

Image by boltzr via Flickr
Any time a NIMBY wins a battle, there is often unintended consequences of that win. Sometimes the NIMBY's can end up with something worse than they were fighting against. Sometimes the consequence is a loss of something that could really helped the community in the long run.

In Salt Lake City, the west side of the city suffers from the victim mentality of NIMBY. They see things as a threat to their community because everyone likes to pick on the west side. While the west side did get screwed with the building of I-15 and I-80 that effectively cut them off from the rest of the city and the rebuilding that did not do the right thing and lower the freeway, the will often become their worst enemies by fighting projects that will ultimately help their neighborhood.

A perfect example of this is the Airport TRAX line. One of the plans for the line was to run it down 600 West and service Central Station in west Salt Lake. However, the west side fought against the project because it would have created a viaduct over the existing Union Pacific and Front Runner railroad tracks.

However, the section of the west side that would have been effected by this viaduct is minor. In fact it is actually cut off from the rest of the west side by I-15. In fact we are only talking about a few homes along the street along with a fairly new apartment complex at the corner of 600 West and North Temple.

Now instead of the viaduct, TRAX trains on the Airport will not serve the Intermodal Station at all and instead will continue to travel on North Temple, turn on 400 West and connect up with the existing TRAX lines at South Temple.

Now comes the unintended consequences.

Because there will no longer be a direct connection from the airport to Central Station, the two proposed hotels for the station area will not be built. While they would have not provide a huge amount of jobs, but they would have created new opportunities for economic development in a part of town that desperately needs it. With the addition of the hotels it would have been more likely that Central Station and Gateway could be connected through redevelopment.

However, all is not lost in the Central Station district. The city of Salt Lake does have plans on the books that would redevelop the area between Central Station and the old Rio Grande Station that would also connect those areas to downtown area.

While the west side NIMBY's may have won a battle in their area, in the long run their actions may have actually set back their area a decade or more.

Portland Day 5

The day at railvolution started off with the Community Streetcar Coalition meeting. The big news coming out this meeting was that Utah will receive a $26 million tiger II grant for construction of the Sugarhouse Trolley. So not only will we have four TRAX lines and another commuter rail line opening by 2015, we should have our first modern streetcar in the next couple of years.

In addition $200 million in new start money will be freed up with the cancellation of the ARC tunnel project that would link New Jersey and New York. The tunnel has been very controversial with even rail advocates on opposing sides of the issues.

I went to several outstanding sessions including the Impacts of Streetcars on Neighborhoods and Development, Biketopia which had some great information on how biking can effect development, Partnerships and Streetcars plus Blogging for rail.

Finally the head of the American Public Transit Association gave a speech on the status of transit today.

Front Runner Construction Update

Image via Wikipedia
Greetings,



Construction is progressing on UTA’s FrontRunner South Provo to Salt Lake Commuter Rail line.

Below is the FrontRunner South construction update for September 25 – October 1. Please note that construction information is subject to change.



FrontRunner South construction began in 2008 and is more than 50 percent complete. The FrontRunner South line will be complete and operational by 2015. Please visit UTA’s FrontRunner South Webpage to learn more about the project. To view more FrontRunner South construction photos, please visit www.flickr.com/rideuta.



UTA would like to remind Utah County express bus riders that service from the 2100 N. Lehi park and ride lot has been discontinued. Express bus service is now available from the Lehi FrontRunner park and ride lot at 2821 W. Executive Parkway, as well as the American Fork FrontRunner park and ride lot at 782 W. 200 S. Because the Lehi park and ride lot will be opened in phases, more stalls are currently available at the American Fork park and ride lot. Street parking is available near the Lehi park and ride lot.



Area 16 — Downtown Salt Lake City to 4500 South (Murray)



Construction Activity:

Crews will relocate power poles at 1300 South and clear and grub the corridor and continue waterline work between 1700 South and Mill Creek. North of 3900 South crews will be excavating for a retaining wall and south of 3900 South crews will be constructing a wall. At the Central Avenue bridge, crews will pour concrete for the bridge’s back and wing walls and finish shear keys. They will also install signal power service in the area. Between Central Avenue and 4500 South crews will continue track way embankment and at the 4500 South bridge crews will continue retaining wall construction for the bridge’s south abutment and clean up and grade the slopes at the bridge.



Traffic Impacts:

There will be truck traffic on Central Avenue Monday through Friday.



The eastbound right lane will be closed on 4500 South Monday through Friday.



Salt Lake Central Station:

Station complete.



Area 15 — 4500 South (Murray) to Wasatch Street/8000 South (Midvale)



Construction Activity:

Between 4500 South and 4800 South crews will restore street light power and install signal power service. At the 5300 South bridge crews will install deck plates and at Vine Street crews will excavate for a crash wall. Between 5300 South and 5900 South, crews will embank the track way and install storm drain, and between 5900 South and I-215, crews will continue waterline work and also clear and grub the corridor. At the 7200 South bridge, crews will place surcharge.



Traffic Impacts:

The 4500 South Frontage Road is currently closed at the tracks for bridge work through September.



There will be the following impacts on 5300 South this week:

· Westbound left lane closure, Monday

· Eastbound right lane closure, Tuesday through Thursday



There will be truck traffic at 5900 South all week.



Murray Station:

There are no construction activities to report.



Area 14 — Wasatch Street/8000 South (Midvale) to 14600 South (Bluffdale)



General Information:

Considerable progress has been made on the flyover structure west of Salt Lake Community College’s Miller Campus at 9800 South. The 642-foot flyover bridge features a 40-foot-high bridge deck that will allow FrontRunner to travel from the east to the west side of Union Pacific Railroad’s track way. The flyover structure’s approaches consist of keystone block MSE walls filled entirely with lightweight fill to minimize settlement.



Construction Activity:

Crews continue wall excavation north of 9000 South and soil nail installation south of 9000 South. Crews will be installing fencing on top of the retaining wall between 9120 South and 9400 South and at the 9120 South bridge crews will build forms and pour concrete for the south abutment. At the 10600 South bridge crews will install shoring at the south abutment and continue work on the north abutment walls. Crews will continue mass excavation between South Jordan Gateway and 11400 South and sheet pile shoring installation south of 11400 South. At the Bangerter Highway bridge, crews will continue work on the shear keys.



Traffic Impacts:

The eastbound right lane will be closed on 9120 South Monday through Thursday.



There will be a northbound lane closure on South Jordan Gateway at approximately 10300 South for truck traffic.



There will be a full closure of all eastbound lanes on 10600 South between Saturday, October 2 at 10:00 p.m. and Monday, October 4 at 5:00 a.m.



There will be the following impacts on Bangerter Highway this week:

· Westbound right lane closure, Tuesday

· Westbound left lane closure, Wednesday



There will be truck traffic with flaggers on 14600 South Monday through Friday.



South Jordan Station:

Lightweight fill for the job is being stored at the station site. There are no construction activities to report.



Draper Future Station:

There are no construction activities to report.



Area 13 — 14600 South (Bluffdale) to Thanksgiving Point (Lehi)



Construction Activity:

Crews will be repairing a wall near 14600 South and continuing canal realignment work south of 14600 South. Now that Union Pacific traffic has been shifted onto the new bridge constructed at the Jordan River, crews are retrofitting the old UP bridge for UTA’s use. This week, crews will place girders and build deck forms. Crews will be installing permanent fencing north of Thanksgiving Point and along the Golf Course.



Traffic Impacts:

There are currently no impacts to motorists in this area.



Area 12 — Thanksgiving Point (Lehi) to Main Street (American Fork)



General Information:

Crews are currently constructing two major bridges in Lehi at 2300 West and 2100 North. The 2300 West bridge will allow FrontRunner to travel over Lehi City’s future 2300 West road project and the 2100 North bridge will span UDOT’s future Mountain View Corridor, 2100 North roadway. The 2100 North bridge will feature abutments on each end of the bridge and five center piers.



Construction Activity:

In the Cranberry Farms area, crews will be working on a retaining wall at approximately 2400 North, staging ties and distributing rail and installing duct for fiber at the 2300 West and 2100 North bridges. Crews will also install deck plates at the 2300 West bridge and grout and patch and install bolsters at the 2100 North bridge. Between 2100 North and 1500 North crews will stage ties and distribute rail, and between 1220 North and 900 North crews will clear and grub the corridor, build slopes and ditches, prepare the sub grade and install signal power.



Crews will construct crossing upgrades this week at the Main Street crossing in downtown Lehi. This work will include signal and track work, the installation of concrete medians and signs, road striping, and asphalt replacement. Crews will be working 24 hours a day at this crossing in order to reopen it as soon as possible to the travelling public.



On Center Street, crews will be installing concrete medians near the crossing, and southeast of 300 East in Lehi, crews will finish prepping the sub grade prep and place sub ballast.



Traffic Impacts:

There will be truck traffic on 500 West in Lehi near the tracks all week.



The Main Street crossing in Lehi will be closed for crossing upgrade work Monday, September 27 through Sunday, October 3. Traffic will be detoured on 300 West, 500 North and 500 West.



There will be lane restrictions on Center Street in Lehi on Monday.



Lehi Station:

A portion of the Lehi Station Park and Ride Lot is now open for public use.



At the pedestrian tunnel, crews will continue work on the tunnel floor and will also trench for a drain connection. At the Park and Ride Lot, crews continue preparing a new section of the parking lot for paving.



Area 11 — Main Street (American Fork) to University Parkway (Orem)



Construction Activity:

Crews will be installing fiber between 7350 West in American Fork and University Parkway in Orem. In American Fork, crews will continue work to relocate a power pole and phone pedestal at 1500 South. Between 400 North in Vineyard and Geneva Road in Orem, crews will install permanent fencing.



Traffic Impacts:

There will be lane restrictions on 1500 South in American Fork Monday through Wednesday.



American Fork Station:

A portion of the American Fork Station Park and Ride Lot is now open for public use.



There are no construction activities to report.



Vineyard Future Station:

There are no construction activities to report.



Orem Station:

There are no construction activities to report.



Area 10 — University Parkway (Orem) to Center Street (Provo)



General Information:

Significant progress has been made in Area 10 along the Union Pacific Railroad corridor between University Parkway in Orem and Freedom Boulevard in Provo. Crews have prepared a path for FrontRunner by grading and clearing the right-of-way and relocating water lines. Drainage and irrigation installations are generally complete in this area, and main line earthwork has been finalized from University Parkway to 2000 South in Orem and from the Provo River bridge to 500 West in Provo. At-grade crossing improvements have also been completed in Provo at 2000 North, 2800 West, 1680 North, 820 North, Draper Lane, 900 West, 700 West, 500 West and Freedom Boulevard.



Construction Activity:

Crews will surface, line and dress the track between University Parkway in Orem and 2000 North in Provo and install fiber between University Parkway and 1680 North. North of 820 North in Provo, crews will be re-grading ditches, and between 700 West and 900 South crews will de-stress track and remove poles.



Traffic Impacts:

There are currently no impacts to motorists in this area.



Provo Station:

Crews will install vapor barrier and tie rebar for the low deck at the Provo Station.

Thanks again for your interest in the FrontRunner South project. If you have construction-related questions,
please call our 24-hour construction hotline at 1-888-800-8854.

Mid Jordan TRAX Construction Update

Image by Steven Vance via Flickr
UTA Mid-Jordan TRAX Line Weekly Construction Update: September 24, 2010

* Traffic on 7800 South in West Jordan will be subject to lane shifts continuing through early October.

* Please use caution when approaching railroad crossings throughout the project area. Crews and equipment travel on the rails frequently.


The Mid-Jordan TRAX line is a 10.6 mile light rail line that will connect the communities of Murray, Midvale, West Jordan and South Jordan with the existing Sandy/Salt Lake TRAX line.

It runs from the existing TRAX line at 6400 South to approximately 7400 South, then turns west along the Bingham Branch of the Union Pacific Railroad. At 5600 West, the line turns south again and ends at the southern end of the Daybreak development. For construction purposes, the line has been segmented into five sections.

Daybreak Area

(This segment runs north through the Daybreak development to Old Bingham Highway at approximately 5600 West)



New vehicle testing is ongoing in Daybreak. Crews continue installing canopy components including bench brackets and side slats. Crews will also be cleaning up at the 5600 West park & ride.

Old Bingham Area

(This segment runs parallel to the existing Union Pacific Railroad Bingham Branch line,

along the Old Bingham Highway from approximately 5600 West to the Bangerter Station, east of Bangerter Highway)

Miscellaneous track work continues in this segment. Crews will be striping the 4800 West park & ride.

Sugar Factory Area

(This segment continues northeast along the UPRR Bingham Branch from approximately Bangerter
Highway to Gardner Village)

Work moves forward for the entrance to the West Jordan City Center park & ride. Light pole foundations are being poured. Track and overhead catenary system (OCS) work continues in this segment.

Gardner Village Area

(This segment continues along the UPRR Bingham Branch northeast from Gardner Village to 700 West)

Canopies are scheduled to be erected at the Bingham Junction station, and ADA ramps are scheduled to be poured as well. Landscaping continues at the Historic Gardner park & ride.



ACTIVITY: Bridge repairs at 7800 South

TRAFFIC IMPACT: 7800 South will have lane shifts in place through early October.

Cottonwood Area

(This segment extends north from 700 West along the existing light rail alignment to its terminus at the 6400 South-

Fashion Place Station)

Grading crews continue working at the Fashion Place park & ride, and curb, gutter and sidewalks are being constructed. The canopies are scheduled to be painted, and the dirt parking lot south of the Y tracks is scheduled for grading prior to being paved in early October. OCS and electrical work continues.

General Information

This schedule is subject to change due to weather, materials issues, or unanticipated utility conflicts.



Access during Construction

UTA is committed to maintaining 24-hour access to all of the businesses and residences along the construction corridor. We will coordinate with businesses in cases where access may be temporarily limited.



Construction Hours

Construction is permitted to take place between 7 am to 7 pm Monday through Saturday. Additionally, specific activities may require different working hours depending upon conditions and will be coordinated with city officials.



Construction Tours

If you are interested in learning more about the construction project, please call our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 550-2211.



For More Information

Information is available to assist business and residential communities as well as commuters and stakeholders.

If you have questions or comments regarding the project, please contact our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 550-2211 or e-mail midjordan@rideuta.com. You can also visit the UTA Web site at www.rideuta.com/projects/midjordanlightrail.

Airport TRAX Line Construction Update

Image via Wikipedia
Welcome!

Construction continues on UTA’s Airport TRAX Line. To keep business and traffic impacts to a minimum, this six-mile project has been separated into seven construction “reaches,” or segments, for management and planning purposes.

A description of what is happening in each area is listed below. Text marked in red indicates new work items. If you need further construction information, please call our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854.

Reach 1

Reach Description: Reach 1 is the area that extends from Terminal One at the Salt Lake City International Airport on the side of the Airport Access Road to the surplus canal bridge just north of the Wingpointe Golf Course.



Current Construction:

Crews are working to restore 3700 West to two traffic lanes before the season changes.
Work on the Rocky Mountain Power fiber infrastructure continues. Internal airport traffic restrictions will be in place.
Crews continue work on the 24’’ sewer installation. This work is taking place within internal airport lots.
Crews are working the 18’’ storm drain near the Terminal One Welcome Center.
Work continues along 3700 West as crews form and pour pedestrian ramps and form, pour and strip ballast curb.
Crews will begin working on an 18” storm drain near the United States Post Office.
Pedestrian traffic has been switched to the east side of 3700 West.
Crews are repairing sewer sags along 3700 West.


Traffic Impacts:

Right lane restrictions along Bangerter Highway just north of the I-80 off-ramp entering the airport are in place Monday through Friday, and occasionally on Saturday.
A traffic plan has been distributed to the 3700 West businesses. This plan does not affect those traveling to the airport.



Reach 2

Reach Description: Reach 2 extends from the surplus canal bridge just north of the Wingpointe Golf Course along the Airport Access Road fence line to 2400 West.



Current Construction:

Crews are relocating the UDOT solar sign in this area.
Work continues on v ditches and cast in place walls.
Storm drain work is taking place.
Crews are forming and pouring a concrete line ditch.
Cast in place wall work is scheduled to begin again.


Upcoming Construction:

Production welding will begin at the end of October. Crews will weld 80’ strands of rail into a continuous 1200’ strand of rail at that time.
· Ductbank and OCS work begins in the coming weeks at X Bar to 2400 West.



Reach 3

Reach Description: Reach 3 extends from 2400 West along North Temple to I-215. This is the reach where TRAX will move from the side of the road to the center of North Temple.



Current Construction:

Demolition of the slope paving is scheduled to begin next week at I-215.



Reach 4

Reach Description: Reach 4 extends from I-215 to just east of Redwood Road on North Temple. TRAX will be center running and will include a station located at approximately 1950 West. Access to businesses and governmental organizations will be maintained.



Current Construction:

Traffic signal work, including conduits, pedestals and junction boxes, is taking place at 1950 West and North Temple.
Work is taking place on the joint trench crossing at three different locations, with one crossing located at Orange Street and North Temple. Various lane restrictions are in place; however, access is being maintained.
Crews are installing an 8’’ storm drain to address back of walk drainage issues.
Work is taking place on the southeast, northwest, and northeast corners of Redwood Road and North Temple as crews work on a storm drain. Traffic impacts are expected to be minimal during this phase of work.
Waterlines will be relocated for meters and hydrants and will require Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nighttime service disruptions. We will be meeting with businesses prior to this work.
Crews are removing and replacing curb, gutter, sidewalk and driveways on the north and south sides of North Temple between Redwood Road and I-215.


Upcoming Construction:

Duder Street will close on Monday, Sept. 27, as crews demo and restore the entrance off of North Temple. This portion of work will be completed in less than one week. We will meet with businesses prior to construction.
Crews are scheduled to begin sewer sag repairs at Orange Street and North Temple in mid-November. At this time, various lane restrictions will be in place; however, access to businesses will be maintained and signage will be provided. In preparation, various activities are taking place near Orange Street. As we get closer to construction we will meet with businesses in this area.


Traffic Impacts: There are right and left lane restrictions between the I-215 overpass and Redwood Road throughout the day. As work progresses, there will be additional lane restrictions for both east and west bound traffic. Access will be maintained at all times.



Reach 5

Reach Description: Reach 5 extends from just east of Redwood Road on North Temple to the Jordan River. TRAX will be center running and includes a station at 1500 West. Access to businesses and office complexes will be maintained.



Current Construction:

Crews are relocating gas lines with new casings.


Upcoming Construction:

In the coming weeks, various pieces of wet and dry utility work will filter into this area.


Traffic Impacts:

One lane of traffic is restricted.



Reach 6

Reach Description: Reach 6 extends from the Jordan River to I-15 along North Temple. TRAX will be center running and will include two stations located at approximately 1100 West and 800 West. Access to businesses and the State Fairpark will be maintained.



Current Construction:

Storm drain work is taking place in this reach.


Upcoming Construction:

City Creek work is scheduled to begin to complete structures and paving.


Traffic Impacts: After the State Fair, traffic will be limited to one lane in each direction.



Reach 7

Reach Description: Reach 7 is the area where the Airport TRAX Line will connect with the current north/south line at the Arena Station. This reach extends from I-15 to 400 West along North Temple and turns south on 400 West to South Temple. Access to offices and the Gateway will be maintained throughout the construction project.



Current Construction:

The North Temple Viaduct re-construction project began April 18 and will last for approximately 18 months.
Wet and dry utility relocations are currently taking place at 400 West to prepare for the City Creek East relocation.
Work continues on abutments, pier caps, and fascia walls and work is ahead of schedule.


Upcoming Construction:

In early October, crews will be on 400 West with the City Creek East work. Significant traffic impacts will be in place along 400 West.
Please see the viaduct construction guide below to find out how to get around during construction.

Business Profile-

North Temple Business Profile- Relax Nails Wants You To… Relax
It’s not just a name, but a promise as well. Relax Nails not only specializes in
making finger nails look great, but its employees work to provide “a great place
for people to come in and relax.”

Relax Nails manager Long Lam said the shop
opened its doors on 900 West North Temple
because “it’s a great location to serve the
community.” The family owned and operated
business employs four people who specialize in
hand-painted nail design and has been open
since Aug. 1, 2009.

They are open from 10
a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and
noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

With most of their customers coming from the
North Temple area, Lam said, “It’s a great
community.” Relax Nails recently participated in the North Temple’s Community
Advisory Committee’s efforts to spread the word that businesses are open as
usual. They invite you in for some pampering of your own.

General Information



Access during Construction

UTA is committed to maintaining 24-hour access to all of the businesses and residences along the construction corridor. We will coordinate with businesses in cases where access may be temporarily limited.



Construction Hours

Construction is permitted to take place between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Additionally, specific activities may require different working hours depending upon conditions and will be coordinated with city officials.



Construction Tours

If you are interested in learning more about the construction project, please call our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854.



For More Information

Timely and helpful information is available to assist business and residential communities, as well as commuters and stakeholders.



If you have questions or comments regarding the project, please contact our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854 or e-mail tcamp@rideuta.com. You can also visit UTA’s Web site at www.rideuta.com.



Please note that construction information provided is subject to change.

West Valley TRAX Construction Update

Image by Steven Vance via Flickr

Welcome!

Progress continues on the construction of the West Valley TRAX Line. To keep business and traffic impacts to a minimum, this five-mile project has been separated into seven construction “reaches,” or segments, for management and planning purposes.

A description of what is happening in each area is listed below. If you need further construction information, please call our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854.





Reach 1

Reach Description: Reach 1 is the area along Constitution Boulevard (2700 West) from West Valley City Hall at 3600 South, extending north to 3100 South. This area includes both large and small businesses, as well as many residents. Access to all businesses and residences will be maintained.



Current Construction:

· Work continues on the station canopy at West Valley City Hall as crews install wiring, lighting and masonry.

· The West Valley City Hall parking lot on Market Street will close on Friday, Sept. 24, as crews make asphalt repairs in this area.

· Crews will also repair asphalt at the Toys R Us loading dock off of Market Street on Tuesday, Sept. 28.



Reach 2

Reach Description: Reach 2 is the area along 3100 South from Constitution Boulevard to Decker Lake Drive. The Maverik Center and a few other businesses are located in this reach, as well as residents on either side of 3100 South. We will coordinate our work to maintain access throughout construction, and in particular to the Maverik Center during their events. When TRAX is completed along 3100 South, it will operate on the south side of the roadway.



Current Construction:

· Curb and sidewalk work, along with various punch list items, continue in this area.



Reach 3

Reach Description: Reach 3 is the area along Decker Lake Drive from 3100 South to Research Way (2770 South) and east to Redwood Road. This area includes many commercial office buildings with thousands of employees. We will continue to work with businesses to ensure access is maintained.



Current Construction:

· Work continues at the station platform located at Decker Lake Drive and 3100 South.

· Crews are distributing rail, ties and ballast in the center of Research Way.

· Work continues on the station in the center of Research Way just west of Redwood Road.



Reach 4

Reach Description: Reach 4 runs through the Chesterfield residential area along 2770 South and along the Decker Lake Canal and the Crosstowne Trail. We will work with residents to ensure a safe working environment that provides access to their properties throughout construction.



Current Construction:

· Significant work has been accomplished in the Chesterfield area. Crews continue to work on various items throughout this reach.





Reach 5

Reach Description: Reach 5 includes construction along 1070 West in the Chesterfield industrial area. This reach includes one bridge structure over the Jordan River and another over 900 West.



Current Construction:

· Crews will stripe the roadway on 1070 West and begin street sign installation this week.

· Crews will continue rail and station work in the center of 1070 West.

· Work also continues on the Jordan River Bridge and tunnel.



Reach 6

Reach Description: Reach 6 runs through the Union Pacific Railroad’s Roper Yard area. Although there are no businesses and residents, extensive coordination will take place to ensure that freight deliveries and other train travel is maintained. Reach 6 includes an extensive bridging system that will enable TRAX to operate over other train traffic.



Current Construction:

· Progress continues on the TRAX bridge structures over 900 West at approximately 2200 South, as well as the Union Pacific Railroad Roper Yard area.



Reach 7

Reach Description: Reach 7 is the area where the West Valley TRAX Line will connect with the current north/south line. Construction is taking place along Andy Avenue in South Salt Lake. Crews will closely coordinate activities with businesses to ensure access is maintained.



Current Construction:

· Track work continues along Andy Avenue near 300 West in South Salt Lake City.

· Work is also taking place on the overhead electric system.

General Information



Access during Construction

UTA is committed to maintaining 24-hour access to all of the businesses and residences along the construction corridor. We will coordinate with businesses in cases where access may be temporarily limited.



Construction Hours

Construction on the project is permitted to take place between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Additionally, specific activities may require different working hours depending upon the conditions and will be coordinated with city officials.



Construction Tours

If you are interested in learning more about the construction project, please call our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854.



For More Information

Timely and helpful information is available to assist business and residential communities as well as commuters and stakeholders.



If you have further questions not answered by this report or any comments regarding the project, please contact our toll-free 24-hour hotline at (888) 800-8854 or e-mail tcamp@rideuta.com. You can also visit UTA’s Web site at www.rideuta.com.

Transit station for downtown?

Image via Wikipedia
I have seen comments in the past that we need a bus station in downtown Salt Lake City. We already have Central Station but is located on the far west side of downtown and for people transferring between routes is out of the way.

In addition the station is not truly a central station but nothing more than a glorified TRAX/Front Runner station with a Greyhound component. Hopefully the station will become a true central station over time but we shall see.

While at first thought a bus station in the downtown area would seem like a good idea considering the number of bus routes in the downtown area, the success of such bus stations in other cities have been mixed at best.

For many years the RTD (now MTA) in Los Angeles maintained a large bus station in downtown Los Angeles that was shared with Greyhound. The station was built on what was the approach tracks for the Pacific Electric and their grand Main Street Station. By the 1980's because of cost and the general decline of the neighborhood RTD stopped using the station and it was eventually abandoned by Greyhound.

Spokane, Washington is probably a good example of trying to build something in order to solve a problem that only created more problems. Until their new bus station was built all the bus routes in the downtown area would converge at the intersection of Riverside and Howard. Area businesses complained about the "wall of buses" that would block their streets and bring too many undesirables to the area so it was decided to replace the wall with a bus station (a historic irony is that most of the businesses that complained so much went out of business within a few years after the buses moved a block away to the new transit station).

The bus station was originally designed to be the lobby of a high rise that was to be built above the station however the high rise project was stopped by Spokane's decades long lack of an economy and by CAVE people who didn't like the idea of public-private partnerships (the Spokane area has a big block of CAVE people - Citizens Against Virtually Everything-or in Spokane's case are against everything).

In addition instead of having the bus station become part of the street life in the area, it was instead design to flow people into the skywalk system. However, by the time the transit station was completed the skywalk system was on life support and there was attempts to bring life by to the sidewalks in the area. While there is still some retail and some fast food restaurants to access across the street via the skywalk, the lack of good pedestrian flow to the street side has been a major issue for the bus station. In addition the bus station is often criticized for having too many young people around and scaring off the normals.

Compare that to Denver who has not one but two bus stations located in the downtown core. The difference in Denver is that local bus routes still serve the surface streets with express and regional service routed through the bus stations. Denver's stations are also located underground and where more successful with selling the air rights above the stations. Both stations are connected by Denver's free 16th Street Mall shuttle buses that make frequent trips between the two stations.

Denver is now in the process of replacing the smaller of the two stations with a new larger bus station as part of their Union Station redevelopment project. The bus station will still be underground but will also be a connection from the new light rail station to Union Station which will not only be serving Amtrak but also Denver's new commuter trains that will be running in the next few years.

Another problem that can crop up with downtown bus stations is the value of the property they sit on. In one smaller east coast city, property values and development started hopping in the downtown area so city officials wanted rid of the transit center so the property could be developed into more "useful" purposes. The bus station was not seen as an asset, or part of the downtown area, it was seen as a nuisance taking up valuable land resources.

Looking at the Salt Lake situation, the question is, where would you put the station in order for it to be convenient to a majority of the downtown users, convenient for all the bus lines to get to, and would have enough area for operations?

An ideal situation would have been to integrate it into the design of City Creek Center, although the developers of that project may have seen bus riders as undesirable in their new complex. Most of the other areas would be on the west side of downtown which would place it too close to the already existing Central Station.

The best current solution for Salt Lake City would be to put in dedicated bus lanes to improve bus flow and make bus waiting areas as welcoming as possible. This will do more for transit ridership and the riders than building a duplicate transit center.

Any city or transit system should learn the following lessons if deciding to build a transit center:

-What will be the long term cost of operations and can the transit system afford it on the long term?

-Will the station be designed to flow into the surrounding area or be cut off from the street?

-How will you deal with the perception that too many of a certain type of people hang out at the transit station (whether it be homeless, teenagers, or some other group that others consider undesirable).

-Will air rights above the station be sold and if there is a desire for that will public opinion and the area's economics allow it?

-If real estate starts to boom, will your property be protected from having a hostile city council from keeping the transit center off the land to sell it to a developer?

The number one reason to build a transit center/bus station in a downtown area should be to provide the best possible service to customers, not as a redevelopment solution or a way to move buses somewhere else. Build a transit center for the wrong reasons is only asking from it to fail in the long run.

Using Redevelopment and Bus Improvements in a Corridor

Image by Steven Vance via Flickr
One of the problems we face here in Utah is the lack of regional planning. While we do have the Wasatch Front Regional Council and MAG, they concentrate primarily on highways and the cities still do their own planning. Of course the likely hood of having an effect regional planning organization in Utah is nil considering the political bent of many in the region.

However, I decided to do a what if scenerio. What if we could take a bus route, look at all aspects of that bus route including land use and direct land use and transit planning to improve the route and the neighborhoods it travels through.

Here is the criteria I used to decide which route to focus on:

1. Had to be a frequent service route to provide enough service to be attractive to choice riders.

2. To create better dynamics, the route had to connect with as many other frequent service routes as possible (which eliminated routes such as 35 MAX/35).

3. The route had to have either vacant land or an area in decline in order to optimize the redevelopment opportunities to create transit friendly development.

I decided to focus on the 209 for these reasons:

1. Yes it is a frequent service line

2. The route not only has a large number of connects in downtown but it also connects with many frequent service lines along its route including TRAX, 21, 33, 39 and 45.

3. The area between 2100 South and 4500 south has areas that are in decline and and have opportunities for redevelopment into more pedestrian, transit, and bike friendly neighborhoods.

So lets start off with the basics and look at the route itself.

The route travels from downtown to the Fashion Place West TRAX station via South Temple, 900 East and Winchester.

As I have mentioned many times before, it makes more since to improve bus routes such as the 209 than to do Badly Repackaged Transit which is not just like rail except cheaper which it is not.

Signal Prioritization would be a good step to improve performance but like planning with each jurisdiction having control over their traffic lights, it makes doing it difficult. While the MTA in Los Angeles has been successful with signal prioritization in the city of LA, there is many small cities that Metro Rapid lines pass through that have not implemented them slowing the routes done.

Next up would be to consolidate bus stops that are located too close together and design the remaining bus stops to take advantage of low floor buses by making the curbs equal to the stop on the buses. This along with doing away with the fare free zone allowing buses to board from the front door in both directions will allow the bus to make the trip faster.

A longer term goal would be to change the south end of the line. Instead of traveling on Winchester, the buses should continue south along 900 East. The current portion along Winchester should be replaced by an extension of route 62 from the Fashion Place West TRAX station to the Cottonwood Corporate center and on to the park n' ride lot on Wasatch. This would be a long range goal that is not going happen in the near term.

The 209 should be split into two routes the 208 and the 209 with the 208 traveling 900 East/700 East to 8000 South to State Street to 7720 South and over to the Midvale Center TRAX station. The 209 would turn southeast along South Union and Creek Road like the old 44 then continue on to 3500 South and Bengal Blvd. The only issue would be the snobby NIMBY's along the eastern side of Creek Road would probably oppose having a bus in their neighborhood. Of course these ideas are years away as we have to build ridership on the existing system to make them economically feasible.

The last bus related improvement along the route would be to add bus stop shelters at major stops along the route. However, they need to be designed to fit into the neighborhood and not be the standard ugly glass and metal shelters many transit systems use.

The next step would be redevelopment of several areas along the route that will increase density in important spots which will also increase ridership not only for the 209 but the other frequent service lines that cross the 209.

First up is the intersection of 400 South and 900 East where the University Line TRAX station is located. All four corners of this intersection could be redeveloped with community stores and housing above. The housing could be tailored to the older students at the U or to downtown workers.

Next up would be the Sugarhouse area. Right now the corners at 2100 South are dominated by auto designed stores especially the new Kroger store on the southeast corner (yes I know it says Smith's, but Smith's largely exists in name only it is a Kroger store). There is plenty of possibilities to create a pedestrian, and bike friendly corridor from 2100 South down to I-80 where the new recreational trail will go through. This should be part of the Sugarhouse plan that includes the streetcar connections once it is built.

The intersections of 3300 South, 3900 South and 4500 South are also ripe for redevelopment that should include transit, pedestrian and bike friendly uses that include apartments, homes, and neighborhood retail. The neighborhoods between the intersections would largely remain untouched and still have better bus service.

The biggest obstacle in this part of the corridor would be the Kroger store at 4500 South and 900 East since Kroger has shown to be very anti-pedestrian friendly. They want to the store this way or the highway and are willing to blackmail with the threat of leaving the area to get their way. To top it all off, the center is owned by the Boyer Group which has not shown any friendliness to transit friendly designs.

By making improvements to the bus route and redeveloping under performing real estate you will not only create a better bus line, you will improving the community and building a better base for ridership on UTA lines. You will also create more vibrant community that will be a discouragement to the gangs that seem to be taking over that section of the community.