More buses, call-n-Ride service to be ready for mall’s opening

BROOMFIELD – In keeping with the city of Broomfield’s master plan of enhanced bus service on U.S. Highway 36 and pedestrian-oriented streetscapes in regional commerce areas, several organizations are rapidly implementing plans to triple transit service at and around FlatIron Crossing mall.

Plans include new and expanded bus services for the U.S 36 Corridor, with a shuttle-on-demand component beginning July 17, and a creative transportation solution known as the Zip that will provide shuttle service from FlatIron Crossing mall to three developments scheduled for April 2001.

“Bringing additional bus service to this part of the U.S. 36 Corridor has been a top priority for us,´ said Debra Baskett, executive director of the non-profit U.S. 36 Transportation Management Organization (TMO). When all the improvements are implemented, she figures bus service will improve by 300 percent.

U.S. 36 TMO accomplished one of its goals by working to lengthen the present route and hours of the No.228 bus line that runs only weekdays during rush hours. Starting at 8 a.m. Monday, July 17, Route 228 will be greatly expanded to operate seven days a week between Louisville and the Broomfield park-n-Ride, situated south of U.S. 36 at the intersection of Colo. 128 and U.S. 287. The lengthened bus service will run every half-hour weekdays and weekends – Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. In addition, a call-n-Ride service, like the one in Superior, will be added for Louisville, Broomfield and Westminster.

The curb-to-curb call-n-Ride service was developed because standard buses on a fixed schedule do not work very well within the communities along the U.S. 36 Corridor, according to Baskett. The call-n-Ride will take people anywhere they want to go within the designated boundaries of the service area.

The service typically is used for getting from home to a park-n-Ride connection center or nearby office building, or to run errands or get something to eat. Call-n-Ride vehicles are compact, wheelchair-accessible buses with bicycle racks. Fares are the same as Denver local bus fare: $1.25 for adults during peak hours and 75 cents other times. Off-peak fares are cheaper for seniors, disabled people and Medicare patients; peak fares are the same for everyone. Bus riders can use a transfer from the call-n-Ride to receive a credit against express, regional and Boulder local fares.

The U.S. 36 TMO, a public-private partnership, was created about 18 months ago with a $180,000 budget for 1999. It is funded by government contributions from Boulder County, the cities of Broomfield and Louisville and the town of Superior, with additional money coming from private concerns such as Storage Technology Corp., Hunter Douglas Inc., Ball Corp. and others.

In addition to expanded bus service to FlatIron Crossing and the surrounding area, an innovative shuttle service called Zip is being constructed to provide pedestrian-friendly transportation from the mall to nearby commercial developments.

Making its Colorado debut in the Broomfield sub-district April 2001, the free Zip shuttle will follow a 2.6-mile path, 12-feet to 18-feet wide, separate from automobile traffic with portions shared by tram vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles.

According to Veronica Sommers, senior transportation planner at Charlier Associates Inc. (CAI), her firm is contracting with the city to design the shuttle system that will serve FlatIron Crossing mall, main street at the mall and FlatIron Marketplace. “Initially, the Zip will run within those three developments. Long-term, more of Interlocken will be connected, but no one knows where right now,” Sommers said.

The Zip vehicles are comprised of a power unit and trailers with capacity for18 sitting passengers in each trailer. Maximum capacity will be 56 passengers in two trailers with people standing. The vehicles are about 8-feet tall and 9-feet wide. The power unit, which uses propane gas, is about 11-feet long and the trailers are a little more than 12-feet long. Between July 16 and April 2001 when the Zip will be operating, people who need rides from one part of the Broomfield sub-district at Interlocken can call the call-n-Ride.

More information about transportation on the U.S. 36 Corridor can be obtained from TMO’s and RTD’s Web sites (www.us36tmo.org and www.us36.com), or call the U.S. 36 Transportation Management Organization at (303) 439-8517.

on Facebook on LinkedIn