RTA and JeT bus lines could be very different but much improved by this time next year.
New Links is the year-long study and public discussion that will finish with a proposal to change where RTA and Jefferson Transit bus lines go to make them work better for transit riders.
Ride New Orleans believes this could be an essential part of fixing New Orleans transit. But whether the idea sounds great, make you nervous, or you’re somewhere in between, one thing is for sure. Nothing good will happen if transit riders don’t show up!
Throughout July, you will have your first chance to have your say. There will be a series of New Links meetings in every neighborhood in the City and several in Jefferson Parish. All are aimed at asking transit riders what they think needs to be done.
We hope you can make it to one of the meetings! Read on below for more details and exact locations!
The New Links process could recommend changes in where bus lines go in order to more reliably get people to jobs, school, the doctor’s office, and many other places. It might ask riders to consider tradeoffs like walking two blocks further or making an extra transfer in order to reduce overall travel time. It could even recommend real regional transit routes with convenient connections across parish lines.
New Links will unfold in three phases.
- A first phase through the end of July introducing the project and gathering community input
- A second phase this fall asking the community to weigh in on more specific transit network scenarios
- A third phase in 2020 where a final proposal is released and the RTA and Jefferson Transit determine whether to adopt it.
The July meetings are the final part of the first phase. During these meetings, New Links planners will explain the process, engage riders in discussion about their most important destinations, and ask riders for their input on tradeoffs like walking two blocks further or making an extra transfer in order to reduce overall travel time and increase the number of frequent buses.
If you don’t have much time, don’t worry! You only will need to spend about 15-20 minutes to get a good understanding of the process and relay what you think to the New Links staff.
You can see locations on a map here and read on below for a list of all the July meetings: