KC Light Rail

KCATA held a groundbreaking ceremony this morning at 47th and Troost for the new Troost MAX BRT line. Here's a pic of the formalities, courtesy of MARC.

Service will begin in late 2010. The route map is here.

The only city in Kansas with Sunday bus service is about make another serious move. This time it's a KCK version of the MAX running down State Avenue from downtown KCMO to Village West.

The message at last night's public meeting was mixed: the route, frequency, and technology has basically been selected, but no funding mechanism exists to operate the service. The Unified Government has posted a survey for you to weigh in on whether transit should be included on a November sales tax election.

The operational funding question must be answered before KCK can apply for federal funding to cover capital costs. Currently, the city's transit services (a mix of fixed and circulator routes that serve over a million rides annually) are funded directly from the city's coffers. As with all municipalities, cuts are expected this year as a result of the economic downturn.

Transit has ranked high on KCK resident surveys in the past [PDF, see p. 4], so chances are good that any sales tax dedicated to it will pass.

The proposed route is served daily by #101 today. The BRT route is straighter (no loop at KCK Community College) and bypasses the West Bottoms in favor of the Intercity Viaduct (I-70); the Bottoms would continue to be served by local KCK routes. New transit centers would be built at 7th & Minnesota in downtown KCK, Indian Springs Shopping Center, and Village West.

The State Avenue BRT project is part of the regional SmartMoves transit program. The first line on Main Street in KCMO opened in 2005, the second line on Troost Avenue is slated to open in 2010.

Three questions beg your input at tomorrow's State Avenue BRT meeting in KCK. We offer reasonable expectations for those who plan to attend.

Where would it run?

Preferably on State Avenue, eh? Unfortunately, the top benefit of a bus is also it's worst enemy: they can go anywhere there are streets. But should they be shoehorned into door-to-door service at the cost of ease of use and visibility? Does simplicity ever trump convenience in bus routing? Not really in KC due to our erratic development patterns.

Regardless, expect ridership estimates to drive route diversions like those made along Main and Troost, although the proposed alignment appears fairly straightforward.

What will it look like?

What you will get: the "BRT lite" imprint established by the Main and Troost BRT lines (normal 40-foot buses, limited traffic signal priority, real-time arrival at most stations, and frequent service.

What you won't get: "light rail on wheels", as is frequently promised (off-board ticketing, level boarding, a comfortable ride, any capacity improvement over an existing bus); more than a 10-20% improvement over the current hour-long travel time (although the current claim is 30 minutes from KCK to Village West). Due to the light traffic loads on the sprawling western portions of State or Parallel Parkway, don't expect dedicated lanes outside of downtown KCK.

How would it be paid for?

Establishing frequent service that people can depend on requires a dedicated operational funding mechanism that can't be raided by elected officials when times get tough (here's why). Limited capital funding ($10 million) is being sought at part of MARC's TIGER stimulus proposal. Total cost is estimated at as much as $35 million for the entire route. Residents should encourage the city to require the purchase of hybrid or natural gas buses, which could offset the impact of increased frequencies.

Meeting details:

4:30 to 6 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009
Eisenhower Rooms A & B
Hilton Garden Inn
520 Minnesota Ave. [map]

The city council's Transportation & Infrastructure committee just advanced an ordinance supporting a regional stimulus funds application that includes $6 million to advance the downtown streetcar project. The original proposal indicated that stimulus funds might pay for the entire capital cost, but in the end MARC built consensus around an all-inclusive (or "watered-down", some would say) application.

The application will also include elements of the SmartMoves BRT plan from both Kansas and Missouri (The JO and Unified Government are not submitting their own applications, it appears), as well as significant bike/ped improvements. The leading element is additional transportation-related funding for US Rep. Cleaver's Green Impact Zone, which has been lauded for focusing a wide array of government programs on disadvantaged neighborhoods.

The full council will take up the ordinance at today's legislative session; it is expected to pass.

The specific stimulus funds grant program is called TIGER and is unique to the stimulus act — unlike other formula transportation funds from ARRA. It is rumored to be a trial balloon for discretionary grants in an 18-month extension of the existing transportation bill, something the White House has been pushing for in lieu of taking up a brand-new 6-year authorization in the middle of the health care debate.

According to testimony at today's committee meeting, an estimated 40 awards will be granted out of thousands of applications.

The following condensed transit updates are from the MARC Transportation Committee July meeting:

• SmartMoves - Two phases underway: urban corridors (with a bi-state application for a TIGER stimulus grant) and commuter corridors; consultants have been selected for each. Phase 1 deadline of Sept. 12th and the second phase has no deadline at this time.
• Transportation Outlook 2040 - Project solicitation for the long-range transportation plan is in progress. A high speed rail section will be added.
• Unified Government Transit - UG Transit does not have funds to make it through the rest of the year (service cuts may occur in October); next year will also be difficult for funding.
• KCATA - Service cuts implemented June 28; additional cuts may be needed.
• Johnson County Transit - First phase of the Metcalf/Shawnee Mission Parkway BRT study (also a SmartMoves corridor) is near completion and phase 2 will start soon; action from the Kansas legislature is required in order to run the service in this corridor and the northern terminus has been determined to be the Plaza (instead of downtown, the terminus for most JO services today). Fifty-five new JO bus stop signs will be installed in downtown Kansas City (where none exist today) via an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with the KCATA.

The next meeting will be held at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 5 at MARC offices, 600 Broadway, in downtown Kansas City.

The Star served up an update earlier this week on the Troost bus rapid transit project (Green Line), ghettoized in the weekly "Neighborhoods" print section (which is practically MIA online).

Kansas City's second "BRT Lite" (regular buses, no off-board ticketing or level boarding, limited lane dedication and signal priority, super low cost) route will augment the existing #25 fixed route service that nets the highest ridership in the city. The project is fairly straightforward, save for the unfortunate coincidence of having to cross Parks Department property at Brush Creek; now that funding has been secured for the replacement of that bridge, construction on the line can proceed.

Peak headways will match the current #25 and Main Street MAX (Yellow Line), but travel times compared to #25 will improve due to the limited number of stops. The two MAX routes will overlap at some stops inside the downtown loop (12th & Grand, for example), so the LED signage on the front will indicate to which route a bus is assigned; unfortunately, the KCATA did not correct the situation where the Main Street MAX line does not directly serve the 10th & Main transit center. Service is expected to begin in Fall 2010.