In his weekly update, City Manager Oliver Chi reports that ...
- For Fiscal Year 2017/18 Monrovia will be allowed to draw 20,000 fewer acre feet of water from the ground, 13.3% less than for Fiscal Year 2016/17 (July 1 through June 30, 2017) That's 130,000 acre feet compared to 150,000 acre feet. The Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster established this "safe yield." In response, Chi said the "City's strategy involves the continued imposition of aggressive water conservation measures, utilization of the City's Water Cyclic Storage Bank (a water savings account in which the City currently has over 1,400 acre feet of water production rights), and the strategic purchase of additional water production rights from other agencies in the Basin."
- The city's weekend shuttle service between the train station and Old Town has seen "very moderate usage." Since March 11, ridership on the shuttle has averaged 27 riders on Friday and 14 on Saturday.
- At the 2016 Neighborhoods USA annual conference, Monrovia Area Partnership won first place for its newsletter, second place for its Care for your Neighbor Program (Physical Revitalization / Beautification), and second place for its Youth Leadership Academy (Social Revitalization / Neighborliness).
- The Bob Bartlett Memorial Committee has recommended the City hire an artist to develop a mosaic mural at Station Square to honor the late Bob Bartlett. The city has received seven proposals and is reviewing the qualifications of the artists.
- An electrical failure last week at the city's well at 2655 S. Myrtle Ave. caused water to run into the street. Water Treatment Towers 3 and 4 had gone into an electrical shutdown, which let the water overflow.
- The Library will kick-off its Summer Reading Program on Thursday, June 16, from 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at Station Square Park with Fantastick Patrick, the one Man Circus Band. Laughs, juggling, music, a 10-foot high unicycle, and other "fantastic" tricks.
- Brad Haugaard
Regarding the shuttle service between the Monrovia train station and Old Town, it would seem that not many folks visit the Friday market or go to Old Town on a Saturday. However, how many residents of Monrovia would use the shuttle during rush hours to go to and from the station? That is a use of the shuttle for the residents of the city and those that commute in for business in Monrovia. A different ridership to the Friday market or Saturday night. How about trying it out?
ReplyDeleteWhile i agree that a commuter shuttle is a good idea in theory, in practice it would be very difficult. You either need people to walk to the shuttle stop or you need a rather large parking lot to accommodate the shuttle users.
ReplyDeleteIf you put the commuter shuttle in Old Town their parking issues (which aren't really that bad in comparison to the rest of the south-land) will only exacerbate as it will be a bit too far for most people to walk to and from everyday. Most will drive to Old Town and park in any unrestricted space they desire since they are arriving before most of Old Town wakes up.
On top of that they are actually surprisingly expensive to run. you need to hire good drivers who will make more than minimum wage, the insurance is very expensive, and large shuttles guzzle gas like there's no tomorrow. A 20 person shuttle running all day could easily cost at least 150,000k per year.
Point-to-point service (where you are picked-up/dropped-off at your house) would be even more expensive and rather time consuming for the first few passengers.
Uber, Lyft, and like-services are probably the best services to fill this need. Their prices are competitive with taxis, they are on-demand like the old dial-a-ride system, and for the most part our surface streets can handle the increased traffic from them. The best part about these services is they don't use parking spaces which would allow our Gold Line garage to last longer before it reaches capacity and needs expansion. I don't really use these services, so I don't know how prevalent they are in town yet, but it's only a matter of time.
Currently the Gold Line has a single announcement at the Monrovia stop: "Get off here for the Old Town Shuttle." Every time I hear that I think "Well, that's a lie."
ReplyDeleteFor years during the development of the station we were told there would be a commuter shuttle to help get us to and from the station. Now it's "too expensive" and "too difficult" except when we're talking about a few hours to ferry weekend diners to Old Town.
There needs to be a better solution to getting to the Metro station than "Get in your car and drive there."
Uber and Lyft are a good idea. How about an electric shuttle? They exist and are successful in other communities. How about charging to use the shuttle to help defray costs? I would be happy to walk to Myrtle or somewhere along a shuttle route to avoid having to find a parking space. As for the concern about Old Town Parking, limit parking times in the lots. If a car is parked there beyond say 4 hours, then it gets a ticket. Isn't that more income for the city? That income could also help to pay for the shuttle. It is only a matter of time before the Monrovia station garage is full to capacity each morning.
ReplyDelete