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The following actions were taken during the RTA’s Board of Directors monthly meeting on Thursday, September 27, 2007:
Board members approved a public hearing period through Oct. 25 to solicit comments for proposed changes to various routes, including 1, 7, 8, 14, 33, 36, 38, 50, 61, 204, 206, 208 and the Jurupa Shuttle. The Agency is also proposing the cancellation of Route 16E and the creation of Route 210, an express route that would travel Highway 60, linking the communities of Banning, Beaumont and Calimesa with Moreno Valley and Riverside. The community meetings will be held between Oct. 2 and Oct. 17 in Beaumont, Corona, Calimesa, Hemet, Glen Avon, Lake Elsinore, Moreno Valley, Riverside, Sun City and Temecula. The public can also submit comments by mail, at RTA's website, e-mail, phone or at RTA's Riverside offices. The changes were prompted by the recently completed Comprehensive Operational Analysis, an intensive study that identi•ed ways for the Agency to meet the transit needs of the growing region.
Board members approved an update to RTA's list of projects eligible for Transportation Uniform Mitigation Fee, or TUMF, funding between 2008 and 2011. The projects include transit centers in the cities of Corona, Hemet, Moreno Valley, Perris, Riverside and Temecula, as well as bus-stop enhancements and an automatic bus arrival and departure announcing system for passengers. The total cost of those projects over the three-year period is expected to be $45 million, of which $25 million would be paid for through TUMF, which is collected from developers to pay for transportation.
Board members authorized enhancements to the Agency's thriving Dial-A-Ride program. The first upgrade calls for equipping all Dial-A-Ride vehicles with GPS devices to provide turn-byturn directions to help in locating passenger pick-up and drop-off locations. A second upgrade will implement back-up computer services at the agency's Hemet facility that would allow Dial-A-Ride service to continue uninterrupted in an emergency situation. In a separate vote, the board also approved the purchase of 23 new vehicles for the Dial-A-Ride program.
Board members approved the acquisition of two trolleys from Speciality Vehicles Inc. The Agency's existing trolley fleet consists of six trolleys used for Route 50, the downtown Riverside Jury Trolley, and the fast-growing Route 51, which serves the UC Riverside area, and carries an average of 2,100 passengers a month. The approved 26-passenger trolleys, which run on clean-burning compressed natural gas, come at a good time for the Agency as it modernizes its •eet and prepares for the launch of the Harveston Shuttle in Temecula.
New information shows the Agency continuing to meet or exceed all required performance standards identified in the Productivity Improvement Program, or PIP. The program requires the tracking over time of key performance indicators related to revenues, expenses and passenger counts. The program is designed to help the agency maintain effective and efficient service by identifying areas for upgrades or modifications.
Psomas, the contractor for the Corona Transit Center, presented board members with an update on the facility, saying the design phase for the project is expected to conclude by January. The facility is expected to include eight bus bays and provide access to the nearby North Corona Metrolink Station. In other news, design for the Perris Transit Center, an RCTC project, is also expected to be completed by early 2008 with construction bids being accepted by spring 2008. The bus facility is expected to be built near the future Perris Metrolink Station on C Street between First and Third streets.
The next Board meeting will be held on Thursday, October 25 at 2 p.m.
For more information, contact:
Bradley Weaver, Marketing Manager (951) 565-5172
bweaver@riversidetransit.com |
