Omnitrans To Host Public Meetings
for Bus Rapid Transit Service
SAN BERNARDINO, CA - In an effort to inform the public and seek input on a proposed bus rapid transit service between San Bernardino and Loma Linda, Omnitrans will host three public meetings in October.
Meetings for the E Street Corridor San Bernardino Express services, known as sbX, will be held from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. as follows:
- Oct. 2, City of Loma Linda Community Room, 25541 Barton Rd., Loma Linda.
- Oct. 7, Normal Feldheym Public Library, 555 W. 6th St., San Bernardino.
- Oct. 14, Wells Fargo Building, 1000 E. Brier Dr. (near Hospitality Lane), San Bernardino.
The meetings will allow visitors to learn more about the proposed 16-mile sbX E Street Corridor, which is the first of seven rapid transit routes that Omnitrans is planning across the San Bernardino Valley. The current project schedule calls for construction to begin in 2010 and to last approximately two years.
“sbX will have the power to improve mobility in our region, revitalize our downtown core and provide an environmentally responsible way to travel,” said San Bernardino Mayor Patrick J. Morris, who also serves as a member of the Omnitrans Board of Directors. “The service will be fast, convenient and clean,” he said.
The proposed E Street Corridor route starts at Kendall Drive and Palm Avenue in north San Bernardino; heads south on Kendall to California State University-San Bernardino; continues south on E Street, through downtown; east on Hospitality Lane; south on Tippecanoe Avenue/Anderson Street, past Loma Linda University Medical Center; and east on Barton Road to the Jerry Pettis Memorial Veterans Health Center.
The current project phase – the Locally Preferred Alternative Refinement – is a continuation of work completed by Omnitrans in 2006, in which a locally preferred alternative was developed. The refined alternative extends further east on Hospitality Lane to Tippecanoe Avenue and eliminates stops along Anderson Street on the Loma Linda University campus. Sixteen stations are being considered at key locations along the corridor.
At the public meetings, visitors will be able to view maps of the proposed route and station locations, ask questions of Omnitrans representatives and submit written comments with their opinions or concerns about the project proposal.
The first half of each meeting (3:30 pm to 5 pm) will be an informal “open house” format, and the second half (5 pm to 6:30 pm) will include a presentation and question/answer session. The first 30 minutes of the Oct. 2 meeting will feature a brief presentation and “meet and greet” session with Loma Linda Councilmember and Omnitrans Board member Floyd Petersen. From 4 pm to 4:30 pm on Oct. 14, visitors can meet and hear brief remarks from San Bernardino Mayor Patrick J. Morris.
Petersen expressed the need for more transportation options to meet the demands of Loma Linda as a medical and educational community. He noted that, because of its internationally known education and health care institutions, Loma Linda’s daytime population jumps to more than 60,000, compared to its resident base of 23,000.
“This creates major challenges in coping with traffic congestion and adequate parking in our city,” Petersen said. “We desperately need other transportation modes, and sbX provides a viable alternative to driving.”
For more information about the public meetings or the project, call sbX Communications and Community Relations Manager David Rutherford at (909) 379-7284.
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