Along for the ride

With trolley rates in rearview mirror, City’s multi-modal plan rolls on

by Tracy Chamberlin

As the city readies for Clean Commute Week, declared a celebration of sustainable transportation, it’s witnessing a loss of more than one third of its transit riders.

Durango’s transit system, which includes the popular Main Avenue Trolley, is key to the development of its Multi Modal Master Plan, in which a fully connected community can easily walk, bike or ride the bus anywhere in town.

Taking a ride on the trolley is one of three keys to this multi modal wonderland and at the heart of that system is the Transit Center.

It officially opened its doors in 2009. “When that happened, transit gained a viable presence,” explained Amber Blake, the city’s director of transportation and sustainability.

Trolley and bus service also went from an hourly schedule to running every 30 minutes, which Blake said gave riders more consistency and flexibility. As a result, ridership on the city’s transit system jumped 20 percent.

Today, the numbers are going in the other direction. The difference is that it’s no longer a free ride. Starting Jan. 1, a trip down Main Avenue went from zero to $1.

In the first several years of having the Transit Center open, Durango continued to see steady increases, however, in 2014 it did decline by 6 percent.

Still, according to city records, 56,027 people hitched a ride in the first five months of 2008, the year before the Transit Center was built and the system improved. In the first five months of 2014, that number was almost double at 109,493.

The cost of giving more than 100,000 free rides in 2014 was unsustainable, dropping into the red on an annual basis.  

In order to combat those deficits, the city decided to begin charging riders the $1 fare. For the occasional user or visitor to town, it might not seem like much. To a regular commuter that could mean an extra $5 a week, $20 a month or $240 a year.

It’s one of the reasons the city expected a 50 percent drop in ridership once the fare went into effect. Right now it’s down just 35 percent.

Although that’s better than expected, it’s a loss of 38,019 in just one year.

According to Blake, who’s been working with the city’s transit system since the center’s opening, the numbers gap doesn’t mean residents have given up on clean commuting.

For one, she said, some riders may have simply turned to two wheels. Another part of the decline is what she called “false ridership.”

When someone got on the trolley several times in one day, not with the goal of getting somewhere but just to hang out on the bus, they would actually account for multiple riders. It might seem like lots of people used the transit service that day when, in fact, one person was just looking for a place to stay.

Blake said since they started charging the fare, Durango’s transient population is no longer using the  trolley service.

The city isn’t hearing complaints from riders about the $1 fare either, she added. What they have heard is that riders and drivers feel safer.

In the past, the city’s trolley and loop bus drivers would often have to remove intoxicated or unruly passengers, who would sometimes get back on the bus simply looking for retribution.

Some drivers even had knives pulled on them, Blake said, and one employee quit. “We aren’t experiencing that anymore.”

Since the implementation of the fare, she added, drivers, tourists and residents have all commented that they feel safer.

A clean slate

Over the next week, June 20-25, the city is hosting Clean Commute Week with activities planned all over the city. From bike parades to commuter races, all events are meant to promote healthy transportation as a part of the city’s multi-modal plan.

One of the events is a community forum, where local and state authorities will be on hand to answer questions and take feedback on current multimodal and transportation projects. The forum, which will be followed by a commuter fashion show, runs from 5-7 p.m. Tues., June 23, at Carver Brewing Co., 1022 Main Ave.

Representatives from La Plata County will likely be there to share plans to improve the intersections and surrounding areas along 32nd Street and County Road 250, and 32nd and Holly streets.

The Colorado Department of Transportation is also on the presenter’s list. The state agency has several projects in the cue, including improvements to key connections at 22nd and 32nd streets along the Animas River Trail. They’ll also be discussing projects they’re working on with the city.

One of those collaborations is the SMART 160 Trail, or Safe Multi-modal Aesthetic Regional Transportation trail.

Planned as a multi-use, hard surface route running along Highway 160 and a companion to the Animas River Trail, the leaders of the SMART 160 project are looking to fill in some of the gaps – literally.

One of those gaps in the trail runs from Farmington Hill to the Bridge to Nowhere. The other goes from the east side of the bridge to an existing trail that runs along Three Springs Boulevard.

According to Kevin Hall, the city’s assistant director of community development, they’ll have additional details about these two trail sections, which already have funding secured through federal and state grants, as well as an overview and map of the SMART 160 project. The focus right now is on design. Shovels won’t be at the ready until later this year.

City officials also plan to tout several completed projects, like the upgraded connections at Arroyo and Columbine drives near Needham Elementary School, part of the Safe Routes to School program; and, the completed construction of the Brookside and 24th Street connection, with a ribbon cutting planned later in the week.

Perhaps the most anticipated presentation is the draft mobility plan for North Main Avenue.

After taking in public comments gathered over the past several community and stakeholder meetings, the city is ready to bring a plan to the people. Some of the highlights include bike lanes, pedestrian crossings and medians.

Blake said the idea is to make North Main more human-friendly. They’re looking at new lane configurations, which would include bike lanes and improved pedestrian crossings at key intersections.

One thing they aren’t planning is one long median strip stretching the entire North Main corridor. Instead, just a few strategically placed ones will be used to help control traffic and protect pedestrians.

Any actual construction is still a long way out. Funding hasn’t been secured and the city’s Community Development Department has yet to take on the housing and character aspects of the project.

“We hope everyone can come out to these events,” Blake said of Clean Commute Week. “Our intention is to encourage people to come out and see if it’s something that would work for them.”