June 6, 2016
The newly-formed ONEN Transit Committee met for the first time to discuss the short- and long-term goals of transit for our neighborhood, surrounding neighborhoods, and the City. We discussed the need to work with MMT to find solutions that improves public transit for the masses rather than pushing personal agendas. We concluded that before we approached the ONEN board or MMT with any suggestions, the surrounding neighborhoods should be able to provide feedback. The full minutes from this meeting may be found here.
ONEN Master Plan
As detailed in an earlier post, the ONEN Transit Committee is concerned with the additional traffic and stress the recent bus route changes place on Nevada Avenue. The ONEN Master Plan states to, “Maintain an equitable distribution of traffic flow among existing arterial streets in the neighborhood, so that no one street is excessively overloaded with non-local traffic.” The latest traffic counts on the four north-south arterial streets through ONEN are shown in the following table:
| Cascade Avenue | Nevada Avenue | Weber Street | Wahsatch Avenue | |
| 2013 Traffic Counts | 10,400 (29%) | 15,700 (44%) |
4,600 (13%) | 4,800 (14%) |
| 2016 Traffic Counts | 6,615 (20%) | 17,564 (54%) |
3,417 (10%) | 5,181 (16%) |
Access to Amenities
In an earlier post, MMT provided the complaints they received during the comment period. The number one complaint applicable to the bus routes through ONEN was reduced access to the Bon Shopping Center (14) followed by Safety issues of Nevada Avenue (10). The first image below shows the sheltered bus stops that serviced the discontinued route 6 down Wahsatch Avenue. The Safeway is the building on the left with the white roof. The second image shows a closer image of one of the stops. Safeway employees used to help the elderly and handicapped with their groceries to these stops. By moving the closest bus stop 2 blocks over to Nevada Avenue, the bus system reduced the accessibility to these amenities. The third picture shows this stop on Nevada. Notice that a shopping cart was required for one bus rider to transport groceries to this stop.
Locations of the currently unused bus shelters directly in front of the Bon Shopping Center
Bon Shopping Center bus shelter on Wasatch Avenue (Photo taken before the bus changes)
Photo of nearest bus stop 3 blocks from Safeway on Nevada Avenue (northbound)
UPDATE: This 4th photo was taken on June 10th during a rainstorm. This poor person had to cross Nevada Avenue with a grocery cart to reach the southbound stop.
Photo of nearest bus stop 3 blocks from Safeway on Nevada Avenue (southbound)
15-Minute Service Concerns
The ONEN Transit Committee recognizes that a 15-minute bus service is a lot to ask for any residential street. 15-minute back-and-forth service means a bus going in front of your house an average of every 7-1/2 minutes. We hope to work with MMT to come up with ways to ease the impact of a single street having to carry the buses. Some that were mentioned in the planning meeting were:
- Split route 9 and route 19 down two separate streets (30 minute service on each).
- Create a loop route between two streets where one carries northbound buses and the other carries southbound buses.
- Use 15-minute service for peak hours only.
- Use smaller, quieter buses for 15-minute routes.
Analysis of Arterial Routes
Using an interactive Google map showing the possible destinations of bus users, each arterial street was considered for the following criteria when compared to the existing route down Nevada Avenue:
- How would the change better serve the ONEN Master Plan?
- How would the change affect safety?
- How would the change affect efficiency?
- How would the change best connect local businesses to bus riders?
- How would the change best serve the surrounding neighborhoods?
After considering Cascade, Weber, and Wahsatch in relation to Nevada, the committee came to the consensus that Wahsatch Avenue seems to best meet the criteria. The following picture shows the Nevada route in red and the Wahsatch route in yellow. Points of interest are marked with a red pin and existing Wahsatch bus stops are marked with a yellow pin.
Analysis of current Nevada bus route (red line) versus using Wasatch (yellow line). Red pins mark places of interest. Yellow pins mark existing ADA bus stops on Wahsatch.
The pros and cons of each arterial route vs. Nevada Avenue is detailed in the following table.
| Cascade Avenue |
Weber Street |
Wahsatch Avenue |
|
| ONEN Master Plan | Pros: ADT 6,615 vs 17,564 | Pros: ADT 3,417 vs 17,564 | Pros: ADT 5,181 vs 17,564 |
| Safety | Pros: Fewer parked cars; Less busy; No turn onto Jackson; No school zones |
Pros: Less busy; Quieter Uintah crossing; Easier turn to/from Jackson | Pros: Fewer Parked cars; Less busy; Quieter Uintah crossing; Easier turn to/from Jackson; No school zones |
| Efficiency | Pros: On-time performance | Pros: On-time performance
Cons: Adds two blocks to route |
Pros: On-time performance
Cons: Adds four blocks to route |
| Businesses | Cons: Farther from businesses | Pros: Closer to businesses | Pros: Closest to businesses; Pass directly by many including the Safeway (Bon Shopping Center) |
| Neighborhoods | Cons: Farther from Patty Jewett | Pros: Closer to Patty Jewett | Pros: Borders ONEN and Patty Jewett |
| Infrastructure | Pros: Existing ADA bus stops | Pros: Existing ADA bus stops, including shelters directly in front of the Bon Shopping Center. |
Conclusions
The ONEN Transit Committee concluded that, based on these criteria, the four north-south arterial streets through ONEN rank as shown in the following table. We conclude that Wahsatch Avenue has clear advantages and the fewest disadvantages and ranks at the top of the list. Nevada Avenue is just the opposite. Nevada made the bottom of the list with few advantages and a long list of disadvantages.
Cascade Avenue and Weber Street were very close for different reasons. If we had to pick between these two streets for the only bus route to serve ONEN and Patty Jewett neighborhoods, Weber would certainly provide a better proximity to riders and amenities. However, if a second route was selected in addition to a route on Wahsatch Avenue, Cascade would seem to be a better choice based on safety and existing infrastructure. For this reason, Cascade Avenue is listed above Weber Street.
| Rank | Street | Pros | Cons |
| 1 | Wahsatch Avenue |
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| 2 | Cascade Avenue |
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| 3 | Weber Street |
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| 4 | Nevada Avenue |
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The ONEN Transit Committee plans to collect neighborhood feedback on this analysis before asking for ONEN board approval or presenting it to the City. Please provide initial comments on Facebook, Nextdoor, or directly on this page. We plan to send out polls in the near future to solicit opinions from the people of ONEN and Patty Jewett before making our recommendation to the ONEN board and City officials.
UPDATE: Online poll is open on Nextdoor.com for ONEN and Patty Jewett neighbors. If you haven’t joined this online community, now is a good time to do so and cast your vote.
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