Strategic Plan

LTD System Review

Completed

Date Created:
October 2023

Description

The LTD System Review project developed a plan for improving fixed route service in Eugene and Springfield as well as rural route service to other communities in Lane County.
System Review Report

The LTD System Review assessed the effectiveness of existing LTD fixed route services, identified the strengths and opportunities of each route and the existing network, and developed a series of Short- and Long-Term recommendations for improving the system. The community was engaged throughout this process and input was incorporated into the recommendations.

Outcomes & Community Impact

Evaluate LTD system to make short- and long-term recommendations to improve access to education, healthcare, housing, and jobs.
Increase frequency on high-ridership routes and create high-frequency corridors in areas with lots of traffic and travel demand.
Align LTD services with changes in our community and make sure service can operate with existing resources.
Over the long-term, create additional high-frequency corridors along streets with high travel demands.
Explore more flexible services that improve access to transit in areas where large 40 and 60-foot buses can’t travel.

Phase 1 Outreach Summary

From October 2023 to February 2024, LTD gathered input from existing riders and the community through:

Social media
Umo notifications
Posters and sidewalk signs at Eugene & Springfield Stations
Signs at affected stops
Online open houses
Community events and meetings
Surveys

What We Heard

Additional frequency is the most desired improvement (weekdays as well as weekend days)
About a quarter of riders ride the bus seven days a week
Almost half of riders (45%) transfer to complete their trip
The majority of riders are low-income (about 71% have household income less than $35,000 a year). Nearly half (42%) live in a household without access to a vehicle.
Students make up a significant proportion of ridership (about 37% of riders). Of these riders, about 46% are UO students, 23% are LCC students, and the remaining 31% are middle or high school students.

Bus stop improvements
Frequency
Restoring EmX service
Restoring weekday service levels
Intersection level transit priority treatments

Overall, riders have a positive view on the existing fixed route services LTD provides.
Desire to have better service on the rural routes
Desire to have better connections to LCC
Improved passenger amenities and information would make using the bus easier and more comfortable
Ongoing outreach is important beyond the System Review

Phase 2 Outreach Summary

The second phase of engagement started in April 2024 and ended in August 2024. This phase of engagement focused on getting input from the community on the Short- and Long-Term service recommendations through:

Social media
Posters at Eugene Station
Signs at affected stops
Flyers
Neighborhood association meetings and events

What We Heard

Nearly half (43%) of respondents on the survey expect the Short-Term service recommendations to positively impact their travel. Less than 1% expect their travel to be impacted negatively.
None of the comments who indicated that their travel will be negatively impacted provide concrete criticisms of the plan and instead largely focus on the routes that have previously been suspended: Routes 27 and 73.
About half (45%) expect the Long-Term recommendations to positively impact their travel.
About 12% of respondents said that they expect the Long-Term recommendations to affect their travel negatively, though only three left specific comments.
As with the Short-Term recommendations, many of the respondents that are dissatisfied with the Long-Term recommendations were related to Routes 27 and 73.
After reviewing the plan in more detail, 86% of survey respondents indicate either that they think the recommendations are good or mostly good changes.
The primary dissatisfaction with the recommendations largely focus on the desire for additional improvements that go beyond the short- or Long-Term service recommendations.
Several people from the in-person outreach suggest improvements related to service reliability, security on the bus, or restoring discontinued routes.
Respondents indicate strong support for more frequent bus service and in many cases desire more frequent service than is proposed.
There is a desire for longer service hours during weekends and evenings.
Transit riders experience safety concerns while accessing the bus (e.g., crossing busy streets) and on the bus (e.g., from other passengers).
Respondents mentioned that bell times for schools and work hours for industrial workers should be considered when modifying hours of service and arrival/departure times.
Multiple respondents specifically mentioned improved connections in the Bethel neighborhood.
Several respondents identified the airport (3), Mt. Pisgah (2), and Spencer Butte (2) as places they’d like to see bus service.
Bus stop amenities such as better lighting, bilingual signage in English and Spanish, and charging ports would improve the experience of transit riders.
Better service is desired to the rural communities, specifically more weekday trips and later hours on both the weekday and on weekends.

Status Updates

Recommendations Implementation Tracking

Short- and Long Term: Increase weekday frequency to every 10 minutes.
No change to hours of service in the short- or long-term.

Short-Term: No changes. Supplement with downtown alignment change on Route 40.
Long-Term: Potential changes pending Downtown Circulation Study.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short- and Long-Term: No alignment changes. Increase weekday frequency to every 10 minutes.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short-Term: No alignment changes. Adjust arrival and departure times at Eugene Station to improve frequency between downtown Eugene and Oakway Center.
Long-Term: Extend to Coburg Road to better access WinCo and Costco. This extension would replace Routes 66 and 67 on a small segment of Crescent Ave., Shadowview Dr., and Chad Dr.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short-Term: No changes.
Long-Term: Extend service to Walmart and Marcola Road to improve access to new housing in Marcola Meadows. Improve weekday frequency to 15 minutes and weekend frequency to 30 minutes.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short-Term: No changes.
Long-Term: Improve weekday frequency to 30 minutes.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short-Term: No changes.
Long-Term: Improve weekday frequency to 30 minutes.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short-Term: Remove two minor deviations to improve route directness and speed.
Long-Term: Improve weekday frequency to 15 minutes during peak periods.

Short- and Long-Term: This route has been inactive for three years and is not recommended to be reinstated.
LTD is developing a Mobility Management Framework, which will quantify mobility options in lower demand areas such as the Fairmount or Laurel Hill Valley neighborhoods.

Short- and Long-Term: Improve weekday frequency to every 30 minutes, change alignment to be identical to Route 81 between Eugene Station, and offset schedules with Route 81 to offer combined service every 15 minutes between Eugene Station, UO, and Hilyard/30th.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short- and Long-Term: No changes.
No changes to how late or early buses run.
LTD is developing a Mobility Management Framework, which will quantify mobility options in lower demand areas such as the Jefferson neighborhood.

Short-Term: Extend route to Willow Creek Road and improve weekday frequency to 30 minutes.
Long-Term: Improve weekday frequency to 15 minutes and evening / weekend frequency to 30 minutes.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short-Term: Change downtown alignment in conjunction with changes to Route 51.
Long-Term: Extend service to Santa Clara Station via Maxwell Road.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short-Term: Change alignment to use Bertelson Road and 1st Avenue to serve more jobs between Royal Avenue and 11th Avenue.
Long-Term: Improve weekday frequency to 15 minutes between the WinCo on Barger Drive and Eugene Station.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short- and Long-Term: Change downtown alignment in conjunction with changes to Route 40 and adjust arrival and departure times at Eugene Station to provide consistent and frequent service with Route 52 between downtown Eugene and Santa Clara Station.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short- and Long-Term: Change downtown alignment in conjunction with changes to Route 40 and adjust arrival and departure times at Eugene Station to provide consistent and frequent service with Route 51 between downtown Eugene and Santa Clara Station.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

No changes are recommended for Route 55.

Short- and Long-Term: Eliminate deviation to Market District in evenings if Route 40 is adjusted to provide service to this area
Long-Term: Streamline alignment at Valley River Center and near Crescent Avenue and Coburg Road in conjunction with changes to Route 12. Improve frequency to 20 minutes between noon and 6:00 p.m.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short- and Long-Term: This route has been inactive for three years and is not recommended to be reinstated. Routes 24, 28 and 81 will continue to provide access along Route 73’s former alignment.

Short- and Long-Term: This route has been inactive for three years and is not recommended to be reinstated. The EmX and Route 36 will continue to provide access along Route 78’s former alignment.

Short-Term: Remove service on Kinsrow to improve reliability and safety.
Long-Term: If student population in the Kinsrow apartments continues to decline, consider reallocating resources to operate Route 13 more often.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short- and Long-Term: No alignment changes. Improve weekday frequency to every 30 minutes and offset schedules with Route 28 to offer combined service every 15 minutes between Eugene Station, UO, and Hilyard/30th.
Operate Saturday service later and operate on Sundays.

Short- and Long-Term: No alignment changes. Route 81 will become the primary connection between LCC and Eugene Station. Route 82 would only operate every 30 minutes during peak periods on weekdays, providing a bus every 15-minutes between LCC and Eugene Station.
Reduce hours of service to operate only during peak periods on weekdays.

No changes are recommended for Route 85.

Short-Term: Operate all trips consistently between McKenzie Bridge and Eugene Station.
Long-Term: Add two round trips on weekdays.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short-Term: Add a stop in Lowell on Diamond Express to complement Route 92.
Long-Term: Add two round trips on weekdays.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short-Term: Extend service to Eugene Station instead of ending at Seneca Park and Ride.
Long-Term: Add two round trips on weekdays.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Short-Term: Extend service to the Safeway at W. 18th Street.
Long-Term: Add one round trip on weekdays.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

No changes are recommended for Route 96.

Short-Term: Modify alignment in Cottage Grove to provide bi-directional service to the Walmart.
Long-Term: Add one round trip on weekdays.
No changes to how late or early buses run.

Project Kickoff
Rider Survey
Community Outreach

Existing Conditions Analysis
Community Outreach

Development of Service Improvement Options
Community Outreach

Service Improvement Recommendations
Board Adoption

Related Projects

A group of community members stop by a table for information and to engage with Lane Transit.

Strategic Plan

LTD System Review

Related Documents & Board Actions

Description

Outcomes & Community Impact

Phase 1 Outreach Summary

What We Heard

Phase 2 Outreach Summary

What We Heard

Status Updates

Recommendations Implementation Tracking

Related Projects

Community Outreach and Communications Assessment (COCA)

Mobility Management Strategy

Long-Range Mobility Plan – LTD Connect 2045