ISO 9001 assumes a lot of things not written into the standard, and the matter of public hearings is no exception to the rule. After discovering a problem which I am trying to get more information on the cause of, in relating to a time change that affected all runs on a route, I came up with this solution on the public hearings problem, including the lack of holding public hearings in some cases, that will make everyone happier, including UTA itself.
1. Preparing for the hearing.
Diseminate as much information about proposals as possible, via fliers on buses, mailings to homes along the affected route (within 1/2 mile is the standard, since that is how far most people will walk to get to a route). This process must begin the month after a change day. For example, a change day occurs in August, so the process must begin about the first of September for the December change day.
Get media outlets to air commercials advertising the change day proposal hearings, this should all take place in the first month following a change day in preparation for the hearings about changes for the next change day. Disseminate press releases about the changes to media outlets as well and contact reporters to run stories about the proposed changes.
This must be done for all changes that substantially affect a route, even if the proposal is to shift the start times from one time to another especially if the new start times for a route are significantly earlier than before, like more than five minutes earlier. Also this must be done for any routing changes besides temporary detouring that is going to last for an extended period like the recent 811 detour was.
2. Scheduling the hearings.
For the commercials, a date and time must be in the commercial, flyer, or newspaper ad notice (putting anything in the public notices area alone is inadequate, advertising space must be purchased). That date must occur in the first week of the second month after a change day, for example, October is the second month following the August change day. This must be held in a location convenient to all residents in the division the route is in that is to be changed. Fliers are to be mailed and distributed in the manner described above.
The flier must include the proposal, and must include a very brief but understandable reason for the change.
Information on changes in divisions other than the division where the change is proposed must also be made available to all divisions to all riders, that way if a change might adversely affect riders that might use a route affected by a proposed change can give comments about the change, either for or against.
The hearing must follow this format:
6pm. Begin hearing, meet with public, show maps and give more detailed info in response to inquiries and questions. This will set the stage for later parts of the hearing. This should be in the back of the venue, so that latecomers can see and then comment in the hearing process later in the evening as they arrive.
7pm. At the front of the room, the lead planner for the division discusses the proposal and reasons that UTA feels the route needs to be changed in the fashion they propose it to the entire audience present, including sharing some of the feedback from discussions with in the first hour. This must includes both comments for and against the issue, and this to inform those present so comments later at the microphone can be more direct in relation to the issues involved. This ensures a dialogue between the public who uses UTA and the managers who have to juggle everything on the system to make it work for all.
By 730pm, that phase should be completed and the public should then be invited to ask more questions, and managers should be prepared to give responses to the public. If a manager feels slighted and discovers the plan they had envisioned for the next change day was wrong, he should not feel guilty for saying 'We were wrong, we'll see what we can do to fix the planned change so it works for you'. Everyone makes mistakes, and we should all learn from them, and they can even offer possible alternatives be it on the fly if necessary, which will help perfect the process and ensure that any eventual changes implemented serve the public interest once they are.
The public input portion of the hearing should go until 830pm, after which a summation and discussion of the ideas should be presented to the entire audience present.
In addition to this, a web comment portal needs to be established, like how the FCC does it, where a person can E-File comments, and read the comments of everyone else, regarding a change day. If mutliple routes are to be affected by changes, the comment website should be structured to allow one to comment on a specific proposal for a specific route. This comment portal URL on the Internet should be opened at the time the fliers are mailed out and placed on buses, and the webpage should be noted on the fliers and mailings, as well as the advertising and news stories. Mailed comments should be scanned, and phone comment transcriptions/summaries should be posted to the site also.
3. Internal planning.
After the hearings are done, planners should take written comments until end of the third week in the second month following a change day, after which they should issue another flyer indicating what they wish to do. They can then on the fourth week in the second month following a change day submit it to the UTA Board of Directors, who can then approve the plan. That will allow everyone to be in the know throughout the process, and once the board approves the modified plans, will allow drivers to bid on work for the upcoming period beginning at the next change day.
By the third week in the third month following the change day, or rather the third week in the month preceeding the next change day, notices should be mailed out to affected areas, news media needs to be contacted, and fliers need to be handed out on buses and TRAX indicating the changes that were made and the effective date.
4. Implementation. On the week before a change is to go into effect, fliers must be posted on buses and placed in schedule holders yet again, so that people can see the changes that passed, and how they will affect them. Concise reasons for the change again should be included in the description of the change, and the use of 'in house' jargon should be avoided. Terms such as 'runtime', 'headways', etc., are confusing to those unfamiliar with transit system jargon, and explaining everything in plainer terms will help. This rule of thumb should also be followed in all eariler phases of this process.
5. Your comments about this idea.
Your comments are now invited on this idea. UTA employees and planners are welcome to comment. UTA personnel, if desired, may post anonymously if you feel like you do not want your name or position known.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
'Connection Protection' as defined by UTA now works better.
In talking to UTA about another matter, I have found that the connection protection part of their compliance with ISO 9001 does work a great majority of the time.
However, there are issues remaining to be resolved, such as those that involve connections to TRAX from buses. I have heard that riders transferring to TRAX from route 62 have consistently missed their trains because the trains do not wait even if both are exactly on time which can be normal much of the day for route 62.
Last night, November 23rd 2007, was one of those extreme situations where there was no way they could really 'keep the trains running on time' as the expression goes, and that was very literal. Downtown Salt Lake City was jammed with people who came down to see the Christmas lights as the day after Thanksgiving as that is the day they are first turned on. It's a big tradition. This year was more exceptional as the Tabernacle renovation was finished and they were able to light up more of the area than they had been able to do for the last two or three seasons, so that really drew a crowd this time.
As early as 430pm, things had already gotten out of whack, one was late by three minutes at Central Point Station and I immediately knew why, it was almost completely full, all three cars, I don't think I saw a train with four cars but could be wrong.
Well that threw other connections off, and doubless buses and trains were missed due to this, I'm almost sure that in some cases they ran so late they seemed early, much like what happens in Las Vegas with their Strip express buses.
Maybe they need to run every train with four cars throughout the evening for a large event like this, and throughout the Christmas season run as many cars as is found to be needed based on reports from bus drivers and train engineers about passenger loads. One would think and I believe they do take this into account, but the reality is sometimes things don't always get communicated properly, that is what this post is all about, so what can be done to resolve the issues?
Another issue is that Customer Concerns does not seem to have access to arrival/departure data to more immediately resolve customer inquiries as to why they missed a bus at a TRAX station. They maintain two separate sets of books here, and the Customer Concerns agents can only access the record for the buses. That does need to be fixed to maintain a better public perception of UTA's use of ISO 9001 in these matters.
However, there are issues remaining to be resolved, such as those that involve connections to TRAX from buses. I have heard that riders transferring to TRAX from route 62 have consistently missed their trains because the trains do not wait even if both are exactly on time which can be normal much of the day for route 62.
Last night, November 23rd 2007, was one of those extreme situations where there was no way they could really 'keep the trains running on time' as the expression goes, and that was very literal. Downtown Salt Lake City was jammed with people who came down to see the Christmas lights as the day after Thanksgiving as that is the day they are first turned on. It's a big tradition. This year was more exceptional as the Tabernacle renovation was finished and they were able to light up more of the area than they had been able to do for the last two or three seasons, so that really drew a crowd this time.
As early as 430pm, things had already gotten out of whack, one was late by three minutes at Central Point Station and I immediately knew why, it was almost completely full, all three cars, I don't think I saw a train with four cars but could be wrong.
Well that threw other connections off, and doubless buses and trains were missed due to this, I'm almost sure that in some cases they ran so late they seemed early, much like what happens in Las Vegas with their Strip express buses.
Maybe they need to run every train with four cars throughout the evening for a large event like this, and throughout the Christmas season run as many cars as is found to be needed based on reports from bus drivers and train engineers about passenger loads. One would think and I believe they do take this into account, but the reality is sometimes things don't always get communicated properly, that is what this post is all about, so what can be done to resolve the issues?
Another issue is that Customer Concerns does not seem to have access to arrival/departure data to more immediately resolve customer inquiries as to why they missed a bus at a TRAX station. They maintain two separate sets of books here, and the Customer Concerns agents can only access the record for the buses. That does need to be fixed to maintain a better public perception of UTA's use of ISO 9001 in these matters.
Thanks for the comments!
Thanks for the great comments and additional information.
In regards to Frontrunner, thanks for the information on how the driver might not be able to see the passenger platform, I think now the question is is there going to be a way for them to possibly be able to know that there might be an issue where they might have to wait a short time for it to be resolved?
On 13th West, that seems understandable that there is an issue above and beyond the control of UTA and that it might take some time to resolve. Is that due to the fact that 64th South/62nd South is too narrow in the area between 7th and 13th West where it crosses the Jordan River? It looks that way to me, I think once the cities or the county connect the two together in a way that buses could use that, it will allow the 62 to pick up passengers at Fashion Place West station, and go straght over on 64th and 62nd South, and still interline at the 56th West Wal-Mart.
In regards to Frontrunner, thanks for the information on how the driver might not be able to see the passenger platform, I think now the question is is there going to be a way for them to possibly be able to know that there might be an issue where they might have to wait a short time for it to be resolved?
On 13th West, that seems understandable that there is an issue above and beyond the control of UTA and that it might take some time to resolve. Is that due to the fact that 64th South/62nd South is too narrow in the area between 7th and 13th West where it crosses the Jordan River? It looks that way to me, I think once the cities or the county connect the two together in a way that buses could use that, it will allow the 62 to pick up passengers at Fashion Place West station, and go straght over on 64th and 62nd South, and still interline at the 56th West Wal-Mart.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Another driver, UTA maintenance gets ISO 9001 right.
Yesterday after the incident at the TRAX station, I would eventually catch the 440pm Route 801 back to Utah County, and after what happened, I have to commend the driver and UTA maintenance, and a passing Utah Highway Patrol trooper, for a job well done, not only that, but the UTA employees followed the customer service standard that ISO 9001 implies.
The trip was uneventful after leaving downtown, used the HOV/HOT lane from Downtown on I-15 as usual. The freeway was recently rebuilt in Salt Lake, and a 'stopgap' widening was done south of 106th South until they can begin a huge widening project in 2011. It is possible issues with the stopgap nature of UDOT having to add additional lanes until the big one can begin that may have been one factor in the following incident. Equipment fatigue could be another.
Just after 114th South, the bike rack on the front of the bus came loose, and the bus had to pull to the inside of the freeway, and came to a stop cross-lanes from the 123rd South (U-71/US-89) interchange. They discovered that they needed someone to be sure the rack would be OK until they could get it to the yard for the night crew to fix. So they called into the radio room at UTA just off 33rd South and I-15, a good ten or more miles north of their location.
Obviously this was after 5pm and traffic was thick. So the truck was going to have to deal with that. The driver and the passenger got the bike into the bus. About that time a passing UHP trooper came by and asked what could be done. The driver explained they had radioed it in. He hopped the center divider and did what he could, which despite his good efforts, was not enough.
About five minutes after that, the maintenance truck pulled up. They got it to hold the rest of the trip back. I'm sure that maintenance is looking at it now. They usually do a very good job, and their work using ISO 9001 in their documenting problems that come up is probably what keeps the buses running with few issues.
Here's the possible theories on the 'why it happened' part.
1. Although the bus was a three-year-old model MC 400 D bus, affectionately called 'stripers' by some, there is the possibility of metal fatigue in the rack or in a fastener, usually a bolt or screw, that could have worn through or simply failed. If so, it might point to a minor workmanship issue possibly at the factory. For the record, UTA's vehicle ID number on this was 04010 but it was referred to as '4010' by dispatch.
2. The other issue is the road itself could have contributed to something coming loose. Past 106th South, the road in the HOV lane is uneven, particularly at the end of the segment widened in 1997-2001 on south. Also settling near the 114th South bridge and near the work done for the 123rd South interchange may have made things just uneven enough to jar something loose.
Again thanks to the UTA driver, dispatch, maintenance, and the passing UHP trooper for a job well done. The rider still has his bike thanks to the quick thinking of the driver.
The trip was uneventful after leaving downtown, used the HOV/HOT lane from Downtown on I-15 as usual. The freeway was recently rebuilt in Salt Lake, and a 'stopgap' widening was done south of 106th South until they can begin a huge widening project in 2011. It is possible issues with the stopgap nature of UDOT having to add additional lanes until the big one can begin that may have been one factor in the following incident. Equipment fatigue could be another.
Just after 114th South, the bike rack on the front of the bus came loose, and the bus had to pull to the inside of the freeway, and came to a stop cross-lanes from the 123rd South (U-71/US-89) interchange. They discovered that they needed someone to be sure the rack would be OK until they could get it to the yard for the night crew to fix. So they called into the radio room at UTA just off 33rd South and I-15, a good ten or more miles north of their location.
Obviously this was after 5pm and traffic was thick. So the truck was going to have to deal with that. The driver and the passenger got the bike into the bus. About that time a passing UHP trooper came by and asked what could be done. The driver explained they had radioed it in. He hopped the center divider and did what he could, which despite his good efforts, was not enough.
About five minutes after that, the maintenance truck pulled up. They got it to hold the rest of the trip back. I'm sure that maintenance is looking at it now. They usually do a very good job, and their work using ISO 9001 in their documenting problems that come up is probably what keeps the buses running with few issues.
Here's the possible theories on the 'why it happened' part.
1. Although the bus was a three-year-old model MC 400 D bus, affectionately called 'stripers' by some, there is the possibility of metal fatigue in the rack or in a fastener, usually a bolt or screw, that could have worn through or simply failed. If so, it might point to a minor workmanship issue possibly at the factory. For the record, UTA's vehicle ID number on this was 04010 but it was referred to as '4010' by dispatch.
2. The other issue is the road itself could have contributed to something coming loose. Past 106th South, the road in the HOV lane is uneven, particularly at the end of the segment widened in 1997-2001 on south. Also settling near the 114th South bridge and near the work done for the 123rd South interchange may have made things just uneven enough to jar something loose.
Again thanks to the UTA driver, dispatch, maintenance, and the passing UHP trooper for a job well done. The rider still has his bike thanks to the quick thinking of the driver.
Two driver wrongs don't make an ISO 9001 right.
This is the tale of two drivers who both screwed up, and because of it, left bad feelings between some 30 riders and UTA.
1. Route 811 comes up from Utah County, because they are on regular route now with the construction on US-89 'State Street' completed they can take that straight up to the Sandy Civic Center TRAX station and not have to go around via 700 East (U-71) and 98th South anymore.
The bus arrives some eight minutes early, it was supposed to not be there until 1107am. It got there about 1059 or 11am.
2. A train had just pulled up to the disabled platform, but as riders got to the platform, he pulled away, seemingly oblivious to the fact that riders were depending on him and the ISO 9001 Service Delivery component 'connection protection' procedure, exactly as defined by UTA itself, to ensure they would be able to catch that train, even if the bus was early.
Neither driver was right. The first one ran early, and when he got there early, and the train there left, it caused more damage right there.
1. Route 811 comes up from Utah County, because they are on regular route now with the construction on US-89 'State Street' completed they can take that straight up to the Sandy Civic Center TRAX station and not have to go around via 700 East (U-71) and 98th South anymore.
The bus arrives some eight minutes early, it was supposed to not be there until 1107am. It got there about 1059 or 11am.
2. A train had just pulled up to the disabled platform, but as riders got to the platform, he pulled away, seemingly oblivious to the fact that riders were depending on him and the ISO 9001 Service Delivery component 'connection protection' procedure, exactly as defined by UTA itself, to ensure they would be able to catch that train, even if the bus was early.
Neither driver was right. The first one ran early, and when he got there early, and the train there left, it caused more damage right there.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
TRAX driver gets it right, follows ISO customer care standard in waiting for disabled rider.
ISO 9001 presumes a level of customer care you do not see often these days, anywhere, even if it is not 'written in stone' in the standard. That is why the matter I saw today was truly above and beyond the usual for a UTA employee.
I was just getting off a northbound TRAX train at 78th South just about 1225pm. As I was readying to leave the platform, I saw a man with an old manual walker, with no wheels, trying to make his way up the ramp to get on the train.
Now walkers these days have small wheels, which allow one to move a little more quickly, most of these are now black rather than what this one was, which was the old silver type with no wheels which the user has to pick up to move it a few inches forward at a time.
I immediately turned around and signaled to the driver he had a disabled passenger trying to reach him, and he waited. He got out and once the passenger got to the top of the platform, he helped him get into the train. He then left, it took just over a minute to do this.
Now given the previous track record involving TRAX drivers outright leaving people with walkers, I think a previous complaint did some good. Someone may have retrained the drivers to be more sensitive to disabled riders needs, I've written about the issue before on this blog, and have discussed it with UTA customer concerns people and their ADA coordinator, and it all seems to have worked.
UTA now needs to make this a regular policy and part of the customer care documentation and training for ALL of its TRAX drivers, and do the same for Frontrunner drivers, so that everyone is on the same page to help all passengers who may need it even if it takes an extra minute. By doing so, it will raise the perception among many regarding its ISO 9001 accreditation that it is a good thing, not a bad thing as many have now following the 2007 Salt Lake County redesign fiasco, which they still have to resolve properly, and until then that still will hang over their ISO accreditation like a black cloud.
This caused a minor, but in the end insignificant, backup on 7720 South, but given how fast trains move through the intersecting street anyway (this is nowhere near like the wait for freight trains), this was but a small bother time-wise, and if everyone waiting for the train to go through so the gates would lift up knew the real issue as described here, they would have no problem waiting the extra time they had to today.
I was just getting off a northbound TRAX train at 78th South just about 1225pm. As I was readying to leave the platform, I saw a man with an old manual walker, with no wheels, trying to make his way up the ramp to get on the train.
Now walkers these days have small wheels, which allow one to move a little more quickly, most of these are now black rather than what this one was, which was the old silver type with no wheels which the user has to pick up to move it a few inches forward at a time.
I immediately turned around and signaled to the driver he had a disabled passenger trying to reach him, and he waited. He got out and once the passenger got to the top of the platform, he helped him get into the train. He then left, it took just over a minute to do this.
Now given the previous track record involving TRAX drivers outright leaving people with walkers, I think a previous complaint did some good. Someone may have retrained the drivers to be more sensitive to disabled riders needs, I've written about the issue before on this blog, and have discussed it with UTA customer concerns people and their ADA coordinator, and it all seems to have worked.
UTA now needs to make this a regular policy and part of the customer care documentation and training for ALL of its TRAX drivers, and do the same for Frontrunner drivers, so that everyone is on the same page to help all passengers who may need it even if it takes an extra minute. By doing so, it will raise the perception among many regarding its ISO 9001 accreditation that it is a good thing, not a bad thing as many have now following the 2007 Salt Lake County redesign fiasco, which they still have to resolve properly, and until then that still will hang over their ISO accreditation like a black cloud.
This caused a minor, but in the end insignificant, backup on 7720 South, but given how fast trains move through the intersecting street anyway (this is nowhere near like the wait for freight trains), this was but a small bother time-wise, and if everyone waiting for the train to go through so the gates would lift up knew the real issue as described here, they would have no problem waiting the extra time they had to today.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Route 850 Service delivery problem near Lindon Wal-Mart (US 89/State Street)
There is a small but bothersome service delivery problem for northbound 850 users near the Lindon Wal-Mart on State Street.
There is a light for a road that goes into the parking area, and the bus stops north of that, but it's more than a normal block north of the light. This needs to be moved to about 120 feet north of the light, from where it is now.
The fix can be done in ten minutes, it is possible UTA will have to call Blue Stakes first, but once that's done they can just go in and move the stop south to a point that would be roughly 120 feet from the light.
This will be useful for the disabled, and should also be considered an ADA issue.
There is a light for a road that goes into the parking area, and the bus stops north of that, but it's more than a normal block north of the light. This needs to be moved to about 120 feet north of the light, from where it is now.
The fix can be done in ten minutes, it is possible UTA will have to call Blue Stakes first, but once that's done they can just go in and move the stop south to a point that would be roughly 120 feet from the light.
This will be useful for the disabled, and should also be considered an ADA issue.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Soaring Gasoline Prices Could Force ISO 9001 Changes to August Redesign, Routes in Other Areas.
The soaring prices of gas look like they will force major changes to the much-vaunted route redesign in Salt Lake along with forcing additions to service in other areas, and much of that I've already outlined or will outline later.
Basically, much of the service is centered around the major highways outside of Salt Lake County, and 'inside the beltway' in Salt Lake County. Outside of those areas, you are as good as screwed if you want to save gas and take the bus into work, to shop or go to the doctor or to school, or elsewhere during the middle of the day, and in some fast-growing areas, not at all.
It is possible gas prices are going to reach $4 or even $5 a gallon in 2008, and this is going to cause alot of people to want to use mass transit to get to and from even everyday business and leisure, let alone the commute. Some park and ride lots in Utah County are jammed the day they are opened, or so it now seems. Promised expansions have not happened, and one existing lot has been hemmed in by a new development across the road from it.
All because of the insistence on following ISO 9001. Now that same process management system will trip them up so bad they will have to change things and add much more service, taxing the available resources to the limit, forcing them to bring buses out of the 'boneyard' that is just to the south of their main offices in Salt Lake, and trying to hire even more drivers, never mind the shortfall that exists already of about 80 drivers needed.
And if there is a war that disrupts oil supplies, such as what will happen if the US goes in and bombs Iran's nuclear facilities, or goes into other Mideast areas to root out terrorists, including al-Qaida, then we've got serious issues that UTA is not even ready for. The major impact of such action would be gas rationing, mandatory no-drive days based on street address, and other Federal government controls. Mass transit will have much more demand now than today as a result.
Comments welcome.
Basically, much of the service is centered around the major highways outside of Salt Lake County, and 'inside the beltway' in Salt Lake County. Outside of those areas, you are as good as screwed if you want to save gas and take the bus into work, to shop or go to the doctor or to school, or elsewhere during the middle of the day, and in some fast-growing areas, not at all.
It is possible gas prices are going to reach $4 or even $5 a gallon in 2008, and this is going to cause alot of people to want to use mass transit to get to and from even everyday business and leisure, let alone the commute. Some park and ride lots in Utah County are jammed the day they are opened, or so it now seems. Promised expansions have not happened, and one existing lot has been hemmed in by a new development across the road from it.
All because of the insistence on following ISO 9001. Now that same process management system will trip them up so bad they will have to change things and add much more service, taxing the available resources to the limit, forcing them to bring buses out of the 'boneyard' that is just to the south of their main offices in Salt Lake, and trying to hire even more drivers, never mind the shortfall that exists already of about 80 drivers needed.
And if there is a war that disrupts oil supplies, such as what will happen if the US goes in and bombs Iran's nuclear facilities, or goes into other Mideast areas to root out terrorists, including al-Qaida, then we've got serious issues that UTA is not even ready for. The major impact of such action would be gas rationing, mandatory no-drive days based on street address, and other Federal government controls. Mass transit will have much more demand now than today as a result.
Comments welcome.
Friday, November 2, 2007
ADA issue: SLCC hub stop placement inconsistencies.
Found a BIG ADA issue today also that affects the ISO 9001 program within UTA and shows an even bigger lack of compliance than thought.
This is a sizeable service delivery issue, and can be corrected very easily, although it might require modification to one end of the 'hub' stop area on the north of the SLCC Campus area, at the stop that has been built to accomodate multiple routes.
The problem is most acute involving eastbound Route 41 buses, as their stop is across the road from the hub area. There is no crosswalk across the road, no cut for disabled riders who use wheelchairs or other assisting devices, and a railing that prevents people from accessing the sidewalk that use assisting devices or wheelchairs. That is in clear violation of the ADA.
The solution then is for the route 41 bus approaching from the west to enter the hub at the east end via a left turn, use the stops that the 217 and 218 use, then turn left out of the hub. 'Ringneck' left turn arrows are painted on the concrete at this location, which indicates that the 41 can safely exit the hub.
This issue regarding route 41 is required to be fixed immediately in order to avoid the potential for ADA litigation. Again like the other matter today, there is none right now, although eventually someone will call UTA's bluff, UTA will try the all in, and lose on the 'river card' if any legal action were to be the result of UTA's inaction on rearranging the route 41 stops.
This is a sizeable service delivery issue, and can be corrected very easily, although it might require modification to one end of the 'hub' stop area on the north of the SLCC Campus area, at the stop that has been built to accomodate multiple routes.
The problem is most acute involving eastbound Route 41 buses, as their stop is across the road from the hub area. There is no crosswalk across the road, no cut for disabled riders who use wheelchairs or other assisting devices, and a railing that prevents people from accessing the sidewalk that use assisting devices or wheelchairs. That is in clear violation of the ADA.
The solution then is for the route 41 bus approaching from the west to enter the hub at the east end via a left turn, use the stops that the 217 and 218 use, then turn left out of the hub. 'Ringneck' left turn arrows are painted on the concrete at this location, which indicates that the 41 can safely exit the hub.
This issue regarding route 41 is required to be fixed immediately in order to avoid the potential for ADA litigation. Again like the other matter today, there is none right now, although eventually someone will call UTA's bluff, UTA will try the all in, and lose on the 'river card' if any legal action were to be the result of UTA's inaction on rearranging the route 41 stops.
Service Delivery Deficiency, stops not found on Route 62 portion of 1300 West.
I found a major service deficiency on Route 62 today, the segment from 5400 South to 6230 South on what is variously called 1300 West although where I found the worst problems are at 1385 West and 5400 South and several blocks south of that.
There is not a stop southbound for people to get off after the turn on the southbound part of the route as it goes towards 6200 South, nor are they there for at least several blocks south. Coming back north, there is the same problem, and I doubt there is a stop eastbound east of 1385 West at 5400 South either.
Required action to remain ISO 9001 compliant:
Place stops approximately every 1 1/2 blocks, although given the curves on this road and other obstacles the exact spacing may be less regular than on other roads, and this for safety reasons. However, generally accepted practices and best practices require at least six to eight stops both directions on the 1300 West corridor, and collateral stops after leaving it either direction to allow transfers.
The 54th South/1385 West stop southbound just past 54th South is a mandatory issue because people can get on the wrong bus and need to get back over to the north side of 54th South to catch the 54. ADA issues exist regarding this section of 13th West also, some of whith local governments will have to address to make things easier for the disabled to visit people on 13th West in this area also, that is mandatory per the ADA also, and UTA also must have stops in the places outlined to be ADA compliant here as well.
This must be done to avoid potential legal action that could result from not fixing what has been outlined here. I see none on the horizon, but as they say alot in the churches here, it's beter to prepare and prevent, rather than repair and repen, when it comes to these matters.
There is not a stop southbound for people to get off after the turn on the southbound part of the route as it goes towards 6200 South, nor are they there for at least several blocks south. Coming back north, there is the same problem, and I doubt there is a stop eastbound east of 1385 West at 5400 South either.
Required action to remain ISO 9001 compliant:
Place stops approximately every 1 1/2 blocks, although given the curves on this road and other obstacles the exact spacing may be less regular than on other roads, and this for safety reasons. However, generally accepted practices and best practices require at least six to eight stops both directions on the 1300 West corridor, and collateral stops after leaving it either direction to allow transfers.
The 54th South/1385 West stop southbound just past 54th South is a mandatory issue because people can get on the wrong bus and need to get back over to the north side of 54th South to catch the 54. ADA issues exist regarding this section of 13th West also, some of whith local governments will have to address to make things easier for the disabled to visit people on 13th West in this area also, that is mandatory per the ADA also, and UTA also must have stops in the places outlined to be ADA compliant here as well.
This must be done to avoid potential legal action that could result from not fixing what has been outlined here. I see none on the horizon, but as they say alot in the churches here, it's beter to prepare and prevent, rather than repair and repen, when it comes to these matters.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
LED Lighting for TRAX cars, platforms, parking areas, and buses.
A few months ago I saw a site that claimed that UTA saved on gas and other fuels by implementing ISO 9001 via an organization's plans and received recognition for those plans as drawn by mep.org, based at Utah Valley State College, which in about eight months will become Utah Valley University, in Orem Utah.
Lets move forward, with new LED lighting for the TRAX platforms used by riders, the TRAX cars themselves, and the lighting at TRAX stations, and eventually the bus fleet.
Some buses have LED taillights, so that is a start. Just look for a 'striper' and you will see them. In fact, some of the larger 'stripers', the MC 400 D models, also have small LED reading lights inside. Low floor buses have two rows of LED lights on the steps just past the back doors.
Simply put, an LED light system will last far longer than mercury vapor, sodium vapor, incandescent, halogen light, or fluorescent assembly. A home lighting setup may last more than ten years.
The main costs will be all upfront. The wattage is so low it will even cost less than one might think. You only need very few watts to create the output of even a common 60-watt bulb's output in your home. So why not less power consumption at and on any and all UTA properties and equipment?
That means that retrofitting older stations and equipment will be the main cost issue, but new stations like for the forthcoming Mid-Jordan line which they got the EIS approval for on October 29th, can have them right from the start. After the initial cost of installing, the lighting will pay for itself almost immediately. Even on the electricity load on the train cars themselves, and it might allow for more power in the reserves should the overhead lines fail like in a power outage. That can be a huge plus for UTA.
Here' s a commercial site that tells you what I mean. They sell bulbs for home, business, industrial, and many other uses, note the category for trains and transportation. Street lights are also now available in LED forms, not just the traffic signals we are already seeing a lot of.
http://www.ledtronics.com/ (cut and paste to browser address bar).
Lets move forward, with new LED lighting for the TRAX platforms used by riders, the TRAX cars themselves, and the lighting at TRAX stations, and eventually the bus fleet.
Some buses have LED taillights, so that is a start. Just look for a 'striper' and you will see them. In fact, some of the larger 'stripers', the MC 400 D models, also have small LED reading lights inside. Low floor buses have two rows of LED lights on the steps just past the back doors.
Simply put, an LED light system will last far longer than mercury vapor, sodium vapor, incandescent, halogen light, or fluorescent assembly. A home lighting setup may last more than ten years.
The main costs will be all upfront. The wattage is so low it will even cost less than one might think. You only need very few watts to create the output of even a common 60-watt bulb's output in your home. So why not less power consumption at and on any and all UTA properties and equipment?
That means that retrofitting older stations and equipment will be the main cost issue, but new stations like for the forthcoming Mid-Jordan line which they got the EIS approval for on October 29th, can have them right from the start. After the initial cost of installing, the lighting will pay for itself almost immediately. Even on the electricity load on the train cars themselves, and it might allow for more power in the reserves should the overhead lines fail like in a power outage. That can be a huge plus for UTA.
Here' s a commercial site that tells you what I mean. They sell bulbs for home, business, industrial, and many other uses, note the category for trains and transportation. Street lights are also now available in LED forms, not just the traffic signals we are already seeing a lot of.
http://www.ledtronics.com/ (cut and paste to browser address bar).
Monday, October 8, 2007
Customer service guidelines: TRAX engineers (drivers)
This is the first in a series of posts about customer service at UTA, and generally accepted guidelines under ISO 9001 that will facilitate better relations between the customer and UTA, its employees, and others working for and with UTA, making the entire experience for all more pleasant, and this will even make mass transit more desireable.
Today I will cover TRAX engineers (the drivers) and the entire process of approaching the station, loading passengers, and leaving the station.
1. Approaching the station. As the train approaches the station, two things must happen. One is the internal announcement of the station must be made. This allows for the passengers who desire to leave the train at the station to know that this is their station, especially if they are new or infrequent riders of TRAX. Of late I've heard announcements made of either previous stations or the wrong station, so this has become an issue.
The other thing that needs to be done is as the train approaches the station, the engineer needs to blow the whistle to alert people that he is arriving. This is necessary as the prerecorded announcements system has of late been malfunctioning regularly at some station platforms, either because the train is late it occurs a couple minutes before the train actually arrives, or simply has malfunctioned. One can usually tell if this system has malfunctioned because the LED time/date display that also displays other messages is out. Just to be safe anyway, the engineer should give a couple short taps on the whistle at every station regardless of whether the LED display and recorded message system is working or not, to alert people regardless, that way everything is ready as far as all parties are concerned to board or leave trains.
2. Once at the station. The driver first needs to be aware of any disabled riders that may be approaching the platform and actually WAIT for them. Sure this might mean that the train might be a minute late at the very worst if a disabled rider has difficulty reaching either the platform or the raised area in the case of wheelchairs, but it will ensure the disabled rider can make his connections, this does impact and make a huge difference as to whether those riders make the connecting buses or even appointments down the line later. The driver should be aware of any buses that are just pulling up to the dropoff point beside the station too, and afford those passengers enough time to reach the platform. UTA has had a slogan in the past that applies just as much today as it did when it ran. 'We do not want anybody to be late, but we won't leave anyone behind'.
3. Be sure all have had a chance to sit down or grab a railing once the doors are closed and locked for travel. This will prevent liability for accidents caused by the overaggressiveness of some drivers. Should take about ten seconds. Then tap the whistle to be sure the pedestrian crossings are clear, then leave the station as normal.
This will ensure the ridership of UTA is more satisfied, and ensure that UTA remains a quality endorsed system in the eyes of the riders. And it will make ISO 9001 look better as well to everyone. And it will ensure compliance with the quality standard that UTA seeks to be known for by following these mandates as written above when it comes to TRAX.
Today I will cover TRAX engineers (the drivers) and the entire process of approaching the station, loading passengers, and leaving the station.
1. Approaching the station. As the train approaches the station, two things must happen. One is the internal announcement of the station must be made. This allows for the passengers who desire to leave the train at the station to know that this is their station, especially if they are new or infrequent riders of TRAX. Of late I've heard announcements made of either previous stations or the wrong station, so this has become an issue.
The other thing that needs to be done is as the train approaches the station, the engineer needs to blow the whistle to alert people that he is arriving. This is necessary as the prerecorded announcements system has of late been malfunctioning regularly at some station platforms, either because the train is late it occurs a couple minutes before the train actually arrives, or simply has malfunctioned. One can usually tell if this system has malfunctioned because the LED time/date display that also displays other messages is out. Just to be safe anyway, the engineer should give a couple short taps on the whistle at every station regardless of whether the LED display and recorded message system is working or not, to alert people regardless, that way everything is ready as far as all parties are concerned to board or leave trains.
2. Once at the station. The driver first needs to be aware of any disabled riders that may be approaching the platform and actually WAIT for them. Sure this might mean that the train might be a minute late at the very worst if a disabled rider has difficulty reaching either the platform or the raised area in the case of wheelchairs, but it will ensure the disabled rider can make his connections, this does impact and make a huge difference as to whether those riders make the connecting buses or even appointments down the line later. The driver should be aware of any buses that are just pulling up to the dropoff point beside the station too, and afford those passengers enough time to reach the platform. UTA has had a slogan in the past that applies just as much today as it did when it ran. 'We do not want anybody to be late, but we won't leave anyone behind'.
3. Be sure all have had a chance to sit down or grab a railing once the doors are closed and locked for travel. This will prevent liability for accidents caused by the overaggressiveness of some drivers. Should take about ten seconds. Then tap the whistle to be sure the pedestrian crossings are clear, then leave the station as normal.
This will ensure the ridership of UTA is more satisfied, and ensure that UTA remains a quality endorsed system in the eyes of the riders. And it will make ISO 9001 look better as well to everyone. And it will ensure compliance with the quality standard that UTA seeks to be known for by following these mandates as written above when it comes to TRAX.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Needed routes, part 1.
I promised there would be a listing of needed routes in Salt Lake County and elsewhere following the redesign. Some are entirely new based on known needs, and others follow to a degree former routes on major service. Included are service change needs to facilitate connections. This will be posted in several parts.
So here goes with the routes.
1. Government Access Shuttle. Start near the Fairpark where the State Offices are south of there, take North Temple into Downtown, service State Capitol complex, return down State Street to the Matheson Courthouse/Washington Square, then continue to the County complex, looping around that at 21st South, then the EOL would be near the SW corner of that complex. Frequency of service TBD based on how much of a need there might be. Given the special nature of this route, it would not operate on the weekends or at night except to provide relief service for major events, in that case it would connect with TRAX stations for those events. Starts no earlier than 7am, last trip no later than 6pm unless other temporary needs dictate and are announced ahead of time. This is basic route design, may be modified to ensure other Government services are easily accessed from it as well, such as Social Security, the IRS, etc.
7. Seventh West/Jordan Parkway. Run from 39th South TRAX to the roughly 7th West/Jordan Parkway corridor, then end at Sandy Civic Center TRAX after servicing South Towne Mall via 106th South. Projected frequency is minimum one hour, 6am-7pm can be updated as ridership develops.
13. From Fashion Place West use 64th South to 9th East, then through the commercial area then going into 13th East. Follow 13th East to 106th South then down to State and then to Sandy Civic Center TRAX. Once TRAX is extended further south, it can be expanded to cover 13th East to 123rd South. 30 minute service 5am/8pm, 60 minute service to midnight.
20. Seventh East/Highland Drive. From Downtown, go to 700 East via 4th South, then down 7th East to Van Winkle to Highland Drive, then down to TRAX via 13th East and Sego Lily
27. 27th South. Provides needed service to 27th South as it lies halfway between 21st and 33rd South. Should tie in at east end to route 21 or 33. Hourly service 6am/7pm.
70. 70th/71st South. Runs from 72nd South TRAX to Jordan Landing. Half hour service given the number of residences significant businesses.
113. 13th West. From Murray Central TRAX take 53rd South to 1385 West, then down 13th West to 104th South. Then back to Sandy Civic Center TRAX via Sandy Parkway and 100th South.
123. East 123rd South. From State Street (here known as Factory Outlet Drive) go east on 123rd South to a point further east using other roads as needed to service new LDS Temple on Rambling road, then take Highland Drive to near I-15. Route not final, may undergo significant modification once the Draper TRAX extension is built.
125. West 125th South. From same points outlined above, cross 123rd South on Factory Outlet Drive and go down to cross over and take Minuteman Drive to Bangerter, cross I-15, then go on 300 West to service the new destination location of IKEA, take Pony Express Drive, then take 123rd/125th South to 36th West, service the commercial developments east of Bangerter Highway, then enter Daybreak and service new LDS Temple once built, along with Daybreak TRAX station once built then turn down 48th West to Herriman and use the route that the 347 uses. Eventually a circulator will be needed within Rosecrest as well. That information will be posted later as route 547 and that will have its north end at the TRAX station also that will be built.
140. Bluffdale Circulator. Route TBD based on eventual development patterns in the area.
So here goes with the routes.
1. Government Access Shuttle. Start near the Fairpark where the State Offices are south of there, take North Temple into Downtown, service State Capitol complex, return down State Street to the Matheson Courthouse/Washington Square, then continue to the County complex, looping around that at 21st South, then the EOL would be near the SW corner of that complex. Frequency of service TBD based on how much of a need there might be. Given the special nature of this route, it would not operate on the weekends or at night except to provide relief service for major events, in that case it would connect with TRAX stations for those events. Starts no earlier than 7am, last trip no later than 6pm unless other temporary needs dictate and are announced ahead of time. This is basic route design, may be modified to ensure other Government services are easily accessed from it as well, such as Social Security, the IRS, etc.
7. Seventh West/Jordan Parkway. Run from 39th South TRAX to the roughly 7th West/Jordan Parkway corridor, then end at Sandy Civic Center TRAX after servicing South Towne Mall via 106th South. Projected frequency is minimum one hour, 6am-7pm can be updated as ridership develops.
13. From Fashion Place West use 64th South to 9th East, then through the commercial area then going into 13th East. Follow 13th East to 106th South then down to State and then to Sandy Civic Center TRAX. Once TRAX is extended further south, it can be expanded to cover 13th East to 123rd South. 30 minute service 5am/8pm, 60 minute service to midnight.
20. Seventh East/Highland Drive. From Downtown, go to 700 East via 4th South, then down 7th East to Van Winkle to Highland Drive, then down to TRAX via 13th East and Sego Lily
27. 27th South. Provides needed service to 27th South as it lies halfway between 21st and 33rd South. Should tie in at east end to route 21 or 33. Hourly service 6am/7pm.
70. 70th/71st South. Runs from 72nd South TRAX to Jordan Landing. Half hour service given the number of residences significant businesses.
113. 13th West. From Murray Central TRAX take 53rd South to 1385 West, then down 13th West to 104th South. Then back to Sandy Civic Center TRAX via Sandy Parkway and 100th South.
123. East 123rd South. From State Street (here known as Factory Outlet Drive) go east on 123rd South to a point further east using other roads as needed to service new LDS Temple on Rambling road, then take Highland Drive to near I-15. Route not final, may undergo significant modification once the Draper TRAX extension is built.
125. West 125th South. From same points outlined above, cross 123rd South on Factory Outlet Drive and go down to cross over and take Minuteman Drive to Bangerter, cross I-15, then go on 300 West to service the new destination location of IKEA, take Pony Express Drive, then take 123rd/125th South to 36th West, service the commercial developments east of Bangerter Highway, then enter Daybreak and service new LDS Temple once built, along with Daybreak TRAX station once built then turn down 48th West to Herriman and use the route that the 347 uses. Eventually a circulator will be needed within Rosecrest as well. That information will be posted later as route 547 and that will have its north end at the TRAX station also that will be built.
140. Bluffdale Circulator. Route TBD based on eventual development patterns in the area.
Monday, August 27, 2007
List of needed routes following change day coming soon.
I have found a large number of service gaps that are needing to be filled following the change day that occurred yesterday, which put into effect the 2007 redesign of routes in Salt Lake County. This will be an extensive gap analysis, detailing somewhere around 15 new routes needed, and expanded service needs on others.
I've found that 700 East from Downtown needs the service required for such a major road, Redwood Road south of the SLCC Campus is missing Saturday service, and other areas have excessively long walks (I consider three Salt Lake blocks between buses to be the absolute maximum between buses, that however excepts areas where there is no collector road to service the area due to natural obstructions or major industrial facilities that temporarily would disallow that interval requirement to be met. Examples are 13th West and Redwood Road (13th West does not have a route), and so forth.
Watch for this post in the next few days. I have been unable to see a system map showing the overall view of the effects of the changes, so have not been able to completely assess the needs and analyze budgetary and bus resource needs.
A few other cosmetic changes such as numbering changes needed for a few intercity routes and Weber Division routes, all for clarity purposes only, will also be noted.
I've found that 700 East from Downtown needs the service required for such a major road, Redwood Road south of the SLCC Campus is missing Saturday service, and other areas have excessively long walks (I consider three Salt Lake blocks between buses to be the absolute maximum between buses, that however excepts areas where there is no collector road to service the area due to natural obstructions or major industrial facilities that temporarily would disallow that interval requirement to be met. Examples are 13th West and Redwood Road (13th West does not have a route), and so forth.
Watch for this post in the next few days. I have been unable to see a system map showing the overall view of the effects of the changes, so have not been able to completely assess the needs and analyze budgetary and bus resource needs.
A few other cosmetic changes such as numbering changes needed for a few intercity routes and Weber Division routes, all for clarity purposes only, will also be noted.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Half empty or half full, how ISO may be slowing down buses.
So your bus is nearly full, will it get behind schedule, or if it's only got three or four passengers, will it run early and miss some passengers?
The answer to both is yes.
The 'Year 2000 Redesign in Utah County, the 2003 redesign in Weber County, and the 2007 redesign in Salt Lake County have brought out some interesting issues that were not taken into account in ISO 9001 documentation that may cause more problems than intended for UTA as well as the ridership.
Here's how it works with the issue of how many people are on any given bus.
I have found that if a bus is over half full, more likely this will happen if the bus is over 2/3 full (doesn't apply to 25-footers that were put into service in 2006 and begin with the number '06' on the vehicle ID), then the bus will almost always run somewhat behind schedule. The end result is missed connections, frustrated riders, and drivers that get stressed out.
Now the flipside is that if a bus is only 1/3 full or less, and there are few people getting on board and getting off, then the bus will invariably get ahead of schedule, the only real issue is that passengers get left behind, or the bus has to stop in lanes of traffic in some cases but not all, thus frustrating drivers who have to change lanes to get around a bus that is stopped for several minutes because they have to wait until they can safely go further without riders missing that particular bus at the time the schedule says it's supposed to be there.
So how can you schedule things properly? The redesigns invariably change rider habits for the worse if the bus runs less frequently than every half hour. Buses that run every 15 minutes are optimal, and that was the good side of the Salt Lake redesign in that more routes are that frequent than ever before.
If a bus runs only hourly, it's likely people will lose interest in using it. Moderately used routes like along 78th South are going to have even less users now that the new route on that road for example, are going to only have half the service they had during the weekdays, and none of the weekend service.
In fact, half of Salt Lake County got left out of the redesign's benefits, and that seems to be deliberate. That's like saying 'We don't care about you the rider, our drivers are more important than the customer'.
How can ISO 9001 help rectify the problems? A lot.
For one, service must be more consistent and promotional materials can be developed to encourage use of those routes. I have maintained this option should have been on the table for years, but no one, and I mean no one at UTA, has ever listened to the idea. The advertising for the new redesign is partly deceptive in that only the areas north of 53rd/54th South are getting anything that runs every 15 minutes, the rest only gets service every 30 minutes if not less frequently. ISO 9001 is there to ensure better quality service for the south half of Salt Lake County, which has grown substantially.
In fact there are only 38 routes that cover an area larger than Las Vegas covers, and Las Vegas is said to have over 40 regular routes plus some express service. Job growth here will bring us 100,000 more people in the next two years, that is the euivalent of a city the size of West Jordan, which on Saturdays may only have ONE regular route running throuhg it!
South Jordan is 40,000 with projected population of 100,000 including fill-in development between Daybreak and even Daybreak does not have weekday service into it, never mind that TRAX will be there eventually but not for several years. They need one route at least hourly to that location now, maybe more frequently, from 5am to 12midnight right now.
That's just some examples. But UTA doesn't seem to see that buses are needed to feed TRAX, so they don't buy enough buses. That violates the spirit of their certification. They are only going by the letter. 'The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life' as the Bible says.
More will follow later.
The answer to both is yes.
The 'Year 2000 Redesign in Utah County, the 2003 redesign in Weber County, and the 2007 redesign in Salt Lake County have brought out some interesting issues that were not taken into account in ISO 9001 documentation that may cause more problems than intended for UTA as well as the ridership.
Here's how it works with the issue of how many people are on any given bus.
I have found that if a bus is over half full, more likely this will happen if the bus is over 2/3 full (doesn't apply to 25-footers that were put into service in 2006 and begin with the number '06' on the vehicle ID), then the bus will almost always run somewhat behind schedule. The end result is missed connections, frustrated riders, and drivers that get stressed out.
Now the flipside is that if a bus is only 1/3 full or less, and there are few people getting on board and getting off, then the bus will invariably get ahead of schedule, the only real issue is that passengers get left behind, or the bus has to stop in lanes of traffic in some cases but not all, thus frustrating drivers who have to change lanes to get around a bus that is stopped for several minutes because they have to wait until they can safely go further without riders missing that particular bus at the time the schedule says it's supposed to be there.
So how can you schedule things properly? The redesigns invariably change rider habits for the worse if the bus runs less frequently than every half hour. Buses that run every 15 minutes are optimal, and that was the good side of the Salt Lake redesign in that more routes are that frequent than ever before.
If a bus runs only hourly, it's likely people will lose interest in using it. Moderately used routes like along 78th South are going to have even less users now that the new route on that road for example, are going to only have half the service they had during the weekdays, and none of the weekend service.
In fact, half of Salt Lake County got left out of the redesign's benefits, and that seems to be deliberate. That's like saying 'We don't care about you the rider, our drivers are more important than the customer'.
How can ISO 9001 help rectify the problems? A lot.
For one, service must be more consistent and promotional materials can be developed to encourage use of those routes. I have maintained this option should have been on the table for years, but no one, and I mean no one at UTA, has ever listened to the idea. The advertising for the new redesign is partly deceptive in that only the areas north of 53rd/54th South are getting anything that runs every 15 minutes, the rest only gets service every 30 minutes if not less frequently. ISO 9001 is there to ensure better quality service for the south half of Salt Lake County, which has grown substantially.
In fact there are only 38 routes that cover an area larger than Las Vegas covers, and Las Vegas is said to have over 40 regular routes plus some express service. Job growth here will bring us 100,000 more people in the next two years, that is the euivalent of a city the size of West Jordan, which on Saturdays may only have ONE regular route running throuhg it!
South Jordan is 40,000 with projected population of 100,000 including fill-in development between Daybreak and even Daybreak does not have weekday service into it, never mind that TRAX will be there eventually but not for several years. They need one route at least hourly to that location now, maybe more frequently, from 5am to 12midnight right now.
That's just some examples. But UTA doesn't seem to see that buses are needed to feed TRAX, so they don't buy enough buses. That violates the spirit of their certification. They are only going by the letter. 'The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life' as the Bible says.
More will follow later.
Monday, August 13, 2007
How can UTA resolve this issue? (811 transfering to other buses at UVSC)
How can UTA resolve this issue using the 9001 processes to ensure that things like this don't happen?
I just got off an 811 and needed to catch another bus by UVSC. The bus I got off of was on 12th South by the gas station, and the bus I needed was pulling in. Traffic in front of the UVSC stop was a little more so I had to wait to cross, but when I got to the stop the driver pulled out.
He likely did not realize there was at least one, and I think I saw a couple more, needing that bus as well.
What I think happened is the 811 was actually late, by about seven minutes. But it was not and should not be considered either driver's fault as to why I missed the 2nd bus. It is simply a matter of the 811 route is one of the toughest to plan in UTAs system. I've known that since about 1990 (when parts of this existed as Route 1 to Downtown Salt Lake) when Kip Billings told me of it, many drivers since have also told me it is a tough one to keep a schedule on. Today's matter may have been the result of the detour.
I left a complaint with customer concerns, but feel that its more for the planning team to sort out under the Service Delivery processes of ISO rather than to call either driver on the carpet for.
What does UTA, or any reader of this blog, have as far as things a rider can do if he realizes that the bus he might need to connect from is going to be late enough that it will get to the stop at the same time the connecting bus he will take is going to be there? Please chime in! This will help everyone.
I just got off an 811 and needed to catch another bus by UVSC. The bus I got off of was on 12th South by the gas station, and the bus I needed was pulling in. Traffic in front of the UVSC stop was a little more so I had to wait to cross, but when I got to the stop the driver pulled out.
He likely did not realize there was at least one, and I think I saw a couple more, needing that bus as well.
What I think happened is the 811 was actually late, by about seven minutes. But it was not and should not be considered either driver's fault as to why I missed the 2nd bus. It is simply a matter of the 811 route is one of the toughest to plan in UTAs system. I've known that since about 1990 (when parts of this existed as Route 1 to Downtown Salt Lake) when Kip Billings told me of it, many drivers since have also told me it is a tough one to keep a schedule on. Today's matter may have been the result of the detour.
I left a complaint with customer concerns, but feel that its more for the planning team to sort out under the Service Delivery processes of ISO rather than to call either driver on the carpet for.
What does UTA, or any reader of this blog, have as far as things a rider can do if he realizes that the bus he might need to connect from is going to be late enough that it will get to the stop at the same time the connecting bus he will take is going to be there? Please chime in! This will help everyone.
Monday, July 23, 2007
ISO 9001 procedures may have resulted in TRAX ridership dropoff.
Today KSL-TV ran a story on how TRAX ridership has dropped off by varying amounts from around 5 percent to over 20 percent in the last year.
They blamed all kinds of things, including new technology that senses heat rather than just motion, and that was said to eliminate things like luggage, bicycles, etc., but that does not wash in the summer when EVERYTHING gets hot in the sun, including those items where they have been siiting on platforms and on the fronts of buses on the bike racks.
Yes that might be true to an extent, we'll have to go through another year to try to eliminate things for sure. More data will have to be collected, including observed data vs. data retrieved by the sensors. Data will have to be crosschecked with maybe video surveillance and actual people being out there to monitor things to be certain that was not the problem.
But the big thing is people are not using buses because they have given up on quality service because routes and areas being served are being eliminated on August 26th. Most of the major areas are intact, but if you live off a four-lane road, there will actually be less service in areas where it needs more, and some areas may be miles from a bus, especially on Saturdays. I plan to post on the final Route 78, 218, and a couple other routes in the south and west of Salt Lake County to give more of an idea of what kind of damage to UTAs plans their dropping Saturday service on these routes will do.
There are ADA issues also.
That aside, those items mean that there will be less people riding buses because they don't have access to them at convenient times and locations, nor will they have them on some days of the week. There may be other issues as well. As I find them I will be posting audits and gap analyses of these issues as soon as I can make them ready.
The whole point of TRAX is to help people make it quickly from one end of the Valley to the other, and to other buses. It is important that people have use of the entire grid that UTA runs on now and after August 26th on Monday through Saturday at least, and reasonably early in the morning and late in the evening so they can have flexibility to work, recreate, and attend community and church events throughout the city and use public transit to get there and back.
ISO 9001 requires there to be ample availability of service as part of the quality guidelines, simply by default even if there is nothing in the standard. After all, the end user is the final judge of whether or not ISO 9001 and its environmental couterpart, ISO 14001 are truly being followed and that UTA is actually being honest in their dealings with their fellowmen in providing adequate service to all significant areas they run buses on regardless of the day of the week, or how difficult it is to fund, maintain, and provide the service to everyone who pays into the system, whether it be by fare or by tax.
But that is not fully being met, and it will not be fully met and may be less so after August 26th, unless certain things are done to rectify the problem for all involved by then.
They blamed all kinds of things, including new technology that senses heat rather than just motion, and that was said to eliminate things like luggage, bicycles, etc., but that does not wash in the summer when EVERYTHING gets hot in the sun, including those items where they have been siiting on platforms and on the fronts of buses on the bike racks.
Yes that might be true to an extent, we'll have to go through another year to try to eliminate things for sure. More data will have to be collected, including observed data vs. data retrieved by the sensors. Data will have to be crosschecked with maybe video surveillance and actual people being out there to monitor things to be certain that was not the problem.
But the big thing is people are not using buses because they have given up on quality service because routes and areas being served are being eliminated on August 26th. Most of the major areas are intact, but if you live off a four-lane road, there will actually be less service in areas where it needs more, and some areas may be miles from a bus, especially on Saturdays. I plan to post on the final Route 78, 218, and a couple other routes in the south and west of Salt Lake County to give more of an idea of what kind of damage to UTAs plans their dropping Saturday service on these routes will do.
There are ADA issues also.
That aside, those items mean that there will be less people riding buses because they don't have access to them at convenient times and locations, nor will they have them on some days of the week. There may be other issues as well. As I find them I will be posting audits and gap analyses of these issues as soon as I can make them ready.
The whole point of TRAX is to help people make it quickly from one end of the Valley to the other, and to other buses. It is important that people have use of the entire grid that UTA runs on now and after August 26th on Monday through Saturday at least, and reasonably early in the morning and late in the evening so they can have flexibility to work, recreate, and attend community and church events throughout the city and use public transit to get there and back.
ISO 9001 requires there to be ample availability of service as part of the quality guidelines, simply by default even if there is nothing in the standard. After all, the end user is the final judge of whether or not ISO 9001 and its environmental couterpart, ISO 14001 are truly being followed and that UTA is actually being honest in their dealings with their fellowmen in providing adequate service to all significant areas they run buses on regardless of the day of the week, or how difficult it is to fund, maintain, and provide the service to everyone who pays into the system, whether it be by fare or by tax.
But that is not fully being met, and it will not be fully met and may be less so after August 26th, unless certain things are done to rectify the problem for all involved by then.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Route planning gap analysis-Meadowbrook Division: 900 West/700 West in Salt Lake Valley.
The Utah Transit Authority has announced a major realignment of routes effective in late August. This is going to do some good in many areas, but some important areas are being grossly neglected in the matter, and this post details one of these.
There is a major road, sometimes it has four lanes, but largely it has just two and maybe a center turn lane in spots, that runs to the west of I-15. This road is for the most part 900 West although access to 700 West and maybe on occasion 500 or 600 West is found necessary in spots until the road picks up again further down. This road services alot of industrial locations on its north end, some housing throughout, and some high-tech businesses on its south end. It curves around at times following the contour of the freeway at times although almost always there are businesses and houses between it and the freeway, and in places it changes name several times, and other things before it ends somewhere past 106th South.
This is a serious flaw in the plan to not service this road. There was a bus route that was discarded, the route 81, that ran as far down as 39th South. But that was the problem, not enough of this road was serviced in the right way for it to do any good for either UTA or the ridership.
Here is the gap analysis audit for this deficiency.
Suggested route numbers: 107 (south end), 109 (north end).
ISO QPMS and EMS categories: SD 1, SD 14, SP 25.
Difficulty: Moderate.
Other needs: Half-hour service, six buses will be needed.
Time of day service required: 530am-8pm.
Needed: Immediately
Implementation required by: November change day 2007.
Routing should run from Downtown via North Temple, down 900 West as far as it goes, if necessary use parts of 700 West or where that does not exist use whatever major road runs directly to the WEST side of I-15 to 106th South at least. Go over on 106th South to State, go to 100th South and EOL at Sandy Civic Center TRAX station.
Benefits: Significant benefit to many businesses along the entire route, including UTA itself, meaning their employees can now get to work via public transit. Residences in those areas will benefit by allowing residential connections to other buses in an area where there is about a 3-mile gap between major east-west routes. Remember, the block spacing in Salt Lake County is deceptive, there are only six to the mile versus the traditional eight to ten blocks to the mile many other places, which explains why it's so far from State Street to Redwood Road.
There is a major road, sometimes it has four lanes, but largely it has just two and maybe a center turn lane in spots, that runs to the west of I-15. This road is for the most part 900 West although access to 700 West and maybe on occasion 500 or 600 West is found necessary in spots until the road picks up again further down. This road services alot of industrial locations on its north end, some housing throughout, and some high-tech businesses on its south end. It curves around at times following the contour of the freeway at times although almost always there are businesses and houses between it and the freeway, and in places it changes name several times, and other things before it ends somewhere past 106th South.
This is a serious flaw in the plan to not service this road. There was a bus route that was discarded, the route 81, that ran as far down as 39th South. But that was the problem, not enough of this road was serviced in the right way for it to do any good for either UTA or the ridership.
Here is the gap analysis audit for this deficiency.
Suggested route numbers: 107 (south end), 109 (north end).
ISO QPMS and EMS categories: SD 1, SD 14, SP 25.
Difficulty: Moderate.
Other needs: Half-hour service, six buses will be needed.
Time of day service required: 530am-8pm.
Needed: Immediately
Implementation required by: November change day 2007.
Routing should run from Downtown via North Temple, down 900 West as far as it goes, if necessary use parts of 700 West or where that does not exist use whatever major road runs directly to the WEST side of I-15 to 106th South at least. Go over on 106th South to State, go to 100th South and EOL at Sandy Civic Center TRAX station.
Benefits: Significant benefit to many businesses along the entire route, including UTA itself, meaning their employees can now get to work via public transit. Residences in those areas will benefit by allowing residential connections to other buses in an area where there is about a 3-mile gap between major east-west routes. Remember, the block spacing in Salt Lake County is deceptive, there are only six to the mile versus the traditional eight to ten blocks to the mile many other places, which explains why it's so far from State Street to Redwood Road.
Friday, June 8, 2007
UTA does not have an ISO process for ADA compliance and coordination
I have just found that the Utah Transit Authority does not have a process either in the Service Delivery area or the Support Processes area, that adequately addresses Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and coordination between departments.
I propose two new categories be added, and in future posts will reference them by their numbers.
Service Delivery:
17. Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance and Coordination.
Support Processes:
16. Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance and Coordination.
These two ISO QPMS and EMS categories will address the needs and expectations of riders who do not qualify for paratransit services and therefore are able to use fixed-route services, which is a fairly substantial number. Includes the elderly who have issues with mobility and are unable to drive to and from destinations within the UTA fixed route system, and do not need Paratransit services.
There are already four ISO QPMS and EMS processes for the paratransit system. See the document I posted a link to earlier.
One of those that reports of issues should go to is UTA's ADA coordinator. Department heads will need to be trained in how to address issues that come up via the customer concerns unit at UTA's call center as well as reports from drivers out on the system. Many at the telephone call center do not fully understand the needs of the disabled simply because of the nature of most call centers. Having worked in one I can see that without a specialist on duty whenever the call center is open to handle concerns, most of the issues brought up will not be properly addressed.
Managers in other departments at UTA will need to coordinate any changes, such as the moving or removal of stops, planning routes, setting up stop amenities, etc., should go through a centralized process to identify issues and where necessary, work with disabled riders, individual drivers, and others such as disability rights advocates, to come up with a workable solution to any given problem. This applies to fixed-route systems only along with TRAX, and does not include fare and pass issues, save for providing convenient locations to procure passes where it is convenient for the disabled to do so.
I propose two new categories be added, and in future posts will reference them by their numbers.
Service Delivery:
17. Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance and Coordination.
Support Processes:
16. Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance and Coordination.
These two ISO QPMS and EMS categories will address the needs and expectations of riders who do not qualify for paratransit services and therefore are able to use fixed-route services, which is a fairly substantial number. Includes the elderly who have issues with mobility and are unable to drive to and from destinations within the UTA fixed route system, and do not need Paratransit services.
There are already four ISO QPMS and EMS processes for the paratransit system. See the document I posted a link to earlier.
One of those that reports of issues should go to is UTA's ADA coordinator. Department heads will need to be trained in how to address issues that come up via the customer concerns unit at UTA's call center as well as reports from drivers out on the system. Many at the telephone call center do not fully understand the needs of the disabled simply because of the nature of most call centers. Having worked in one I can see that without a specialist on duty whenever the call center is open to handle concerns, most of the issues brought up will not be properly addressed.
Managers in other departments at UTA will need to coordinate any changes, such as the moving or removal of stops, planning routes, setting up stop amenities, etc., should go through a centralized process to identify issues and where necessary, work with disabled riders, individual drivers, and others such as disability rights advocates, to come up with a workable solution to any given problem. This applies to fixed-route systems only along with TRAX, and does not include fare and pass issues, save for providing convenient locations to procure passes where it is convenient for the disabled to do so.
How does one become ISO 9001 certified? Some basic answers.
Some may wonder what it takes to become ISO 9001 certified, like UTA has done. I found a website that has some free downloads that will give some basic answers on how the process works.
http://www.9001resource.com/iso_9001_stepbystep/step_by_step_iso_9001.php?gclid=CNfvpfyAzYwCFRoRYQodJCRqtQ
This will give you a general idea how companies and organizations implement ISO 9001 and become certified. Or as UTA puts it on the sides of their buses, a 'quality endorsed system'.
http://www.9001resource.com/iso_9001_stepbystep/step_by_step_iso_9001.php?gclid=CNfvpfyAzYwCFRoRYQodJCRqtQ
This will give you a general idea how companies and organizations implement ISO 9001 and become certified. Or as UTA puts it on the sides of their buses, a 'quality endorsed system'.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
UTA ISO QPMS and EMS Categories referenced and defined.
Here are the ISO QPMS and EMS Categories that will be referenced most commonly in this blog, plus the differences between what UTA defines them as and what the rider expectations of them are, where applicable.
Service Delivery:
1. Service Delivery and Preservation.
12. Rail Service Delivery and Preservation.
14. Service Plan Development
15. Operating Plan/Defining Implementation Requirements.
16. Service Change Implementation.
Support Processes:
1. Customer Comment
25. Connection Protection
On SP 25, UTA uses the term too narrowly, they only use it to define protecting the connections that riders need to make regarding transferring from TRAX trains to buses at the various TRAX stations, largely during rush hour. But it goes far beyond that, it is what any rider expects, to be able to effectively and conveniently connect with other routes and facilities UTA manages in a timely and efficient manner, even if that means some intertwining of routes is needed to allow for a connection. Examples are crosstown connections where most of the routes travel one direction but only a few routes in a given region cross many of those. The other example would be where a route ends very close to another, but without altering the first route to connect to the second at the end of the other which can in some cases be less than a mile away, the rider would have to travel a significant distance and waste valuable time in getting to his/her destination even though the two may be only a couple of miles apart.
Service Delivery:
1. Service Delivery and Preservation.
12. Rail Service Delivery and Preservation.
14. Service Plan Development
15. Operating Plan/Defining Implementation Requirements.
16. Service Change Implementation.
Support Processes:
1. Customer Comment
25. Connection Protection
On SP 25, UTA uses the term too narrowly, they only use it to define protecting the connections that riders need to make regarding transferring from TRAX trains to buses at the various TRAX stations, largely during rush hour. But it goes far beyond that, it is what any rider expects, to be able to effectively and conveniently connect with other routes and facilities UTA manages in a timely and efficient manner, even if that means some intertwining of routes is needed to allow for a connection. Examples are crosstown connections where most of the routes travel one direction but only a few routes in a given region cross many of those. The other example would be where a route ends very close to another, but without altering the first route to connect to the second at the end of the other which can in some cases be less than a mile away, the rider would have to travel a significant distance and waste valuable time in getting to his/her destination even though the two may be only a couple of miles apart.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
UTA presentation on ISO 9001 found.
I have found a presentation online in .pdf format that details UTA's implementation of ISO 9001.
http://www.apta.com/conferences_calendar/transitceos/documents/presentations_07/john_inglish.pdf
Highlights: Reveals some UTA internal management titles and responsibilities, but not in much detail to determine who the proper contact person is, just that there is a title and a job involved.
Found a list of categories they use internally. All future posts will detail which category deficiencies I find or have already found will be considered as being in. Earlier posts will eventually be updated to reflect the appropriate categories.
There are other things in the pdf which is a version of a Powerpoint presentation that John Inglish gave to a national audience of transit system management people at the American Public Transit Association meetings at some date not given. Once those are sorted through those will be implemented on this blog as well.
http://www.apta.com/conferences_calendar/transitceos/documents/presentations_07/john_inglish.pdf
Highlights: Reveals some UTA internal management titles and responsibilities, but not in much detail to determine who the proper contact person is, just that there is a title and a job involved.
Found a list of categories they use internally. All future posts will detail which category deficiencies I find or have already found will be considered as being in. Earlier posts will eventually be updated to reflect the appropriate categories.
There are other things in the pdf which is a version of a Powerpoint presentation that John Inglish gave to a national audience of transit system management people at the American Public Transit Association meetings at some date not given. Once those are sorted through those will be implemented on this blog as well.
ISO 9001 Gap analysys: Routes 811, 816
ISO 9001 Gap analysis for routes 811 (TRAX Connnector) and 816 (Utah County Night Service)
ISO QPMS and EMS categories: SP 1 (Customer Comment), SP 25 (Connection Protection), SD 14 (Service Plan Development), SD 16 (Service Change Implementation), SD 1 (Service Delivery and Preservation), SD 15 (Operating Plan/Defining Implementation Requirements).
Issue 1. South EOL Route 811.
Issue 2. Service and convenience issue Route 811.
Issue 3. Sham hearing February 2005 Route 811, relates to issue 1.
Issue 1. Route 811 from its original inception as Route 1 in 1985 has always historically served the East Bay area of Provo. For many years it might not have made sense because there was not much down in that area of town. Novell, the old Sears building (now vacant again) and both East Bay's shopping area on the east side of University Avenue and especially the new Provo Towne Center Mall have arisen since the original 811 routing was created.
Modifications for convenience of riders in northern Utah County have been made, but those are not at issue at present. Namely these were brought about in January of 1990 after the cities there voted to have UTA service them.
However, this balance was upset in April 2005 when UTA decided without considering public input (see issue 3 below) to end the route at 300 South in Provo.
Solution for issue 1: Restore segment for route 811 between 300 South in Provo and at least Provo Towne Center. This will provide a very convenient and one-bus path for those wishing to go from mall to mall in Utah County. This includes the Meadows in American Fork, and University Mall. This may, with proper publicity, help to mitigate traffic issues around all three as one could use this route as a quick way to get to all three. Right now it is only possible with route 850 but that takes at least twice as long as that one takes the old highway almost all the way between the three malls.
Issue 2. Service and convenience issue: The statements above indicate there is a serious service and convenience issue. The above would increase ridership on the route and also free up additional space on other routes serving the same areas for local residents to use to get to the same places. That would increase the efficiency of all routes involved, one of the goals of ISO 9001.
Service issue route 816: 1051pm bus eliminated with little public input allowed, may become equal access issue for the disabled as well, because that limits them from attending major events in Salt Lake including symphony concerts, concerts at Temple Square, and even red-hot Jazz games that are very close. You would have to leave some of these events early to catch the 951pm bus back that exists right now and was renamed 811 in 2005.
Issue 3. Sham public hearing on this matter: In February 2005 a public hearing was held prior to discontinuing service on route 811 beyond 300 South in Provo.
However, that was nothing more than a sham to say they held one. The decision was already made to eliminate the route section. Same for the 2006 drop of the last trip on 816 except no hearing was held as required probably by law and definitely by UTA's own internal procedure because that affected more than half the route.
I was there, and had the entire room other than the UTA officials there turned against the elimination of the route section named in issue one of this analysis. That was not the first time I have seen such outrage and it going unheeded by present UTA senior managers and the board.
They also advertised the hearing would last from 6pm to 9pm. I can verify that it started on time as I was there. However, I went to find someone who wanted to speak there, but he was not home. But I went to the hearing location, the room in Academy Square in Provo where it was held about 815pm that night and found they had left early, contrary to legal requirements.
Solutions to 811 and 816 route and scheduling issues,
Difficulty level: easy to moderate.
Route 811 issue: Extend south end of route to at least the Provo Towne Center stop used as an EOL already for 830 and 832. Or use EOL that the 850 uses by the empty Sears bulding on 1600 South.
Route 816 issue: Restore both 951pm and 1051pm trips weekdays, renaming the 951 trip and using State Road and American Fork Main Street to Orem rather than the freeway provides needed night service to nearly 100,000 residents who do not otherwise live near enough to a bus to use it. If you include the northern 2/3 of Orem that figure goes up to 170,000.
Northbound restore trips at the times they previously were listed as beginning on the south end of Provo.
ISO QPMS and EMS categories: SP 1 (Customer Comment), SP 25 (Connection Protection), SD 14 (Service Plan Development), SD 16 (Service Change Implementation), SD 1 (Service Delivery and Preservation), SD 15 (Operating Plan/Defining Implementation Requirements).
Issue 1. South EOL Route 811.
Issue 2. Service and convenience issue Route 811.
Issue 3. Sham hearing February 2005 Route 811, relates to issue 1.
Issue 1. Route 811 from its original inception as Route 1 in 1985 has always historically served the East Bay area of Provo. For many years it might not have made sense because there was not much down in that area of town. Novell, the old Sears building (now vacant again) and both East Bay's shopping area on the east side of University Avenue and especially the new Provo Towne Center Mall have arisen since the original 811 routing was created.
Modifications for convenience of riders in northern Utah County have been made, but those are not at issue at present. Namely these were brought about in January of 1990 after the cities there voted to have UTA service them.
However, this balance was upset in April 2005 when UTA decided without considering public input (see issue 3 below) to end the route at 300 South in Provo.
Solution for issue 1: Restore segment for route 811 between 300 South in Provo and at least Provo Towne Center. This will provide a very convenient and one-bus path for those wishing to go from mall to mall in Utah County. This includes the Meadows in American Fork, and University Mall. This may, with proper publicity, help to mitigate traffic issues around all three as one could use this route as a quick way to get to all three. Right now it is only possible with route 850 but that takes at least twice as long as that one takes the old highway almost all the way between the three malls.
Issue 2. Service and convenience issue: The statements above indicate there is a serious service and convenience issue. The above would increase ridership on the route and also free up additional space on other routes serving the same areas for local residents to use to get to the same places. That would increase the efficiency of all routes involved, one of the goals of ISO 9001.
Service issue route 816: 1051pm bus eliminated with little public input allowed, may become equal access issue for the disabled as well, because that limits them from attending major events in Salt Lake including symphony concerts, concerts at Temple Square, and even red-hot Jazz games that are very close. You would have to leave some of these events early to catch the 951pm bus back that exists right now and was renamed 811 in 2005.
Issue 3. Sham public hearing on this matter: In February 2005 a public hearing was held prior to discontinuing service on route 811 beyond 300 South in Provo.
However, that was nothing more than a sham to say they held one. The decision was already made to eliminate the route section. Same for the 2006 drop of the last trip on 816 except no hearing was held as required probably by law and definitely by UTA's own internal procedure because that affected more than half the route.
I was there, and had the entire room other than the UTA officials there turned against the elimination of the route section named in issue one of this analysis. That was not the first time I have seen such outrage and it going unheeded by present UTA senior managers and the board.
They also advertised the hearing would last from 6pm to 9pm. I can verify that it started on time as I was there. However, I went to find someone who wanted to speak there, but he was not home. But I went to the hearing location, the room in Academy Square in Provo where it was held about 815pm that night and found they had left early, contrary to legal requirements.
Solutions to 811 and 816 route and scheduling issues,
Difficulty level: easy to moderate.
Route 811 issue: Extend south end of route to at least the Provo Towne Center stop used as an EOL already for 830 and 832. Or use EOL that the 850 uses by the empty Sears bulding on 1600 South.
Route 816 issue: Restore both 951pm and 1051pm trips weekdays, renaming the 951 trip and using State Road and American Fork Main Street to Orem rather than the freeway provides needed night service to nearly 100,000 residents who do not otherwise live near enough to a bus to use it. If you include the northern 2/3 of Orem that figure goes up to 170,000.
Northbound restore trips at the times they previously were listed as beginning on the south end of Provo.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Preparing an ISO 9001 audit gap analysis for route design issues.
I think now it's time to prepare a gap analysis, which is part of the ISO 9001.2000 certification review and/or internal audit, on the matter of route designing and customer service related to this.
If you noticed my first few entries, you can see why such an analysis is necessary. The gap analysis is designed to catch problems in this case, rider satisfaction with convenience and necessity being the paramount rule in organizing and maintaining route structures over the entire UTA system.
The best thing is to document the problem, note the deficiency, and solve the issue. UTA does not truly qualify for ISO 9001.2000 certification because it does not have this balance in place in route design and structure. There are routes that could be more efficient if they tied into another route at the other end such as one I have seen in Ogden. I'll write on that when I have more info, or a route that services two parts of a major university campus there that would be more efficient if it were a true loop and not the 3/4 loop it is now. Now it takes alot longer to get between the two campuses ont he same route and also service other areas that generate ridership to the two schools, thus actually discouraging ridership.
When doing the analysis on a route, it needs to be based on connections, frequency of service, and convenience to the rider, not the driver or what the manager thinks will work, although some factors such as length of time 'in the saddle' for the driver should always be considered.
I will write these analyses and post them here also.
If you noticed my first few entries, you can see why such an analysis is necessary. The gap analysis is designed to catch problems in this case, rider satisfaction with convenience and necessity being the paramount rule in organizing and maintaining route structures over the entire UTA system.
The best thing is to document the problem, note the deficiency, and solve the issue. UTA does not truly qualify for ISO 9001.2000 certification because it does not have this balance in place in route design and structure. There are routes that could be more efficient if they tied into another route at the other end such as one I have seen in Ogden. I'll write on that when I have more info, or a route that services two parts of a major university campus there that would be more efficient if it were a true loop and not the 3/4 loop it is now. Now it takes alot longer to get between the two campuses ont he same route and also service other areas that generate ridership to the two schools, thus actually discouraging ridership.
When doing the analysis on a route, it needs to be based on connections, frequency of service, and convenience to the rider, not the driver or what the manager thinks will work, although some factors such as length of time 'in the saddle' for the driver should always be considered.
I will write these analyses and post them here also.
Routing issue North Utah County: 850 and the two park and ride lots
Now for a routing issue, the two North County Park and Ride lots.
ISO QPMS and EMS Categories: SD 16 (Service Change Implementation) SP 25 (Connection Protection) .
Route: 850
Location 1. Lehi Park and Ride Lot, just southwest of State Road (Pacific Avenue, US 89) and I-15, Lehi.
Location 2. American Fork Park and Ride Lot, west side of I-15 at 900 West and Main Street, American Fork.
Problem: Lots not served, route 850 used to serve the American Fork Park and Ride lot, but they took it away from that due to a two-lane bridge for American Fork's Main Street over I-15 being so heavily clogged with traffic especially during rush hour. Hugh Johnson promised they would go back there again once UDOT put a light at the ramps to/from southbound I-15, but the promise was broken.
The Lehi lot is very new, it was only opened in April 2007. Presently the route ends over a half mile from this lot.
Solution: Easy fix. Route would simply go west to the American Fork Main Street lot, then backtrack to State Road to continue to Lehi.
Route would be extended the about 1/2 mile more from present north EOL to service the Park and Ride lot in Lehi, essentially that lot might serve as the new north EOL. Would allow for 2-way service through Lehi without an end loop as 850 does now.
Minor time adjustments to schedule, total time needed to be added would be around five minutes if even that much.
Benefits. Additional ridership on 850 in North Utah County, would attract new users to the Park and Ride lots.
ISO QPMS and EMS Categories: SD 16 (Service Change Implementation) SP 25 (Connection Protection) .
Route: 850
Location 1. Lehi Park and Ride Lot, just southwest of State Road (Pacific Avenue, US 89) and I-15, Lehi.
Location 2. American Fork Park and Ride Lot, west side of I-15 at 900 West and Main Street, American Fork.
Problem: Lots not served, route 850 used to serve the American Fork Park and Ride lot, but they took it away from that due to a two-lane bridge for American Fork's Main Street over I-15 being so heavily clogged with traffic especially during rush hour. Hugh Johnson promised they would go back there again once UDOT put a light at the ramps to/from southbound I-15, but the promise was broken.
The Lehi lot is very new, it was only opened in April 2007. Presently the route ends over a half mile from this lot.
Solution: Easy fix. Route would simply go west to the American Fork Main Street lot, then backtrack to State Road to continue to Lehi.
Route would be extended the about 1/2 mile more from present north EOL to service the Park and Ride lot in Lehi, essentially that lot might serve as the new north EOL. Would allow for 2-way service through Lehi without an end loop as 850 does now.
Minor time adjustments to schedule, total time needed to be added would be around five minutes if even that much.
Benefits. Additional ridership on 850 in North Utah County, would attract new users to the Park and Ride lots.
Stop placement issue: Route 850, Provo, Utah.
Here's the first issue that needs to be addressed. It involves the elimination of a stop in Provo Utah.
ISO QPMS and EMS Categories: SD 17 (Bus Stop Relocation).
Where: Between 500 and 800 North both directions on 500 West, Provo Utah.
Route: 850
Problem: needed stop between two other stops eliminated without public input, unacceptable gap between stops.
Stop was eliminated 2/07, was about 600 North or so. Provo blocks are 500 feet apart. This means the two stops at 800 North and 500 North without the interim stop are 1500 feet apart, that's close 3/8 mile. Stops should be at spacing maximum 2 blocks apart where blocks are eight or ten to the mile except in American Fork and in Salt Lake Valley where the blocks are 6 2/3 to the mile, where the spacing maximum for best service should be at most should be 1 1/2 blocks apart.
How to fix: Place a stop both directions at about 650 North. That will resolve the spacing issue. However, placing a stop at either 700 North or 600 North is also acceptable.
There may even be a Federal requirement that where safe to do so, no two transit stops may be more than 1000 feet apart. I remember seeing something about this in the 70s but don't know if it is still in effect today or not. If any reader has confirmation and can tell me where to find this information, please post it via a comment.
ISO QPMS and EMS Categories: SD 17 (Bus Stop Relocation).
Where: Between 500 and 800 North both directions on 500 West, Provo Utah.
Route: 850
Problem: needed stop between two other stops eliminated without public input, unacceptable gap between stops.
Stop was eliminated 2/07, was about 600 North or so. Provo blocks are 500 feet apart. This means the two stops at 800 North and 500 North without the interim stop are 1500 feet apart, that's close 3/8 mile. Stops should be at spacing maximum 2 blocks apart where blocks are eight or ten to the mile except in American Fork and in Salt Lake Valley where the blocks are 6 2/3 to the mile, where the spacing maximum for best service should be at most should be 1 1/2 blocks apart.
How to fix: Place a stop both directions at about 650 North. That will resolve the spacing issue. However, placing a stop at either 700 North or 600 North is also acceptable.
There may even be a Federal requirement that where safe to do so, no two transit stops may be more than 1000 feet apart. I remember seeing something about this in the 70s but don't know if it is still in effect today or not. If any reader has confirmation and can tell me where to find this information, please post it via a comment.
Read this blog too.
Be sure to read this blog too. I'm going to let them know they can be involved here as well.
http://whereisuta.blogspot.com/
I found it on a flyer on 400 South in Salt Lake the last time I was up there, I was crossing to catch a TRAX train when I discovered it.
http://whereisuta.blogspot.com/
I found it on a flyer on 400 South in Salt Lake the last time I was up there, I was crossing to catch a TRAX train when I discovered it.
Welcome, and how this blog will work.
Welcome to the Utah Transit Authority 9001 Compliance blog. Here's why it was created and how it will work and what it will cover.
The '9001' in the title refers to International Standardization Organization Standard 9001.2000 and its eventual successors. This is often abbreviated ISO 9001.2000. You can find information on this standard, but not the standard itself, at http://www.iso.org/
The standard is available, but it often costs over $100 to procure a copy, so I have not been able to do so yet.
However, this blog will address issues that UTA has forgotten are required for the standard to work for the customer. These include customer service interaction with riders, stop placement issues, route construction and planning issues, service time of day issues, compliance with generally accepted practices in holding public hearings and making decisions that affect riders, and other service related issues as those things affect the ridership.
Much of what you will see here will involve Utah County as I live in Provo, Utah, part of the Timpanogos Division of the Utah Transit Authority and the division headquarters are located in Orem. However, as I travel in the system, including the Meadowbrook (Salt Lake City, Utah) Division), and the North Davis County/Weber County (Ogden Utah) division, I will note any issues that might be discovered in those areas that need rectification in order to meet customer and rider expectations for quality customer service and rider needs.
At times ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and other matters affecting the disabled will be discussed too. These matters do come up with regularity at times, most are small, easily fixed things, but some may require more effort and work to resolve.
Feel free to post a comment on anything I place here. I also welcome any UTA driver, manager, or senior official including public relations team members, to respond to any issues posted to this blog. Media responses are also welcome from any Salt Lake Metro media outlet.
I will even let everyone know when something good happens too, even if it is not the direct or indirect result of the discussion on this blog. The Utah Transit Authority service area is one of the largest in the United States, and so the entire system is very complex and there are many factors and issues that must be considered in managing it.
The '9001' in the title refers to International Standardization Organization Standard 9001.2000 and its eventual successors. This is often abbreviated ISO 9001.2000. You can find information on this standard, but not the standard itself, at http://www.iso.org/
The standard is available, but it often costs over $100 to procure a copy, so I have not been able to do so yet.
However, this blog will address issues that UTA has forgotten are required for the standard to work for the customer. These include customer service interaction with riders, stop placement issues, route construction and planning issues, service time of day issues, compliance with generally accepted practices in holding public hearings and making decisions that affect riders, and other service related issues as those things affect the ridership.
Much of what you will see here will involve Utah County as I live in Provo, Utah, part of the Timpanogos Division of the Utah Transit Authority and the division headquarters are located in Orem. However, as I travel in the system, including the Meadowbrook (Salt Lake City, Utah) Division), and the North Davis County/Weber County (Ogden Utah) division, I will note any issues that might be discovered in those areas that need rectification in order to meet customer and rider expectations for quality customer service and rider needs.
At times ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and other matters affecting the disabled will be discussed too. These matters do come up with regularity at times, most are small, easily fixed things, but some may require more effort and work to resolve.
Feel free to post a comment on anything I place here. I also welcome any UTA driver, manager, or senior official including public relations team members, to respond to any issues posted to this blog. Media responses are also welcome from any Salt Lake Metro media outlet.
I will even let everyone know when something good happens too, even if it is not the direct or indirect result of the discussion on this blog. The Utah Transit Authority service area is one of the largest in the United States, and so the entire system is very complex and there are many factors and issues that must be considered in managing it.
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