The Citylink Transit Routes with Paratransit Service Area are changing! The effective date is
May 14, 2012. To view a larger map please visit our
www.KMPO.net website at the following link:
http://www.kmpo.net/Data_Publications/Transit%20Proposed%20Service%20Reductions%204-30-12/CityLink_Trans_wPCB_120430.pdf
Summary
of Citylink and Citylink Paratransit Service Changes
Effective
May 14, 2012
What do the changes look like? Major fixed
route service changes are as follows:
§ Citylink bus service will end at 10
p.m., seven days a week.
§ The “A” route, which currently runs
out to Stateline, will be eliminated.
o
The
“B” route will be reconfigured to pick up many of the riders who used to rely
on the “A” Route.
o
Citylink
will still serve Post Falls from Riverstone on Seltice and Mullan Avenue north
and south of Interstate 90.
o
Service
will be expanded north of Mullan Avenue on Idaho Street to Poleline Avenue,
then Poleline Avenue to Spokane Street to serve the residential area and to
access the Post Falls Library.
§ Two-way service will be provided
between Post Falls, Coeur d’Alene, and Hayden eliminating much of the current
loop routing.
§ More bus stops will be added along
the routes, which will make transit access more convenient for riders.
o
By
providing more stops along the fixed routes, this may decrease the distance
riders have to walk to their final destination and provide better access to service.
o
With
more stops, the ridership may also redistribute to the new bus stops, thereby
making loading and unloading at each stop quicker and easier.
§ Buses will no longer go directly into
the NIC campus. Transit stops will be provided on Northwest Boulevard at
Hubbard and Garden Avenue.
§ Increased the 60 minute frequency of
the routes from the Riverstone Transit Center to provide hourly service as
opposed to the current 85 minutes per trip.
§ The Link Route will provide easy two
way (both inbound and outbound from Riverstone) access to the Kootenai Medical
Center campus along Lakeside, Ironwood, and Lincoln Way.
§ Citylink routes and stops will no longer
use private property, which reduces potential liabilities, and increases travel
time.
What changes are anticipated for the Paratransit Service?
§ With the reduction in transit service
area, the boundary of the Paratransit service area will also be reduced to
coincide with the changes in the fixed bus routing. This change will impact some current users of
the paratransit service.
o
If you do not live
within the new paratransit service area, but are eligible for paratransit
service, you may still use the service if you are able to get to a connecting
location within the paratransit service area.
Please note that your ride outside of the paratransit service area will
need to be your responsibility.
§ There are no changes contemplated for the
Kootenai Medical Center transit service.
§ Please remember that all Paratransit riders may
also use the fixed route bus service for their travelling needs too.
Why is Citylink changing?
§ Citylink has not been a financially
sustainable system for several years. These changes will allow us to bring the transit system in line with the funding available. And it creates a good
building block for us to expand the system in the future as funding increases.
How and why were these changes
chosen?
We have used
what we’ve learned over the past several years to make improvements to the
system. We looked at ridership numbers
to determine where Citylink is used the most and attempted to make changes in a
way that affected the fewest riders. These
proposed changes allow us to achieve the required cost savings, while
maintaining as much service as we can in the highest population centers.
§ Adding more bus stops to the system
to make it more convenient for riders.
§ Adding more two way service on the fixed
routes.
§ Decreasing wait time for riders by
providing more frequent service from Riverstone.
§ Again, it is important to remember
that this will be a sustainable building block upon which we can grow the
system as more funding becomes available.
When will changes be implemented?
§ The changes will take effect on May 14, 2012.
Schedules?
§ New Schedules will be available prior to the change on the buses as well
as all regular schedule outlets.
Quick numbers on Citylink riders:
From
February 2011-February 2012, an average of 48,200 people rode Citylink routes
each month. Sixty-three percent (63%) of those riders rode the urban routes (A,
B, and C routes in Post Falls, Coeur d’Alene, and Hayden). Thirty-seven percent (37%) of riders rode the
Link and Rural routes to Worley, Plummer, Tensed and DeSmet. In 2011, Citylink provided approximately
575,731 trips in the urban areas.
Quick numbers on Citylink Paratransit riders:
Since
paratransit service startup in July of 2011, ridership has grown to nearly
1,000 trips per month.
To see the "Summary of Changes" in larger text please visit our www.KMPO.net website
