Regional Service Improvement Plan
Posted: November 19th, 2012, 5:52 pm
Metro Council has posted the draft version of the 2012-2016 RSIP, which will guide the use of additional funds created by the redistribution of gas tax funds from the Transportation Amendment from 2007. These funds are now in excess of the current operating budget, and Metro Council has come up with a formula to distribute these funds to the most deserving service improvements. Projects are evaluated on a variety of criteria, including operating subsidy, passengers per hour, benefits to low income and minority communities, traffic congestion relief, etc. A rating of Low, Medium, or High is assigned, showing the worthiness of the projects.
Projects can be categorized as such:
- Frequency improvements: Routes 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 19, 22, 23, 61, 62, 68, 74, 80, 515, 675, 721, 723. All projects in this category received a rating of Medium or High.
- Arterial BRT - 5 Chicago (Medium), 84 Snelling (High), 54 W 7th (Medium), 54 E 7th (Low).
- Green Line restructuring - 60 (new), 63, 65, 67, 83 (new), 87. Projects in this category don't reflect the CCLRT service plan that has been adopted this month.
- Route 110, a new U of M to Longfellow route mainly following the paths of the 7 and the 9 but serving Washington instead of going downtown. This line received a high rating.
- Orange Line, dependent on the opening of the Lake St/35W transit station. Received a medium rating.
- Red Line, received a medium rating. Associated express bus changes and local feeder routes received ratings ranging from low to medium.
- MVTA submitted projects that range from medium (421 service expansion, Sunday service to match Sat service levels, St Paul express, 35W express) to low (440 and 446 frequency improvements and "local coverage expansion.")
- Metro Transit submitted express bus improvements for lines 250, 270, 275 (new park and rides opening in 35E corridor), 376 & 386 (service to new Manning P&R), 673, 674 (Maple Plain P&R), and 766. 270, 275, 376, 673, and 766 were High ratings, 250 and 386 medium, and 674 low.
- Plymouth was seeking additional frequencies on 772, 776, and 790, but all received low ratings.
- Maple Grove requested a new feeder (788B, High), 785 expansion with a high rating, a new service to an unfunded park and ride (786, medium), and dial a ride expansion, medium.
- SW requested new service to Pioneer Trail and 169, for a new park and ride, medium rating.
- Bluexpress requested funds for expansion to the Marshall Rd and 169 park and ride, medium rating.
The top 10 projects were for routes 2, 19, 110, 721, 723, Green Line, 270, 376, 84, and 515. The Plymouth and MVTA projects notably scored quite poorly, and suggest that money is better spent restructuring those systems rather than throwing money at existing routes. If Metro Transit receives a number of service improvements, then restructuring should be considered, especially in the Rice St and Brooklyn Center cases. It will be interesting to see if any significant changes happen once new services are began and restructuring studies begin for the other METRO lines, and Arterial BRT takes off.
http://www.metrocouncil.org/planning/tr ... ov2012.pdf
Projects can be categorized as such:
- Frequency improvements: Routes 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 19, 22, 23, 61, 62, 68, 74, 80, 515, 675, 721, 723. All projects in this category received a rating of Medium or High.
- Arterial BRT - 5 Chicago (Medium), 84 Snelling (High), 54 W 7th (Medium), 54 E 7th (Low).
- Green Line restructuring - 60 (new), 63, 65, 67, 83 (new), 87. Projects in this category don't reflect the CCLRT service plan that has been adopted this month.
- Route 110, a new U of M to Longfellow route mainly following the paths of the 7 and the 9 but serving Washington instead of going downtown. This line received a high rating.
- Orange Line, dependent on the opening of the Lake St/35W transit station. Received a medium rating.
- Red Line, received a medium rating. Associated express bus changes and local feeder routes received ratings ranging from low to medium.
- MVTA submitted projects that range from medium (421 service expansion, Sunday service to match Sat service levels, St Paul express, 35W express) to low (440 and 446 frequency improvements and "local coverage expansion.")
- Metro Transit submitted express bus improvements for lines 250, 270, 275 (new park and rides opening in 35E corridor), 376 & 386 (service to new Manning P&R), 673, 674 (Maple Plain P&R), and 766. 270, 275, 376, 673, and 766 were High ratings, 250 and 386 medium, and 674 low.
- Plymouth was seeking additional frequencies on 772, 776, and 790, but all received low ratings.
- Maple Grove requested a new feeder (788B, High), 785 expansion with a high rating, a new service to an unfunded park and ride (786, medium), and dial a ride expansion, medium.
- SW requested new service to Pioneer Trail and 169, for a new park and ride, medium rating.
- Bluexpress requested funds for expansion to the Marshall Rd and 169 park and ride, medium rating.
The top 10 projects were for routes 2, 19, 110, 721, 723, Green Line, 270, 376, 84, and 515. The Plymouth and MVTA projects notably scored quite poorly, and suggest that money is better spent restructuring those systems rather than throwing money at existing routes. If Metro Transit receives a number of service improvements, then restructuring should be considered, especially in the Rice St and Brooklyn Center cases. It will be interesting to see if any significant changes happen once new services are began and restructuring studies begin for the other METRO lines, and Arterial BRT takes off.
http://www.metrocouncil.org/planning/tr ... ov2012.pdf