Commission to hear bus-only request

Sonora parking and traffic commissioners on Wednesday will consider a request by Tuolumne County Transit to designate a portion of Jackson Street for buses only.

The proposal asks that the city evaluate the appropriateness of restricting access on Jackson Street between Washington and Green streets to only TCT buses to better accommodate them during service hours.

Buses running Route 1 in downtown Sonora regularly make stops on the 120-foot-long portion of street, which runs one-way adjacent to Courthouse Square, and must contend with a number of issues, according to the TCT request.

The TCT buses travel the segment of Jackson Street on a roughly hourly basis for a total of about 17 stops each day, but it’s not frequently used by other traffic, the request written by Tuolumne County Transit Agency Chairman Michael Ayala states.

One of TCT’s trolleys was recently struck by a vehicle trying to pass it on the small segment of road, causing about $1,000 worth of damage and putting the trolley out of service for two days, he said.

There are a number of other issues at the location the request says TCT has been working through, including the existing bus stop shelter being on the wrong side of the road, the varying height of sidewalks along the street and the lack of wheelchair ramps.

City Administrator Tim Miller said the request will need to be approved by the City Council after the Parking and Traffic Commission before any permanent changes are made.

PUBLIC MEETING: Sonora Parking and Traffic Commission, 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, City Hall, 94 N. Washington St.