Laker Line

Laker Line BRT Study
Transit-Oriented-Planning
Kent and Ottawa counties, Michigan

The Laker Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Study will support development and redevelopment at station locations, mitigate traffic, parking and other community impacts from growing travel demand, and capitalize on the potential environmental, community and economic benefits of increased transit usage.

Williams & Works, AECOM (then URS), and the local transit authority let the effort to build a vision for the BRT service that was reflective of the diverse values and viewpoints from those with vested interests in improved public transportation. Students, neighbors, business owners, and stakeholders all had the opportunity to weigh in on desired service routes, bus amenities, suggested stops, and overall improvements throughout a series of community events staged in each service area of the Laker Line. Social media platforms such as MindMixer, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram were utilized as well as traditional formats. 4,500 people liked, tweeted, used MindMixer, or attended a meeting during the community engagement period.

The route will add enhanced stations reduce travel time between two Grand Valley State University college campuses and downtown Grand Rapids to 25 minutes and reach 13,000 riders a day, a 13% increase compared to the existing bus route.

The consulting team consisted of Williams & Works, AECOM (then URS), and Aligned Planning.