Post by nickv on Jul 22, 2007 0:59:23 GMT -8
NC Times: www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/11/news/californian/temecula/17_49_417_10_07.txt
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Commuter Express BRT buses from Temecula all the way into San Diego? A system that is said to "operate like fixed rail, but on rubber tires."... Well, it probably won't be as smooth or quiet or have the capacity of a commuter rail line, but at least speeds in between station stops would be quick, provided that there's no wrecks in the H.O.T. Lanes. To say the least, there's a regional transit alternative to car travel on the table between Temecula and San Diego. It will connect to San Diego's I-15 Managed Lane BRT project, providing connections to the Sprinter LRT, several NCTD & MTS Busses, and MTS Line 20 (the local North/South line between Escondido and Downtown San Diego).
Although the busway is proposed to be in the median of the I-15, this project does appear to not be a duplicate mistake of the Harbor Transitway or Metro Green Line, since the station stops will be near the activity centers and not the freeway median. Direct on/off ramps will be available for these busses to the stations.
www.dot.ca.gov/dist11/projectinfo/featuredproject/15managed/gallery/images/future1.jpg
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Temecula City Council appoints two of its own to transit subcommittee
By: NICOLE SACK - Staff Writer
TEMECULA -- The desire to link Temecula with San Diego's mass transit system has put two councilmen behind the wheel of a group that aims to give residents new commuting options on Interstate 15.
On Tuesday evening, the Temecula City Council voted 4-0 with City Councilman Mike Naggar absent to appoint Councilmen Ron Roberts and Jeff Comerchero as the city's transit subcommittee to work on improving commuting opportunities between Southwest Riverside County and North San Diego County.
Assistant City Manager Bob Johnson said the Riverside County Transportation Commission and the San Diego Association of Governments have been in discussions about bringing San Diego's Bus Rapid Transit system along Interstate 15 up to the Riverside County line. Johnson said the transit lines would have their own designated lanes that would "operate like fixed rail, but on rubber tires."
"With two counties working together, we have a great opportunity to get some money and get this operational as soon as possible," Johnson said. "The subcommittee will be able to provide guidance to make sure we can make this happen. This is really the beginning of the planning phase."
Johnson said the next step is to organize a workshop with the subcommittee, the Riverside County commission and Western Riverside Council of Governments in the next month to discuss transportation strategies.
"We are past just looking at the needs of the residents of the region; we're past looking at traffic that is stop and go," Roberts said. "We need to now find ways to move people faster along Interstate 15. With dedicated ... rapid transit, we could offer the option of moving a load of 50 people down the interstate at 65 miles an hour, or have those same 50 people in their own cars crawling along at 10 miles per hour."
Roberts, who already acts as the city's representative to the county's transportation commission, said that while the main focus will be on bringing a bus line to Temecula, rail service options would still be considered.
However, he warned that bringing trains along Interstate 15 to Temecula would face large obstacles because of topography and costs. But there could be hope for a line along Interstate 215 from Perris.
Roberts said having a member of the council ready to meet with representatives of other agencies is the benefit of the subcommittee, and in step with the recommendations of the I-15 Interregional Partnership that was formed in 2001 among the San Diego Association of Governments, Western Riverside Council of Governments, the Riverside County Transportation Commission and the Riverside Transit Agency. The primary goal of the partnership is to foster collaborative strategies in economic development, transportation and housing -- because activities and housing along Interstate 15 are adding to the congestion between the two counties.
The partnership has studied the imbalance between jobs and housing between the two counties. The imbalance is due in large part to the inadequate supply of affordable homes in the San Diego region, while relatively low-cost, single-family homes have been plentiful in Southwest Riverside County.
The partnership concluded that a majority of I-15 commuters are concentrated in the Temecula and Murrieta area, where approximately one household in three has at least one person commuting on I-15 into the San Diego region. The California Department of Transportation statistics show that southbound traffic at the county line between 5 and 8 a.m., increased 50 percent in five years -- from 12,000 cars in 2000 to more than 18,000 in 2005.
"Offering public transit options to economically disadvantaged citizens is one thing," said Comerchero, "but the real challenge is to entice people who have other forms of transportation to ride public transit."
.......................................
Commuter Express BRT buses from Temecula all the way into San Diego? A system that is said to "operate like fixed rail, but on rubber tires."... Well, it probably won't be as smooth or quiet or have the capacity of a commuter rail line, but at least speeds in between station stops would be quick, provided that there's no wrecks in the H.O.T. Lanes. To say the least, there's a regional transit alternative to car travel on the table between Temecula and San Diego. It will connect to San Diego's I-15 Managed Lane BRT project, providing connections to the Sprinter LRT, several NCTD & MTS Busses, and MTS Line 20 (the local North/South line between Escondido and Downtown San Diego).
Although the busway is proposed to be in the median of the I-15, this project does appear to not be a duplicate mistake of the Harbor Transitway or Metro Green Line, since the station stops will be near the activity centers and not the freeway median. Direct on/off ramps will be available for these busses to the stations.
www.dot.ca.gov/dist11/projectinfo/featuredproject/15managed/gallery/images/future1.jpg
.......................................
Temecula City Council appoints two of its own to transit subcommittee
By: NICOLE SACK - Staff Writer
TEMECULA -- The desire to link Temecula with San Diego's mass transit system has put two councilmen behind the wheel of a group that aims to give residents new commuting options on Interstate 15.
On Tuesday evening, the Temecula City Council voted 4-0 with City Councilman Mike Naggar absent to appoint Councilmen Ron Roberts and Jeff Comerchero as the city's transit subcommittee to work on improving commuting opportunities between Southwest Riverside County and North San Diego County.
Assistant City Manager Bob Johnson said the Riverside County Transportation Commission and the San Diego Association of Governments have been in discussions about bringing San Diego's Bus Rapid Transit system along Interstate 15 up to the Riverside County line. Johnson said the transit lines would have their own designated lanes that would "operate like fixed rail, but on rubber tires."
"With two counties working together, we have a great opportunity to get some money and get this operational as soon as possible," Johnson said. "The subcommittee will be able to provide guidance to make sure we can make this happen. This is really the beginning of the planning phase."
Johnson said the next step is to organize a workshop with the subcommittee, the Riverside County commission and Western Riverside Council of Governments in the next month to discuss transportation strategies.
"We are past just looking at the needs of the residents of the region; we're past looking at traffic that is stop and go," Roberts said. "We need to now find ways to move people faster along Interstate 15. With dedicated ... rapid transit, we could offer the option of moving a load of 50 people down the interstate at 65 miles an hour, or have those same 50 people in their own cars crawling along at 10 miles per hour."
Roberts, who already acts as the city's representative to the county's transportation commission, said that while the main focus will be on bringing a bus line to Temecula, rail service options would still be considered.
However, he warned that bringing trains along Interstate 15 to Temecula would face large obstacles because of topography and costs. But there could be hope for a line along Interstate 215 from Perris.
Roberts said having a member of the council ready to meet with representatives of other agencies is the benefit of the subcommittee, and in step with the recommendations of the I-15 Interregional Partnership that was formed in 2001 among the San Diego Association of Governments, Western Riverside Council of Governments, the Riverside County Transportation Commission and the Riverside Transit Agency. The primary goal of the partnership is to foster collaborative strategies in economic development, transportation and housing -- because activities and housing along Interstate 15 are adding to the congestion between the two counties.
The partnership has studied the imbalance between jobs and housing between the two counties. The imbalance is due in large part to the inadequate supply of affordable homes in the San Diego region, while relatively low-cost, single-family homes have been plentiful in Southwest Riverside County.
The partnership concluded that a majority of I-15 commuters are concentrated in the Temecula and Murrieta area, where approximately one household in three has at least one person commuting on I-15 into the San Diego region. The California Department of Transportation statistics show that southbound traffic at the county line between 5 and 8 a.m., increased 50 percent in five years -- from 12,000 cars in 2000 to more than 18,000 in 2005.
"Offering public transit options to economically disadvantaged citizens is one thing," said Comerchero, "but the real challenge is to entice people who have other forms of transportation to ride public transit."