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Mass Transit Memorandum <br /> No. 071414-1 <br /> July 14,2014 <br /> TO: Honorable Mayor McElroy and City Council Members <br /> FROM: Ryan McCrady, City Manager <br /> Paul McChancy, Mass Transit Administrator <br /> SUBJECT: Downtown Trolley Route Change <br /> SUMMARY Staff recommends that Council adopt a Resolution approving a <br /> RECOMMENDATION: change in the Downtown Trolley route. <br /> BACKGROUND: In April, staff conducted a study of where passengers got on and <br /> off the Downtown Trolley in order to determine if improvements <br /> should be made to this route. Trolley drivers were also interviewed <br /> for more information about where riders were going to or coming <br /> from. Attached are the results of the study and a summary of where <br /> riders were going to or coming from. Based on this information staff <br /> drafted a new route for the Downtown Trolley that would continue to <br /> serve all of the high priority locations, and that would provide better <br /> service to public parking along Church Street. Although the new route <br /> is slightly longer, the Trolley can still make the complete trip in less <br /> than the 15 minutes allotted, so the Trolley's schedule would not <br /> change. <br /> Posters showing the existing and proposed routes were posted in all of <br /> Transit's buses, trolleys and buildings; posted on Transit's web site; <br /> and posted on the City's public access TV channel. Boxed ads were <br /> published in the Decatur Tribune and the Herald & Review news- <br /> papers. Notices were also mailed to the Economic Development <br /> Corporation and to the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce, as <br /> representatives of the downtown merchants. All of these posters, ads <br /> and notices invited the public to apublic hearing (June 11th) or to send <br /> written comments through July 2" . No one attended the public <br /> hearing, and only three comments were submitted. Two comments <br /> approved of the change—one of those said that it would help small <br /> businesses downtown to have more foot traffic. The third comment <br /> suggested that the Downtown Trolley should serve the Oasis homeless <br /> shelter(243 W. Cerro Gordo Street). <br />