Cedar Rapids considers night hours, Lindale Mall express bus service

CEDAR RAPIDS - The No. 5 bus from downtown to Lindale Mall is the busiest in the metro, riders said Tuesday.

Especially when school lets out, riders have to squeeze in and stand in the aisles, said Gregg Wieck, 59, who uses Route 5S daily to visit his wife at the Crestview Acres Care Center in Marion.

'I'd like a night route, but I think an express bus would cut down on confusion and get people where they are trying to go a lot faster,” Wieck said. 'I want both.”

He could get his wish.

An express bus to Lindale Mall, night service, a quasi-hub for westside routes at Westdale and further expansion into Marion to the police station and Linn-Mar schools are among cost-neutral options identified by a consultant reviewing the metro transit system for possible service improvements.

Cedar Rapids Transit, which has 14 routes, has the final say if any of the options are adopted after they are finalized in June. Changes could be discussed this fall, said Brandon Whyte, the multimodal transportation planner for the Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization. It would likely be next summer before any of the changes, if adopted, are implemented, he said.

Adding new services but keeping costs the same would require trade-offs from existing services, such as fewer neighborhood stops, cutting lower ridership routes like O Avenue, and hourly instead of 30-minute stop frequency during the morning rush.

Other scenarios include more options and fewer cuts, but at a price. One scenario draws up the ideal service, including a Sunday bus, but would require a significant investment and is unlikely, Whyte said.

'The options provided are designed to serve the most amount of people best,” he said. 'By that I mean we had to scale back in some areas to increase service in others.”

Raising fares isn't being considered at this point, he said.

Whyte said the options, which were released last month, are based on existing ridership, mileage, route times, land use and community input.

Night service has been the most pressing need identified by the public, Whyte said. The last bus out of downtown's Ground Transportation Center leaves at 6:20 p.m.

'It would be nice to sit and eat dinner at Hy-Vee, and be able to get a ride home,” said Lloyd Hole, who is disabled.

His primary feedback was a request for bus drivers to wait until those with disabilities are seated before moving and to make sure curb cuts are cleared in the winter. Still, he said the buses are more handicap-friendly than they used to be.

People can continue to weigh in on the scenarios online at CorridorMPO.com.

Parsons Brinckerhoff, a Lenexa, Kan.-based consultant, has a $166,385 contract to lead the study, which began in December.

Brad DeBrower, Cedar Rapids Transit manager, said he will reserve comment until options are formally presented since the decision lies with his department. DeBrower said riders' biggest requests have been evening hours and greater frequency, but the trade-offs shouldn't be underestimated.

'It's not as simple as this is a low ridership route because there are still people who rely on the routes for service and people who moved where they did because there is service,” he said.

Options include:

' Cost-neutral: Express bus and changes to routes.

Launch a 5X express bus to Lindale Mall; end all west side routes at Walmart/Westdale; increase service to Kirkwood Community College from two to three buses per hour during peak times; maintain peak service to most of the region's public high schools; expand service to area universities/colleges; and include stops at Linn-Mar and the Marion police station. One variation of this option eliminates service on O Avenue NW and the neighborhood west of Post Road, while another eliminates service on First Avenue SW between Wiley Boulevard and 18th Street SW and in neighborhoods east of 19th Street NE.

' Cost-neutral: Night service.

This option maintains many of the route changes in option one. The major feature is extended hours from 7-10 p.m., but routes 3, 6, 7A, 10 and 12 would be operated only hourly during the peak morning hours, rather than every half-hour.

' Maximize transit tax levy.

This would mean a 20 percent budget increase. It combines options one and two without the cuts in service. This would require the transit tax levy, which is 82 cents per $1,000 in property value in Cedar Rapids, be raised to the 95 cents allowed by law.

' Ideal service: This would include Sunday service, express service, night service, expansion of routes and a transit hub at Lindale Mall.

No financing plan is presented with this option but it would require more than a tax levy increase. Cities served by the system could be asked to dip into their general fund budgets, Whyte said.

The Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization allocates 20 percent of federal money to roads, 80 percent to bike amenities and none for public transit. The model will shift in 2020-24, with 50 percent for roads, 30 percent for bikes and 20 percent for public transit. This means an estimated $4.1 million extra for transit over four years, Whyte said.

However, this money can be used only for capital expenses, such as new buses or physical property, and not for operations, Whyte said.