2011 Circulator 10 Year Transit Development Plan
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DC Circulator Transit Development Plan Final Report April 2011 j Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................... 2 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................................... 5 Planning Process ....................................................................................................................................... 5 DC Circulator Strategic Goals and Objectives ........................................................................................... 6 Recommended Plan .................................................................................................................................. 6 Governance ............................................................................................................................................. 11 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose ....................................................................................................................................... 12 1.2 Planned Transit Service ............................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 2: PLANNING PROCESS 2.1 Public Involvement...................................................................................................................... 20 2.2 Strategic Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................... 20 2.3 Operations Analysis .................................................................................................................... 20 2.4 Needs Assessment ...................................................................................................................... 21 2.5 Prioritize Future Growth ............................................................................................................. 21 CHAPTER 3: STRATEGIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 3.1 Founding Goals ........................................................................................................................... 23 3.2 Proposed Goals, Objectives, & Performance Measures ............................................................. 24 DC Circulator Transit Development Plan April 2011 2 CHAPTER 4: PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT 4.1 Rider Survey ................................................................................................................................ 29 4.2 Online Survey .............................................................................................................................. 32 4.3 Focus Groups ............................................................................................................................... 33 4.4 Community Advisory Panel ......................................................................................................... 34 4.5 Open Houses ............................................................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER 5: OPERATIONS ANALYSIS 5.1 Fare Structure ............................................................................................................................. 40 5.2 Operations Analysis .................................................................................................................... 41 5.3 Key Findings ................................................................................................................................ 51 5.4 Opportunities for Improving the Existing System ....................................................................... 51 CHAPTER 6: GROWTH CORRIDORS AND PHASING 6.1 Activity Centers ........................................................................................................................... 55 6.2 Growth Corridors ........................................................................................................................ 57 6.3 Recommended Corridors ............................................................................................................ 59 6.4 Phasing of Corridors .................................................................................................................... 72 6.5 Route Development .................................................................................................................... 77 CHAPTER 7: IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 7.1 Phase I Service Changes .............................................................................................................. 78 7.2 Phase I Corridor Detail ................................................................................................................ 81 CHAPTER 8: RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 8.1 Fleet and Facilities management ................................................................................................ 86 8.2 Bus Priority Treatments .............................................................................................................. 90 8.3 Financial plan .............................................................................................................................. 92 8.4 Marketing .................................................................................................................................... 96 DC Circulator Transit Development Plan April 2011 3 CHAPTER 9: GOVERNANCE 9.1 Decision-Making Procedures and Responsibilities ..................................................................... 99 9.2 Standards for Decision-Making ................................................................................................. 100 9.3 Public Participation Process ...................................................................................................... 101 9.4 Circulator Plan Updates ............................................................................................................ 101 Appendices to this report are provided under separate cover. DC Circulator Transit Development Plan April 2011 4 Draft Final Report – Executive Summary Executive Summary PURPOSE The purpose of the DC Circulator Transit Development Plan is to guide the future growth of the DC Circulator bus system. Since beginning service in 2005, the Circulator has grown from an initial two routes to a more extensive network of six routes. It provided more than 4.8 million trips in 2010 and is the fourth largest bus system in the region in terms of ridership. This success has led to increased demand for additional Circulator service, and this plan is meant to provide a basis for directing that growth. PLANNING PROCESS DDOT followed a dynamic planning process that integrated extensive public input, detailed operations analysis, and a comprehensive needs assessment. These inputs ultimately allowed DDOT to evaluate and prioritize alternatives for system expansion. The identification and analysis of major activity centers and growth corridors were a central aspect to this planning process. Figure ES-1: Planning Process for the Circulator Transit Development Plan Public Input Operations Analysis Define Strategic Goals Needs Assessment Prioritize Future Growth DC Circulator Transit Development Plan April 2011 5 Draft Final Report – Executive Summary DC CIRCULATOR STRATEGIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The strategic goals and objectives of the Circulator system have evolved after several years of actual operations and expansion of service. The goals, redefined with input from the public and key stakeholders, provide a framework for the future growth of the system. Performance measures were identified to reflect each goal and are used to analyze current operations and plan for the future. GOAL 1: Provide a high-quality transit network GOAL 2: Maximize financial and operational return on investment. GOAL 3: Promote economic activity in existing and developing activity centers and support a transit- oriented lifestyle. GOAL 4: Improve mobility within and access to and from the monumental core. RECOMMENDED PLAN The strategic goals and objectives guided the identification of potential new service, as well as an in- depth evaluation of current operations, ultimately leading to proposed service changes and recommended corridors for future growth. Service Changes • Increase the cash fare to $2.00. This would be the first Circulator fare increase since the system’s inception and could generate over $1 million in revenue for Circulator operations. • Consolidate bus stops to achieve limited-stop service on all routes. • Establish a system-wide core span of service, resulting in new weekend and evening service on Union Station – Navy Yard. • Move bus stop locations from the Union Station parking deck to Columbus Circle. • Discontinue the Smithsonian–National Gallery of Art route and pursue enhanced National Mall service with the National Park Service. • Suspend the Convention Center – Southwest Waterfront route until activity centers along the route are more fully developed and more robust service is offered on the National Mall. • Reduce late-night service on the Woodley Park – Adams Morgan – McPherson Square Metro route to from 3:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. • Invest in mid-life rehabilitation of the current fleet and include bus stop annunciators and dot matrix signs. DC Circulator Transit Development Plan April 2011 6 Draft Final Report – Executive Summary Recommended Corridors The recommended corridors were