d give your comments and opinions regarding these changes there are four public input sessions scheduled in April. Allentown, April 5 at the Baum Art School from 1:00–3:00 pm and 6:00–8:00pm; Easton, April 6 at the Eastonian, 140 Northampton St., 1:00 -3:00 pm and in Bethlehem, April 6 at the Hyatt, 54 W. North St., 6:00– 8:00 pm. If you are unable to attend any of these sessions, there will be a dedicated web page on the website where proposed service changes will be detailed and you may submit questions or comments. Based on comments from the public to customerservice@lantabus.com or write to LANta Service Changes, 1060 Lehigh St, Allentown, PA 18103. LANTA will update the service proposals based on public input and on May 4th there will be a public hearing where the final proposed structure will be presented (Thursday, noon, LANTA offices, 1060 Lehigh St, Allentown).Proposed Plan - Open for review by the public for the next month
Click here or on the logo above for an overview of the changes and a conversion guide showing the current routes and how they would appear in the new system design.
An extensive planning process was conducted to develop the proposed plan. The first step was to identify resources available for service enhancements (money, buses and drivers). Then, Planning and Operations identified the priority issues to be addressed given the resources. An initial service plan was developed and discussed with different operator groups, supervisors, customer service, and senior staff. Based on input from these groups, the Planning Department revised the initial concepts and came up with the proposed service changes. Phase 1 of the Service Plan element of Moving LANTA Forward calls for a redesign of the current fixed route system to meet certain goals. Listed below are the MLF service plan goals and how the proposed service changes address them:
· Goal 1: Establish a tier system of corridors
The proposed plan creates a core set of routes and adds evening/Sunday service to key corridors.
· Goal 2: Improve user-friendliness through streamlined routes and new route classification system
The proposed plan reduces the number of routes from 40 to 26 and establishes a new route numbering system based on service level.
· Goal 3: Reduce complexity by reducing variations and eliminating separate evening service structure
The proposed plan establishes a route structure in which most routes will have only one service pattern and eliminates the separate evening service model.
· Goal 4: Create direct connections for prominent travel patterns with new through-routing links
The proposed plan creates new direct connections such as Bethlehem to Hamilton St West, Emmaus Ave to the LV Mall, Susquehanna St to LVHC, South Easton to St. Luke’s Riverside.
· Goal 5: Address “tight” route segments to improve reliability and reduce operator stress
The proposed plan includes changes specifically designed to address known running time issues.
· Goal 6:Use Flexible models to address sparsely developed areas
The proposed plan establishes a pilot LANta Flex service in Macungie/Alburtis
It doesn't help that some drivers... only a few... are being troublemakers by saying stuff that isn't completely true... they were told about what was going to happen long before any of us, and it's not nice to scare people... many of us have enough problems in life without being forced to use public transit...
ReplyDeleteI am a driver and the truth is that drivers are the last to know about what is going on. Most times the general public knows what is going on long before we do. They do not tell us anything until it happens. Basically we have no imput.
ReplyDeleteThere needs to be more night service in heavy residential areas. I live in the Spring Ridge area in Whitehall, and I was very very disappointed and surprised that LANTA does not run any kind of night service in that area, which incidentally consists of THREE major apartment complexes. If the service was available, more people would be apt to use public transportation. LANTA needs to ewalize that not everyone works 9-5. Some people's jobs depend on other times being available.
ReplyDeleteLANTA barely runs through any residential areas, and it is mainly because the townships and property owners have agreed that they do not want buses coming through the development. I have even heard that with some residential areas, where there are some bus stops, that the townspeople have called the Mayor and complained about littering and people standing in their yards (thus in turn a removal of the bus stop sign took place). In the end it all comes down to demand. If Spring Ridge showed a high demand for want or need of transportation in that area than LANTA would have looked into it (I'm sure they already have). Its great to hear that people want more public transportation in their area, but if the demand is not high enough or the property owners have protested buses coming through then you are out of luck for the time being. You can always call Metro Plus for van transportation. Costs about the same as riding the bus.
ReplyDeleteIf the drivers are last to know about any changes thats their responsibility to speak up and let their employers know about that. There seems to be a lack of communication within and the general public is not the first to know about everything until it is actually implemented
ReplyDeleteI understand connecting the Lehigh Valley is a big job, but I think they can do alot better. I live over by easton, and I wish there was a route to the mall from easton. I like my direct link to NCC good job on that one. Looking forward to see these new lines though... im sure they won't dissappoint. Also it would be cool if you partnered with Pburgs bus (or found a way to take it over and improve it)
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