KC Light Rail

The JO will increase — and simplify — it's fares on Monday. All the details are here [PDF]. The ozone day fare will remain 50 cents. Unlike Kansas City, Johnson County is increasing service with this fare hike.

All local and express routes will rise to $2 each way (from $1.25 and $1.75); commuter routes (K-10, currently $2.50) will rise to $3 each way. Monthly and multi-ride passes will also rise, if approved by the Johnson County Transportation Council and County Commission. Unfortunately, the increased revenue will not address the #1 problem for users: interoperability between our three transit providers (JO, ATA, and UG). More info can be found on page 40 of this PDF. Here's the proposed schedule for the increase:

- JCTC approval to move forward: March 10, 2008
- Notice of fare proposal public meeting: March 12
- Comment period: March 12 through April 10th
- Public Hearing: April 13
- Report to JCTC (at April meeting) April 14
- Recommendation of JCTC to BOCC April 14
- BOCC approval April 30
- Fare Change May 11, 2008

KDOT and MARC are hosting a series of public meetings in five area counties — Johnson, Wyandotte, Douglas, Leavenworth, and Miami — to "develop recommendations that are technically feasible, politically acceptable, and financially realistic." Our translation: Tell us where you want buses to go and don't bother asking for commuter or light rail. The first meeting was last week in Lawrence (sorry!). KC metro meetings start tomorrow night in Olathe and continue into next month. Things to keep in mind, if you plan to attend:

- The Kansas side of the KC metro has no weekend or evening bus service.
- KDOT is actively studying Amtrak service in this area.
- Bus rapid transit has been proposed for the Metcalf Avenue, State Avenue, and I-35 corridors.
- Unified Government Transit (Wyandotte), The JO (Johnson), the T (Lawrence), and ATA (KCMO) do not have interoperable payment systems or trip planners.
- KDOT actually funds local transit services (more than MoDOT!).
- Leavenworth and Miami counties have no regular transit service and no inter-city travel options other than private automobiles (no Amtrak, no Greyhound, no nothing).
- Lawrence just merged its city transit operator with that of the University of Kansas last year (and approved dedicated local funding for the first time).
- There is no current regional plan to make connections between modes (trails don't connect to bus routes, bus routes don't go to the airport, inter-city buses don't stop in the same place as inter-city rail, sidewalks often don't exist); this, of course, makes auto travel a necessity for nearly everyone… people who are underage or elderly, people who drink, and people who otherwise are physically impaired or cannot drive themselves.

Johnson County Transit will no longer offer the Chiefs Express route to Arrowhead Stadium in 2009 due to low ridership and shifting priorities. The KCATA Chiefs service is not changing. See here for more information.

You said it wouldn't happen. Surely, Jackson County & Friends would pick up the leftovers from the failed light rail vote and kick the regional conversation into high gear. Johnson County leaders won't play ball and "don't get it". Well, you were wrong. Today's Star notes that Johnson County will soon surpass what Kansas City is spending on transit. Yes, you read that right.

KCATA 2008 budget: ~$48 million
The JO budget in 5 years: $52 million

Planned improvements include bus rapid transit lines, expanded commuter routes, park-and-ride lots, and better links to regional transit services.

Of course, the cities in Johnson County — a completely urbanized patchwork of older first-ring suburbs and sprawling over-consumption — must match the investment with facilities to support transit. Most major thoroughfares lack contiguous sidewalks, an absolute prerequisite for bus riders. Good luck finding a bus shelter, too.

Our wish list for Johnson County — knowing the above prerequisite will not and probably cannot be met, ever — consists of expanded commuter services. The biggest successes in Johnson County use this model: notably the K-10 service and all downtown KCMO routes. While BRT would match well with a significantly reworked Metcalf Avenue, it's unlikely the current infrastructure would ever support any other local services beyond paratransit. Direct airport routes centered around the county's malls with spare parking capacity (Metcalf South, Town Center, Great Mall) would probably be runaway hit, too, since a good chunk of KCI's customers would never waste time taking an indirect route through downtown KC.

With our singular focus on the starter line election, we've neglected several non-light-rail transit initiatives that have had some successes:

Bike/Ped:

• City Council approves Trails KC plan
• Put People on Paseo raises funds for bike/ped crossing
• City gathering public input for capping I-670
• New downtown area plan to focus on pedestrian experience
• Katy Trail advocate wins state senate seat

Mass transit:

• Kansas City includes transit in 2009 legislative priorities
• Johnson County addresses increased ridership with $2.45m in emergency funding
• Blue Springs/Lee's Summit express bus fare to increase
• Lawrence voters approve dedicated transit taxes

Inter-city:

• St. Louis intermodal hub opens for Missouri Amtrak service
• Megabus adds double-decker coaches to meet demand
• Union Station property tax may appear on 2009 ballot

Please consider transit alternatives if you must travel this Thanksgiving. Fatalities always spike over the holidays due to longer travel distances and increased congestion. Kansas City is served by Amtrak at Union Station, Megabus at 10th & Main, Greyhound and Jefferson Lines at 11th and Troost, and all major domestic airlines at KCI (all services offer last-minute online ticketing). Frequent MAX service is available for the Plaza Lighting Ceremony.

We'll return on Dec. 1.