Virginia Street Bus RAPID Transit Extension
Presentation to RTCJuly 17, 2015
Project Purpose• Extend RAPID to UNR• Improve pedestrian safety &
access• Create vibrant public spaces that
are accessible to all• Improve multimodal connections
http://virginiastreetrapidextension.com
Virginia Street Bus RAPID Transit Extension Project
Existing RAPID Route
Proposed RAPID Route Proposed Station Locations
Proposed Station Upgrades
4th Street Station
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; 0.5% Walk; 1.7%
Transit; 22.2%
Auto; 75.6%
Bike; 0.6%Walk; 9.2% Tran
sit; 8.5%
Auto; 81.7%
Virginia Street at Martin Street Virginia Street at College Drive
Martin
College
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
11
5
44
85
Average Pedestrians per Hour Average Cyclists per Hour
Average Hourly Bicycle & Pedestrian Counts
UNR Area Map
Lawlor Events Center
17th St
10th St
15th St
11th St
College Dr
San Rafael Dr
Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Keysto
ne
Multimodal Hub/Gateway
Roundabout
4TH STREET STATION
Complete Street Improvements:
Bus-only lane & bike lane
UNR Gateway Multimodal Center
RAPID STATION
* 317 Survey Participants
http://virginiastreetrapidextension.com
North Virginia Alternatives8th Street to 9th Street
Option A
Option BBus Only Lane,
Landscape Median, Wider Sidewalks
(Option A)81% Existing Lane
Configuration (Option B)
19%
Midtown Area Map
Complete Streets Improvements
Need for Improved Pedestrian Facilities
Photo courtesy of Wood Rodgers
Midtown AlternativesLiberty Street to Vassar Street
Option B
Option A
Option C
Shared
Travel Lane and Two-Way Left-Turn Lane (Op-tion A)
42%
Shared
Travel Lane, Me-
dian, and
Wider Side-walk (Op-tion B)
16%Standard Bike Lane and Median (Option C)
42%
* 317 Survey Participants
Option A Plan View
Preserves opportunity for parklettes Columbia, MO
Midtown Business 1-on-1 SurveyCalifornia Avenue to Mt Rose Street/Holcomb Avenue
http://virginiastreetrapidextension.com
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
Midtown Business 1-on-1 Survey Results
Curbside Parking66%
Bike Lanes13%
Wider Sidewalks21%
What is your #1 Priority?
Curbside Parking Bike Lanes Wider Sidewalks
* 46 Business Survey Participants
Segment of Virginia Street
Existing Parking Spaces
Proposed Parking Spaces – Option A series
Proposed Parking Spaces – Option B series
Proposed Parking Spaces – Option C series
Liberty Street to Plumb Lane 157 188 119 136
Gain/Loss +31 -53 -43
Midtown Business 1-on-1 Survey Results
Yes46%
No54%
Are you in favor of restricting left turn movements with a median on Virginia Street
to provide wider sidewalks?
Yes No
* 46 Business Survey Participants
Segment of Virginia Street
Unsignalized Intersection
Lefts Eliminated by Median
Driveway Lefts Eliminated by
Median
Total Left Turn Movements
Eliminated by Median
Liberty Street to Plumb Lane 6 93 99
http://virginiastreetrapidextension.com
Virginia Street Bus RAPID Transit Extension Project
Existing Bike Lanes Bike Lanes/Multiuse Paths 2016 Construction for Evans & 4th
Proposed Bike Lanes
Existing Bike LanesBike Facilities Planned for ConstructionProposed Bike Lanes
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
