City Council Study Session Summary 2002 07 23

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Chuck Sisk questioned how the express route would benefit Louisville citizens, as it would only be a convenience for Lafayette residents. Mayor Davidson stated that he would not agree to contribute $20,000 towards a bus that only services Lafayette. There were discussions regarding different alternatives to the RTD 227 route. Tom Mayer provided a history of the process resulting in the proposed DASH route. He explained that when the RTD 227 route replaced the RTD F route, ridership doubled and the DASH route is expected to increase ridership by another fifty percent. He reminded everyone to remember whom the bus serves and agreed to encourage RTD to use smaller buses on this route. Chuck Sisk stated that this route benefits Lafayette and it is possible that rail could change the transportation network over the next two to three years. He expressed concern for the impact the increased service would have on a fairly narrow residential street and stated that there are other areas of Louisville that need service, such as Monarch K-8 and Monarch High School. He reminded everyone that the RTD Board would make the final decision. Don Brown expressed surprise at how quickly the RTD Board members changed their minds. He stated that although there was a public process, it is evident that a significant number of citizens feel their concerns weren’t heard. He suggested that the City draft a letter that expresses its needs and questioned whether or not the City was still obligated to the $20,000 contribution. Mayor Davidson stated that since RTD went through a public process to establish the proposed DASH route, they should go through a similar process to change the route. Don Brown stated that he felt City Council did not realize the impact the proposed DASH service would have on residents of Pine Street. Tom Mayer felt that RTD made a fair attempt to notify everyone of the public process. He reminded Council that bus scheduling take many factors into consideration, including the connectivity of the RTD route 227 with the RTD route 228. Public Comments Buddy Day, 701 Grant Avenue, Louisville, stated that the buses are empty a lot and questioned why RTD should add more empty buses to this route. He suggested that the DASH service be routed down South Boulder Road, which is not a residential street, because the bus traffic is noisy and smelly. Robin Cartwright, 120 West Pine Street, Louisville, explained that her husband currently rides the bus three times a week, year round, for environmental reasons. She stated that her husband is opposed to the increase in service and feels that the current service is sufficient. 2