Community Transit will make a decision early next month on its newly proposed service modifications, which include expanding service in Monroe to include Kelsey Street, the western portion of Main Street and a portion of the Fryelands.
In order to accommodate the expansions, which would take effect in June, Route No. 275 would be discontinued. Service areas that would be eliminated as a result of this change include the section of U.S. 2 between Kelsey Street and 179th Avenue, the portion of Main Street between U.S. 2 and Kelsey Street and the Village Way loop.
Concerned about elimination of Village Way, the City of Monroe is hoping that the route can be added back into the proposal. The Monroe Boys & Girls Club, the East County Senior Center, the Monroe Library, Monroe's Department of Social and Health Services and Children's Administration offices, Rotary Field, the Sky Valley Food Bank and the Monroe Fire Department are all located along the Village Way loop, an approximately six-tenths-of-a-mile loop that extends south of Main Street near City Hall.
Mayor Geoffrey Thomas and representatives from the Monroe Boys & Girls Club, the East County Senior Center and the Monroe Library have been working to convey the importance of continuing service along Village Way through correspondence and public meeting attendance. Thomas, City Administrator Gene Brazel and Public Works Director Brad Feilberg met with Community Transit staff on Thursday, Jan. 15, to discuss the changes.
"It was great that they came to meet with us in person,GÇ¥ Thomas said. "We talked about Village Way and about keeping Village Way on the bus route.GÇ¥
The newly proposed bus Route No.-á 271, would extend service along the western portion of Main Street to the Fryelands area. Heading westbound from U.S. 2, the route would travel south on Kelsey Street, west on West Main Street and north on Fryelands Boulevard. At 154th Street S.E., near Fryelands Elementary School (15286 Fryelands Blvd. S.E.), the bus would travel east and then connect with 179th Avenue, at which point, it would head north until meeting U.S. 2.
Community Transit previously serviced the western portion of Main Street and Fryelands Boulevard, but the service was cut in February 2012 as a result of the recession.
"Since then, we have heard repeated requests for a return to service for this area,GÇ¥ said Community Transit Communications Manager Martin Munguia.
Service to places like WorkSource, the Monroe Correctional Complex and Fryelands Elementary School would be accommodated via the proposed bus route No. 271.
In order to facilitate the service extension, Route No. 275, which traverses along Main Street before making a loop at Village Way and returning to U.S. 2, would be eliminated. There are three bus stops along the Village Way loop: one in front of Kiddy Korner Childcare (1188 Village Way), one at the Monroe Library (1070 Village Way) and one that services the Monroe Boys & Girls Club (261 Sky River Parkway), the Sky Valley Food Bank (233 Sky River Parkway) and the East County Senior Center (276 Sky River Park Way).
Munguia explained that the reasons for eliminating service along Village Way are twofold. First, there are concerns about the buses making a left turn from Village Way onto West Main Street during the westbound route. The intersection is unregulated, meaning that the traffic flows on the street are uninterrupted. Also concerning to Community Transit is the lengthy crosswalk at that intersection, which could become hazardous at night and during high-impact traffic times.
Thomas said preliminary analysis reflects that modifications at this intersection, including stop signs on Main Street or a stoplight, are unwarranted at this time.
Expansion of the West Main Street service would create a longer trip, necessitating adjustments to offset the lengthier route. It is anticipated that Route No. 271 would service each direction of the proposed route once an hour, and in order to accomplish this, certain portions of the route would need to be scaled back.
East County Senior Center Executive Director Marc Avni is concerned about individuals with mobility issues, such as slower reflexes, wheelchairs or walkers, having to make the trek from Main Street to the services located along Village Way. Bus riders traveling westbound would be dropped off on the north side of Main Street GÇô making it necessary for them to cross the street to get to Village Way.
"I think it's a safety issue,GÇ¥ Avni said.
Distances from Main Street to the Village Way service organizations average between one-third of a mile to just less than a-á half-mile.
Managing Librarian Phil Spirito recognizes the benefit of the proposed route, but is worried about how cutting Village Way will impact the library.
"The changes are positive for Monroe in so many ways,GÇ¥ Spirito said. "It's just this one thing that is not that positive, and this change will have a large impact on library visibility in the community.GÇ¥
Since starting at the Monroe Library last July, Spirito has been working to promote the library and encourage more people to utilize it as a multi-faceted resource. He believes that being on the bus route is a great benefit to the library, helping to facilitate increased visibility.
"I'm hopeful that the Community Transit staff will understand the importance of keeping Village Way in the route and that they will recommend that their proposal be revised to keep Village Way in the route,GÇ¥ Thomas said.
Community Transit is also proposing a fare increase which would go into effect in July.
The Community Transit Board of Directors will meet on Feb. 5, to make a final decision on the route modifications. Although the official public comment period for the service expansion concluded on Jan. 9, comments regarding CT service can be sent at any time to riders@commtrans.org. For more information on the service expansion, visit www.communitytransit.org/2015changes/.
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