CHAPTER 2 PROPOSED BUS ROUTE …foothillgoldline.org/images/uploads/FoothillExtensionBusInterface...CHAPTER 2 | PROPOSED BUS ROUTE MODIFICATIONS ... street furniture, real-time schedule

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CHAPTER 2 | PROPOSED BUS ROUTE MODIFICATIONS

Foothill Extension Bus Interface Plan

OVERVIEW

This chapter presents the recommended bus interface plan to coincide with the opening of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Pasadena to Azusa project in 2015. This project will extend rail service from the existing Sierra Madre Villa Station in Pasadena 11.4 miles east to the proposed Azusa-Citrus Station, adding six new stations to the regional rail network. The proposed plan outlined in this chapter reshapes the existing fi xed route bus network around the Gold Line light rail and recommends service levels commensurate with prevailing and projected future land use conditions, community development objectives, the needs and expectations of transit users as well as short-range fi scal constraints. The proposed bus network is displayed in Figure 2-1. Individual route recommendations by station are summarized in Table 2-1 and described in the following pages.

Service proposals are based on analysis of existing services using ridership data as available from Metro, Foothill Transit, and municipal providers, supplemented by observations in the fi eld. Additionally, the results of separate bus and rail passenger surveys, a random sample telephone survey of residents in the service area, meetings with the cities along the corridor, and focused discussions with bus operators were synthesized into the recommendations.

The six new stations will be served by a combination of Metro, Foothill Transit, City of Duarte, and City of Glendora fi xed route bus services, as well as by paratransit services operated by each of the cities and the regional operators. Conceptually, the plan assumes that longer bus trips currently occurring in the San Gabriel Valley will be converted into shorter feeder trips to the most proximate Gold Line stations. These and other short distance trips will become the primary focus of the bus system. Duplicative express services to downtown Los Angeles and the Westlake District are proposed to be curtailed or discontinued. Similarly, bus routes currently serving cities between Glendora and Montclair are proposed to be selectively truncated or diverted to the Azusa-Citrus Station.

The proposed service plan is shaped by several key design elements:

• Establish new sub-regional transit hubs at the Arcadia and Azusa-Citrus Stations. Transit customers would benefi t from physical enhancements such as covered passenger waiting areas, real-time schedule information and enhanced customer information. Transit operations would benefi t from the availability of secure restrooms for bus operators at these locations. Ancillary transportation facilities such as taxi stands, auto pick up zones, and parking also should be considered within space constraints.

• Provide pass-by service at the Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, and Alameda Stations with primarily on-street bus stops and minor restructuring of nearby routes to minimize walking distances and physical barriers between station platforms and bus stops. Ideally customers should have a line-of-sight visual connection between buses and the boarding platform. Transit operations would benefi t from physical enhancements such as bus turnouts, wide sidewalks, and designated bus stops. Customers would benefi t from shelters, street furniture, real-time schedule information, and passive route and timetable displays.

• Restructure bus routes running parallel to the Gold Line Extension to operate one-way trips within a range of 38 to 52 minutes and optimized schedule cycles of either 90 or 120 minutes. This will facilitate reliable operating schedules and coordinated bus-train arrival and departure times at a primary transfer point. Foothill Transit Routes 187, 494, and 690 are examples of existing parallel routes for which signifi cant changes are proposed.

• Adjust bus routes intersecting the Gold Line as necessary to minimize on board bus travel times required for transit riders to access the nearest rail station that is geographically consistent with prevailing travel directions. Provide direct linkages between the Gold Line, the Metrolink San Bernardino Line, and the El Monte Busway when feasible with these routes.

• Improve service frequencies on top performing routes within fi scal limitations. Ideally buses should meet every peak direction train contingent on funding availability. For cost estimation purposes, target bus service frequencies of 15 minutes on weekdays and 30 minutes on weeknights and weekends are assumed when the Gold Line Extension opens in 2014.

• Coordinate peak direction bus and train arrivals and departures to minimize transfer wait times.

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Proposed Bus Routing at Arcadia Station

TABLE 2-1- BUS SERVICE FREQUENCY BY STATION: Pasadena to Azusa

Bus

Line

Buses Per Hour

Arcadia Station Monrovia Station Duarte Station Irwindale Station Azusa-Alameda Station Azusa-Citrus Station

a.m. Peak p.m. Peak a.m. Peak p.m. Peak a.m. Peak p.m. Peak a.m. Peak p.m. Peak a.m. Peak p.m. Peak a.m. Peak p.m. Peak

Foothill Transit

1861 3 1 3 1187 3 1 3 1 6 6 3 1 3 11881 3 1 3 1185 4 4 2 1 2 1272 2 2 1 2 2 1280 3 1 3 1498 4 0 9 0488 2 1 2 1281 2 1 2 1494Metro

79 3 1 3 1264 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1270 1 1 1 2487 2 2Municipal Operators

Duarte Green 1 0 1 0Duarte Blue 0 1 0 1

Duarte Commuter 1 1 0 0

Total Hourly

Bus Arrivals8 3 3 8 3 3 2 2 1 2 3 1 5 5 2 4 4 2 - 4 - - 4 - 11 0 2 11 0 2 8 6 4 8 11 4

1 New proposed bus route2 Bus space determined considering:

Foothill Route 186/187 layover at Arcadia Station Foothill Route185 stops at Irwindale Station and lays-over at Azusa-Alameda StationMetro Route 270 stops at Monrovia Station

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a.m. Peak is defi ned as the period between 6am and 9amp.m. peak is defi ned as the period between 3pm and 7pm

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Foothill Extension Bus Interface Plan Figure 2-1: Proposed Bus Routing – Pasadena to Azusa

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Figure 2-1: Proposed Bus Routing – Pasadena to Azusa

Azusa – Montclair

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Counter (APC) data is displayed in Figure 2-3 for weekday eastbound trips. The profi le refl ects a radial orientation with distinctly higher ridership on the western portion of the route. The highest number of accumulated passengers aboard all weekday trips (i.e., maximum load) occurs at the USC Medical Center Busway Station (863 passengers) per day. Passenger volumes are signifi cantly lower in Pasadena and Arcadia, where the cumulative daily passenger load drops below 200 passengers per day in San Gabriel and reaches a minimum load point of 103 passengers per day approaching the Sierra Madre Villa Station.

A similar pattern is seen in Figure 2-4 for westbound trips. Buses depart from the El Monte Busway Station with approximately 200 passengers per day on board and the accumulated passenger load rises to 295 passengers per day as buses proceed north on Santa Anita toward Live Oak Avenue. The load declines approaching Arcadia from the south with 170 passengers per day on board at Santa Clara Avenue. It declines further along Sierra Madre Villa Avenue with 71 passengers per day alighting at the existing Gold Line station. Thirty-seven passengers per day also board at the station for continuing service through San Gabriel and downtown Los Angeles via I-10. The maximum load point for westbound trips occurs at the Cal State Los Angeles Busway Station (1,057 passengers per day).

These data suggest that the Sierra Madre Villa Station is an appropriate point at which to terminate Route 487 when the Gold Line Extension from Pasadena to Azusa opens in 2014. The results of a recent survey of bus riders conducted for this study reported that 72 percent of existing Route 487 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension and that Arcadia is the most likely point of access identifi ed by 29 percent of survey respondents, followed by Sierra Madre Villa Station preferred by 25 percent of respondents. Similarly, results from the concurrent survey of current Gold Line riders suggests that Arcadia Station will attract up to 8 percent of total a.m. peak boardings on the extended Gold Line. Many of these patrons currently transfer at Sierra Madre Villa.

Truncation of Route 487 at the Sierra Madre Villa Station and introduction of a new local route between Sierra Madre Villa and El Monte via Arcadia is proposed as a means of enhancing intermodal access for most Arcadia as well as some Pasadena passengers. Operationally, Route 487 is a very long route requiring nearly two hours to complete a one-way trip, which is signifi cantly longer than most customers are willing to ride a bus. The proposed local route would operate within a 120-minute schedule cycle allow one-way running times of up to 52 minutes. This includes rerouting to serve the Arcadia Station directly by diverting buses from Santa Anita Avenue via Huntington Drive, 1st Avenue, and Colorado Boulevard in both directions. Schedule coordination would focus on peak direction connections at both stations.

RECOMMENDATIONS BY STATION

ARCADIA STATION

The Arcadia Station will be located in the downtown area on the north side of Santa Clara Street between North 1st Avenue and Santa Anita Avenue. Three bus routes currently operate in the vicinity as shown in Figure 2-2.

Metro Route 79

This local bus route extends from downtown Los Angeles to Arcadia and currently terminates near the proposed Gold Line station site. Eastbound buses approach the station area via Huntington Drive, turn north on 2nd Avenue and west on St. Joseph Street to an on-street layover point facing west. Departing westbound trips turn south on 1st Avenue and west on Huntington returning to Los Angeles.

Weekday ridership information compiled from Metro automatic passenger count (APC) data indicates that Arcadia is a signifi cant trip generator on Route 79. An average 272 riders board at six bus stops east of and including Santa Anita Avenue, which represents 6.7 percent of approximately 4,100 total average weekday daily boardings on the route. Alightings (227) represent 5.5 percent of total alightings. Minor realignment is recommended to bring Route 79 nearer to the Gold Line station entrance on Santa Clara Street and to provide a new layover point. As proposed, eastbound buses would approach via Huntington Drive, turn north on 1st Avenue and west on Santa Clara Street to a new terminal point located in a bus pullout on Santa Clara Street. Westbound departures would turn south on Santa Anita Avenue and west on Huntington Drive, returning to Los Angeles.

Metro Route 487

This express bus route operates between the Westlake District in Los Angeles and the El Monte Busway Station via downtown Los Angeles and a “U”-shaped alignment passing through San Gabriel, Pasadena and Arcadia. The existing alignment serves both the existing Sierra Madre Villa Station and the planned Arcadia Station. Route 487 travels north-south on Santa Anita Avenue and passes one-half block west of the proposed Arcadia Station site. Existing northbound and southbound bus stops are located at the intersection of Santa Anita Avenue and Santa Clara Street.

Ridership information compiled from Metro Automatic Passenger

Figure 2-3

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Figure 2-4

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Foothill Extension Bus Interface PlanFigure 2-2: Existing Bus Routing at Arcadia Station

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Foothill Transit Route 187

This is Foothill Transit’s most heavily utilized route, carrying over 6,000 passengers per average weekday, 3,100 per Saturday, and 2,900 per Sunday. Structurally similar to the Gold Line, Route 187 operates between downtown Pasadena and the Montclair Transit Center primarily on Huntington Drive and Foothill Boulevard, and often in close proximity to the rail corridor. A one-way trip end-to-end takes up to two hours and 15 minutes, which is substantially longer than most one-way bus transit trips taken in the region, and nearly three times longer than the Gold Line is expected to take once the line is extended to Montclair.

Ridership data compiled from Foothill Transit APC information and shown in Figure 2-5 indicate a pattern of steadily rising weekday passenger volumes aboard westbound trips to a maximum load point of 985 passengers per day on Huntington Drive approaching 2nd Street near the Arcadia Station site. Passenger volumes fl uctuate within a relatively narrow range through Pasadena, with 890 passengers per day on board at the Sierra Madre Villa Gold Line Station and 937 passengers per day on Colorado Boulevard at Sierra Madre Villa Boulevard. Passenger volumes fall sharply from that point west to the end of the line at Colorado and Raymond as passengers alight in large numbers in the downtown Pasadena area. A similar pattern is exhibited on eastbound trips shown in Figure 2-6, with heavy boardings in downtown Pasadena resulting in a maximum load of 991 passengers per day on board at Huntington Drive and 1st Street near the Arcadia Station site. The passenger volume drops to 570 passengers per day on board at Foothill Boulevard and Citrus Avenue near the Azusa-Citrus Station.

The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study reported

Figure 2-5

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that 88 percent of existing Route 187 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension, the highest of any route surveyed. Arcadia is not necessarily the preferred point of access for existing bus riders, however, with the Azusa-Citrus (21 percent), Monrovia (15 percent), Duarte (14 percent), Sierra Madre Villa (10 percent) and Azusa-Alameda (9 percent) Stations potentially attracting more transferring passengers than Arcadia (7 percent). These ridership patterns support reconfi guration of Route 187 to better complement the Gold Line when the Pasadena to Azusa extension is completed.

It is recommended that Route 187 be divided into three shorter routes to shift longer passenger trips to the Gold Line and refocus bus service on providing feeder trips into multiple stations along the Pasadena to Azusa segment. Two of the three new routes would terminate at the Arcadia Station:

• Route 186 Pasadena/Arcadia would operate between downtown Pasadena and Arcadia Station on an alignment similar to the current Route 187, which includes Sierra Madre Villa Station. The route should operate within a 90-minute schedule cycle requiring six peak buses to provide peak period 15-minute headways designed to meet every other peak direction Gold Line train at Sierra Madre Villa Station. Route 186 would approach the Arcadia Station from the west via Huntington Drive eastbound, turn north on 1st Street and west on Santa Clara Street to a terminal stop located on the street adjacent to the station entrance. Westbound departures would turn south on Santa Anita Avenue and west on Huntington Drive returning to Pasadena.

• Route 187 Arcadia/Azusa would operate between the Arcadia Station and the Azusa-Citrus Station on its current alignment, with minor changes to serve the Azusa-Alameda Station better. The route should operate within a 90-minute schedule cycle, requiring six peak buses to provide peak period 15-minute headways designed to meet every other peak direction Gold Line train at the Arcadia Station. Route 187 would approach the Arcadia Station proceeding west on Huntington Drive, north on 1st Street and west on Santa Clara Street to the bus turnout adjacent to the station entrance. Eastbound departures would turn south on Santa Anita Avenue and east on Huntington Drive returning to Azusa. Although Monrovia and Duarte Stations reportedly are attractive to survey respondents, diversion of Route 187 to serve these stations directly is not recommended.

The major benefi t anticipated from splitting the existing route into three routes is the opportunity to coordinate bus and train arrivals and departures at the Sierra Madre Villa, Arcadia and Azusa-Citrus Stations better. With Route 187 terminating at the Arcadia Station, transfer dwell times needed to align bus and train arrivals would coincide with layover time required for operational purposes. This should result in an increased number of “line-of-sight” transfers available to customers. Operationally, the shorter routes scheduled with recovery time equivalent to 15 percent of round trip running time presumably would reduce pressure on Foothill Transit dispatchers and service supervisors attempting to maintain schedule reliability on the existing cross-valley bus line and localize the impacts of any service disruptions.

Foothill Transit is currently working with several San Gabriel Valley cities to install a traffi c signal priority system for Route 187. It is anticipated that the route modifi cations in this report would not preclude use of this system as the current route alignments and frequency is proposed to be maintained, all be it with three separate routes instead of a single route.

Station Interface

The proposed layover location on Santa Clara Street should minimize the distance that customers need to walk when transferring between modes. The bus stop location also helps to emphasize the pedestrian plaza proposed for the station area by the City of Arcadia. This plaza would serve as the primary pedestrian route between the bus stops and the light rail station platform. Proposed bus route modifi cations are shown in Figure 2-7.

Figure 2-6

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Foothill Extension Bus Interface PlanFigure 2-7: Proposed Bus Routing at Arcadia Station

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Approximately 100 passengers per day currently travel east of Myrtle Avenue.

No signifi cant change to Route 264 is proposed at Monrovia Station.

Metro Route 270

This local bus route carries approximately 2,500 passengers per weekday between Norwalk and Monrovia, intersecting the Gold Line corridor on Myrtle Avenue and Duarte Road and passing immediately east of the Monrovia Station site. Southbound service would off er a 20-minute connection between the Gold Line and the El Monte Busway Station via Myrtle Avenue. Northbound service continues a relatively short distance into Old Town Monrovia and runs a one-way loop comprised of Primrose Street, Palm Street and, Magnolia Avenue to Foothill Boulevard and returning south via Primrose.

Metro ridership data indicates that 12 percent of total weekday southbound boardings occur north of the station site with 154 passengers per day aboard all buses approaching Duarte Road from the north. Similarly, 158 passengers per day on northbound trips travel north of Duarte Road on Route 270. Although this number is signifi cant, the present route structure would limit opportunities for schedule coordination at Monrovia Station. The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study reported that 68 percent of existing Route 270 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension and that Monrovia Station is the preferred point of access for 44 percent of existing bus riders, followed by Duarte (14 percent) and Arcadia (13 percent). These data suggest potentially signifi cant interest in reverse direction transfers; i.e., northbound Route 270 to eastbound Gold Line trains toward Azusa.

Ideally, Route 270 would be truncated at the Gold Line to facilitate timed transfers. With the City’s proposed off -street bus facility, the route divert from Myrtle Avenue into the facility; truncation or other alternatives should be considered, only if the City of Monrovia implements its proposed downtown shuttle to and from the Gold Line Station that is capable of providing an equivalent or better frequency of service than the existing Route 270. In the absence of this shuttle service, the existing alignment of Route 270 should be maintained.

MONROVIA STATION

The Monrovia Station will be located at the south periphery of the downtown area near the northwest corner of West Duarte Road and South Myrtle Avenue. Three bus routes currently operate in the vicinity as shown in Figure 2-8.

Metro Route 264

This local bus route carries approximately 750 passengers per weekday between Pasadena and Duarte on an alignment that includes the Sierra Madre Villa Station as well as the proposed Monrovia and Duarte Stations. It passes the Monrovia Station site on Duarte Road west of South Myrtle Avenue. Existing bus stops are located on both sides of Duarte Road at Myrtle Avenue.

Ridership data compiled from Metro APC information indicate a radial orientation focused on downtown Pasadena with a major intermediate stop at the Sierra Madre Villa Gold Line Station. As shown in Figure 2-9, westbound trips departing from the City of Hope Medical Center opposite the proposed Duarte Station site accumulate riders along Duarte Road with 143 total passengers per day on board at South Myrtle Avenue approaching the Monrovia Station site.

The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study reported that 85 percent of existing Route 264 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension and that the Monrovia Station is the preferred point of access for 28 percent of existing bus riders, followed by Sierra Madre Villa (17 percent), Arcadia (15 percent), Lake (15 percent) and Duarte (10 percent). Similarly, the survey of existing Gold Line users suggests that Monrovia Station will attract up to nine percent of total a.m. peak boardings on the extended Gold Line. Many of the 92 riders currently transferring at Sierra Madre Villa Station will change at Monrovia instead for faster travel time and increased likelihood of getting a seat on the train. The maximum load point (185 passengers per day) currently occurs at Duarte and 1st Avenue in Arcadia; however, it is not recommended that Route 264 be diverted north to the proposed Arcadia Station. Thus Sierra Madre Villa Station will remain a signifi cant access point for Route 264 passengers originating east of Pasadena. Existing ridership west of Sierra Madre Villa Station is low, suggesting that further restructuring of Route 264 may be warranted in Pasadena and Altadena.

A similar pattern is seen in Figure 2-10 showing eastbound trips. Passenger volumes rise sharply at Sierra Madre Villa Station and reach a maximum load point of 141 passengers per day on Duarte Road at Holly Avenue in Arcadia.

Figure 2-10

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Figure 2-9

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LEGEND

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Figure 2-8: Existing Bus Routing at Monrovia Station

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This relatively low-volume express route provides weekday peak direction-only service between the San Dimas Park-and-Ride lot (site of a proposed future Gold Line station) and the El Monte Busway Station, on an alignment that includes three proposed Gold Line stations: Azusa-Citrus; Azusa-Alameda, and Monrovia. It runs primarily east-west on Foothill Boulevard, Baseline Road, and Huntington Drive east of Myrtle Avenue; and north-south on Myrtle to El Monte. Route 494 partially overlaps several other routes, including Route 492 on Arrow Highway; Route 284 on Lone Hill Avenue and Foothill Drive east of Glendora Avenue; Route 187 and shorter segments of several other routes on Foothill Boulevard and Huntington Drive, as well as Metro Route 270 on Myrtle Avenue to El Monte.

Route 494 carries an average of 133 weekday boardings on seven one-way trips, or 19 passengers per trip. The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study reported that 72 percent of existing Route 494 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension and that the two Azusa stations are the preferred point of access for 48 percent of all riders, followed by Monrovia (19 percent) and Duarte (15 percent). Detailed passenger boarding and alighting information was not available for analysis, making defi nitive systemic recommendations more diffi cult. However, either truncation at the proposed Azusa-Citrus Station or outright discontinuation of Route 494 should be considered in conjunction with restructuring local services to feed passengers into the Gold Line. Foothill Transit staff did note that existing riders of this route value the connection it provides between Duarte and the El Monte transit center. A replacement connection should be considered if this route is discontinuted. From a policy perspective, Foothill Transit and Metro should avoid providing parallel express bus services to downtown Los Angeles when feeder services to the Gold Line are available providing comparable service.

Station Interface

The interface plan assumes on-street bus stops on Duarte Road near the station for Metro Route 264, and potential off -street layover position for Metro Route 270. Stops should be located to minimize the distance to the boarding platform. Figure 2-11 illustrates the proposed bus route modifi cations.

34


Foothill Extension Bus Interface PlanFigure 2-11: Proposed Bus Routing at Monrovia Station

M 270

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DUARTE STATION

The Duarte Station will be located on the north side of Duarte Road, west of the intersection with Highland Avenue and near to the City of Hope Medical Campus. There are fi ve existing bus routes that operate in the vicinity of the Duarte Station, as seen in Figure 2-12.

Metro Route 264

This local bus route carries approximately 750 passengers per weekday between Pasadena and Duarte on an alignment that includes the Sierra Madre Villa Station as well as the proposed Monrovia and Duarte Stations. Currently it passes the Duarte Station site on Duarte Road. The route terminates on the south side of Durate Road. Westbound trips return via a clockwise loop heading west on Business Center Drive, north on Denning Avenue, east on Evergreen Street, and south on Highland Avenue. An existing eastbound stop is located across Duarte Road from the station site at the City of Hope exit roadway; however, the nearest westbound stop to the Duarte Station site is located far to the west at the near side of Buena Vista Avenue.

Metro ridership data (shown earlier in Figures 2-9 and 2-10) indicates signifi cant ridership activity in the vicinity of the station site generated primarily by the City of Hope Medical Center and nearby businesses along Duarte Road. These conditions suggest that the Duarte Station location will strengthen an already strong eastern terminus for Route 264. Consequently, no immediate changes are proposed for this route.


This local route carries approximately 415 passengers per weekday between West Covina and Duarte via Baldwin Park and Irwindale. Northbound buses approach the proposed Gold Line Duarte Station from the south via Buena Vista Avenue, turn east Duarte Road and run parallel the corridor past the station site to Highland Avenue. The route continues north on Highland Avenue and terminates at an on-street bus stop on Huntington Drive at Highland Avenue, approximately one mile north of the station. Southbound buses depart west on Huntington Drive and turn south on Buena Vista Avenue for the return trip to West Covina, bypassing Duarte Station.

Detailed ridership data for Route 272 were not available at the time of this analysis, making it more diffi cult to provide defi nitive recommendations concerning this route. The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study reported that 66 percent of existing Route 272 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension and that Duarte (29 percent), Irwindale (27 percent) and Monrovia (24 percent) are most preferred as access points. Structurally, the one-way loop utilized to turn buses at the northern end of the route weakens the interface with the Gold Line at Duarte and is particularly inconvenient for passengers transferring from rail to bus and heading south.

Northbound Route 272 service should be truncated at Duarte Station. Southbound buses would use Highland Avenue, Business Center Drive , Denning Road, and Evergreen Street to loop around and return to Duarte Road westbound, similar to Metro 264. Alternative local coverage on Highland Avenue could be provided with restructured City of Duarte shuttle services or by diverting Route 187 to Duarte Station. Possible restructuring coinciding with the planned 2014 opening of the Phase 2A extension also should be considered once detailed boarding and alighting data are available. The objective of short-term restructuring would be to equalize bus travel times to and from the Duarte Station.

Duarte City Routes

The City of Duarte operates three local circulator routes utilizing small buses to supplement Metro and Foothill Transit routes in the city. Shown in Figure 2-12, they are briefl y described as follows:

• Duarte Blue Line operates a clockwise loop direction around the City generally northwest of the station area along Huntington Drive and Buena Vista Street. Currently the Blue Line does not stop in the immediate vicinity of the Duarte Station site.

• Duarte Green Line operates a counter-clockwise loop around the City that includes Duarte Road in the eastbound direction passing the Gold Line station site, and in the westbound direction via Evergreen Street. Eastbound service stops about 300 feet west of the station.

• Duarte Commuter Line is a morning peak service that transports residents to locations where they can transfer to a Metro or Foothill Transit bus line. It currently runs on Evergreen Street, north of the station.

The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study reported that 81 percent of existing Duarte circulator riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension, and that 47 percent consider Duarte Station as the preferred point of access, followed by Monrovia (13 percent), Azusa-Citrus (9 percent), Azusa-Alameda (8 percent) and Irwindale (7 percent). Detailed ridership data for these routes were not available for this analysis, making defi nitive systemic recommendations more diffi cult. Generally these routes should be evaluated in context of an integrated transit plan where Metro, Foothill, and municipal routes provide complementary services that are perceived by customers as a single network.

Station Interface

On-street bus stops suffi cient to accommodate fi ve fi xed-route bus routes and one paratransit or specialized transportation vehicle should be provided at the Duarte Station. Physical improvements are recommended with a new westbound stop located on the west curb of Highland Avenue near the east station portal. The eastbound stop will remain at the existing bus turnout serving the City of Hope Medical Center. A new pedestrian crossing across Duarte Road near the City of Hope driveway is planned.

Figure 2-13 shows the proposed bus route modifi cations. The objective of these proposed route modifi cations is to continue to provide convenient bus connections to City of Hope Medical Center and to improve connections from this facility and the Gold Line Station to the South and West. The proposed loop for Metro Route 264 and Foothill Route 272 on Business Center Drive, Denning Avenue, and Evergreen Street allows both routes to serve Duarte Road, the City of Hope, and the Gold Line station in both directions.

Proposed modifi cations to local Duarte bus routes will be further coordinated with the city as the Gold Line Extension Project advances.

36



36

Figure 2-12: Existing Bus Routing at Duarte Station

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Figure 2-13: Proposed Bus Routing at Duarte Station

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IRWINDALE STATION

The Irwindale station will be located north of Avenida Padilla, and east of Irwindale Avenue. One existing bus route operates in the immediate vicinity of the station, as shown in Figure 2-14.


This local bus route carries nearly 2,000 passengers per weekday on a predominantly north-south alignment between Hacienda Heights and Azusa via West Covina and Irwindale. It passes one block west of the Irwindale Station site along Irwindale Avenue at Montoya Street and the I-210 Freeway. To the south, Route 185 provides a 20-minute connection to the Plaza at West Covina Transit Center and continues through West Covina, La Puente and Industry to Puente Hills Mall via Sunset Avenue, Glendora Avenue and Hacienda Boulevard. To the north, Route 185 continues to Foothill Boulevard and turns east toward downtown Azusa, overlaying Route 187 between Irwindale Avenue and Alameda Avenue.

The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study indicate that 68 percent of existing Route 185 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension, and that 30 percent consider Irwindale Station as the preferred point of access, followed by Azusa-Alameda (21 percent), Azusa-Citrus (18 percent), Monrovia (11 percent), and Duarte (9 percent). The concurrent survey of current Gold Line riders indicated that Irwindale Station is the least preferred among the six new stations as the initial point of access to the rail line. Detailed ridership data for Route 185 were not available for this analysis, making defi nitive recommendations more diffi cult. Truncation at Irwindale Station could be considered when ridership data become available, given service redundancy with Route 187 on Foothill Boulevard east of Irwindale Avenue and to improve opportunity for schedule coordination with Gold Line trains.

In the immediate term, it is recommended that Route 185 divert from Irwindale Avenue to Irwindale Station in both directions when the Gold Line Extension opens. Northbound buses would turn right from Irwindale Avenue onto Adelante Street, where a new traffi c signal is planned, and continue north on Avenida Padilla to a new bus stop located on the north side of Montoya Street, southwest of the station. Ideally customers should have a line-of-sight visual connection to buses from the rail platform. Departing buses would continue west on Avenida Padilla, pass under the Irwindale Avenue bridge and turn left, running parallel to Irwindale Avenue until the traffi c light at Adelante Street and Irwindale Avenue, where the existing routing would be resumed. Buses running in the southbound direction would turn left at the intersection of Irwindale Avenue and Adelante Street, follow the same itinerary as described for northbound service and then continue south after the traffi c light at Adelante Street/Irwindale Avenue. Proposed changes are shown in Figure 2-15.

39


Foothill Extension Bus Interface Plan Figure 2-14: Existing Bus Routing at Irwindale Station

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Foothill Extension Bus Interface PlanFigure 2-15: Proposed Bus Routing at Irwindale Station

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AZUSA-ALAMEDA STATION

The Azusa-Alameda Gold Line Station will be located on the north side of Santa Fe Avenue between Azusa Avenue and Alameda Avenue in the downtown area. Four existing bus routes that operate in the vicinity of Azusa-Alameda Station and are in the vicinity of the station are shown in Figure 2-16.


This local bus route carries nearly 2,000 passengers per weekday between Hacienda Heights and Azusa via West Covina and downtown Azusa on an alignment that includes the proposed Irwindale and Azusa-Alameda Stations. It approaches the station vicinity from the west via Foothill Boulevard and terminates at San Gabriel Avenue two blocks west of the station.

The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study indicate that 68 percent of existing Route 185 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension and that 21 percent consider Azusa-Alameda Station as the preferred point of access, which is second to Irwindale Station (30 percent). Detailed ridership data for Route 185 were not available for this analysis, making defi nitive recommendations more diffi cult. At a minimum it is recommended that Route 185 be extended to a new terminal and layover point located adjacent to the new station entrance when the Gold Line Extension opens. Buses would continue from San Gabriel Avenue on Foothill Boulevard, turn north on Azusa Avenue and east on Santa Fe Avenue to the bus stop. Departing buses would turn south on Alameda Avenue and west on Foothill Boulevard returning to Irwindale.


This local bus route currently travels east-west on Foothill Boulevard and passes one block south of the Azusa-Alameda Station site. Existing bus stops are located on both sides of Foothill at the Azusa Avenue intersection. As described earlier, Route 187 would be truncated at both ends and serve the Arcadia and Azusa-Citrus Stations. Ridership data indicates that downtown Azusa is a signifi cant transit trip generator and diversion of Route 187 to the station entrance on Santa Fe Avenue is recommended. Both Alameda and Azusa Avenues may be used for signal-protected access to and from Foothill Boulevard.


This local route is Foothill Transit’s second highest volume line carrying over 3,400 passengers per average weekday between Puente Hills Mall and downtown Azusa via Azusa Avenue. It currently terminates one block south of the Azusa-Alameda Station via a one-way loop consisting of north on Azusa Avenue, west on Foothill Boulevard and south on San Gabriel Avenue. Existing bus stops are located on Azusa Avenue northbound and on San Gabriel Avenue southbound, both south of Foothill Boulevard.

The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study reported that 62 percent of existing Route 280 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension and that the Azusa-Alameda Station is the preferred point of access for 16 percent of those who expect to use the train. In comparison, Azusa-Citrus Station is preferred by 48 percent of riders, and Duarte is preferred by 10 percent of riders. Detailed ridership data for Route 280 were unavailable at the time of this analysis, making it more diffi cult to off er recommendations concerning this route. At a minimum, extension one block north on Azusa Avenue and east on Santa Fe Avenue to a new on-street bus stop and layover point located across the street from the Gold Line station entrance is recommended. Ideally customers should have a line-of-sight visual connection to buses

from the rail platform. Departing southbound buses would turn south on Alameda Avenue, west on Foothill Boulevard and south on San Gabriel Avenue returning to Puente Hills Mall. This alignment would allow Route 280 use the existing bus stop located on the north side of Foothill Boulevard at the far side of Alameda Avenue.


This relatively low-volume express route provides weekday peak direction-only service between the San Dimas Park-and-Ride lot (site of a future Gold Line station) and the El Monte Busway Station on an alignment that includes three proposed Gold LIne stations: Azusa-Citrus; Azusa-Alameda, and Monrovia. It runs primarily east-west on Foothill Boulevard, Baseline Road, and Huntington Drive east of Myrtle Avenue; and north-south on Myrtle to El Monte. Route 494 partially overlaps several other routes, including Route 492 on Arrow Highway; Route 284 on Lone Hill Avenue and Foothill Drive east of Glendora Avenue; and Route 187 and shorter segments of several other routes on Foothill Boulevard and Huntington Drive, as well as Metro Route 270 on Myrtle Avenue to El Monte.

Route 494 carries an average of 133 weekday boardings on seven one-way trips, or 19 passengers per trip. The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study reported that 72 percent of existing Route 494 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension and that the Azusa-Alameda Station is the preferred point of access for 25 percent of all riders, followed by Azusa-Citrus (23 percent), Monrovia (19 percent) and Duarte (15 percent). Detailed passenger boarding and alighting information was not available for analysis, making defi nitive recommendations more diffi cult. However, either truncation at the proposed Azusa-Citrus Station or outright discontinuation of Route 494 should be considered in conjunction with restructuring local services to feed passengers into the Gold Line.

Station Interface

It is proposed that Santa Fe Avenue be converted to have an on-street bus facility adjacent to the Azusa-Alameda Station, between Azusa Avenue and Alameda Avenue. This proposal will improve customer convenience and help to meet operational requirements. Bus stops suffi cient to accommodate three fi xed-route bus routes and one paratransit or specialized transportation vehicle at Azusa-Alameda Station should be provided. Bus route modifi cations are shown in Figure 2-17.

42


Foothill Extension Bus Interface PlanFigure 2-16: Existing Bus Routing at Azusa-Alameda Station

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Foothill Extension Bus Interface Plan Figure 2-17: Proposed Bus Routing at Azusa-Alameda Station

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AZUSA-CITRUS STATION

The Azusa-Citrus Station will be located northwest of the intersection of Citrus Avenue and Foothill Boulevard near the Citrus Community College and Azusa Pacifi c University campuses. There are fi ve existing bus routes that operate in the vicinity of the proposed station site, as shown in Figure 2-18.


This is Foothill’s most heavily utilized route, carrying over 6,000 passengers per average weekday, 3,100 per Saturday, and 2,900 per Sunday. A detailed discussion of boarding and alighting patterns is provided earlier in this report in the Arcadia Station section. Route 187 travels east-west on Foothill Boulevard and north-south on Citrus Avenue in the vicinity of the Azusa-Citrus Station site, passing several hundred feet to the south. Existing bus stops are located on the east side of Citrus Avenue south of the curve to Foothill Boulevard, and on the north side of Foothill Boulevard immediately east of the curve to Citrus Avenue.

Ridership data shown earlier in Figures 2-5 and 2-6 indicate that the Azusa-Citrus station vicinity is a signifi cant transit trip generator in both directions. Passenger volumes are higher to the west and lower to the east of the station site, with accumulated loads of approximately 600 passengers aboard weekday service in each direction at Foothill Boulevard and Citrus Avenue.

These ridership patterns support reconfi guration of Route 187 better to complement the Gold Line when the line is extended. It is recommended that Route 187 be divided into three shorter routes to shift longer passenger trips to the Gold Line, and refocus bus service on providing feeder trips into both Azusa-Citrus and Arcadia Stations from the east with continuing direct service provided by the Gold Line. Two of the three new routes would terminate at Azusa-Citrus Station:

• Route 187 Arcadia/Azusa would operate between Arcadia Station and Azusa-Citrus Station on its current alignment with minor changes to serve the Azusa-Alameda Station better. The route should operate within a 90-minute schedule cycle, requiring six peak buses to provide peak period 15-minute headways designed to meet every other peak direction Gold Line train at Arcadia Station.

• Route 188 Azusa/Montclair would operate between Azusa-Citrus Station and the Montclair Transit Center on an alignment similar to the current Route 187, which includes intermediate stops at the Glendora and Claremont Stations as planned in the Azusa to Montclair Extension. The route should operate within a 120-minute schedule cycle, requiring eight peak buses to provide peak period 15-minute headways designed to meet every other peak direction Gold Line train at Azusa-Citrus Station.

The Azusa-Citrus Station does have substantial needs for bus layover space. At project opening, the necessary layover space is proposed to be provided along the curbs on Foothill Boulevard and Citrus Avenue. Long-term need would be met by the bus facility on the north side of the light rail alignment where all fi ve bus routes would have layover space.


This local bus route carries nearly 2,100 passengers per weekday between Puente Hills Mall and Azusa via Industry, West Covina and Covina. It approaches Azusa from the south via Citrus Avenue and terminates one-quarter mile south of the station site at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard at Citrus Avenue.

The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study indicate that 74 percent of existing Route 281 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension, and that half of these consider the Azusa-Citrus Station as the preferred point of access, followed by Azusa-Alameda (12 percent) and Irwindale (11 percent). The concurrent survey of current Gold Line riders indicated that Azusa-Citrus Station is the most preferred among the six new stations as the initial point of access to the rail line. Detailed ridership data for Route 281 were not available for this analysis, making defi nitive recommendations more diffi cult. However, extension of the route to the Azusa –Citrus Station is strongly suggested to provide new connectivity with the Gold Line.


This local bus route carries nearly 1,600 passengers per weekday between El Monte and Glendora via Baldwin Park, West Covina and Covina. It approaches the Azusa-Citrus Station site from the south and east via South Grand Avenue and Foothill Boulevard and currently terminates 0.5 mile east at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Barranca Avenue.

The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study indicate that 54 percent of existing Route 488 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension, and that 56 percent of these consider the Azusa-Citrus Station as the preferred point of access, followed by Azusa-Alameda (9 percent) and Irwindale (7 percent). Detailed ridership data for Route 488 were not available for this analysis, making defi nitive recommendations more diffi cult. However, extension of the route to the Azusa-Citrus Station is strongly suggested to provide an eff ective feeder connection from the South Grand Avenue corridor to the Gold Line, as well as an additional bus connection between the Gold Line and the San Bernardino Metrolink Line in Covina.


This relatively low-volume express route provides weekday peak direction-only service between the San Dimas Park-and-Ride lot (site of a future Gold Line station) and the El Monte Busway Station on an alignment that includes three stations in this phase: Azusa-Citrus, Azusa-Alameda, and Monrovia. It runs primarily east-west on Foothill Boulevard, Baseline Road and Huntington Drive east of Myrtle Avenue, and north-south on Myrtle to El Monte. Route 494 partially overlaps several other routes, including Route 492 on Arrow Highway; Route 284 on Lone Hill Avenue and Foothill Drive east of Glendora Avenue; Route 187 and shorter segments of several other routes on Foothill Boulevard and Huntington Drive; and Metro Route 270 on Myrtle Avenue to El Monte.

Route 494 carries an average of 133 weekday boardings on seven one-way trips, or 19 passengers per trip. The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study reported that 72 percent of existing Route 494 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension and that the Azusa-Citrus Station is the preferred point of access for 23 percent of all riders, second to Azusa-Alameda (25 percent), but ahead of Monrovia (19 percent) and Duarte (15 percent). Detailed passenger boarding and alighting information was not available for analysis, making defi nitive recommendations more diffi cult. Either truncation at Azusa-Citrus Station or outright discontinuation should be considered in conjunction with restructuring local services to feed passengers into the Gold Line.


This express route provides weekday peak direction-only service between the Citrus College Park-And-Ride Lot in Azusa and downtown Los Angeles via Covina and West Covina. It carries 866 passengers per average weekday on 23 westbound trips to Los Angeles in the morning and 25 return trips to Azusa in the afternoon. Average ridership per one-way trip is 18

45


Foothill Extension Bus Interface Plan Figure 2-18: Existing Bus Routing at Azusa-Citrus Station

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passengers.

Morning trips currently depart from the intersection of Barranca Avenue at Foothill Boulevard, which is 0.5 mile east of the Azusa-Citrus Station site. Buses turn east on Alosta Avenue and south onto Grand Avenue to the I-10 Freeway. Afternoon trips return via north on Grand and west on Foothill Boulevard to Barranca Avenue.

The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study reported that 54 percent of existing Route 498 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension and that the Azusa-Citrus Station is overwhelmingly preferred as the point of access, by 69 percent of those who expect to use the Gold Line. Detailed passenger boarding and alighting information was not available for analysis, making defi nitive recommendations more diffi cult. Discontinuation should be considered in conjunction with restructuring local services to feed passengers into the Gold Line. From a policy perspective, Foothill Transit and Metro should consider truncating or discontinuing parallel express bus services to downtown Los Angeles when feeder services to the Gold Line off er comparable service.

Station Interface

This station is particularly important as an intermodal transfer point due to its dual function as a major generator of walk-on passenger traffi c and as the eastern terminus of the Gold Line once the Azusa to Pasadena Extension is completed. Survey results conducted for this analysis suggest that this location will attract nine percent of total Gold Line a.m. and p.m. peak boardings, the most among the six new stations, and six percent of midday and night-time boardings. Projected utilization of Azusa-Citrus Station is even higher as an alighting point, with 12 percent of total anticipated Gold Line passengers alighting there during midday and p.m. peak periods 10 percent at night and six percent during the morning peak. The survey also indicated that 79 percent of respondents are interested in the extension from Azusa-Citrus to Montclair, suggesting that interim demand for access to Azusa-Citrus among residents of eastern San Gabriel Valley cities will be high. Proposed bus route modifi cations are shown in Figure 2-19.

In view of its interim signifi cance as the Pasadena to Azusa Extension eastern terminus, timely construction of an off -street bus facility adjacent to Azusa-Citrus Station is recommended. The bus interface plan acknowledges that location and confi guration of a permanent facility is contingent on development of the adjacent Rosemont Master Planned Community. This may require the use of on-street bus stops and a nearby off -site location where terminating buses can spend scheduled recovery time and turn around. Initially buses will board and discharge passengers at on-street bus stops located on both sides of Foothill Boulevard at the Citrus Avenue curve. Terminating buses would then deadhead to an off -site recovery time point. Lacking restroom facilities, this location is not suggested for extended layovers until a permanent off -street facility is constructed.

47


Foothill Extension Bus Interface Plan Figure 2-19: Proposed Bus Routing at Azusa-Citrus Station

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INTERIM RESTRUCTURING OF BUS ROUTES: AZUSA TO MONTCLAIR

Completion of the Gold Line Extension from Pasadena to Azusa will warrant consideration of interim service changes to routes that primarily serve communities east of Azusa that later will be served directly by light rail service in the Azusa to Montclair Extension. This section provides a limited plan that diverts and truncates selected bus routes at the Azusa-Citrus Station, and proposes others for discontinuation.

Results from the random telephone survey of San Gabriel residents conducted for this study indicate that Azusa-Citrus Station will become an attractive access point for central and eastern San Gabriel Valley residents who indicated likely use of the Gold Line upon completion of the Pasadena to Azusa Extension. Similarly, the onboard survey of current bus riders indicate that the Azusa-Citrus Station will be the most likely point of access preferred by 23 percent of those who expect to use the Gold Line when this extension opens, followed by Monrovia (15 percent), Duarte (14 percent), Azusa-Alameda (11 percent), Arcadia (8 percent) and Irwindale (7 percent).

Changes to four existing bus routes as shown in Figure 2-20 are proposed:

Glendora Mini Bus Metrolink Shuttle

This commuter shuttle service operated by the City of Glendora runs between the Glendora Transportation Center on Foothill Boulevard at Dalton Avenue and the Covina Metrolink Station, primarily via Barranca Avenue. Southbound service to Metrolink comprises six trips departing between at 5:18 a.m. and 7:14 a.m. on weekdays only. Return service comprises six northbound trips departing between 4:00 p.m. and 6:40 p.m. Neither passenger boarding and alighting information nor specifi c survey results relative to this route were available for analysis. Generally the route should be integrated into the larger bus interface plan that would feed Glendora passengers primarily to the Gold Line throughout the service day and provide north-south connecting service to the Metrolink San Bernardino Line.


This local bus route carries 410 passengers per weekday between West Covina and Glendora via Covina and San Dimas. It approaches the planned Gold Line Glendora Station site from the east via Foothill Boulevard and south on Glendora Avenue to an on-street terminal point at Ada Avenue.

The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study reported that 42 percent of existing Route 284 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension and that the Azusa-Citrus Station is preferred as the point of access by 36 percent of those who expect to use the Gold Line, followed by Azusa-Alameda (26 percent) and Irwindale (14 percent). Detailed passenger boarding and alighting information was not available for analysis, making defi nitive recommendations more diffi cult. However, extension of Route 284 two miles west via Foothill Boulevard to the Azusa-Citrus Station should be considered. The bus connection presumably would be maintained until Gold Line service is extended to Glendora Station.

One possible routing would be to extend the route from the existing terminus at Glendora Avenue and Alosta Avenue by routing busses west on Alosta, north on Grand Avenue and west on Foothill Boulevard to the Azusa-Citrus Station. This would minimize duplication with Route 187 on Alosta Avenue and maintain coverage on most of the segment of Foothill Boulevard to be vacated by the proposed discontinuation of Route 494.

Foothill Route 690

This express route operates peak direction-only weekday service between the Montclair Transit Center and downtown Pasadena on an alignment comprised primarily of Foothill Boulevard and Baseline Road east of Azusa, and the I-210 Freeway west of Azusa Avenue to downtown Pasadena. It overlays local Route 187 east of Glendora. It carries an average of 274 weekday boardings on nine westbound trips in the morning and eight eastbound trips in the afternoon. Average ridership is 16 passengers per one-way trip.

Detailed passenger boarding and alighting information was not available for analysis, making defi nitive recommendations more diffi cult. At a minimum, Route 690 should be diverted via Citrus Avenue to the Azusa-Citrus Station when the Pasadena to Azusa extension opens, to avoid redundancy with the Gold Line. Discontinuation should be considered as part of future planning.

Foothill Route 851

This commuter-oriented local route operates weekday peak period service between Glendora and the Covina Metrolink Station on a meandering north-south alignment comprised primarily of Glendora Avenue and Sunfl ower Avenue. It crosses the Gold Line corridor at Glendora Avenue north of Alosta Avenue. Route 851 carries an average of 165 weekday boardings on eight morning trips and seven afternoon trips. Average ridership is 11 passengers per one-way trip.

Detailed passenger boarding and alighting information was not available for analysis, making defi nitive recommendations more diffi cult. Consideration should be given to extending selected trips on Route 851 via Foothill Boulevard to the Azusa-Citrus Station. Alternatively, local feeder service to Azusa-Citrus Station could replace the existing segment on Sierra Madre Boulevard and between Grand Avenue and Valley Center Avenue. It is recognized that this route serves a signifi cant number of school trips on weekdays. No modifi cations to school peak service are proposed. Systemic restructuring within cities east of Azusa should be considered in context of future service changes contemplated by Foothill Transit either prior to or concurrently with the opening of the extension to Montclair.

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50



NET COST OF BUS INTERFACE RECOMMENDATIONS: PASADENA TO AZUSA PROJECT

This section presents a preliminary estimate of operating cost associated with the preceding recommendations. Gold Line service span and frequency are key variables that will aff ect both the total operating cost of the Pasadena to Azusa feeder bus network as well as the extent to which schedule coordination between buses and trains may be achieved at the new rail stations. As actual 2015 rail schedules have yet to be fi nalized, the following assumptions have been drawn for purposes of plan costing.

• Service Span – It is assumed that the Gold Line will operate seven days per week generally between the hours of 4:30 a.m. and 1:00 a.m., a daily span of 20.5 hours. This is comparable to the existing service span operated on the Gold Line between Pasadena and Los Angeles.

• Service Frequency – Design headways recommended during the engineering phase diff er from the current level of service operated between Pasadena and Los Angeles. Planned Pasadena to Azusa service frequencies by service day and time period are summarized in Table 2-2.

Two bus service scenarios are included in this section to provide a range of probable operating cost for the Pasadena to Azusa bus network:

• Base Case – includes all intersecting routes operating on modifi ed alignments as proposed at or near prevailing (2011) service levels in terms of service span and frequency;

• Enhanced Service Levels – includes all intersecting routes operating on modifi ed alignments as proposed at enhanced service levels including service span equivalent to that of the Gold Line and bus frequencies suffi cient to meet every other train on a directional basis.

Ideally, buses and trains should operate on an even multiple of the same headway to ensure schedule coordination on a directional basis. However, in consideration of both the suburban character of the Pasadena to Azusa service area and current 30 to 60 minute headways on many of the existing routes, it is assumed that meeting every train on a directional basis may be unattainable within the current transit funding environment in California. Therefore it is recommended that for planning purposes target headways for intersecting bus routes be based on an objective of meeting every other Gold Line train on a bi-directional basis.

TABLE 2-2 Metro Gold Line Service Span and Frequency

February 2011

SERVICE FREQUENCY

Service Day Operating Hours Early AM a.m. Peak Base p.m. Peak Night

Weekday 4:30am - 1:00 am 15 10 15 10 20

Saturday 4:30am - 1:00 am 20 20 15 15 20

Sunday 4:30am - 1:00 am 20 20 15 15 20

BASE CASE

As indicated in Table 2-3, cumulative annual revenue vehicle hours for all intersecting routes would increase by 0.8 percent, from 394,734 to 398,054 assuming the base case scenario. Key changes include the proposed discontinuation of Foothill Transit Route 494. Additional savings would come from the truncation of Foothill Route 690 at the Azusa-Citrus Station, and truncation of Foothill Route 272 at Monrovia Station. These operating cost reductions would be off set by the extension of Foothill Routes 284 to Azusa-Citrus Station, division of Foothill Route 187 and Metro Route 487 into multiple routes, and various minor route extensions and span improvements as necessary to support the proposed bus interface plan.

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TABLE 2-3 Gold Line Extension: Pasadena to Azusa Bus Interface Plan Change in Level of Service - Base Case

Existing Revenue Hours Proposed Revenue Hours

Route Operator Stations Aff ected Weekday Saturday Sunday Annual Weekday Saturday Sunday Annual Percent Change

79 (78)1 Metro Arcadia 181.2 131.9 112.1 59,559 185.5 131.3 114.3 60,759 2.0%

185 Foothill Irwindale, Alameda 73.9 55.0 55.0 24,896 73.5 61.5 61.5 25,508 2.5%

186 Foothill Arcadia 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 81.8 47.3 64.5 26,000 1.3%

187 Foothill Arcadia, Alameda, Citrus 269.5 154.8 154.8 85,748 109.0 65.3 62.0 34,788 1.3%

188 Foothill Citrus 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 81.8 49.0 46.5 26,091 1.3%

264 (267)2 Metro Monrovia, Duarte 55.3 33.7 33.6 17,800 56.0 33.0 33.0 17,910 0.6%

270 Metro Monrovia 68.5 52.6 0.0 20,203 70.0 52.0 0.0 20,554 1.7%

272 Foothill Duarte 27.3 19.6 19.6 9,107 22.5 18.8 18.8 7,800 -14.4%

280 Foothill Alameda 94.7 59.0 59.0 30,622 95.0 61.0 59.5 30,848 0.7%

281 Foothill Citrus 93.1 36.7 36.7 27,764 95.0 39.0 39.0 28,515 2.7%

284 Foothill Citrus 16.4 14.8 14.8 5,802 22.0 18.0 18.0 7,590 30.8%

487 Metro Arcadia 138.4 58.7 58.7 41,749 88.5 39.0 39.0 26,858 7.2%

487A Metro Arcadia 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 59.0 26.0 26.0 17,905 7.2%

488 Foothill Citrus 75.1 43.1 43.1 23,875 76.5 43.5 43.5 24,293 1.7%

494 Foothill Monrovia, Alameda, Citrus 9.1 0.0 0.0 2,315 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 -100.0%

498 Foothill Citrus 64.4 0.0 0.0 16,430 64.4 0.0 0.0 16,430 0.0%

690 Foothill Citrus 25.4 0.0 0.0 6,482 13.9 0.0 0.0 3,538 -45.4%

851 Foothill Citrus 13.5 0.0 0.0 3,450 13.5 0.0 0.0 3,450 0.01%

Blue City of Duarte Duarte 12.0 10.0 0.0 3,580 13.0 11.0 0.0 3,887 8.6%

Green City of Duarte Duarte 12.0 0.0 0.0 3,060 13.0 0.0 0.0 3,315 8.3%

Commuter City of Duarte Duarte 1.5 0.0 0.0 383 1.5 0.0 0.0 383 0.01%

Metro Link Shuttle Glendora Minibus Citrus 3.7 0.0 0.0 944 4.0 0.0 0.0 1,020 8.1%

Campus Trolley APU Citrus 43.0 0.0 0.0 10,965 43.0 0.0 0.0 10,965 0.0%

Total 1,277.9 669.6 587.1 394,734 1,280.8 695.6 607.6 398,054 0.8%

Notes: 1 Estimated 67% of existing revenue hours attributable to Route 79

2 Estimated 50% of existing revenue hours attributable to Route 264

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TABLE 2-4 Gold Line Bus Interface Plan Base Case Operating Expenses

Operator / Service Cost per RVH

Existing

Revenue

Hours

Existing

Operating

Expense

Proposed

Revenue Hours

Proposed

Operating

Expense

Change Revenue

Hours

Net Change

Expense

Metro directly operated $130.84 119,108 $15,584,119 123,431 $16,149,756 4,323 $565,637

Metro contract 84.07 20,203 $1,698,441 20,203 $1,698,441 0 $0

Foothill Transit - except 488 & 498 61.43 196,187 $12,051,755 196,288 $12,058,000 -2,058 -$126,435

Foothill Route 488 60.44 23,875 $1,443,032 24,293 $1,468,239 417 $25,207

Foothill Route 498 103.55 16,430 $1,701,290 16,430 $1,701,290 0 $0

Duarte 60.00 7,023 $421,350 7,202 $432,120 562 $33,720

Glendora 60.00 944 $56,610 1,020 $61,200 77 $4,590

Azusa Pacifi c University 60.00 10,965 $657,900 10,965 $657,900 0 $0

Total -- 394,734 $33,614,497 398,054 $34,117,216 3,320 $502,719

Notes: * Metro unit costs per LAMTA Planning Department (S. Chesler). Foothill unit costs per Foothill Planning Department (L. Gillespie). Duarte, Glendora, and APU

unit cost estimates by IBI Group.

The estimated net eff ect on bus transit operating budgets associated with the Base Case scenario is summarized in Table 2-4. The plan generates net savings of slightly over $100,000 for Foothill Transit, and net cost of $0.57 million for Metro, as well as nominally increased cost for Duarte Transit and Glendora Minibus.

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ENHANCED SERVICED LEVEL SCENARIO – BUS RESTRUCTURING WITH ENHANCED SERVICE LEVELS

As indicated in Table 2-5, cumulative annual revenue vehicle hours for all intersecting routes would increase by 52 percent, from 394,734 to 601,161 annually, assuming the Enhanced Service Level scenario. The enhanced scenario assumes all proposed route changes operating on schedules designed to meet every other Gold Line train on a directional basis. Most routes would operate every 20 minutes during the a.m. and p.m. peak hours; every 30 minutes during the weekday base period and on weekends, and every 40 minutes at night.

TABLE 2-5 Gold Line Pasadena to Azusa Bus Interface Plan Change in Level of Service - Enhanced Service Levels

Existing Revenue Hours Enhanced Revenue Hours

Route Operator Stations Aff ected Weekday Saturday Sunday Annual Weekday Saturday Sunday Annual Percent Change

79 (78)1 Metro Arcadia 181.2 131.9 112.1 59,559 181.1 133.9 133.9 60,913 2.3%

185 Foothill Irwindale, Alameda 73.9 55.0 55.0 24,896 132.8 114.8 114.8 46,474 86.7%

186 Foothill Arcadia 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 66.4 57.4 57.4 23,237 -9.7%

187 Foothill Arcadia, Alameda, Citrus 269.5 154.8 154.8 85,748 88.5 76.5 76.5 30,983 -9.7%

188 Foothill Citrus 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 66.4 57.4 57.4 23,237 -9.7%

264 (267)2 Metro Monrovia, Duarte 55.3 33.7 33.6 17,800 88.5 76.5 76.5 30,983 74.1%

270 Metro Monrovia 68.5 52.6 0.0 20,203 177.0 153.0 0.0 53,091 162.8%

272 Foothill Duarte 27.3 19.6 19.6 9,107 66.4 57.4 57.4 23,237 155.2%

280 Foothill Alameda 94.7 59.0 59.0 30,622 88.5 76.5 76.5 30,983 1.2%

281 Foothill Citrus 93.1 36.7 36.7 27,764 132.8 114.8 114.8 46,474 67.4%

284 Foothill Citrus 16.4 14.8 14.8 5,802 66.4 57.4 57.4 23,237 300.5%

487 Metro Arcadia 138.4 58.7 58.7 41,749 132.8 114.8 114.8 46,474 11.3%

487A Metro Arcadia 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 88.5 76.5 76.5 30,983 NA

488 Foothill Citrus 75.1 43.1 43.1 23,875 132.8 114.8 114.8 46,474 94.7%

494 Foothill Monrovia, Alameda, Citrus 9.1 0.0 0.0 2,315 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 -100.0%

498 Foothill Citrus 64.4 0.0 0.0 16,430 64.4 0.0 0.0 16,430 0.0%

690 Foothill Citrus 25.4 0.0 0.0 6,482 33.2 0.0 0.0 8,463 30.6%

851 Foothill Citrus 13.5 0.0 0.0 3,450 88.5 0.0 0.0 22,568 554.1%

Blue City of Duarte Duarte 12.0 10.0 0.0 3,580 44.3 38.3 0.0 13,273 270.7%

Green City of Duarte Duarte 12.0 0.0 0.0 3,060 44.3 0.0 0.0 11,284 268.8%

Commuter City of Duarte Duarte 1.5 0.0 0.0 383 1.5 0.0 0.0 383 0.0%

Metro Link Shuttle Glendora Minibus Citrus 3.7 0.0 0.0 944 4.0 0.0 0.0 1,020 8.1%

Campus Trolley APU Citrus 43.0 0.0 0.0 10,965 43.0 0.0 0.0 10,965 0.0%

Total 1,277.9 669.6 587.1 394,734 1,831.7 1,319.6 1,128.4 601,161 52.3%

Notes: 1 Estimated 67% of existing revenue hours attributable to Route 79

2 Estimated 50% of existing revenue hours attributable to Route 264

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The estimated net eff ect on bus transit operating budgets is summarized in Table 2-6. Full implementation of the Enhanced Service Level scenario would increase bus system operating expenses by $16.9 million (current dollars).

TABLE 2-6 Gold Line Bus Interface Plan Enhanced Service Level Operating Expenses

Operator / Service Cost per RVH

Existing

Revenue

Hours

Existing

Operating

Expense

Proposed

Revenue Hours

Proposed

Operating

Expense

Change Revenue

Hours

Net Change

Expense

Metro directly operated $130.84 119,108 $15,584,119 169,352 $22,157,999 50,244 $6,573,881

Metro contract 84.07 20,203 $1,698,441 53,091 $4,463,360 32,888 $2,764,919

Foothill Transit - except 488 & 498 61.43 196,187 $12,051,755 278,890 $17,132,232 82,704 $5,080,477

Foothill Route 488 60.44 23,875 $1,443,032 46,474 $2,808,873 22,598 $1,365,841

Foothill Route 498 103.55 16,430 $1,701,290 16,430 $1,701,290 0 $0

Duarte 60.00 7,023 $421,350 24,939 $1,496,340 17,917 $1,074,990

Glendora 60.00 944 $56,610 1,020 $61,200 77 $4,590

Azusa Pacifi c University 60.00 10,965 $657,900 10,965 $657,900 0 $0

Total -- 394,734 $33,614,497 601,161 $50,479,195 206,427 $16,864,698

Notes: * Metro unit costs per LAMTA Planning Department (S. Chesler). Foothill unit costs per Foothill Planning Department (L. Gillespie). Duarte, Glendora and APU

unit cost estimates by IBI Group.

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