Post by nickv on Jun 25, 2008 22:39:53 GMT -8
Better Bus Service in Temecula & Murrieta
wrcousert wrote:
Some of our "dream wishes" of better bus service in the Temecula and Murrieta Valley are now becoming real proposals on the RTA SRTP, so I've started a new thread on this discussion.
Comments on SRTP Upgrades for Temecula & Murrieta
June 25, 2008
RTA Headquarters
1825 Third Street
Riverside CA, 92518
Re: Comments on Proposed Service Changes in Temecula
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am writing in regards to the proposed budgeted service
changes to be implemented in the near future. I have submitted
the following written comments to each of the members of the
Board of Directors regarding the proposed service upgrade
proposals for the Temecula Valley area.
Route 23: I strongly support the need to upgrade the local
bus lines in the Murrieta area. I suggest the following routing for
the Route 23 proposal:
I suggest Route 23 be split into two separate routes. The first
route should be a north/south line connecting the Inland Valley
Medical Center to the Pechanga Resort.
The route should follow the Clinton Road corridor west from the
hospital to Palomar St. The route should then proceed south
toward Pechanga via Palomar St, Washington Ave, Madison Ave,
Jefferson Ave, Old Town Front St, and Pechanga Pkwy with
diversion to the Rancho Springs Medical Center area.
The second route should be a bidirectional circulator loop
connecting the Inland Valley Hospital area to the Rancho Springs
Hospital area to the French Valley area via Clinton Keith Road,
Winchester Rd, Auld Rd (Southwest Justice Center), Murrieta Hot
Springs Rd, Madison Ave, California Oaks Rd, and Jackson Ave. In
the area of the I-215 Freeway and Clinton Keith Road, a transfer
point should be set up with Route 61 in the area of the proposed
Loma Linda University Medical Center. I also suggest rerouting
Route 61 between Clinton Keith Road and Los Alamos Rd from I-
215 to Whitewood Rd.
Route 24: I strongly support the need to upgrade the local
bus lines in the Temecula Valley. I suggest the following routing
for the Route 24 proposal:
I suggest Route 24 be split into three separate routes. The first
route should be a bidirectional circulator loop connecting the
Promenade Mall area to other key destinations of Southern
Temecula via Ynez, Rancho California, Butterfield Stage, Temecula
Pkwy, Old Town Front St, and Jefferson. The loop should also
include diverted school-tripper service to Temecula Valley High
School during school rush hours.
The other two routes should be an interlined north/south route
connecting Pechanga Casino to the Promenade Mall area. One
route would operate directly via the Margarita Pkwy Corridor. The
other should operate (starting from Pechanga) via the Deer
Hallow Pkwy, Peppercorn, Redhawk/Vail Ranch Pkwy Loop,
Overland Tr, Margarita Pkwy, Pauba Rd (Temecula Library), and
Ynez Rd corridors. The latter route would provide a direct
connection to Great Oak High School. Both routes should meet
each other at Temecula Pkwy to serve the proposed Temecula
Hospital area and the routes should meet each other again at
the Abbott Laboratories and Promenade Mall areas before
serving the County Center Loop area.
Harveston Shuttle: I suggest the following routing for the
shuttle service:
The shuttle should start in the area of the high density housing
communities and follow the Harveston Dr Loop to Margarita. The
route should then continue south to the Old Town area via
Winchester Rd, County Center Dr, Jefferson Av, Overland Dr, and
Ynez Rd. Rush hour trips should also serve the Promenade Mall
Park & Ride. This will link the Harveston Community to activity
centers in the area.
Route 206 Saturday: Although not mentioned in the
budget report, I request that the following comments for Route
206 be considered to improve productivity of its Saturday service.
I believe Saturday service from this route is suffering from some
fundamental flaws which may be the cause for its very low
ridership. The bus stop placement for CommuterLink Route 206
may be too commuter-oriented for the route to run productively
on Saturdays and the route basically has no weekend marketing.
I suggest the following for this route:
This route connects the communities of the Temecula Valley,
Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, and Corona areas together, has a quick
and efficient trip time, and is certainly an affordable alternative to
car travel. This route is a necessary alternative because it is the
only north/south route in the region and I-15 and SR-91
congestion during rush hours and weekends warrants its service.
1. Temecula / Promenade Mall Stop: Implement the proposed
SRTP upgrades of Routes 23 and 24. Add a Route 206 stop at
the intersection of Ynez and Winchester Rd. This will allow
residents to use the rush hour Commuterlink busses without the
necessity of the car. The last trips of each of the connecting local
busses should hold until the last Route 206 bus arrives. On
Saturdays, increase the span of service on Routes 23 and 24 to
match the span of service of Route 206 to allow bus riders to use
the first, second, and last Saturday trip for Route 206. Talking
with bus riders, many of them don't use Commuterlink due to lack
of connections.
2. Abbott Laboratories: Add a stop at Abbott Laboratories and
have reverse-commute trips stop there. This will allow employees
who live in Lake Elsinore or Corona to use the service. The
factory is currently undergoing a major expansion project.
3. Old Town Temecula / Pechanga: Expand the Route further
south with stops at Tower Plaza, Old Town, and Pechanga
Resort. This will give Pechanga visitors and employees a
transportation alternative to car travel with a direct connection to
Metrolink. High density, transit ready, mixed-use projects either
exist or are planned for Old Town; therefore Route 206 should
have a direct connection to this area. The expanded service to
Pechanga should also be marketed.
4. Lake Elsinore Outlet Center Stop: On Weekdays and
Saturdays, increase the span of service and/or adjust the
schedules on Routes 7, 8 and 22 to match the span of service of
Route 206 with timed connections. This will allow more residents
to use the rush hour Commuterlink busses without the necessity
of the car. The last trips of each of the connecting local busses
should hold until the last Route 206 bus arrives. On Saturdays,
add a stop closer to the entrance of the Outlet Center and
market the service during the Christmas Holiday season.
5. Dos Lagos Stop: Selected weekday trips should also stop at
Dos Lagos. There is no other transit service in this area. A
number of high density housing and employment centers are
planned for this area.
6. Corona Stop: Until the Corona Transit Center is completed,
add a Route 206 stop at 6th and Main St. in Corona. Northbound
trips should stop at the Metrolink station first and then proceed
south 6th and Main. Saturday trips would then continue east to
Tyler. Southbound trips should start at the Metrolink Station and
then proceed south to 6th and Main. It would then go east on
6th, north on Grand, and north on Main; from there, it would
resume its regular routing. Move the Route 149 stop from Grand
and Main to 6th and Main and adjust its schedule to provide
timed connections to/from Route 206. Work with OCTA and add a
Route 794 or 794A stop at 6th and Main timed with Route 206.
7. Market/Advertise Saturday Service Better: Weekend
congestion on the I-15 and SR-91 can warrant weekend service
on Route 206. There are lots of opportunities to increase
productivity of Route 206 Saturday service with modest
improvements. The route needs better marketing and better local
connections. I think many riders are not even aware of its
presence. I believe the Route 202 Beach Bus is successful
because its service was marketed properly. I believe the same
can be done for Route 206, especially during peak shopping
seasons.
8. Better Connections to Metrolink on Saturdays: Adjust the
Saturday schedule to provide better connections to Metrolink
Weekends trains. A better timed connection is needed for
Metrolink Train 856 (current layover time is 42 minutes), a
northbound PM bus should connect to Metrolink Train 861, and
the last southbound trip should be timed better with Metrolink
Train 858 (current layover time is 35 minutes). As resources
become available, add an evening southbound trip to connect
from Metrolink Train 860. Similar to weekday service, southbound
buses connecting from Metrolink should be ready at the station
when their target trains come and they should hold until their
trains do come.
9. Work with Metrolink and OCTA and add attractions along the
Route 206 corridor to the Metrolink Weekends Fun Guide. This
will further market the route.
10. Guaranteed AM Metrolink Connections: Budget a "rescue"
bus which would emulate Metrolink. Should the last morning
Route 206 run late and miss the last westbound AM Metrolink
train on Weekdays and Saturdays, a bus can be dispatched to
take the passengers to their destination stations.
11. Route 206 Hopper: Market the shuttle as "Metrolink Hopper"
instead of "Route 206 Hopper" and split the route from the Route
206 schedule and map. This will prevent possible confusion.
Route 214 CommuterLink: I strongly support this long-
overdue route. I suggest the following stops for the route: Any
public parking facility in San Jacinto, Downtown Hemet, Hemet
Valley Mall, any public parking facility in French Valley, Temecula
Promenade Mall, Abbott Laboratories (reverse commute runs),
Pala Mesa Village Park & Ride, Escondido Transit Center (Sprinter
& MTS Route 810 connection to Downtown San Diego), North
County Fair Mall (MTS Route 20 connections to suburban
employment centers).
I request that these written comments be added to the public
record and considered at the Budget Public Hearing Meeting to
be held June 26.
Best Regards,
Nicholas Ventrone,
Temecula Resident, Rider and Transit Advocate
Cc. RTA Board of Directors
I suggested the following routing for the route upgrades:
Route 23 ('A' & 'B' routes) & Route 61
Route 23 (southern portion of 'A' route)
Route 24 ('A' Route)
Route 24 ('B' & 'C' interlined route)
Harveston Shuttle:
wrcousert wrote:
My wish list is a bit shorter.
1. Routes 23 and 24 should run every 30 minutes until at LEAST 8:00pm. 10:00pm would be preferable.
2. Routes 206 and 208 should run once an hour, seven days a week, until at LEAST 8:00pm.
Is this unreasonable?
1. Routes 23 and 24 should run every 30 minutes until at LEAST 8:00pm. 10:00pm would be preferable.
2. Routes 206 and 208 should run once an hour, seven days a week, until at LEAST 8:00pm.
Is this unreasonable?
Some of our "dream wishes" of better bus service in the Temecula and Murrieta Valley are now becoming real proposals on the RTA SRTP, so I've started a new thread on this discussion.
Comments on SRTP Upgrades for Temecula & Murrieta
June 25, 2008
RTA Headquarters
1825 Third Street
Riverside CA, 92518
Re: Comments on Proposed Service Changes in Temecula
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am writing in regards to the proposed budgeted service
changes to be implemented in the near future. I have submitted
the following written comments to each of the members of the
Board of Directors regarding the proposed service upgrade
proposals for the Temecula Valley area.
Route 23: I strongly support the need to upgrade the local
bus lines in the Murrieta area. I suggest the following routing for
the Route 23 proposal:
I suggest Route 23 be split into two separate routes. The first
route should be a north/south line connecting the Inland Valley
Medical Center to the Pechanga Resort.
The route should follow the Clinton Road corridor west from the
hospital to Palomar St. The route should then proceed south
toward Pechanga via Palomar St, Washington Ave, Madison Ave,
Jefferson Ave, Old Town Front St, and Pechanga Pkwy with
diversion to the Rancho Springs Medical Center area.
The second route should be a bidirectional circulator loop
connecting the Inland Valley Hospital area to the Rancho Springs
Hospital area to the French Valley area via Clinton Keith Road,
Winchester Rd, Auld Rd (Southwest Justice Center), Murrieta Hot
Springs Rd, Madison Ave, California Oaks Rd, and Jackson Ave. In
the area of the I-215 Freeway and Clinton Keith Road, a transfer
point should be set up with Route 61 in the area of the proposed
Loma Linda University Medical Center. I also suggest rerouting
Route 61 between Clinton Keith Road and Los Alamos Rd from I-
215 to Whitewood Rd.
Route 24: I strongly support the need to upgrade the local
bus lines in the Temecula Valley. I suggest the following routing
for the Route 24 proposal:
I suggest Route 24 be split into three separate routes. The first
route should be a bidirectional circulator loop connecting the
Promenade Mall area to other key destinations of Southern
Temecula via Ynez, Rancho California, Butterfield Stage, Temecula
Pkwy, Old Town Front St, and Jefferson. The loop should also
include diverted school-tripper service to Temecula Valley High
School during school rush hours.
The other two routes should be an interlined north/south route
connecting Pechanga Casino to the Promenade Mall area. One
route would operate directly via the Margarita Pkwy Corridor. The
other should operate (starting from Pechanga) via the Deer
Hallow Pkwy, Peppercorn, Redhawk/Vail Ranch Pkwy Loop,
Overland Tr, Margarita Pkwy, Pauba Rd (Temecula Library), and
Ynez Rd corridors. The latter route would provide a direct
connection to Great Oak High School. Both routes should meet
each other at Temecula Pkwy to serve the proposed Temecula
Hospital area and the routes should meet each other again at
the Abbott Laboratories and Promenade Mall areas before
serving the County Center Loop area.
Harveston Shuttle: I suggest the following routing for the
shuttle service:
The shuttle should start in the area of the high density housing
communities and follow the Harveston Dr Loop to Margarita. The
route should then continue south to the Old Town area via
Winchester Rd, County Center Dr, Jefferson Av, Overland Dr, and
Ynez Rd. Rush hour trips should also serve the Promenade Mall
Park & Ride. This will link the Harveston Community to activity
centers in the area.
Route 206 Saturday: Although not mentioned in the
budget report, I request that the following comments for Route
206 be considered to improve productivity of its Saturday service.
I believe Saturday service from this route is suffering from some
fundamental flaws which may be the cause for its very low
ridership. The bus stop placement for CommuterLink Route 206
may be too commuter-oriented for the route to run productively
on Saturdays and the route basically has no weekend marketing.
I suggest the following for this route:
This route connects the communities of the Temecula Valley,
Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, and Corona areas together, has a quick
and efficient trip time, and is certainly an affordable alternative to
car travel. This route is a necessary alternative because it is the
only north/south route in the region and I-15 and SR-91
congestion during rush hours and weekends warrants its service.
1. Temecula / Promenade Mall Stop: Implement the proposed
SRTP upgrades of Routes 23 and 24. Add a Route 206 stop at
the intersection of Ynez and Winchester Rd. This will allow
residents to use the rush hour Commuterlink busses without the
necessity of the car. The last trips of each of the connecting local
busses should hold until the last Route 206 bus arrives. On
Saturdays, increase the span of service on Routes 23 and 24 to
match the span of service of Route 206 to allow bus riders to use
the first, second, and last Saturday trip for Route 206. Talking
with bus riders, many of them don't use Commuterlink due to lack
of connections.
2. Abbott Laboratories: Add a stop at Abbott Laboratories and
have reverse-commute trips stop there. This will allow employees
who live in Lake Elsinore or Corona to use the service. The
factory is currently undergoing a major expansion project.
3. Old Town Temecula / Pechanga: Expand the Route further
south with stops at Tower Plaza, Old Town, and Pechanga
Resort. This will give Pechanga visitors and employees a
transportation alternative to car travel with a direct connection to
Metrolink. High density, transit ready, mixed-use projects either
exist or are planned for Old Town; therefore Route 206 should
have a direct connection to this area. The expanded service to
Pechanga should also be marketed.
4. Lake Elsinore Outlet Center Stop: On Weekdays and
Saturdays, increase the span of service and/or adjust the
schedules on Routes 7, 8 and 22 to match the span of service of
Route 206 with timed connections. This will allow more residents
to use the rush hour Commuterlink busses without the necessity
of the car. The last trips of each of the connecting local busses
should hold until the last Route 206 bus arrives. On Saturdays,
add a stop closer to the entrance of the Outlet Center and
market the service during the Christmas Holiday season.
5. Dos Lagos Stop: Selected weekday trips should also stop at
Dos Lagos. There is no other transit service in this area. A
number of high density housing and employment centers are
planned for this area.
6. Corona Stop: Until the Corona Transit Center is completed,
add a Route 206 stop at 6th and Main St. in Corona. Northbound
trips should stop at the Metrolink station first and then proceed
south 6th and Main. Saturday trips would then continue east to
Tyler. Southbound trips should start at the Metrolink Station and
then proceed south to 6th and Main. It would then go east on
6th, north on Grand, and north on Main; from there, it would
resume its regular routing. Move the Route 149 stop from Grand
and Main to 6th and Main and adjust its schedule to provide
timed connections to/from Route 206. Work with OCTA and add a
Route 794 or 794A stop at 6th and Main timed with Route 206.
7. Market/Advertise Saturday Service Better: Weekend
congestion on the I-15 and SR-91 can warrant weekend service
on Route 206. There are lots of opportunities to increase
productivity of Route 206 Saturday service with modest
improvements. The route needs better marketing and better local
connections. I think many riders are not even aware of its
presence. I believe the Route 202 Beach Bus is successful
because its service was marketed properly. I believe the same
can be done for Route 206, especially during peak shopping
seasons.
8. Better Connections to Metrolink on Saturdays: Adjust the
Saturday schedule to provide better connections to Metrolink
Weekends trains. A better timed connection is needed for
Metrolink Train 856 (current layover time is 42 minutes), a
northbound PM bus should connect to Metrolink Train 861, and
the last southbound trip should be timed better with Metrolink
Train 858 (current layover time is 35 minutes). As resources
become available, add an evening southbound trip to connect
from Metrolink Train 860. Similar to weekday service, southbound
buses connecting from Metrolink should be ready at the station
when their target trains come and they should hold until their
trains do come.
9. Work with Metrolink and OCTA and add attractions along the
Route 206 corridor to the Metrolink Weekends Fun Guide. This
will further market the route.
10. Guaranteed AM Metrolink Connections: Budget a "rescue"
bus which would emulate Metrolink. Should the last morning
Route 206 run late and miss the last westbound AM Metrolink
train on Weekdays and Saturdays, a bus can be dispatched to
take the passengers to their destination stations.
11. Route 206 Hopper: Market the shuttle as "Metrolink Hopper"
instead of "Route 206 Hopper" and split the route from the Route
206 schedule and map. This will prevent possible confusion.
Route 214 CommuterLink: I strongly support this long-
overdue route. I suggest the following stops for the route: Any
public parking facility in San Jacinto, Downtown Hemet, Hemet
Valley Mall, any public parking facility in French Valley, Temecula
Promenade Mall, Abbott Laboratories (reverse commute runs),
Pala Mesa Village Park & Ride, Escondido Transit Center (Sprinter
& MTS Route 810 connection to Downtown San Diego), North
County Fair Mall (MTS Route 20 connections to suburban
employment centers).
I request that these written comments be added to the public
record and considered at the Budget Public Hearing Meeting to
be held June 26.
Best Regards,
Nicholas Ventrone,
Temecula Resident, Rider and Transit Advocate
Cc. RTA Board of Directors
I suggested the following routing for the route upgrades:
Route 23 ('A' & 'B' routes) & Route 61
Route 23 (southern portion of 'A' route)
Route 24 ('A' Route)
Route 24 ('B' & 'C' interlined route)
Harveston Shuttle: