The Community Transit board of directors voted unanimously last week to revise the June 2015 route modifications and include the Village Way loop in Monroe.
The route modifications are a part of Community Transit's 2015 service expansion proposal, which was crafted to reestablish Sunday and holiday bus service and increase trips on weekdays and Saturdays. When Community Transit unveiled the modifications in November, newly proposed Monroe Route No. 271 did not include Village Way.
Community Transit (CT) solicited response from the public via written comment, community meetings and a public hearing. After reviewing the comments, the board recommended that CT staff revise its proposal to accommodate the approximately six-tenths-of-a-mile loop, which includes stops in front of the Monroe Library, the Monroe Boys & Girls Club, the East County Senior Center, the Sky Valley Food Bank and Sky River Park.
The board meeting took place on Thursday, Feb. 5, at the Community Transit headquarters in Everett. Service Development Manager Carol Thompson gave a brief presentation to the board, providing them with the background regarding service along Village Way.
"The original proposal did not include routing along Village Way in Monroe for a number of reasons,GÇ¥ Thompson said. "First, the area is within the quarter-mile standard for walkability to service, it's flat and it has good sidewalks GÇô it's kind of an ideal pedestrian environment.GÇ¥
Additionally, Thompson explained that the loop was eliminated out of concerns for safety and time delays. Since newly proposed Route No. 271 extends down the western portion of Main Street and into the Fryelands area, route planning staff chose not to include Village Way as a method of offsetting the additional time it will take the bus to traverse the lengthier route.
Thompson explained that the decision to add Village Way back into the route was a direct result of public involvement in the process.
"During outreach, a number of the community services along Village Way, as well as the mayor of Monroe, expressed their strong desire to have the routing continue along there,GÇ¥ Thompson said. "So our recommendation today is to keep this routing for now and to closely monitor it.GÇ¥
Heading westbound from U.S. 2, Route No. 271 will travel west on West Main Street and north onto Fryelands Boulevard, reestablishing services that were eliminated in 2012 due to recession-related budgetary cutbacks. The new route will accommodate riders traveling to WorkSource, the Monroe Correctional Complex, Fryelands Elementary School and Valley General Hospital.
And now that final approval has come from the board, Route No. 271 will also support the services along Village Way. Route No. 275, which currently serves Village Way, will be eliminated in June once the service expansion takes effect.
"On behalf of our community and our city council, I extend a heartfelt thank you to the Community Transit Board for continuing transit service on Village Way,GÇ¥ Mayor Thomas said. "Maintaining this service ensures continued access to and from vital facilities in Monroe.
"I thank everyone who shared concerns with Community Transit; working together, we all made a positive difference,GÇ¥ he continued.
The board also approved a 25-cent fare increase that will go into effect on July 1. For more information on the 2015 service expansion, visit the Community Transit website,-áhttp://www.commtrans.org/.
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