On May 9, 2016, ONEN created an email address (bus@oldnorthend.org) for residents to register their complaints. There were complaints of speeding and hazardous situations such as cars having to swerve around buses that could not get out of traffic lanes at bus stops and buses unable to stay within a single traffic lane. Residents were caught by surprise by the sheer volume of buses and the adverse safety issues and perceived increase of traffic. Although MMT and ONEN advertised the changes through email and social media, many Nevada residents were not aware of the changes until they happened.
May 10, 2016: Thanks for the effort about removing benches and creating handicap ramps, but that misses the point. The point is there is already too much traffic on Nevada And the bus routes should not be on Nevada! They should be relocated to a less traffic street, Weber, Wahsatch, or Cascade. Wahsatch may be the most logical in that there is a benefit for our local shopping area, the Bon Shopping Center. It’s my recommendation that the ONEN Association strongly advocate for this approach and therefore for the residents of Nevada Avenue. We deserve no less.
May 10, 2016: I have been a homeowner on Nevada Avenue for 29 years, and I have recently encountered a situation created by the buses on Nevada that is potentially disastrous. I was driving my car southbound on Nevada in the left lane and there was a car beside me in the right lane. A city bus had pulled over and stopped by the curb to let a passenger off when the car in the right lane suddenly swerved into my lane, nearly running me over the curb on the left onto the median. The car swerved because, even though the bus had pulled over as far as it could, it still stuck out part way into the right lane and the car swerved to miss hitting it. That is not an isolated incident. My husband and I were driving on Nevada again yesterday when the same thing occurred in a different location on Nevada. We were a couple of cars further back behind the bus that had stopped at the curb, and we witnessed each and every car that passed by the bus swerved into the left lane to miss it. These behemoth buses are nine feet wide and the parking lane that they pull into is a foot or more narrower than that. Do the math. Nevada was not wide enough to accommodate two lanes of cars to begin with, and adding huge buses every fifteen minutes to the road is dangerous. Someone is going to get hurt.
This is a historic neighborhood and we were promised traffic calming measures. Adding loud, pollution-spewing buses every fifteen minutes to our historic street when they do not even fit on the road is the complete opposite of traffic calming.
May 10, 2016: I have lived on N. Nevada Avenue just south of the hospital for many years. When I first moved here, this street was part of a designated truck route. What a blessing it was to experience less traffic with a quieter flow of vehicles due, in large part, to the continuous efforts and energy of ONEN. Now it seems we have traded trucks for buses.
ONEN, as an historic neighborhood, is known for its charm including the architecture, the wide streets and, for the most part, its peaceful ambience along with special touches like the beautiful signs and flowers at the major entrances. We, as residents, pay more for our properties in exchange for the above mentioned amenities.
I fail to see how adding more traffic by designating Nevada Avenue as a city bus route enhances or adds value to our neighborhood. The buses add more noise, primarily due to the air brakes. If we are following or leading a bus in one lane, we cannot see far enough ahead to identify potential hazards or emergency vehicles. We already have emergency vehicle traffic related to the hospital and other points north and south since Nevada is the only through street in ONEN that runs north of Fillmore.
Since the proposed traffic plan also includes reducing some of our streets to two lanes, we’ll experience more traffic and noise on those two lanes than we have with four lanes. Personally, I feel I’ll have extreme difficulty backing into my driveway or into the street, as I do now, to access an already busy traffic lane.
Yes, I would be fine with trying two lanes if we’d also have less traffic and noise; however, I don’t have a suggestion for accomplishing both unless more traffic is diverted to Wahsatch and Cascade so that Nevada doesn’t get overloaded and congested.
I have several suggestions. Rework the routes to avoid Nevada Avenue between Uintah and Fillmore. Look for cost-saving measures elsewhere. Place speed bumps or traffic circles in strategic areas if reducing speed is a goal. Do not change Tejon to two lanes since there is very little traffic on that street. Save the money for street repair. It may be worth reducing the other streets to two lanes of traffic except for Uintah and Nevada. Absolutely do not reduce Nevada from four lanes to two!
May 13, 2016: My husband and I have lived in the same Victorian home on Nevada Avenue for 35 years and have no plans to move, so we are deeply concerned about the newly installed bus line on our street.
It appeared without any notice or input from those of us affected. Not until the sign was hammered into our front yard did we do a little investigating and learned that the bus lines which had existed on Cascade Avenue and Wahsatch Avenue for years were being consolidated into one bus line on Nevada Avenue. This meant twice as many buses as there had been on Cascade and Wahsatch, now running every 15 minutes each way, or a bus past our home every 7-1/2 minutes. The neighbors we spoke to were taken by surprise as well.
A couple of days later an old, dirty bench was dropped off at the bus stop, and within one day an empty Safeway shopping cart was left by the bus sign. During the days that followed, some very inappropriate items were placed in the shopping cart, bottles were carelessly thrown about, and trash from fast food restaurants began to blow around our yard. In light of these consequences as well as the additional noise and air pollution the buses emit, it is hard to see how our property values won’t take a significant hit.
We are just a couple with no political clout or agenda looking fondly toward our retirement years in the home to which we’ve made countless improvements. Above all, we want to feel safe and comfortable and know the investment in our home will provide the financial security we’ll need. These are significant issues, especially considering the neighborhood’s historical designation, making it very difficult to understand why the bus line change was not included in the plans to “right-size” many of the streets in the Old North End Neighborhood.
May 18, 2016: I was one of the un-notified chosen few to have a bus stop in front of my house. Had I known that I was going to be on the bus route I would have never have bought this house. Not only have I lost all my parking in front of my house but now I have strangers walking across my yard & bus noise all day long.
Contrary to what Mountain Metro says about their buses running full, the ones that are stopping here rarely have 3 or 4 riders. Out of the 60+ times they travel by my house they may only stop a handful of times.
There was nothing wrong with the previous route before Mountain Metro decided to shove the buses down Nevada. If I sound upset & riled I am. There was enough noise & traffic on my corner before they did this.
May 18, 2016: I live at 1901 N Nevada. I purchased this house December 2014 primarily because of the school that my granddaughter who lives with me would be attending. At the time I purchased this home the bus route was on Cascade & Wahsatch. Less than a year after I moved (June 2015) the bus route was moved to Nevada. Not only did this inconvenience the riders who were accustomed to catching the bus on Cascade & Wahsatch but it has greatly distressed me. I was not notified of this proposed change & according to Brian V of Mountain Metro it wouldn’t have mattered because they had already decided to make Nevada the new bus line. I no longer have any parking in front of my house, I have strangers walking on my yard & the constant noise of buses running every 7 1/2 minutes. My yard is now a dumping ground & has created an unsafe space for my granddaughter.
Nevada Avenue is already a busy street & now that has been compounded by the addition of constant trail of buses. There is also the additional noise factor that I didn’t need as I already have the traffic & noise from Fontanero.
It is my observation that not only are those buses running with very few people on board but there are not that many riders getting on or off to constitute the bombardment of buses. I have also observed buses stopping with no riders getting on or off possibly due to the bus drivers being off schedule because they are either driving too fast or have too few stops to make their schedule run on time.
I have also had occasion to be behind one of these buses on Nevada & when they change lanes there is not enough room for them to be able to stay in one lane which causes the driver in the other lane to be crowded out.
I was born & raised here in Colorado Springs but moved to Louisiana after graduating from high school. I moved back here from Louisiana (after the death of husband) fully expecting Colorado to be a better place to raise my granddaughter but I am finding it hard to believe that someone’s idea of making money overshadows the neighborhoods & people who live in them.
I challenge anyone one of you to purchase my house because now it has been devalued by the bus stop that was plopped into my lap. I haven’t been able to sleep since this situation happened. I just hope Brian & Mountain Metro can.
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