Signals January 2002


	January 3, 2002

OPERATIONS:

New CyRide Family Addition: Congratulations to driver Mark Debner on the birth of his daughter Rachel Marie. Mother, baby, and father are all doing fine. Again, best wishes to the Debner family! (George)

Parking Buses Outside in Cold Weather: As a reminder, when the outside temperature is 20 degrees F or colder, keep your bus idling when parking it on the curb or in the employee lot. You should shut off the 4-ways and the heater but keep your front windshield defrosters on. This procedure will prevent diesel fuel from gelling and clogging fuel lines and fuel filters. (George)

Salt Free Areas: As the road construction season comes to a close, pay particular attention to those areas of new concrete. In order not to damage this new pavement, the Public Works Department will not apply any road salt on it this winter. Only sand and cinders will be applied to maintain traction. Pay attention to the possibility of slick spots, especially at intersections, along routes that have new concrete. Those areas to watch:

-Lincolnway and Grand Avenue. (Red route)
-Ridgewood Avenue between 16^th and 20^th Streets. (Green route)
-South Dakota Avenue between Todd Drive and Mortensen Road. (Red and Purple
routes)
-Ontario Street between North Dakota and Hyland Avenue. (Green route)

If you notice areas that are hazardous, please contact the dispatcher. (George)

Bus Stop Signs at Bus Shelters: As we complete the installation of new bus stop signs throughout the system, the current practice of placing bus stop signs at/on bus shelters will be discontinued. It was considered redundant to place a bus stop sign at a shelter plainly marked as a CyRide bus stop shelter. (George)

Gilman Hall Crosswalk Reminder: Drivers, as you approach Gilman Hall (Green west), remember not to block the crosswalk in front of the building. If more than one bus is pulling into the stop, the first bus should pull past the crosswalk while the second bus stays behind the crosswalk. A bus should never block a crosswalk. (George)

Pedestrian Alert: When departing the Parks Library stop (Orange and Brown) on campus, watch for pedestrians in the crosswalk south of Morrill Hall. Be prepared to stop and cover your brake when approaching this (or any) crosswalk when pedestrian cross-traffic is observed. (George)

Winter Driving Tips: We’ve all heard the saying "there are two seasons in Iowa – road construction and winter." Most years it seems that way. Iowa’s snow season typically runs from November through early March (we have been fortunate this year).

The following tips will help in reducing the chances of becoming involved in a weather-related accident.

Ż Report for work rested and alert.

Ż Do a thorough pre-trip inspection. Make sure you have melt-it, an ice scraper, Windex, and plenty of grit.
Ż Slow down. The posted speed limit may not be a safe speed to travel at during inclement weather. Remember safety before schedule.
Ż Give yourself more stopping distance about 15-20 feet before where you would usually stop. Bridges and shady spots can be icy when other areas are not. Avoid sudden stops and quick direction changes.
Ż Turn off the transmission retarder if the bus is equipped with one.

Snow and ice create hazards for our passengers as well. The following tips can help reduce the chances of our passengers having an accident.

Ż Turn your four ways on early so the passenger knows you see them at the stop.
Ż Approach the stop cautiously and allow extra clearance on the right side, if necessary.
Ż Choose the boarding and deboarding area carefully. If there is snow at the bus stop, select another area such as a sidewalk or driveway. If the sidewalk is icy or snow covered, give the passengers warning of the condition before they exit. If there is not a clear location keep a clearance of three to five feet from the snow bank so that passengers can use the street for boarding and deboarding. Do not move the bus until all people are safely away from the bus. Check your mirrors carefully to make sure the area is clear.
Ż If the steps or aisle are wet or snow covered, put down grit and scrape any snow off the steps.
Ż Monitor the interior temperature of the bus for the comfort of the passengers. (Barb)

HIRING AND TRAINING:

New Drivers: We have completed another successful driver recruitment and we will have three drivers commence training over break. Please welcome them to our team. (Brent)

Instructor Meetings: I have met with two small groups of instructors to discuss some issues that arose when I compiled the data from our first meetings. The finalized list should be distributed to the instructors by mid-January. (Brent)

Blue Bird (Unit 959): You may have already seen this bus out on the road. Everyone will be completing an orientation of the bus. Everyone should get a chance to drive it over break. It is a nice bus to drive. Just a reminder, mind the short wheelbase. This bus turns very sharp. (Brent)

Training Observations: We may have some visitors from other agencies who want to observe some of our training program. I will post more information when I know they will be here to visit. (Brent)

Statewide Trainer’s Meeting: Last month we hosted a meeting for transit trainers from across the state. It is our hope that we can benefit and improve all our training programs. We had some very good discussion over each of our training program strengths and have tentatively scheduled our next meeting. (Brent)

MARKETING:

Fare Free Update: The Transit Board approved a budget for next year that includes fare free service. ISU students ride free on any service with a valid fee card. We will be adding several services next year and will run extras on existing schedules where needed to accommodate the increased ridership. (Bob)

Changes for next year (summer or fall schedule) include: 40 minute interval on Green and Blue in the evening during summer; airport service everyday during Christmas break except Christmas day; evening service on Gold route; new Cardinal route between Hawthorn Ct. and Towers; and fare free for everyone (students, faculty, staff, visitors) on campus. Our web site will be updated with these changes. (Bob)

Orange Route Changes: Orange route ridership is up 37.8% from last year and often exceeds 8,000 passengers per day. We have added extras at class start/end times. We are going to run the afternoon schedule at 6 or 7-minute intervals instead of 10-minute intervals starting January 14. Printed schedules will be available for drivers, but passengers should download the schedule from our website. There will be NO change in Vet Med times. (Bob)

SHOP

Garage Expansion: We have signed the contract with the architect to design the garage expansion. They will be visiting CyRide on January 8 and 9 to work on the project. (Bob)

926: Unit 926 is back in service. (Terry)

924: I am very sorry but we have another bus down for the count. The transmission in 924 has failed and will not be fixed. We will strip this bus and use the parts on the rest of the mini bus fleet. The replacements for 923 and 924 are expected around February 15, 2002. (Terry)

West End Parking: We have been trying to make parking easier and safer on the southwest end of our facility. It was found that mini-buses were continually backing into the steel shroud that protects the exhaust fan on the south wall. The first thing we did was cut the shroud at a 45-degree angle thus eliminating the possibility of a bus hitting the shroud. The buses will now hit the wall before the fan shroud. The second thing we have done is to install parking-zone sensors. These sensors have three lights. As you back or pull into the parking stall, a green light will illuminate, the yellow light cautions the approach, and the red means stop. These are not fail proof. We have also put new yellow lines on the floor. When backing, stop when the rear tires of the mini-bus are on the yellow line. This is our way of changing the system to make things safer and easier for all. (Terry)