Twice a year, Capital Metro makes revisions to its bus routes, and the Cap Metro board will consider the fall 2010 changes on Monday. The adjustments are usually minor, but this year, staff began making some substantial changes in accordance with the Service Plan 2020, including eliminating some routes. Some residents of the Zilker and Barton Hills neighborhoods plan to challenge the elimination of Route 29. “Although they are trying to encourage ridership, they are making it more inconvenient to ride,” says Zilker resident Kurt Schultz. He argues that his neighbors “will now have to walk almost a mile, up and down two huge hills, on two streets which lack sidewalks [and] good lighting sight lines, and are also the busiest streets in the neighborhood.” But Cap Metro planner James Gamez says Route 29 is “the lowest-performing route in the Capital Metro system, averaging less than 200 boardings each day.” That comes out to about 12 boardings per hour, compared to the system average of 30. Gamez says Route 30 will be revised to pick up a cluster of Route 29’s riders near Hollow Creek Drive and that Zilker residents would be within two-thirds of a mile of other routes. Of course, that’s farther than the half-mile usually considered the upper limit by transit planners. The board meets 3pm Monday, April 26, at 2910 E. Fifth.
This article appears in April 23 • 2010.