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42 ParkinR Mr. Caravati said that if a parking study is conducted, Council needs to act on the plan. Mr. Cox suggested that the area of study be enlarged to include Cherry and Preston Avenues, and to include needs for the next 10 to 15 years. Ms. Richards agreed with broadening the area of the parking study. It was the consensus of Council that staff request funds in the upcoming budget to perform an in-depth parking study of West Main Street, Downtown, and Cherry Avenue and Preston Avenue areas. Alternative Transportation - CTS Ms. Helen Poore, Transit Manager, recommended that bus service be expanded into evening hours, until 1 t :30 p.m. Ms. Poore explained that the City has an opportunity to apply for a $150,000 grant and, if approved, it will fund expansion of four routes. Responding to a question from Mr. Cox about a five year transit plan, Ms. Poore said a transit development plan is needed, but one priority would be to continue expanding evening service. Ms. Richards asked for a brief report on the possibility of connecting downtown with areas such as the North Fork Business Park and other city locatiOns through such means as a park and ride system if the Meadowcreek Parkway is not built. Mr. Cox said that when Rio Road is closed for improvements, there will be an opportunity to restructure the transportation system to meet that need. Mr. David Vanaman noted that Rio Road is only proposed to be closed for 75 to 90 days. Ms. Poore said staff have talked about marketing the buses when Rio Road is closed, but they have not talked with VDOT. Mr. Cox said he would like to explore locating a parking garage outside of downtown and shuttling people downtown. Ms. Poore noted that urban transportation funds can now be used for mass transit. Mr. Cox said he would like the issue of extending bus service to Pantops to be reconsidered by Council if the County is willing to support it. Mr. O'Connell noted that Council decided not to extend bus service to Pantops for economic reasons and because there was still some expense to the City in doing so. Ms. Richards said she would like traffic counts to be taken when Rio Road is closed, and Mr. Mike Fontaine, Traffic Engineer, said that staff are already conducting traffic counts on various streets that could be impacted. Alternative Transportation It was the consensus of Council to direct staff to work with the representatives of the University of Virginia over the next nine months to develop proposals for studying systems to enhance the walking, biking, and other movement of people from the University, along West Main Street to the Downtown area. The study may also look at moving people from the University Hospital area to Fontaine Research Park. Ms. Daugherty noted that the purpose of the proposal is to see how all aspects relate to one another.