Help Pierce Transit Design a New Route System

Pierce Transit is in the process of updating its route system - and they want your help.

HELP US DESIGN OUR ROUTE SYSTEM!

Pierce Transit is in a time of transition from a route system designed four decades ago to one that better meets the traveling needs of the region today and into the future. To meet that goal, the agency is conducting a comprehensive analysis of its existing bus service to help form recommendations for improvements and efficiencies. Since public input is an important part of the process, Pierce Transit is seeking citizens’ input into changes it might make and how the agency should prioritize service enhancements in late 2016 and 2017. 

The transit agency is asking questions about the design, functionality, and goals of the system, such as:

• Is the current route network the right design for the future?
• How well does it fit the community plans of the area?
• Does Pierce Transit make it easy for you to get connected?

To answer these questions, Pierce Transit has created an interactive "Build Your Own System" tool for the public to better understand the costs and benefits of various updates to the system - and to place their votes for what changes they would most like to see. The tool gives participants an imaginary $20 budget to spend in various general improvement categories like more frequent weekday or weekend service, real-time arrival information at bus stops, or extended service hours or areas. 

Each improvement is weighted for how much of the $20 budget it would cost. Each also indicates the impact it would have in various benefit categories, including ridership, speed and reliability, access, passenger experience, multimodal connections, and environmental impacts. A cost/benefit calculator reflects selections made, totaling the cost, and indicating the benefits on sliding scales.

The Build Your Own System tool provides a way to indicate broad priorities. If you have more specific feedback on how the Pierce Transit system could be improved, there's a place on the project page to submit that too. And public meetings are being planned for this fall around the Pierce Transit service area.

The input the transit agency gets through this process will guide plans for service restoration and enhancements in the near future, and will shape the larger vision for the system into the future. Find out more, and participate here.

So, how would you improve Pierce Transit?