Flatiron Flyer

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Flatiron Flyer
Overview
OperatorRegional Transportation District
GaragePlatte Division, Boulder Divison
Vehicle56 Motor Coach Industries D4500CL coaches
Statusopen, construction continues
Began serviceJanuary 3, 2016[1]
PredecessorsRoutes 86x, BV, BF, BMX, BX, HX, S, T
Route
LocaleDenver, Aurora, North Jefferson, Broomfield and Boulder Counties, Colorado
Communities servedDenver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Westminster, Broomfield, Superior, Boulder
StartUnion Station, Civic Center Station, Anschutz Medical Campus
ViaU.S. Route 36
EndDowntown Boulder Station, Boulder Junction Station
Service
FrequencyPeak: 10 minutes
Off-peak: 30 minutes[2]
Weekend frequencySaturday: 15 minutes
Sunday: 30 minutes
Ridership11,000 (projected)[3]
Route map
Flatiron Flyer
Legend
 Boulder Junction
4, 6
 Downtown Boulder
1, 2, 5
Boulder local stops
Pearl Pkwy & 49th
Central Ave & Flatiron Pkwy E
28th & Walnut/28th & Canyon (CU)
Arapahoe & 55th
Arapahoe & 48th
Arapahoe & 38th/Arapahoe & Marine
Arapahoe & 30th
28th & Arapahoe
4, 6
 28th & College/28th & Colorado
4, 6
 Broadway & Euclid (CU)
Broadway & Baseline
Table Mesa & 39th
US 36.svg US 36
 US 36 & Table Mesa
1, 2, 4, 5, 6
 US 36 & McCaslin
1, 2, 4, 5, 6
 US 36 & Flatiron
1
 US 36 & Broomfield
1, 3, 4, 5, 6
 US 36 & Church Ranch
1, 3
 US 36 & Sheridan
1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Aurora local stops
Fitzsimmons Pkwy & Montview
5
 Colfax & Fitzsimmons Pkwy
5
 Colfax & Wheeling
5
 Colfax & Vaughn
5
 Aurora Ct & 16th
5
 17th Pl & Aurora Ct
5
 Aurora Ct & 17th Ave
5
 Aurora Ct & 16th Ave
5
 Quentin & 16th Ave
5
 Quentin & 17th Ave
5
 Quentin & 19th Ave
5
 Anschutz Medical Campus
5
Denver local stops
20th & Larimer/19th & Market
18th & California/19th & Stout  D  H  L 
18th & Welton/Broadway & Glenarm
Civic Center Station
4, 7
 Union Station
1, 2, 3, 6
 Amtrak A  B  E  G  N  W 
Key
FF1
FF2[a]
FF3
FF4[a]
FF5
FF6[a]
FF7[a]
Two lines
Multiple lines
←   {{{system_nav}}}   →

Flatiron Flyer is an 18-mile (29 km) express bus line between Denver and Boulder, Colorado, traveling along U.S. Route 36. Different levels of service are available, including a non-stop from Boulder to Union Station in high-occupancy toll lanes (HOT lanes), and all-stop, which serves six park-and-rides along U.S. Route 36 in normal highway lanes.[4] The line branches out to different destinations in Denver and Boulder. The Regional Transportation District operates the line, opened on January 3, 2016.[5] The ITDP classified the system as "not bus rapid transit", due to the use of lanes shared with private cars along US 36, lack of street level boarding/alighting and the lack of an off-board fare system.[6] This new system has been criticized as bus rapid transit creep.[7]


Route

A branching route system is employed, with the backbone of the system being the HOT lanes along U.S. Route 36. High-occupancy vehicles and buses travel free in the HOT lanes, while single-occupancy vehicles must pay between $1.25 to $7.60, depending on time of day, or up to $13.68 without an electronic toll collection pass.[8] The HOT lane will be managed to ensure that traffic will flow at 50 to 55 miles per hour.[9] Union Station, Civic Center and Anschutz Medical Campus serve as the termini at in Denver, while Downtown Boulder and Boulder Junction are the termini in Boulder.

Due to the fact that Flatiron Flyer travels with other vehicles in the HOT lanes, the lack of street level boarding and alighting and the lack of an off-board fare system, it has been classified as "Not BRT" by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, which promotes construction of BRT systems.[10]

Stops

There are six park-and-rides along U.S. Route 36 from Denver to Boulder, which have been dubbed "stations", that will be served by Flatiron Flyer:[11]

  • US 36 – Sheridan (1,310 parking spaces)
  • US 36 – Church Ranch (394 parking spaces)
  • US 36 – Broomfield (pedestrian bridge, 940 parking spaces)
  • US 36 – Flatiron (264 parking spaces)
  • US 36 – McCaslin (pedestrian bridge, 466 parking spaces)
  • US 36 – Table Mesa (pedestrian bridge, 824 parking spaces)

These stops will have ticket vending machines, and passenger information systems.

Service

Express service between Boulder and Denver is expected to take slightly under an hour, which is about 10 to 15 minutes faster than current bus routes.[9]

There was some opposition to the proposed consolidation of routes between Boulder and Denver. Buses along the most popular routes would come more frequently under the new service plan, but Boulder Junction would receive less service.[12]

Proposed service plan

Headways along different routes vary based on the time of day.[13]

BRT route AM peak eastbound Midday eastbound PM peak eastbound AM peak westbound Midday westbound PM peak westbound
All stations from Denver to Boulder Transit Center 15 15 15 15 15 15
Express from Denver to Boulder Transit Center 10 – 10 10 – 10
Denver to Westminster and Broomfield 15 – – – – 15
Boulder Transit Center to Anschutz 30 – – – – 30
Boulder Junction to Civic Center 15 – 15 15 – 15

History

Flatiron Flyer was constructed as part of the FasTracks program, which built six new commuter rail, light rail, and bus rapid transit lines in the Denver metropolitan area.[14]

Widening U.S. Route 36 to accommodate the bus line was a joint project between the Colorado Department of Transportation and RTD, termed the US 36 Express Lanes Project. The highway will be widened by 40 feet (12 m) in each direction to allow the addition of a high-occupancy vehicle lane, in which the non-stop bus service will travel. The project will be completed in two phases, with the first phase beginning in July 2012 and ending in July 2015. It cost $317 million and extended from Federal Boulevard to 88th Street in Louisville, Colorado.[15] Phase 2 of the project, anticipated to be complete by early 2016, will extend the HOT lanes from 88th Street to Table Mesa Drive in Boulder, Colorado through a public–private partnership.[16] To accommodate the lanes, several bridges were replaced and shoulders were widened along the highway.

Fleet

RTD purchased 59 D4500CL buses from Motor Coach Industries for $35 million to be used on the line. Each bus can carry up to 57 passengers.[17]

The University of Colorado paid $5 million over five years to place advertisements on Flatiron Flyer buses.[18]

Criticism

Originally, the voter-approved plan called for a 41-mile (66 km) high-capacity commuter rail line running from Denver Union Station to Longmont, passing through North Denver, Adams County, Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville and Boulder.[19] The completion of this original plan has been delayed until 2044 due to lower tax revenues and higher costs than expected.[20][21] As an interim measure, RTD will introduce a new bus system, branded "Flatiron Flyer", traveling in high-occupancy toll lanes along US 36 between Denver and Boulder.[22][23] The consolidation of current express service between Denver and Boulder into this one system attracted criticism from Boulder residents, since increased frequencies would be balanced with some service cuts.[24][25][26] Additionally, the ITDP classified the system as "not bus rapid transit", due to the use of lanes shared with private cars along US 36.[27]

References

  1. ^ "RTD – Flatiron Flyer".
  2. ^ "RTD – Proposed Service Changes".
  3. ^ Sisun, Claire (July 1, 2015). "RTD unveils new 'Flatiron Flyer' bus". 9 News. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  4. ^ Whaley, Monte (September 30, 2014). "U.S. 36 buses to arrive next October". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  5. ^ http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/01/02/flatiron-flyer-begins-bus-service-along-hwy-36-on-sunday/
  6. ^ "U.S. 36 bus transit plan is not what it seems, group says". Denverpost.com. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  7. ^ "U.S. 36 bus transit plan is not what it seems, group says". The Denver Post.
  8. ^ Aguilar, John (May 8, 2015). "Colorado's new express lanes, passes will take getting used to". The Denver Post. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  9. ^ a b Heffel, Nathan (June 21, 2015). "Beyond The Tolls: U.S. 36 Brings Buses, Bikes Into The Mix". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  10. ^ Whaley, Monte (January 26, 2015). "U.S. 36 bus transit plan is not what it seems, group says". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  11. ^ "Introducing the Flatiron Flyer" (PDF). RTD. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  12. ^ Antonacci, Karen (March 16, 2015). "RTD solicits public comments on proposed Denver-Boulder route". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  13. ^ "Proposed US 36 Bus Rapid Transit Service Plan". RTD. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  14. ^ Burness, Alex (September 10, 2014). "RTD's 'Flatiron Flyer' Boulder-Denver rapid-transit bus to debut in 2016". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  15. ^ Whaley, Monte (June 22, 2015). "U.S. 36 first phase gets send off from local, state, fed officials". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  16. ^ "US 36 Express Lane Project Phase 2". Colorado Department of Transportation. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  17. ^ Proctor, Cathy (June 30, 2015). "Meet RTD's Flatiron Flyer, your new Denver-Boulder ride". Denver Business Journal. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  18. ^ Whaley, Monte (August 18, 2015). "CU wins RTD branding agreement for DIA train". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  19. ^ "RTD - Northwest Rail Line". Regional Transportation District. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  20. ^ Whaley, Monte (August 29, 2012). "RTD defends FasTracks spending". The Denver Post. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  21. ^ Whaley, Monte (January 31, 2015). "Denver is being transformed by FasTracks, 10 years after key vote". The Denver Post. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  22. ^ "U.S. 36 reconstruction ongoing as is branding plan". Denverpost.com. 2014-11-06. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  23. ^ Whaley, Monte (February 4, 2013). "RTD foots bill for study of northwest transit system, cities sign on". The Denver Post. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  24. ^ "Boulder council: RTD proposals have broad impacts - Boulder Daily Camera". Dailycamera.com. 2015-02-24. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  25. ^ "Boulder concerned about RTD transit plan along U.S. 36 - Boulder Daily Camera". Dailycamera.com. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  26. ^ "RTD proposes cut of direct Boulder service". Denverpost.com. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  27. ^ "U.S. 36 bus transit plan is not what it seems, group says". Denverpost.com. Retrieved 2015-04-17.


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