Citylink stops improved to boost bus accessibility
Edmond’s bus service, Citylink, will begin using new bus stops beginning Oct. 16, even as the cost for the new stops more than doubled after added sidewalks.
The new bus stops with 7-foottall signs will replace the current wave-down method that is used on the five Citylink routes across the city.
“This is completely worth it . ... I am really excited about this,” said Public Transit Coordinator Susan Miller. “It is the most convenient way to get around Edmond.”
Bus drivers have been alerting riders by handing out designated bus stop notice fliers, along with some alerting their passengers.
The extra costs for the stops came from adding sidewalks to new bus stops, without which those with wheelchairs or eyesight issues would have had to maneuver across uneven ground, Miller said.
The entire cost of the project is still being calculated but is expected to be just more than $500,000. The original cost was supposed to be $248,000, but the City of Edmond will pick up the rest of the cost.
“We have had people asking for designated bus stops for years,” Miller said.
Several bus stops still need to be poured within the next week. Once completed, 106 bus stops will have been built.
With designated bus stops, Miller said busses will stick to posted schedules better and it will also reduce wear on brakes and the motor.
“The designated stops for pickup and drop-off should eliminate some of the traffic issues caused previously by frequent and unstructured stops,” Miller said. “This will also save us a lot of money on maintenance.”
The new stops will allow for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and reduce the amount of maintenance that is needed for the buses, Miller said.
The locations for the stops were chosen through community meetings and people’s suggestions, Miller said.
While waiting at a bus stop in front of the Rankin YMCA, Betty Thomas said the new stops will help people congregate in one area and save time for bus drivers.
“People will not group together, so hopefully this will help fix that,” Thomas said, who rides the bus almost every day to run errands. “I think it is really needed.”
She has been riding the bus for more than six months and said she was first nervous about being dropped off in the correct place, but that the new stops will provide a designated drop-off area.
More than 20,500 people ride the Citylink program every month, with most routes having a stable ridership. Miller said the University of Central Oklahoma route has decreased due to lower enrollment.
Shelters were built at several stops multiple years ago, but more shelters and benches are planned. The city will go out to bid for those in the coming months after the new bus stops are used.
Locations for the new stops came out of meetings with the community over the summer, with Miller putting suggestions together and working with McDonald Transit and Associates.
The new locations can be found online at http://citylinkedmond. com or by calling Citylink at 405509-6370.