Virginia Street Bus RAPID Transit Extension Project Purpose Presentation to RTC July 17, 2015 • Extend RAPID to UNR • Improve pedestrian safety & access • Create vibrant public spaces that are accessible to all • Improve multimodal connections Virginia Street Bus RAPID Transit Extension Project Proposed RAPID Route Proposed Station Locations 4th Street Station Proposed Station Upgrades Existing RAPID Route http://virginiastreetrapidextension.com Project Outreach 3 years of outreach for RTC planning study & UNR master plan Community Meetings/Workshops - April 14 & 15, June 18 Community Working Group Online Concept Preference Survey & 5,000+ mailers Midtown Business Outreach, 1-on-1 Meetings Other small group meetings Project Website: www.virginiastreetrapidextension.com Community Engagement Multiple Stakeholder Meetings City of Reno University of Nevada, Reno Midtown Merchants Association Creative Coalition Great Streets Coalition Current Travel Mode Split Bike, 0.6% Bike, 0.5% Walk, 1.7% Walk, 9.2% Transit, 8.5% Transit, 22.2% Auto, 75.6% Auto, 81.7% Virginia Street at College Drive Virginia Street at Martin Street Average Hourly Bicycle & Pedestrian Counts 85 College 5 Average Pedestrians per Hour Average Cyclists per Hour 44 Martin 11 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 UNR Area Map Lawlor Events Center Roundabout College Complete Street Improvements: Bus-only lane & bike lane 11th St Multimodal Hub/Gateway 4TH STREET STATION UNR Gateway Multimodal Center RAPID STATION North Virginia Alternatives 8th Street to 9th Street Option A Option B Bus Only Lane, Landscape Median, Wider Sidewalks (Option A) 81% * 317 Survey Participants http://virginiastreetrapidextension.com Existing Lane Configuration (Option B) 19% Midtown Area Map Complete Streets Improvements Need for Improved Pedestrian Facilities Photo courtesy of Wood Rodgers Midtown Alternatives Liberty Street to Vassar Street Option A Option B Option C Shared Travel Lane and Two-Way Left-Turn Lane (Option A) 42% Standard Bike Lane and Median (Option C) 42% * 317 Survey Participants Shared Travel Lane, Median, and Wider Sidewalk (Option B) 16% Option A Plan View Preserves opportunity for parklettes Columbia, MO Midtown Business 1-on-1 Survey California Avenue to Mt Rose Street/Holcomb Avenue Expanded outreach to Midtown businesses Met with 46 businesses from June 2-12 40 owners/partners or family members 6 managers or assistant managers Discussed project design options and asked about priorities of each business http://virginiastreetrapidextension.com Midtown Business 1-on-1 Survey Results What is your #1 Priority? Bike Lanes 13% Curbside Parking 66% Wider Sidewalks 21% Curbside Parking Bike Lanes Wider Sidewalks * 46 Business Survey Participants Segment of Virginia Street Existing Parking Spaces Proposed Proposed Proposed Parking Spaces – Parking Spaces – Parking Spaces – Option A series Option B series Option C series Liberty Street to Plumb Lane 157 188 119 136 Gain/Loss +31 -53 -43 Midtown Business 1-on-1 Survey Results Are you in favor of restricting left turn movements with a median on Virginia Street to provide wider sidewalks? No 54% Yes 46% Yes No * 46 Business Survey Participants Segment of Virginia Street Liberty Street to Plumb Lane Unsignalized Intersection Lefts Eliminated by Median Driveway Lefts Eliminated by Median Total Left Turn Movements Eliminated by Median 6 93 99 Virginia Street Bus RAPID Transit Extension Project Existing Bike Lanes Bike Lanes/Multiuse Paths 2016 Construction for Evans & 4th Proposed Bike Lanes Existing Bike Lanes Bike Facilities Planned for Construction Proposed Bike Lanes http://virginiastreetrapidextension.com Comparison of Midtown Alternatives Option Transit Connection to UNR & Upgraded Midtown Stations Sidewalk Width Range (in feet) Parking Virginia Street Bike Facility Left Turn Restrictions Upgrade Street Lighting Street Trees Reduce Speed Limit Operations A Yes 7.5-19.5 +31 Sharrow Less than 10 driveways Yes More Yes Bus pullouts B Yes 11-23 -53 Sharrow 6 intersections & 93 driveways Yes Most Yes Bus stops in travel lane C Yes 6-18 -43 Lane 6 intersections & 93 driveways Yes Fewest Yes Bus pullouts Next Steps Recommend Preferred Concept Community Information Meeting – August Develop 30% Design & Complete Environmental & Historic Resource Studies Develop Off-Street Parking Strategy