Section A · Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Monday, August 16, 1999
Rider trends shift KU bus routes
By Chris Borniger reporter@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Jason Williams/KANSAN
Students at Haskell Indian Nations University will be able to use the KU on Wheels service when buses resume running today, but modifications to two routes will restrict access to West Lawrence.
The East Lawrence route, which goes southeast to the intersection of 23rd Street and Haskell Avenue, now includes a stop at the circle drive at Haskell.
"We had a small but very consistent number of students who needed the bus either to get to Haskell or to KU," said Karen Swisher, Haskell interim president. "It's nice for the students to have."
Kasold Drive is now the western boundary for the West Sixth Street route; formerly, Folks Road near Free State High School was the boundary. And the 22nd and Kasold route will no longer travel south on Iowa Street from the University and then west on Clinton Parkway; instead, it will go west on 15th Street and south on Kasold Drive.
Holly Krebs, KU on Wheels director, said demand for buses at Haskell increased, while riders on the West 6th and 22nd and Kasold routes decreased.
"They just weren't being utilized like they could be," Krebs said. "Most of the time there would only be just a couple of people on those buses."
KU on Wheels also has expanded the Park and Ride service. Last year, 300 spaces in the Lied Center parking lot were allotted for the service;
this year, there will be 500 spaces available.
"I'm assuming we'll see all 500 of them," Krebs said. Eight buses will serve the lot each hour from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Park and Ride passes cost $120 for the year. ■ KU on Wheels also requests that students who wish to buy bus passes bring back their old bus pass card if they have one. KU on Wheels will provide a sticker
to show that the pass is valid. Bus passes are available at the Kansas Room in the Kansas Union. A pass for the fall semester costs $60 and $110 for the school year.
and the Senior year
kn Krebs and Ann Ewesole,
associate dean of students, will serve on the Lawrence Public Transit Advisory Committee. The city hired consulting firm KA Associates to draft a proposal to create a municipal bus system that would coordinate
with KU on Wheels.
Although City Manager Mike Wildgen said 2 mills are included in next year's budget to raise the $1 million needed for a city bus system, Krebs said KU student fees probably would not be affected.
"I don't expect them to if our system stays the same, and we're trying to keep our system as similar as it is now," Krebs said.
Edited by Chris Fickett
By Derek Prater
By Derek Prater
reporter@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
The spring of the new century may mark the birth of public transit in Lawrence if all goes as planned.
"We're in for the real time," said Mike Wildegen, city manager.
mike Wilden, city manager. Mayor Erv Hodges said that the Lawrence City Commission expected to see the system start operations by spring 2000.
Hodges said that about $1 million of the city's general budget had been set aside for start-up and initial operating costs for the new system. About $500,000 already has been allocated for an on-demand transportation system that is already in place for residents with special needs.
In July, the commission contracted with KA Associates of Wichita for $65,000 to help plan and develop Lawrence's new mass transit system. KA Associates is working with the city to develop routes and schedules, establish fares, develop a plan to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, buy vehicles and equipment, and locate outside funding sources.
The contract also calls for developing a marketing plan, identifying how many and what types of jobs will be required, reviewing and updating operational policies, and providing staff support to help start the system.
"There's a lot of activity going on now," said Hugh Kierig, a consultant with KA Associates.
Kierig said that his firm was fast-tracking certain tasks and that he expected it would meet the goal of having a start-up system in place by March.
Hodges said that KA Associates had received excellent references from other cities that it had worked with on public transportation, and that the firm would be particularly responsive to Lawrence's specific needs.
"They are a smaller group, and we felt we would get personal attention," Hodges said.
MEETING DATES FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT COMMITTEE:
Aug. 19
Sept. 2
Sept. 16
Sept. 30
Oct. 14
Oct. 28
All meetings will be at 9 a.m. at the City Commission Room in City Hall.
Wildgen said that coordinating with the University of Kansas' bus system also was a factor in the decision.
KA Associates has worked with Ohio State University and the University of Oklahoma.
"We looked for firms that had experience working with universities, and they had it." Wildgen said.
Kierig said that coordinating the city's and the University's buses would be a primary concern as the system developed. He said it was important to eliminate duplicate services so that University and city buses weren't covering the same ground, and so both services could be used by students and non-students alike.
KA Associates is working with the Public Transit Advisory Committee, which was appointed by the mayor this summer to provide input. The committee is made up of representatives from most groups with a stake in public transportation, Hodges said, including the University, Haskell Indian Nations University and Independence, Inc, an advocacy group for people with special needs.
The committee will hold open meetings with KA Associates. The first meeting will be at 9 a.m. Friday at the City Commission Room in City Hall, 6th and Massachusetts streets. There is no time set aside for public comment during these meetings, but Hodges said that KA Associates would be seeking public input, which is required by their contract.
—Edited by Chris Fickett
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