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TRANSPORTATION Bus route in Talent will move to Highway 99 Change is needed to keep bus on time, but officials worry about residents' safety Comment By Tony Boom Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Feb 28, 2015 at 12:10 AM By Tony Boom Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Feb 28, 2015 at 12:10 AM » RELATED CONTENT • RVTD drops Talent bus stop change amid safety concerns » Social News TALENT — Rogue Valley Transportation District’s plan to move Route 10 from Talent Avenue onto busy Highway 99 starting March 23 has city officials worried about residents' safety. RVTD General Manager Julie Brown says the change is needed to keep the bus on schedule. Added road congestion, speed reductions and the narrowing of North Main Street in Ashland to two lanes have caused frequent delays in service, she said. The route goes from south Ashland to downtown Medford. Buses will now travel along Highway 99 to and from Rapp Road, instead of using Talent Avenue. Stops along Talent Avenue at Rogue River Parkway, Lani Way, Creel Road and Belmont will be eliminated, but according to RVTD's website, new southbound stops are marked at the bottom of Talent Avenue, Creel and Arnos Road, with northbound stops placed across the highway from each stop. There also are new stops marked where Rapp Road meets Talent Avenue. “My concern is the people crossing the highway to get to the northbound stops,” said Planning Director Zac Moody, who is staff liaison to the Traffic Safety and Transportation Committee. The committee has examined the issue with RVTD after City Council members in early February voiced concerns about safety and potential loss of ridership. RVTD and city officials will meet March 3 and give a presentation to the Talent City Council March 4. Change notices will not be posted until stops are determined, said Paige Townsend, RVTD senior planner. A pamphlet on the website shows the new route. The Rogue River Parkway stop sees 19 riders per day. The three stops further south have a total of seven, according to RVTD data. Josefa Revera lives at Anderson Vista, just across the street from Rogue River Parkway, and has taken the bus to her hotel job in Ashland Mondays through Saturdays for 10 years. She had not heard about the route change. “It is very important, Saturdays,” said Revera, who knows Saturday service will be dropped March 23. Revera glanced at her watch and noted the bus was late. Mitchell Hiles of Phoenix got off at the stop and unloaded his bicycle from the front rack before heading to his nearby job at Micro Trains. "It’s a lot quicker getting from here going to work rather than coming up from 99,” said Hiles. He, too, didn’t know about the switch. A half-mile is an acceptable distance for walking to a stop, according to Townsend. A new stop at Rapp and Talent Avenue would be one-eighth of a mile from the current site. RVTD is addressing delays at the same time it faces financial cutbacks because of the failure of a levy in November. Evening runs are also being cut. Route 10 will go from a 20-minute frequency to 30 minutes June 1 after the agency looks at how the new setup works. “We need to get the Route 10 back on schedule,” said Brown. “We are trying to keep that route from being an over two-hour route.” Schedules show the trip from Medford to Ashland and back should take an hour and 43 minutes. “Our buses run up and down 99 already. It has always been a safety hazard,” said Brown of the crossing issue. Moving the northbound left turn to Rapp allows the bus to turn at a signalized intersection rather than having to cross two lanes of oncoming traffic. Reduction of Highway 99 from four lanes to two with a center turn lane is now scheduled by the Oregon Department of Transportation for 2017, said Moody. He hopes to work with the agency to perhaps install flashing lights at pedestrian crossings. Other route changes will be made to cut the Route 10 travel time. A loop in Ashland that went out East Main Street from Tolman Creek Road will be dropped. Buses also will be rerouted onto Stewart Avenue from Barnett Road in Medford. Tony Boom is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Reach him at [email protected]. By Tony Boom Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom Mail Tribune Posted Feb. 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM Updated Feb 28, 2015 at 12:10 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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