Chapter 2: Proposed Bus Modifications - Metro Gold Line Foothill ...

MONROVIA STATION
The Monrovia Station will be located at the south periphery of the downtown area near the northwest corner of West
Duarte Road and South Myrtle Avenue. Three bus routes currently operate in the vicinity as shown in Figure 2-8.
Metro Route 264
This local bus route carries approximately 750 passengers per weekday between Pasadena and Duarte on an alignment
that includes the Sierra Madre Villa Station as well as the proposed Monrovia and Duarte Stations. It passes the Monrovia
Station site on Duarte Road west of South Myrtle Avenue. Existing bus stops are located on both sides of Duarte Road at
Myrtle Avenue.
Ridership data compiled
from Metro APC
information indicate a
radial orientation focused
on downtown Pasadena
with a major intermediate
stop at the Sierra Madre
Villa Gold Line Station.
As shown in Figure 2-9,
westbound trips departing
from the City of Hope
Medical Center opposite
the proposed Duarte
Station site accumulate
riders along Duarte Road
with 143 total passengers
per day on board at
South Myrtle Avenue
approaching the Monrovia
Station site.
Passengers
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Metro Route 264
Weekday Westbound Ridership
Station Vicinty
Duarte
Monrovia
SMV
The results of the bus rider survey conducted for this study reported that 85 percent of existing Route 264 riders are
likely to use the Gold Line Extension and that the Monrovia Station is the preferred point of access for 28 percent of
existing bus riders, followed by Sierra Madre Villa (17 percent), Arcadia (15 percent), Lake (15 percent) and Duarte (10
percent). Similarly, the survey of existing Gold Line users suggests that Monrovia Station will attract up to nine percent
of total a.m. peak boardings on the extended Gold Line. Many of the 92 riders currently transferring at Sierra Madre Villa
Station will change at Monrovia instead for faster travel time and increased likelihood of getting a seat on the train. The
maximum load point (185 passengers per day) currently occurs at Duarte and 1st Avenue in Arcadia; however, it is not
recommended that Route 264 be diverted north to the proposed Arcadia Station. Thus Sierra Madre Villa Station will
remain a signifi cant access point for Route 264 passengers originating east of Pasadena. Existing ridership west of Sierra
Madre Villa Station is low, suggesting that further restructuring of Route 264 may be warranted in Pasadena and Altadena.
A similar pattern is seen in Figure 2-10 showing eastbound trips. Passenger volumes rise sharply at Sierra Madre
Villa Station and reach a maximum load point of 141 passengers per day on Duarte Road at Holly Avenue in Arcadia.
Foothill Extension Bus Interface Plan
Figure 2-9
Boardings
Aligthitngs
Left on Board
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
CHAPTER 2 | PROPOSED BUS ROUTE MODIFICATIONS
Approximately 100
passengers per day
currently travel east of
Myrtle Avenue.
No signifi cant change to
Route 264 is proposed at
Monrovia Station.
Metro Route 270
Passengers
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
Metro Route 264
Weekday Eastbound Ridership
Boardings
Alightings
Left on Board
Figure 2-10
Station Vicinty
Duarte
Monrovia
SMV
This local bus route carries
approximately 2,500
passengers per weekday
between Norwalk and
Monrovia, intersecting the
Gold Line corridor on Myrtle
5
0
20
0
Avenue and Duarte Road and passing immediately east of the Monrovia Station site. Southbound service would off er a
20-minute connection between the Gold Line and the El Monte Busway Station via Myrtle Avenue. Northbound service
continues a relatively short distance into Old Town Monrovia and runs a one-way loop comprised of Primrose Street, Palm
Street and, Magnolia Avenue to Foothill Boulevard and returning south via Primrose.
Metro ridership data indicates that 12 percent of total weekday southbound boardings occur north of the station site
with 154 passengers per day aboard all buses approaching Duarte Road from the north. Similarly, 158 passengers per
day on northbound trips travel north of Duarte Road on Route 270. Although this number is signifi cant, the present route
structure would limit opportunities for schedule coordination at Monrovia Station. The results of the bus rider survey
conducted for this study reported that 68 percent of existing Route 270 riders are likely to use the Gold Line Extension
and that Monrovia Station is the preferred point of access for 44 percent of existing bus riders, followed by Duarte (14
percent) and Arcadia (13 percent). These data suggest potentially signifi cant interest in reverse direction transfers; i.e.,
northbound Route 270 to eastbound Gold Line trains toward Azusa.
Ideally, Route 270 would be truncated at the Gold Line to facilitate timed transfers. With the City’s proposed off -street bus
facility, the route divert from Myrtle Avenue into the facility; truncation or other alternatives should be considered, only
if the City of Monrovia implements its proposed downtown shuttle to and from the Gold Line Station that is capable of
providing an equivalent or better frequency of service than the existing Route 270. In the absence of this shuttle service,
the existing alignment of Route 270 should be maintained.
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
31