KC Light Rail

A trial run of weekday bus service connecting the KU Medical Center with the KU Main Campus in Lawrence might begin Sept. 2. "Pending administration approval," the trial would last three weeks and would be self-funded. In reality, we're confident that they won't be able to cover the costs of two, 70-mile round trips with fares and this is really a exercise prove that these services are valuable enough for a state subsidy. The service would be open to anyone willing to pay the fare (we're assuming at least $5 each way). The popular K-10 Connector ($2.50 each way) that serves the KU Edwards Campus, Johnson County Community College, and the Lawrence campus is funded by short-term CMAQ grant.

In what has to be the straw that might just break Johnson County Transit's back, riders have been reminded to make space on overcrowded suburban buses:

ROUTE: K-10, B, C, L, N, S

DATE: June 4, 2008

OVERCROWDED ROUTES

As the price of gas continues to climb, so does JO ridership. We are so happy to have new riders, but it is creating issues with our buses being near – and sometimes over – seating capacity. Johnson County Transit is aware of these routes being overcrowded and we are working on a solution. Please be aware that buses may change according to ridership. The largest buses we have in our fleet are older buses and they seat a total of 43 riders.

The simple solution may be to add more runs, but currently we are out of vehicles and there are no additional funds in the budget to add service.

Tips:

- As ridership continues to grow, please be aware that there may be people standing on buses.
- Please do not put your personal items in a seat, hold them on your lap so others can sit.
- Please be courteous to those that may have a disability. Remember, not all disabilities are visible, so if someone asks you to move, they are probably disabled. The seats behind the driver are reserved for those that are elderly or disabled.
- If you can wait an additional 15 minutes for the next bus, please do so. Not all routes have this flexibility, but it can help spread out our ridership, making everyone more comfortable during their ride.

Thanks for your patience and cooperation. For further information, questions, or comments, please feel free to contact us at (913) 782-2210 or by visiting www.thejo.com.

Mayor Funkhouser may have finally cracked the regional funding nut.

Funkhouser has uncovered the possibility that Wyandotte County may not need approval from the Kansas Legislature to opt in to a regional funding mechanism, based on a pre-existing bi-state agreement (WyCo pays KCATA to operate several bus routes today). If that's true, he may be able to cobble together a four-county consortium – Wyandotte in Kansas; Jackson, Platte, and Clay in Missouri – for a 1/2-cent sales tax this year that doesn't include Johnson County. From previous reports, a 1/4-cent sales tax polls better than the 3/8-cent tax KC would have to ask for if we go it alone. One might surmise that a 1/2-cent tax would fall somewhere in between. Chances could improve even more if voters see a solid plan before they enter the ballot box. Recent workshops suggest that if a handful of routing issues (East side spur, Grand vs. Main/Walnut, North Kansas City) are resolved by summer, the city might just have its first workable plan ever.

The Mayor expects to have an answer on whether or not to include Wyandotte County by May. Ballot language for a November election must be submitted by August.

The two candidates for Shawnee's mayoral seat — incumbent Jeff Meyers and challenger Dan Pflumm — were asked about light rail for a recent article in the Shawnee Sun.

Would you support a regional light rail transportation system?

Meyers: No. Light rail is very expensive and my fear is that Shawnee might end up having to pay for something from which we would receive little or no benefit.

Pflumm: Yes, if the majority of the funds were federally funded, if the majority of funds raised in Kansas stayed in Kansas, and only if Shawnee benefited from the system.

Any Shawnee readers out there? We'd love to hear your comments.

Prime Buzz reports that the KC City Council contingent that visited Portland just returned very impressed. It's great to read positive comments from a council member whose district won't be directly served by the proposed starter line — the 5th District's Cindy Circo, in this case — unlike the disparaging comments from the 6th District's John Sharp. Sharp recently commented that light rail would serve Columbia better than it would serve KC, from his perspective.

Meanwhile, the stark reality of light rail support in the Kansas Legislature finally appears: the regional legislation proposed by Mayor Funkhouser won't be on the next legislative agenda. Regardless, there is still work to do on the Missouri side (you know, the OTHER three counties in the proposed five-county alliance).

Also, if you haven't marked your calendars for the Wednesday, Feb. 27 light rail scoping meeting… do it now!

A brief from the Kansas City Business Journal touts "mixed reviews" of Mayor Funkhouser's draft regional light rail legislation. Area mayors attended a meeting at Union Station this morning to review the plan, which would require legislative support in Kansas and Missouri. Unfortunately, Johnson County biggies Lenexa, Olathe, Overland Park, and Shawnee didn't attend. Do you live in one of these cities? If so, please click on the city name to send a message to your respective mayor. Please include your own personal message and contact information. Following up with a phone call is even better, as well as a note to your council representative.