RTD taking action to deal with light-rail complaints

Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

RTD is tackling two of the biggest complaints about its new Southeast Corridor light rail, but only one has a solution in sight.

Riders who can't get to the Park Meadows mall from the County Line Station because there's no staircase down to the shopping center may soon have free shuttle service.

But commuters whose nonstop buses to downtown were eliminated in favor of shuttles to light-rail stations will have to bear longer commutes a bit longer before RTD decides whether it will make substantive changes to bus routes.

County Line Station has no direct access to Park Meadows because during initial planning for the transit line, the mall wasn't part of the Regional Transportation District. Moreover, the mall's former owner didn't want the access, and RTD's attempts to negotiate construction of a pedestrian walkway were unsuccessful.

Now that Park Meadows is in the district, it has agreed to allow RTD to build a bridge and walkway that would be completed around March 2008. Meanwhile, RTD may start shuttle service to the mall every 15 minutes from the park-n-Ride on the east side of Interstate 25. RTD and the mall would split the $80,000 cost for running the shuttle for six weeks through the Christmas shopping season.

The service could start as soon as Friday if the mall signs an agreement for the new bridge by then.

RTD also plans to tweak bus and train schedules to try to fix the long commutes some riders have faced since their bus service was replaced by light rail.

"If we're going to cause our loyal riders to spend another 20 to 40 minutes a day commuting, that's a policy decision that's just not right," said RTD board member O'Neill Quinlan.