The Rapid to host virtual public hearings for August service changes

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, ,
The Rapid wil host virtual meetings for its Mobility for All program. The meetings are set for May 18. (Supplied)

By Bill Kirk
The Rapid

The Rapid will host two public hearings to present the recently approved service plan for the Mobility for All (Comprehensive Operational Analysis) project. The service enhancements and changes are planned to go into effect on August 30.

The hearings will be held virtually via Facebook Live on The Rapid’s Facebook page on Tuesday, May 18. In addition to Facebook Live, the meetings will also be accessible via Zoom:

  • 5/18/21 – 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82811022785
  • 5/18/21 – 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81782359697The Mobility for All project kicked off in the summer of 2019 with the goal of analyzing The Rapid’s entire fixed-route system to identify budget-neutral opportunities for improvements in service reliability, efficiency and access. In addition to exhaustive technical and operational analyses, extensive public outreach was conducted to inform the final service plan, including:
    • 57 stakeholder meetings with partners and community organizations
    • 10 virtual public meetings with nearly 300 viewers/participants
    • 3 online surveys with 1,089 responses
    • Multiple interviews with members of The Rapid’s Board of Directors and staff
    • 2000 informational flyers soliciting feedback distributed on Rapid buses (1,500 in English, 500 inSpanish)
    • The full public outreach summary is available in the final “Preferred Alternative” document, beginning on page 320The resulting service plan approved by The Rapid’s Board of Directors to be implemented in August will provide:

  • Access to 15-minute frequent service all day on weekdays to over 136,000 area residents (approximately 6 a.m to 6 p.m.)

  • Access to 15-minute frequent service all day on weekdays to over 67,000 area jobs (approximately 6 a.m to 6 p.m.)

  • New transit access to over 8,000 jobs in Walker and 9,000 jobs in Kentwood via new on-demand service (planned to launch in January 2022)In addition to increased transit access and new services, the plan will improve on-time performance, provide better transfer opportunities for riders and more efficiently meet current transit demand.

“We are very excited to have reached the final stage of this project and to begin preparing for implementation,” said Max Dillivan, senior planner and Mobility for All project manager at The Rapid. “This has been an extremely thorough process from both a technical and public outreach perspective, and despite having to adapt the project to the difficulties presented by the pandemic, we are confident that the final plan represents more reliable, efficient and effective service for our customers.”

In addition to the virtual public meetings, Rapid riders and stakeholders can provide comment and feedback via the following methods:

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