Archive for the ‘Bus Party Recap’ Category

Route 12 Bus Party Recap

2010-07-24

Today we rode Route 12, the last of the 14 metro area fixed routes. We made it through them all! At first this route seemed very efficient. We knew that Westdale was a major destination, and the route swiftly cruised down Wilson, approaching this area. But then instead of going right to Westdale, we turned and passed Van Buren School, continuing through residential areas before passing between Target and Walmart. Technically we passed the back side of Westdale Mall next, but we looped way out to West Post Rd. before stopping at the actual mall stop. Of course there are many other destinations along Route 12 that would get frequent use, but since we were focused on Westdale, this route felt like a long trip before we got there.

Brewed Awakenings was our lunch destination this time. They had some delicious sandwiches and a relaxing atmosphere!

We have now completed Bus Parties for all 14 of the metro area fixed routes, but we’re not done yet! Although the Bus Parties will be taking a break, we will kick them back up once the current routes start getting updated. And speaking of… please attend the next Cedar Rapids City Council meeting on July 27th to show support for the changes proposed through the Fixed Route Study conducted last fall. Brady has written a nice summary and you can read our reports for Open House One, Two, and Three. If you can’t attend, please send your comments to Office of the City Clerk, 3851 River Ridge Drive NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402 before Tuesday.

Thank you for all of the support so far!

Route 11 Bus Party Recap

2010-06-05

Today’s Bus Party had five riders for Route 11. We checked out the south side of Cedar Rapids and talked about the development projects going on in the area. Route 11 covers a lot of the industrial areas, as its main backbone is 6th St. SW. It is also the route that goes to the airport, Community College school campus, and the southern tip of Kirkwood. It wasn’t too busy this Saturday afternoon, but I bet it’s pretty well used during the work week.

Topics discussed were the potential purchasing of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, who the three bidders might be for the old public library, road construction projects, potential road closures, and what downtown might look and feel like as these projects finish.

Four of us traveled on to Sykora’s Bakery in Czech Village for some delicious sub sandwiches and then went our separate ways. My husband and I biked down to the bus party and then biked back after taking a bus closer to home. The weather cooperated for biking and made the ride nice and cool for a perfect car-less day.

Next month is Route 12 and the last of the CR Transit routes. See you then!

Route 10 Bus Party Recap

2010-04-17

Eight Bus Party riders followed Route 10 today. The weather was gorgeous for a tour of the southwest side of Cedar Rapids and we again had one of the new Gillig buses for our journey. This ride rivaled our busiest route yet and neared standing room only several times. There were four new Bus Party riders, one had used CR Transit and wanted to expose her three nephews to a new transportation option for them!

After the trip we went our separate ways, but several went on to check out the New Bohemia Eco-Arts Festival just a few blocks away. It was a great day to be out and a lot of others were enjoying the festivities. Not a bad way to celebrate our one year anniversary of the first Bus Party!

See you next month for Route 11.

Route 9 Bus Party Recap

2010-03-20

We had five riders at today’s Bus Party for Route 9. We toured the southeast side of Cedar Rapids bouncing on either side of Mt. Vernon Rd. This was almost completely new territory for me and I was surprised at how many neighborhoods I didn’t know existed. One rider noted that we went by almost every school on that side of town which serves students well if they live too close to be on a school bus route. We had one of the new Gillig buses again and again enjoyed the smoother, quieter ride.

We talked about the many Farmer’s Markets opening very soon, and one of the rider’s blog post about the local markets and his Google Calendar. Our transit conversations covered the potential changes to 2nd and 3rd Ave downtown and trails. We talked about what might happen to traffic patterns if 2nd Ave. was blocked at 10th St. and what would happen if one-way streets were changed to two-way. Trail signage was mentioned too. How the closed trail signs aren’t effective because they aren’t taken down when they are no longer necessary, so they aren’t taken seriously when there is a problem ahead. Great information as multiple groups focus more and more on trails and bicycle access in the metro area.

We ate lunch, or breakfast for some, at Coopers Mill on F Ave NW.

April will be the one year anniversary of the first Bus Party and we’ll ride Route 10. See you then!

Route 8 Bus Party Recap

2010-02-20

We had six riders for today’s Bus Party. We rode Route 8 through the southwest side of Cedar Rapids, out to Stoney Point and back. Johnson Ave. is the backbone of this route and the route links quite a few schools including Hoover Elementary, Taft Middle, Truman Elementary, and Coolidge Elementary. The bus wasn’t very full besides our group, and having been a daily rider when I lived on that side of town, I can say that its ridership is mostly made up of people working downtown and students going to school, so that makes sense. The best thing about today’s bus party was that we finally rode one of the brand new Gillig buses! Right away, all of the riders noticed how much quieter and smoother this bus was compared to the other buses we’ve been on. It was even quite comfortable on bumpy, pothole-filled Johnson Ave.

Most of our bus discussion was about the new Gilig, but one of the riders was scouting a drop off/pick up point for potential future use of this route. This is how I ride in the winter and many times throughout the rest of the year, so we talked a little about what makes a good location.

We ate outside of downtown this time, and enjoyed authentic Mexican food at El Super Burrito which happens to be on Route 8.

Next month will be Route 9. See you then!

Sneek Peek at a Live Bus Party

2010-02-03

Now that there is a proper bus party site, I can finally share the Route 3 video that Robin Kash of Neighborhood Network News put together. It captures thoughts from me and several of the other bus partiers that attended, along with general shots during the ride. I think it does a good job of showing the larger bus parties, and it is great to have some of the comments documented on camera.

Several of the comments included the need for bike racks on the buses. Since the video was taken in the spring of 2009, I’m glad to say that we have at least seen this improvement. Hopefully we continue to see changes for the better.

A big thanks to Robin for investing his time to create this! Check out his site for more independent coverage of local issues.

The video has been split into two parts, so watch both for full coverage.

Route 7 Bus Party Recap

2010-01-30

Five riders came to today’s Bus Party for Route 7 as we went on our first southern route through Cedar Rapids. This route skims along the southern side of Czech Village and connects to Bowling Street. It then meanders through Lincolnway Village before cutting through Kirkwood’s campus. The return to downtown goes along C Street and includes a stop on the Aegon/Yellowbook complex. It hooks back up with Bowling Street at 41st and retraces the outbound route. The bus wasn’t very busy, but I have seen it quite full during the week so it must be a Saturday thing.

This was a great tour of the southern industrial area along Bowling and J Streets. Who knew how many businesses were tucked away in there? I didn’t. It was also a nice demonstration of how the recommended change for Route 7 will be an improvement and better for Kirkwood students. We had a bus with squeaky brakes, but other than that it was a pretty smooth and quiet ride.

Afterwards we ate at Cedar River Landing on F Ave NW which happens to be along Route 1.

Next month we’ll cover the route that I first rode in Cedar Rapids. See you then!

Route 6 Bus Party Recap

2009-11-14

Today’s Bus Party had 3 attendees as we rode route 6. We went north through Cedar Rapids, along Blairs Ferry to Walmart and Lowe’s, and back along Center Point Rd. The bus was pretty full during the whole route with about as many people as a route 5, but with fewer stops along the way.

We talked about the bus parties and how to reach out farther. We also talked about the development in Hiawatha along Boyson and LEED buildings, prompted by a church in Hiawatha with a LEED sign.

Afterwards we ate at the Blue Strawberry on 2nd St. downtown and had yummy, messy food.

We will be skipping December to focus on our families, so we’ll see you in January to start the new year off with Route 7!

Route 5S Bus Party Recap

2009-10-10

Today’s Bus Party had 5 attendees including two new bus partiers that heard about us at the CR Transit study open house. We rode the last of the 5′s and went through the southern, mostly residential, area of Marion, out to the Marion Wal-mart again, and back along 7th Ave/1st Ave.

We discussed a variety of non bus related topics including local politics, but among the bus discussions were accessibility issues, a common complaint brought up at the open house. Since the snow flurries started this morning, we talked about the poor snow removal at bus stops and how it can be dangerous waiting for a bus on top of a snow bank (for those who can climb them), or waiting in a driveway or partially in the street as a last resort. Who should be responsible for clearing the stops? What is the best way to maintain the stops since we frequently get days with continual snow, requiring several rounds of re-clearing stops? Could there be a reporting system to flag stops with unacceptable access? These were new topics during a bus party, and it was great to hear new input.

Afterwards, a few of us decided to grab a quick bite at Dublin City on 1st St. downtown. Warm, tasty food “with just the right amount of grease” as one bus partier put it.

See you in November for Route 6!

Bus Party on Iowa Pulic Radio

2009-10-01

Earlier this year Alex Heuer, from Iowa Public Radio, did a three part series on Transportation in Iowa. In the third segment, he talked about alternative transportation initiatives and included some interviews during the Route 2 Bus Party. Stream the audio or download his piece through Iowa Public Radio.

Thanks for taking time to join us Alex, and for spreading the word about alternative transportation in Iowa.

This and other Bus Party news appearances can be found on our links page. Check it out.


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