CITY OF TALLAHASSEE
CITY COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED ON: June 10, 2009
SUBJECT/TITLE: Discussion of StarMetro’s Route Decentralization Concept
TARGET ISSUE: Long Range Planning

STATEMENT OF ISSUE

Concurrent with the 2005 StarMetro Renaissance Plan, the 2005 Transit Development Plan, the City Manager’s 2009 Resolutions, and City Commission direction , StarMetro has taken preliminary steps to create a decentralized route structure for transit in the City of Tallahassee. Once implemented, the plan, known as Nova 2010, would distribute transit services along major roadways in Tallahassee; several routes would not serve downtown at all. By not sending every route to C.K. Steele Plaza, passengers would experience greater frequency of service and a system more closely resembling contemporary vehicular travel patterns rather than the current hub-and-spoke system. Nova 2010 is in the earliest stages of development and before progressing further StarMetro seeks the approval of the City Commission to further pursue the decentralization effort.

RECOMMENDED ACTION

Approve Option 1- authorize staff to work with the General Planning Consultant to continue to develop and analyze the Nova 2010 Plan through public surveys, listening sessions, and analysis.

FISCAL IMPACT

There will be no immediate fiscal impact. The work performed by the General Planning Consultant is funded through $420,000 allocated to Planning Projects at the September 10, 2008 City Commission Meeting (Project #0900459). The estimated cost of the analysis is $120,000, which includes completing an Origin and Destination Study, public involvement plan, analysis of the concept route structure, and placement of regional transfer facilities. The Office of Budget and Policy and the Procurement Office have reviewed this item, and it is in compliance with City guidelines.

Ronald L. Garrison, Executive Director StarMetro

Anita Favors Thompson, City Manager

For information, please contact: Brian Waterman, Transit Planning Administrator, 891-5564.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL/ISSUE ANALYSIS
HISTORY/FACTS & ISSUES

When transit service started in Tallahassee, route service consisted of bus routes going to downtown Tallahassee where shoppers, moviegoers, employees, and diners invariably traveled. Since then, the downtown share of the City’s employment decreased as shopping centers, restaurants, movie theaters, and even government jobs dispersed to different locations, especially along Capital Circle. StarMetro’s route structure, however, has not changed in response to travel behaviors. Therefore, the current service inadequately meets the needs of existing customers and does little to entice new transit customers.

The practice of transit has changed, and a growing number of agencies have found serving multiple destinations, compared to a single downtown station, is tremendously successful, starting with West Coast transit properties in Portland, Oregon, and San Diego, California and then spreading to places like Colorado Springs and Madison, Wisconsin, a state capital with a large university presence like our own. In Florida, Pinellas and Broward Counties have similarly restructured their systems.

• Nova 2010 is intended to accomplish several things:
  
  Reduce Downtown Trips: The most common customer complaint is that all the buses go downtown. At a recent listening session, a customer lamented the only way to get from one section of Orange Avenue to another was to first go to C. K. Steele Plaza at the corner of Tennessee and Adams Streets. In order to mimic contemporary travel patters (i.e. to go to jobs on the periphery) passengers often must make the V-shaped trip of going downtown first and then back out again to the customers final destination.
• Reduce Redundancy: The current hub and spoke system requires all buses to meet at the same time at the central hub. Since C.K. Steele Plaza is located along a major arterial (W. Tennessee Street, near the intersection with Monroe Street), every bus must travel along this corridor at the same time in order for passengers to make their transfers. This results in two or more buses arriving and leaving from the plaza in tandem to travel along the same corridor for a significant distance, passing the same stops. With the concept Nova 2010 plan, the importance of C.K. Steele Plaza is downplayed as buses operate independent of each other. This allows for one bus to cover an entire corridor, instead of five buses covering the same corridor, as is the case of W. Tennessee Street.
• Increase On-Time Performance: Another complaint staff receives is buses run behind schedule. This is primarily due to two reasons – buses traveling at lower speeds in neighborhoods, and routes being dependent on each other for transfers (i.e. if one arrives late, the other buses are held for transferring patrons). Under Nova 2010, buses will remain on the major roads allowing for higher travel speeds as applicable. In addition, the routes operate independent of each other. This means if one arrives late, it does not affect the operation of the other routes. Nova 2010 would better accommodate patrons with higher service frequency leading to shorter wait times (10 to 30 minutes during peak hours verses up to an hour with the current system).
• Increased Ridership/Decreased Carbon Footprint: StarMetro expects Nova 2010 to make transit significantly more attractive to a much broader part of the community, and each single-occupancy-vehicle driver that shifts to transit represents reduced carbon emissions, cleaner air, reduced congestion, less road maintenance, etc.
• Reduced travel time for patrons using transit: Instead of going in and out of neighborhoods, the Nova 2010 plan would have more direct service to major employment and shopping/recreation centers.
• Increased frequency: Buses will arrive more often giving our customers more options for using transit service with greater convenience.
• Increased Opportunities for Regional Travel: With few exceptions (80X, Route 17, and Route 21), there are no opportunities for regional travel in the current system. By decentralizing the system, independent cross-town routes along major corridors create opportunities for regional expansion.
• While there are many distinct advantages in addition to the aforementioned ones of the Nova 2010 concept plan, there are a few perceived disadvantages, which have proven to be advantages across the country:
  
• Routes would no longer circulate within neighborhoods. This will, however, allow StarMetro to serve a larger population by providing higher frequency and better service to the most popular destinations.
• Related to the above, walking distances to StarStops are anticipated to increase. On the other hand, this will lead to fewer stops, increased mobility, a more pleasurable riding experience and a healthier community.

StarMetro staff created a concept plan and retained the services of Renaissance Planning Group (RPG) to vet our own internal concept. Staff and RPG would like to present this plan to the public over the summer in order to get feedback, ideas, look at possible issues and determine the viability of concept from current and potential customers. In addition, StarMetro and RPG will complete an origin and destination study, ridership projections, funding opportunities, route alternatives and system analysis along with the public involvement and education addressed above. The final report should be completed by January 2010.

OPTIONS

1. Authorize staff to work with the General Planning Consultant to continue to develop and analyze the Nova 2010 Plan through public surveys, listening sessions, and analysis.

Pros: Begins the decentralization process with the anticipated implementation as early as Fall 2010.

Allows staff to gain public feedback on the proposed plan.

Cons: While it is anticipated much of the public will favor this concept, some of the current riders may not initially see the advantages to the community at large.

2. Do not approve and provide guidance to staff.

Pros: No staff/consultant time involved in analyzing the new route structure.

Cons: Postpones the decentralization of StarMetro to an indeterminate date, thereby postponing the advantages to the community.

Makes it difficult for StarMetro to transition into a regional agency.

ATTACHMENTS/REFERENCES

Nova 2010 Concept White Paper and Route Structure