[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6575604,"mediaKeyId","3085828-cc2fb70c7514a3999ca276b80923d6de","parentId",3085828,"title","LexTran outlines clean-fuel fleet progress, service gaps and microtransit feasibility","audioSeconds",2596,"startMs",2698000,"endMs",5294000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3085828-cc2fb70c7514a3999ca276b80923d6de&start=2698&end=5294","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3085828-cc2fb70c7514a3999ca276b80923d6de/thumbnail_2698000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6575604/Lexington-City/Fayette-County/Kentucky/LexTran-outlines-clean-fuel-fleet-progress-service-gaps-and-microtransit-feasibility","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575604-5781ad50bb335a3f1dd46e8e6b50c26a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770657799&Signature=aYzUNJpTRTCkS9nYvDAibYomHlXUppA1m35bJT~8Wi9X0pBQCWzhqEVCP04~4XqGVY7uiw1FLUpSMb2Oqjoeucz~DKmMMvmujldI4LZe65iazTrnuVexF3YyYPMmysOQUjhItsRctAQ~Sf7QCtOHuKIqW0nv4Zju~ASzAhnip-SwiUw2cBpFMzLZGmOlLt-uwW7qnjsN9BC60IYGEDrXj4oDFGQJMIBJxojPiTrQf8WJfmFqGXrIfTDagzCgOPcjePix8Psthjc-peawGGsXCluVQnnvKZKCEqihUBjh7cBoxIep4FLhCtEUDTxC12rzkSbA633BiJL8dFW4y2c~kA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lexington","date","2025-04-22T00:00:00Z","article","Fred Combs, general manager of LexTran, told the Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee on April 22 that the agency has advanced clean-fuel vehicle purchases, doubled CNG fueling capacity and is pursuing technology and planning efforts to improve service and reduce emissions.

Combs said LexTran now runs about half of its fixed-route fleet on compressed natural gas (CNG), has installed solar lighting at select bus stops and has expanded CNG fueling and CNG maintenance capacity. He said the agency placed 10 new paratransit vehicles into service this year and acquired six fixed-route CNG buses; 10 additional fixed-route buses are on order (six CNG and four electric), and a capital plan includes 10 paratransit cutaway vehicles.

On service, Combs said LexTran operates 25 fixed routes 365 days a year between roughly 5:30 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. He said about 54% of Fayette County households are within a quarter-mile of a bus stop, and about 80% of households fall within a half-mile. Combs described frequency as the agency’s biggest remaining challenge: most core arterial routes run on 35-minute headways during peak times and 70-minute headways at night and on weekends; Nicholasville Road is the agency’s most frequent corridor at about 15–20 minutes.

Combs outlined planning work on three initiatives: a downtown circulator (a trolley-like loop for core destinations, with capital funds identified but operating funds still needed), a microtransit feasibility study (on-demand, zone-based service to address first/last-mile and transit deserts) and longer-term bus rapid transit (BRT) planning along Nicholasville Road. On microtransit, staff said the feasibility study is near completion and recommended starting small with a pilot zone. In the Q&A, Combs estimated that an external pilot for a single zone could cost in the mid-hundreds of thousands of dollars per year and that a pilot should ideally run two to three years to provide robust results.

Combs described operational improvements underway: a transit center interior renovation, computer-automated dispatch and vehicle-location systems, new in-vehicle displays, operator hiring and retention efforts, and plans for an operator barrier installation to improve safety. He noted that moving riders from cars to transit is the largest environmental gain and cited last year’s figure of more than 11 million passenger miles traveled as central to reducing vehicle-miles traveled.

On paratransit, Combs said the agency has been addressing complaints by upgrading vehicles (cutaway buses with larger capacity) and improving outreach, scheduling and contractor coordination; he told committee members the agency has seen improvements but work continues. Committee members asked about fares for a potential downtown circulator (Combs said it would likely be the standard $1 fare), pilot timelines (he said the microtransit study should wrap within a month) and vehicle-technology tradeoffs for CNG, battery-electric and hydrogen fuels. Combs said battery-electric vehicles now perform better than earlier pilots and that CNG remains an appropriate choice for long-service schedules, while hydrogen is emerging industry-wide but not currently planned for LexTran.

Council members also raised practical concerns about the transit-center renovation and temporary passenger accommodations; Combs said staff are evaluating options such as temporary shelters and distribution of ponchos/umbrellas with city coordination. Combs said the agency will present budget details at an early-May work session and is seeking funding partners for operating components of new services.

Ending: Combs asked the committee for continued engagement as planning studies conclude and budget requests are finalized; staff will return in May with budget detail and follow-up on the microtransit study.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lexington - Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee - Apr 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","LexTran General Manager Fred Combs told the committee that the agency has increased CNG capacity, added vehicles and is studying microtransit, a downtown circulator and bus rapid transit while continuing service improvements and paratransit reforms.","taxTitle","Lexington City, Fayette County, Kentucky","taxId",5707,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":44,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6575609,"Lex Grow Trees update: $1.5 million drives targeted plantings, education and private-property pilot",2461,237000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3085828-cc2fb70c7514a3999ca276b80923d6de&start=237&end=2698","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3085828-cc2fb70c7514a3999ca276b80923d6de/thumbnail_237000.jpg","/articles/6575609/Lexington-City/Fayette-County/Kentucky/Lex-Grow-Trees-update-15-million-drives-targeted-plantings-education-and-private-property-pilot","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575609-d253df6d21ffa848556db7e5610269ca/orig.mp4?Expires=1770657799&Signature=h23nC9~TddgZjqLk8N-M7fxDV4YcAkFbLqT~N5GG9q22JwdygMQ3SpGvPdiJpUsGhPPl8jts6q19W7awSyhiK97IMAI6N4y~Wv4eWeI7GoRScy0ePm28dptz0POxacpwn4QbJtrLvCSmklcjRbGFjQAX5L9b7X1UbjfjZ~2ncIoHDiti8C4vtuVUuNMaY5wFVt1VJT-nciWtIrkSK85uRdzKz4qMmx1mYlYwj6Cp0zIARXxHRHKI9OUuO0STctlud4O3U~4awnjrwWKdkksEMAJ3Lxlj1qy7bdPnESzBm5fAe93IiqE5OT5h9JdGpz6wPYORM6ThHeGUkL5D74u7WQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Heather Wilson, program manager senior for LFUCG's urban forestry team, told the Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee on April 22 that the Lex Grow Trees initiative is using a 2022 allocation of $1,500,000 in budget stabilization funds to grow canopy in neighborhoods with the greatest need.

The program has set a citywide goal of 30% tree canopy and reported a current canopy estimate of about 25% based on recent USDA flyover data; Wilson said canopy was about 22% in 2012 and rose to roughly 25% in the 2021–2023 reassessments. The initiative has funded pilot projects, two rounds of community grants and a private-property planting pilot, and launched marketing and stewardship work to sustain plantings.

The program was developed with an ad hoc steering committee that Wilson said helped shape “mission, values and grant framework” for Lex Grow Trees. Wilson named members present or active in that committee, including Naki Braga, Councilmember Lynch, Councilmember James Brown, John Chiochi, Jennifer Carey, Diane Atchinson, Jada Griggs, Sandy Burke and Michael Potapov, and thanked Impressions Marketing staff Lauren Gothrop and Lauren McDonald for branding and outreach support.

Wilson said the city has spent roughly $200,000 to update a hazardous street-tree cost-share program and dedicated funding to two grant rounds and a private-property initiative. The first grant round (March 2024) awarded just under $500,000 to nine recipients and resulted in a little over 800 trees being planted, Wilson said. The second round (opened October 2024) funded six projects from roughly $400,000 in available program funds and placed just over 1,000 trees. The private-property program used $150,000 to plant 209 trees on 155 properties in targeted districts 1, 2 and 7, Wilson said.

Wilson also described three pilot partnerships with Permaculture, Seedleaf and Trees Lexington that resulted in community plantings (Wilson said the pilot phase put several hundred trees in the ground). Impressions Marketing senior Lauren Gothrop summarized outreach work for the initiative: an online survey in fall 2024 produced about 450 completed responses (170 from priority districts), and seven focus groups in spring 2025 drew 54 participants. Gothrop said about 63% of survey respondents said they wished there were more trees in their neighborhood.

Committee members asked about tree size and cost, follow-up to confirm trees remain in place, and how the program balances planting larger-caliper trees versus smaller \"whips.\" Wilson said her preference is to avoid planting trees larger than 1.5 inches in caliper because smaller trees establish with less root loss and stress; she emphasized the need for homeowner education on mulching and protection. On follow-up and longevity, Wilson said program agreements include protections against immediate removal and that staff plan to use a tree-plotter canopy database and future flyover data to track growth over time.

Council members and community participants praised youth engagement and volunteer planting efforts, and staff said the mayor's proposed budget includes a request to continue the private-property tree planting program at $150,000. Committee members also asked staff to clarify the tree-plotter and report-card links on the public site; Wilson offered follow-up assistance for council offices to use the interactive map and confirmed the report card requires a separate assessment contract to update.

The presentation closed with staff emphasizing that residents want more trees but also need resources and education on planting and long-term care. Wilson added that Lex Grow Trees pairs canopy goals with an equity framework to target neighborhoods with lower canopy coverage.

Ending: Staff said they will provide additional detail when requested by council members, including links to the interactive tree-plotter map and the steering committee's focus-group analysis when finalized. The committee took no formal policy vote on the initiative at the April 22 meeting.","City staff told the Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee that Lex Grow Trees — funded by a $1.5 million 2022 budget stabilization allocation — has planted more than 1,800 trees through two grant rounds and private-property efforts, built community outreach and created a stewardship framework to track canopy growth.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

LexTran outlines clean-fuel fleet progress, service gaps and microtransit feasibility

Lex Grow Trees update: $1.5 million drives targeted plantings, education and private-property pilot