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.
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I totally agree with your blog! I recently within the last 4 months started riding UTA bus and Trax service. I have not really found it to be very user friendly so to speak. For example, I live in Sandy, I work in the evenings in West Valley, and I don't have a car. So, I get on the UTA website and use Trip Planner. The only option it ever lists is for me to catch a 6:39am bus to Downtown Salt Lake, sit around downtown for 8 hours then board Trax to 3300 South and catch the bus to my destination. Wow, that is superconvinient! This is what I end up doing: I leave my house 2 hours or so early before work, I walk 2.48 miles to the nearest Trax station (because there is no connections in my area) and I board Trax and then catch the bus to work. I then do the same thing on the return route. I walk almost 5 miles a day just to get to work! Another bone I have to pick is the "More Routes, More Often" slogan. Does UTA just not think people work or need to go anywhere on Sunday. The route I take "3500 S to Magna" changed by a whopping ONE MINUTE on Sunday. It still runs every HOUR, no change at all. But here is the thing. I have to wait almost an hour after work just to catch a bus to Trax and then catch the Trax home, I end up getting home again, almost 2 or more hours after my shift ends! I would challenge the UTA President to try and get to and from work or to and from appointments without a car and solely relying on the UTA system. Then maybe, he would see what the failures of the UTA system are.
As far as routes I think need to be added after change day, here are my thoughts:
A East/West route along 10600 S w/ a connector, or shuttle to Sandy Trax. And I'm not talking a route that leaves in the morning and late afternoon. I'm talking about every 15 minutes to half-hour.
It is funny to me that 11400 S is getting and on-ramp and a Front Runner stop. I wonder if Wal-Mart just off of that location had any monetary or any input in that at all, how convinient for both parties in that deal!
A route East/West along 12300 South. That is a bustling area, not to mention exploding business area in Draper. I don't see why there isn't a route there by now.
You know, thinking about it there needs to be routes along most East/West streets as well as North/South routes. I'm talking routes that run 700 E, 900 E, 1300 E, from Salt Lake to Draper (Maybe have 2 buses on that same street and divide it between Salt Lake and Midvale, and Midvale to Draper). Routes along 12300 S, 11400 S, 10600 S, 9000 S, etc. Also offer smaller shuttles or connectors from these major routes that lead to Trax stations or major ponits of interest.
Finally, have more of a UTA Police presence in more urban stops. I cannot count how many drug deals, sex acts, drunk riders, etc that I have seen on some of these stops. The worst stop is Ball Park and Millcreek. Get some of the cops off of ticket patrol and put them out there where these guys can be a presence. And, put some of these cops on buses as well! The 3500 South to Magna has to be one of the most disgusting routes and it has to (of course) be the one I take to work.
Ok, I'm done rambling now!
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