LTD issues

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Liz on January 28, 2009 at 5:00pm

Here's Sylvia's 1/28 RG letter:


When gas prices escalated while government funding shrank, cuts in bus service seemed inevitable. Now that gas is cheaper and ridership is increasing, isn’t it time to rethink?

I’m an active senior who walks a lot for recreation and health and as an environmentally responsible way to run errands. Often I take the bus part way.

Many adults, some of them affluent, either cannot drive or would rather not. They, as well as thousands of young students, the financially strapped and those temporarily without wheels, will be hurt by projected decreases in public transit. When this issue came up at two recent community meetings, seniors who now, literally, enjoy a free ride said they’d rather pay reduced fares than see this public service shrink.

Another Lane Transit District policy demands a second look.

Twice in the last couple of weeks I’ve had to walk four miles instead of the two I’d planned because there were no signs at bus stops around College Hill to tell me when the next bus would come. Unlike some other systems, LTD posts such information only along major streets.

This false economy discourages potential riders unless they habitually carry the printed schedule around in our Oregon rain.

Installing holders for transit information at every bus stop would provide a long-term benefit for a one-time cost; some foundation might well be willing to spring for it.

Let’s hope LTD will apply for and get such a grant.

Sylvia Hart

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sherrill Necessary on April 27, 2009 at 8:31pm

Our May newsletter will have an opinion piece about LTD. When the draft went out for review, Andy Vobora of LTD asked for an opportunity to respond. His response is very informative so I am posting it here as an uploaded file. His piece includes ridership, fleet expansion and funding.

Attachments:

• LTD Andy Vobora.doc, 33 KB

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by William Kennedy on April 27, 2009 at 9:40pm

A minor point, but Salem is no longer Oregon's 2nd largest city. Eugene has been again since 2007. We'll see after the 2010 census. Otherwise, thanks for the help understanding LTD better.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Liz on April 28, 2009 at 10:11am

Just to continue the discussion, here is an email I sent Andy Vobora in response to his response:

Andy,

Thanks for sending me your response. I like it a lot--there's no need to change it--but I want to make three observations:

1. As I stated in my original piece, the 6% figure is for *regular* ridership, which I defined somewhat arbitrarily as at least 600 boardings per year. (I am carfree, and I probably board close to 1,000 times annually.) My intention was to identify the fraction of the ridership that relies on public transit, at least for commuting.

I wasn't able to find this figure in any LTD materials, so I extrapolated it from the annual boardings figure, in combination with my own count of the percentage of riders with group or other long-term passes. (I actually think 6% is a little high.) While these comparisons aren't really fair, comparable figures for Portland and New York (in 2006) are 11% and 52%, respectively, which coincides with my own impressions.

2. Over 60,000 of the 76,000 Group Pass members are UO and LCC students, who pay for it out of their mandatory student fees, so that can't really be considered voluntary participation. Furthermore, the ASUO came frighteningly close to dropping LTD last year, mostly because many students are frustrated with the level of service provided by LTD, as any issue of the Emerald will show. The relevant figure should be the percentage of Group Pass members who actually *use* their passes.

3. Although I agree that EmX use is very high, the 130 hourly boardings figure is inflated because a substantial percentage of boardings consists of lazy UO students using it as a two-stop shuttle to get from one end of campus to the other. This is one reason why I don't like "boardings" as a measure of use, much less market penetration.

I also completely understand that it all comes down to $$$. I am hoping that opening LTD funding to public discussion will help LTD get the support it needs.

Thank you again, and thank you for all the info you've given me about LTD.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Liz on April 28, 2009 at 10:14am

And here is Andy's response to the response to the response:

1. I'll look into the TriMet number. We have a general percentage of trips taken (which comes from LCOG), but that's a different number. I don't think I ever seen a district report a percentage of the population that has used transit. It's a number that can mean a lot of different things. You have intensive users like yourself and those who may use to go to a ballgame once or twice a year. If these occasional users call themselves transit riders, then the numbers get skewed. I could see our regular daily user number being very close to your estimate, but that number would be much higher if you factor in the users of event shuttles. Thanks for your explanation.

2. The 60,000 number would include LCC (10,000 per term - main campus fee paying students), 20,000 at UO, and around 25,000 middle and high school students. The UO voted on this program each year until the ASUO budget process changed in 2000 and the support was overwhelmingly positive. I don't consider articles in the Emerald as a valid way to judge support for the service. A student survey two years ago showed over 90% support for the program. Riders always want more service, which is understandable. I often hear comments from non-UO riders who think the UO gets too much service. While the students grapple with budget issues, the ASUO and student senate always comes around to support the group pass program. As I look at all they support through incidental fees, I don't find any other program that brings as much benefit to the campus community, nor any that are used as intensively. I don't see a future when the program won't be funded. Especially as the UO takes out another 250 parking spaces to begin construction on the new student housing project.

3. I think it's a great that students find this an attractive travel alternative. They had the same opportunity with route 11 and didn't choose to use that service, so somehow EmX works for them. I also agree with you that some folks are just lazy. We certainly see this with bikes on buses. Folks will load a bike and ride three stops and get off. Doesn't make any sense to me and it really frustrates our drivers! I also agree that boardings doesn't measure market penetration, however when boardings increase and rider surveys show the average number of trips taken is relatively unchanged, then market penetration is occurring. Lot's of room to grow if we can get the community behind a vision for transit and fund it accordingly.

Thanks again for your thoughts on these matters.

Andy Vobora
Director of Service Planning, Accessibility, and Marketing
Lane Transit District

▶ Reply to This