Flatiron Flyer

Flatiron Flyer is an 18-mile (29 km) express bus system between Denver, Aurora, and Boulder, Colorado, traveling along U.S. Route 36. Different levels of service are available, including a non-stop from Boulder to Union Station in high-occupancy toll lanes (HOT lanes), and all-stop, which serves six park-and-rides along U.S. Route 36 in normal highway lanes.[4] The line branches out to different destinations in Denver, Aurora and Boulder. The Regional Transportation District operates the line, opened on January 3, 2016.[5] The ITDP classified the system as "not bus rapid transit", due to the use of lanes shared with private cars along US 36, lack of street level boarding/alighting and the lack of an off-board fare system.[6] This new system has been criticized as bus rapid transit creep.[7]

Flatiron Flyer
Flatiron Flyer bus on Wewatta Street in Denver
Overview
OperatorRegional Transportation District
GaragePlatte Division, Boulder Division
Vehicle56 Motor Coach Industries D4500CL coaches
Statusopen, construction continues
Began serviceJanuary 3, 2016[1]
PredecessorsRoutes 86x, BV, BF, BMX, BX, HX, S, T
Route
LocaleDenver, Aurora, North Jefferson, Broomfield and Boulder Counties, Colorado
Communities servedDenver, Anschutz Medical Campus, Westminster, Broomfield, Superior, Boulder
StartUnion Station, Civic Center Station, Anschutz Medical Campus
ViaU.S. Route 36
EndDowntown Boulder Station, Boulder Junction Station
Service
FrequencyPeak: 10 minutes
Off-peak: 30 minutes[2]
Weekend frequencySaturday: 15 minutes
Sunday: 30 minutes
Ridership11,000 (projected)[3]
Route map

Boulder Junction Station
FF4, FF6
Downtown Boulder Station
FF1, FF2, FF5
Local Boulder Stops
Pearl Pkwy and 49th
FF6
Central Ave and Flatiron Pkwy E
FF6
28th and Walnut/28th and Canyon (University of Colorado)
FF4
Arapahoe and 55th
FF6
Arapahoe and 48th
FF6
Arapahoe and 38th/Arapahoe and Marine
FF6
Arapahoe and 30th
FF6
28th and Arapahoe
FF4, FF6
28th and College/28th and Colorado
FF4, FF6
Broadway and Euclid (University of Colorado)
FF1, FF2, FF5
Broadway and Baseline
FF1, FF2, FF5
Table Mesa and 39th/Broadway and Table Mesa
FF1, FF2, FF4
US 36 and Table Mesa Station
FF1, FF2, FF4, FF5, FF6
US 36 and McCaslin Station
FF1, FF2, FF4, FF5, FF6
US 36 and Flatiron Station
FF1
US 36 and Broomfield Station
FF1, FF3, FF4, FF5, FF6
US 36 and Church Ranch Station
FF1, FF3
US 36 and Sheridan Station
FF1, FF3, FF4, FF5, FF6, FF7
Local Stops
Fitzsimmons Pkwy and Montview
FF5
Colfax and Fitzsimmons Pkwy
FF5
Colfax and Wheeling
FF5
Colfax and Vaughn
FF5
Aurora Ct and 16th
FF5
17th Pl and Aurora Ct
FF5
Aurora Ct and 17th Ave
FF5
Aurora Ct and 16th Ave
FF5
Quentin and 16th Ave
FF5
Quentin and 17th Ave
FF5
Quentin and 19th Ave
FF5
Anschutz Medical Campus
FF5
Downtown Denver Stops
20th and Larimer/19th and Market
FF4, FF7
18th and California/19th and Stout
FF4, FF7
 D  F  H  L 
18th and Welton/Broadway and Glenarm
FF4, FF7
Civic Center Station
FF4, FF7
Union Station
FF1, FF2, FF3, FF6
California Zephyr,  A  B  C  E  G  N  W 
   {{{system_nav}}}   

Route

A branching route system is employed, with the backbone of the system being the HOT lanes along U.S. Route 36. High-occupancy vehicles and buses travel free in the HOT lanes, while single-occupancy vehicles must pay between $1.25 to $7.60, depending on time of day, or up to $13.68 without an electronic toll collection pass.[8] The HOT lane will be managed to ensure that traffic will flow at 50 to 55 miles per hour.[9] Union Station and Civic Center in Denver and Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora serve as the southern termini, while Downtown Boulder and Boulder Junction are the northern termini.

Given that the Flatiron Flyer travels with other vehicles in the HOT lanes, the lack of street level boarding and alighting, and the lack of an off-board fare system, it has been classified as "Not BRT" by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, which promotes construction of BRT systems.[10]

Subsequent plans to give buses the right to use the shoulder as a travel lane during traffic jams required a change in law; RTD buses got the go-ahead in March 2016, and took effect in April of that year.[11][12]

Stops

There are six park-and-rides along U.S. Route 36 from Denver to Boulder, which have been dubbed "stations", that will be served by Flatiron Flyer:[13]

  • US 36 – Sheridan (1,310 parking spaces)
  • US 36 – Church Ranch (394 parking spaces)
  • US 36 – Broomfield (pedestrian bridge, 940 parking spaces)
  • US 36 – Flatiron (264 parking spaces)
  • US 36 – McCaslin (pedestrian bridge, 466 parking spaces)
  • US 36 – Table Mesa (pedestrian bridge, 824 parking spaces)

These stops have ticket vending machines, and passenger information systems.

Service

Express service between Boulder and Denver is expected to take slightly under an hour, which is about 10 to 15 minutes faster than current bus routes.[9]

There was some opposition to the proposed consolidation of routes between Boulder and Denver. Buses along the most popular routes would come more frequently under the new service plan, but Boulder Junction would receive less service.[14]

Service plan

Headways along different routes vary based on the time of day.[15]

FF routeAM peak eastboundMidday eastboundPM peak eastboundAM peak westboundMidday westboundPM peak westbound
FF1 - Union Station to Downtown Boulder Station15 min15 min15 min15 min15 min15 min
FF2 - Union Station to Downtown Boulder Station Express10 min10 min10 min10 min
FF3 - Union Station to US 36 and Broomfield Station15 min15 min
FF4 - Boulder Junction to Civic Center15 min15 min15 min15 min
FF5 - Downtown Boulder Station to Anschutz Medical Center30 min3 trips3 trips30 min
FF6 - Boulder Junction to Union Station3 trips3 trips

Future service changes

On January 14, 2018, the previous peak-period, peak-direction Route 90L shuttle between Civic Center Station and US 36 & Sheridan Station was rebranded as another Flatiron Flyer route, FF7.[16][17]

History

Flatiron Flyer was constructed as part of the FasTracks program, which built six new commuter rail, light rail, and bus rapid transit lines in the Denver metropolitan area.[18]

Widening U.S. Route 36 to accommodate the bus line was a joint project between the Colorado Department of Transportation and RTD, termed the US 36 Express Lanes Project. The highway was widened by 40 feet (12 m) in each direction, adding a high-occupancy vehicle lane, which the buses will use when possible. To accommodate the lanes, several bridges were replaced and shoulders were widened. As part of the multi-modal commitment, a concrete trail was added between Westminster and Table Mesa, the U.S. 36 Bikeway.[19] The project was completed in two phases. The first phase, from Federal Boulevard to 88th Street in Louisville/Superior,[20] took three years (July 2012 - July 2015) and cost $317 million. Phase 2 of the project extended the HOT lanes from 88th Street to Table Mesa Drive in Boulder through a public–private partnership;[21] it opened in January 2016, with toll collection starting in March of that year.[22]

Fleet

In June 2015, RTD announced the $35 million purchase of 59 Motor Coach Industries D4500CL buses for the route. Each bus can carry up to 57 passengers.[23]

In August 2015, the University of Colorado (CU) paid $5 million over five years to place advertisements on Flatiron Flyer buses, with an option to extend for another five years. The deal also included the naming rights for the DIA rail line, dubbed the University of Colorado A Line.[24][25]

Criticism

Originally, the voter-approved plan called for a 41-mile (66 km) high-capacity commuter rail line running from Denver Union Station to Longmont, passing through North Denver, Adams County, Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville and Boulder.[26] RTD opened the first segment of this rail line, the B Line, from Union Station to Westminster Station  near 71st Ave. and Federal Blvd.  in July 2016.[27] The completion of the originally-planned route from Westminster to Longmont has been delayed until 2044 due to lower tax revenues and higher costs than expected.[28][29] RTD introduced "Flatiron Flyer" as its brand for the US 36 Bus Rapid Transit component of FasTracks, serving travelers between Denver and Boulder.[30][31] As an interim measure until Northwest Rail can be completed, RTD committed to study high-speed bus options in other parts of the corridor as well as the possibility of extending the North Metro Line to Longmont.[32] The consolidation of current express service between Denver and Boulder into the Flatiron Flyer system attracted criticism from Boulder residents, since increased frequencies would be balanced with some service cuts.[33][34][35] Additionally, the ITDP classifies the system as "not bus rapid transit", due to the use of lanes shared with private cars along US 36.[6]

References

  1. "RTD – Flatiron Flyer".
  2. "RTD – Proposed Service Changes".
  3. Sisun, Claire (July 1, 2015). "RTD unveils new 'Flatiron Flyer' bus". 9 News. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  4. Whaley, Monte (September 30, 2014). "U.S. 36 buses to arrive next October". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  5. http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/01/02/flatiron-flyer-begins-bus-service-along-hwy-36-on-sunday/
  6. "U.S. 36 bus transit plan is not what it seems, group says". Denverpost.com. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  7. "U.S. 36 bus transit plan is not what it seems, group says". The Denver Post.
  8. Aguilar, John (May 8, 2015). "Colorado's new express lanes, passes will take getting used to". The Denver Post. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  9. Heffel, Nathan (June 21, 2015). "Beyond The Tolls: U.S. 36 Brings Buses, Bikes Into The Mix". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  10. Whaley, Monte (January 26, 2015). "U.S. 36 bus transit plan is not what it seems, group says". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  11. "U.S. 36 Flatiron Flyer can drive on shoulders". The Denver Post. 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  12. Proctor, Cathy (2016-04-29). "RTD's Denver-Boulder buses will use shoulders to bypass jams". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  13. "Introducing the Flatiron Flyer" (PDF). RTD. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  14. Antonacci, Karen (March 16, 2015). "RTD solicits public comments on proposed Denver-Boulder route". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  15. "Flatiron Flyer". RTD. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  16. "Final Schedule Changes - January 2018". RTD. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  17. "Route 90L: US36 & Sheridan Limited". RTD. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  18. Burness, Alex (September 10, 2014). "RTD's 'Flatiron Flyer' Boulder-Denver rapid-transit bus to debut in 2016". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  19. Reimers, Ashley (2015-07-07). "Flatiron Flyer provides quicker ride for Westminster commuters". Colorado Community Media. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  20. Whaley, Monte (June 22, 2015). "U.S. 36 first phase gets send off from local, state, fed officials". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  21. "US 36 Express Lane Project Phase 2". Colorado Department of Transportation. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  22. "US 36 express lane tolls to begin March 30". KMGH. 2016-03-18. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  23. Proctor, Cathy (June 30, 2015). "Meet RTD's Flatiron Flyer, your new Denver-Boulder ride". Denver Business Journal. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  24. Whaley, Monte (August 18, 2015). "CU wins RTD branding agreement for DIA train". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
  25. Beuten, Cathy (2015-08-19). "CU partners with RTD to name airport FasTracks rail line". University of Colorado. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  26. "RTD - Northwest Rail Line". Regional Transportation District. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  27. Villanueva, Raquel; McGill, Nick (25 July 2016). "RTD unveils B-Line in Westminster". TEGNA, NBC. 9News KUSA-TV. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  28. Whaley, Monte (August 29, 2012). "RTD defends FasTracks spending". The Denver Post. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  29. Whaley, Monte (January 31, 2015). "Denver is being transformed by FasTracks, 10 years after key vote". The Denver Post. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  30. "U.S. 36 reconstruction ongoing as is branding plan". Denverpost.com. 2014-11-06. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  31. "FasTracks". Broomfield Economic Development. City and County of Broomfield. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  32. Whaley, Monte (February 4, 2013). "RTD foots bill for study of northwest transit system, cities sign on". The Denver Post. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  33. "Boulder council: RTD proposals have broad impacts - Boulder Daily Camera". Dailycamera.com. 2015-02-24. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  34. "Boulder concerned about RTD transit plan along U.S. 36 - Boulder Daily Camera". Dailycamera.com. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  35. "RTD proposes cut of direct Boulder service". Denverpost.com. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
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