DART proposes service changes for Urbandale including flex-routes

The establishment of two flex-type bus routes is one of the options being considered by the Des Moines Area Regional Transit authority to improve service to the western suburbs, transit officials noted at a meeting in downtown Des Moines on April 15.

                The routes would replace a flex-route which runs from the Des Moines Ice Arena at 73rd and Hickman, up to Meredith Avenue and west to the business park west of Interstate-35/80. This route, which runs during the morning and afternoon times, can make stops within its zone, which buffers the route, to pick up passengers who have made arrangements in advance, as well as along the route. If the plans are approved, the new routes might become effective this August.

                That route had been under study noted Jim Tishim, the planning director for DART, due to concerns about ridership. There had been an appearance of low ridership on that route, especially after 2012 when service in that area changed.

                After meeting with businesses and doing studies of where workers live using zip codes, DART officials propose to replace the current flex-route with two flex-routes—one of which would connect the Des Moines Ice Arena with the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church on Aurora Avenue, east of 86th Street. The other one would connect Valley West Mall with the Urbandale Business Park.

                The area encompassed by the route linking the Des Moines Ice Arena  and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church currently links to the Hickman and NW 86th Street express routes. It can deviate to the routes which run by or terminate at Merle Hay Mall. Under the proposed plan, the area served by the new route would be streamlined so that the bus would not have to take as much time deviating from the route to pick up or drop off passengers. For example, the proposed route would not have the ability to serve nearby Merle Hay Mall, Tishim and others noted. Gloria Dei and the Ice Arena provide better connections and improved options for transit service, they said.

                The other route would connect with the University Avenue, West Des Moines/Clive flex routes and Des Moines-West Des Moines crosstown routes at Valley West Mall. It would run up 100th Street to the Urbandale business park on an hourly basis in the mornings and afternoons on weekdays. In the morning, the bus would run in a counterclockwise loop going north on 100th Street, Urbandale and Aurora Avenues to Meredith Drive, west to the Urbandale business park and south to Douglas Avenue before returning to Douglas Avenue. The loop would go clockwise in the afternoon. “I think it is a better option,” Tishim said.

                Underlying both of these proposed routes are recommendations to restrict the flex zones, incorporate deviations from the routes, evaluate the bus stops and make the Hickman Express route consistent with the other express routes from the western suburbs. Currently the Hickman Express leaves Interstate-235 at the Keo Way exit and heads into downtown via 9th Street. This route misses the office complexes in the Western Gateway part of the central business district. Plans call for the route to exit Interstate-235 at Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and head south to Ingersoll Avenue, and follow Ingersoll Avenue and High Streets into downtown as do the other express routes from the western suburbs currently do.

                Jason Krampin, who lives on 73rd Street north of Douglas, praised the current route up 72nd to Meredith Drive, although he suggested improvements. “It gets me to work and it gets me home and I can leave my car in the garage,” he said. Krampin favored more service on that route, along with more service on the Hickman express route, which is also being planned for this summer.

                Plans for the Hickman express route include two additional morning and two additional afternoon trips. The proposed flex routes would also tie in improved service on the NW 86th Street Express route, which would be adding two additional morning and two additional afternoon trips.

                Service on the Ankeny express route would include three additional morning and three additional afternoon trips. Other improvements include more trips on the University Avenue route to Valley West Mall in West Des Moines on weekday evenings with service increasing from 60 to 40 minutes, improving service on the Douglas Avenue routes from 60 to 30 minutes on weekday evenings; adding evening service on the Indianola/SE 14th route, adding morning and afternoon trips on the Hubbell Avenue route to Altoona and adding another morning trip on the Fleur Drive route.

                DART will attend two meetings about the proposed service enhancements for this year. One will be held at 2 p.m. at the DART Central Station, 620 Cherry Street in downtown Des Moines, the other one will be held at 5 p.m., at Ankeny City Hall, 410 W. First in Ankeny. Those who cannot attend the meetings or who would like to provide additional comments should call DART at 515-283-8100, via e-mail at dart@ridedart.com (mailto:dart@ridedart.com?subject=Public%Meeting) or by mail at Attn: DART Forward 2035, Dart Central Station, 620 Cherry Street, Des Moines, IA 50309. Free language, visual, hearing services are available at meetings upon request. Transportation services are also available. For requests, please call DART at 515-283-8100 with as much advance notice as possible.

                DART is also conducting an online survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/04-14servicesurvey).  The survey can also be requested by phone at 515-283-8100.