Final Report
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Final Report Transit Development Plan for Augusta Public Transit Augusta-Richmond County Planning Commission Prepared By: 1301 Gervais Street, Suite 1600 Columbia, SC 29201 803-251-2189 December 2009 Table of Contents Section Title Page ES EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ES-1 Introduction ES-1 Understanding the System ES-1 Considering the Alternatives ES-2 Service Restructuring and Headway Improvements ES-3 Year One Service Recommendations ES-4 Financial Planning and Alternatives ES-5 Other Policy Issues ES-6 Conclusion ES-7 1 PROJECT COORDINATION AND OUTREACH 1-1 Project Initiation 1-1 Overview 1-1 Background on Augusta Public Transit 1-1 Public Involvement Activities 1-2 1. Stakeholder Committee Meeting #1 1-2 1.1 Objectives of Meeting 1-2 1.2 Meeting Format 1-2 1.3 Comments Received 1-3 2. Stakeholder Committee Meeting #2 1-3 2.1 Objectives of Meeting 1-3 2.2 Meeting Format 1-4 2.3 Comments Received 1-4 3. Stakeholder Committee Meeting #3 1-4 3.1 Objectives of Meeting 1-4 3.2 Meeting Format 1-4 3.3 Comments Received 1-4 4. Public Meeting #1 1-5 4.1 Objectives of Meeting 1-5 4.2 Public Notices and Informational Materials 1-5 4.3 Public Meeting Format 1-5 4.4 Presentation 1-5 5. Public Meeting #2 1-6 5.1 Objectives of Meeting 1-6 5.2 Public Notices and Informational Materials 1-6 5.3 Public Meeting Format 1-6 5.4 Presentation 1-6 6. Commission Briefings 1-7 6.1 Objectives of Meeting 1-7 i Table of Contents Section Title Page 1 PROJECT COORDINATION AND OUTREACH (continued) 1-1 7. Connect Live Television Show 1-7 7.1 Objectives of Meeting 1-7 8. Community Survey 1-8 8.1 Objective of Survey 1-8 8.2 Distribution Methodology 1-8 8.3 Findings 1-10 8.3.1 Important Destinations and Trip Purposes 1-12 8.3.2 Evaluation of APT Service 1-13 8.3.3 Socioeconomic Profile of Respondents 1-16 2 DATA COLLECTION 2-1 Service Area Demographics 2-1 Average Household Size by Census Tract 2-1 Percent of Population Below Poverty 2-3 Percent of Population under 18 Years of Age 2-5 Percent of Population over 65 Years of Age 2-5 Percent of Households with Zero Vehicles 2-8 Conclusions and Observations 2-8 Onboard Survey 2-10 Ridecheck Survey 2-12 Transfer Analysis 2-12 Onboard Survey – Paratransit Service 2-14 Peer Analysis with Similar Transit Systems and Environments 2-16 Service Levels and System Performance 2-17 Funding Opportunities and Efforts 2-23 Overview of Peer System Operations and Services 2-24 1. Metra Transit System, Columbus, GA 2-24 2. Macon-Bibb County Transit Authority 2-26 3. Chatham Area Transit Authority, Savannah, GA 2-27 4. Grenville Transit Authority (Greenlink), Greenville, SC 2-28 Conclusions 2-30 ii Table of Contents Section Title Page 3 EXISTING SERVICE ANALYSIS 3-1 Existing APT Services 3-1 General System Characteristics 3-1 Route 1-Walton Way 3-3 Route 3-East Augusta 3-4 Route 4-Turpin Hill/Southgate 3-6 Route 5-Washington Road 3-8 Route 6-K-Mart 3-9 Route 10-Sand Hill 3-10 Route 12-Augusta Mall 3-12 Route 13-Barton Chapel 3-14 Route 15-Medical Complex 3-15 Route 16-Lumpkin Road 3-16 Proposed APT Service Revisions 3-18 First-Year Proposed Revisions to Existing APT Services 3-18 Route 1-Walton Way 3-18 Route 3-East Augusta 3-20 Route 4-Turpin Hill/Southgate 3-20 Route 5-Washington Road 3-20 Route 6-K-Mart 3-24 Route 10-Sand Hill 3-24 Route 12-Augusta Mall 3-24 Route 13-Barton Chapel 3-27 Route 15-Medical Complex 3-27 Route 16-Lumpkin Road 3-27 Proposed New APT Services Targeted for Later-Year TDP Implementation 3-30 Service Revision – Route 5 – Washington Road extension to Mullins Crossing 3-30 New Service – South Augusta Shuttle 3-30 New Service – West Augusta/Bobby Jones Expressway Crosstown 3-30 New Service – Fort Gordon 3-33 4 PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS 4-1 Overview 4-1 Capital Planning 4-1 TDP Service Adjustment Implementation Phases 4-2 Year One – Weekday and Saturday 4-2 iii Table of Contents Section Title Page 4 PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS (continued) Service Implementation Phasing-TDP Years 2-5 (2011-2014) 4-8 Year 2 – 2011 4-8 Year 3 – 2012 4-8 Year 4 – 2013 4-8 Year 5 – 2014 4-9 Capital and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Needs 4-14 APT Facilities 4-14 Fleet Management Strategies 4-15 Policies and Objectives 4-18 Performance Standards 4-20 Overview 4-20 Potential Measures for APT 4-21 APPENDICES APPENDIX A: Public Meeting Notices APPENDIX B: Community Survey APPENDIX C: Community Survey, Q#3 and Q#14 APPENDIX D: Onboard Survey APPENDIX E: Route Profiles iv List of Figures Figure Title Page 1-1 Community Survey Participation 1-10 1-2 Do you ride or have you ever ridden APT buses? 1-11 1-3 Why have you not used APT? 1-11 1-4 What is the primary purpose of your trip? 1-12 1-5 APT bus route used for work and/or school 1-13 1-6 Rating of APT Service 1-14 1-7 Likelihood of APT Changes Affecting Ridership 1-15 1-8 APT Regular Rider Responses 1-15 1-9 Non-regular APT Rider Responses 1-16 1-10 Gender 1-17 1-11 Ethnicity 1-17 1-12 Income Levels 1-18 2-1 Average Household Size by Census Tract 2-2 2-2 Percent of Population Below Poverty 2-4 2-3 Percent Population Under Age 18 by Census Tract 2-6 2-4 Percent of Elderly Persons Over Age 65 by Census Tract 2-7 2-5 Percent of Households with Zero Vehicles by Census Tract 2-9 2-6 APT Transfer Matrix – Weekday/Saturday 2-13 2-7 APT Peer Review Statistics 2-19 2-8 Peer Review Ridership and Productivity 2-20 2-9 Peer Per Capita Service Measures 2-21 2-10 Peer Expenditures 2-22 3-1 APT Existing Transit Service 3-2 3-2 Route 1-Walton Way 3-3 3-3 Route 3-East Augusta 3-5 3-4 Route 4-Turpin Hill/Southgate 3-6 3-5 Route 5-Washington Road 3-8 3-6 Route 6-K-Mart 3-10 3-7 Route 10-Sand Hill 3-11 3-8 Route 12-Augusta Mall 3-13 3-9 Route 13-Barton Chapel 3-14 3-10 Route 15-Medical Complex 3-16 3-11 Route 16-Lumpkin Road 3-17 3-12 Proposed Route 1 Modifications 3-19 3-13 Route 3 Proposed Revisions 3-21 3-14 Route 5 Proposed Modifications to Augusta Exchange And Social Security 3-22 v List of Figures Figure Title Page 3-15 Route 5 Proposed Modifications to Mullins Crossing 3-23 3-16 Proposed Modifications for Route 6 3-25 3-17 Route 12 Proposed Modifications 3-26 3-18 Route 13 Proposed Modifications 3-28 3-19 Route 16 Proposed Modifications 3-29 3-20 Proposed South Augusta Shuttle/Express Downtown 3-31 3-21 Proposed Crosstown Route 3-32 3-22 Proposed Fort Gordon Service 3-34 4-1 Recommended APT Service Adjustments for For TDP First Year 4-3 4-2 Existing Characteristics – Weekday 4-4 4-3 Existing Characteristics – Saturday 4-5 4-4 Year 1 Characteristics – Weekday 4-6 4-5 Year 1 Characteristics – Saturday 4-7 4-6 Year 3 Characteristics – Weekday 4-10 4-7 Year 3 Characteristics – Saturday 4-11 4-8 Year 4 Characteristics – Weekday 4-12 4-9 Year 4 Characteristics – Saturday 4-12 4-10 Year 5 Characteristics – Weekday 4-13 4-11 Year 5 Characteristics – Saturday 4-13 4-12 Existing Fleet 4-15 4-13 Fleet Management Plan 4-16 vi Final Report Augusta Public Transit Transit Development Plan Executive Summary Final Report Augusta Public Transit Executive Summary Transit Development Plan Executive Summary Introduction Our direction from the outset of the study has been to provide a five-year road map for the future of Augusta Public Transit. APT, similar to many other transit agencies today, is at a tipping point where either the system, faced with increasing costs and lack of sustained community support, will literally wither away, or, based on renewed interest and expanded vision, will grow to meet new demands and create new services. In the course of researching the Transit Development Plan, the consultant team met with a number of long-time residents of Augusta that remembered the days when bus service flourished with frequent service intervals to numerous portions of the community. Today, that service has been carefully reduced to address eras of constrained resources with former routes strategically decreased to serve the neediest riders for the most critical trip demands. As a result, the system has a number of “out of direction” and “one way loop” segments that contain circuitous routing that connects with public housing, schools and medical facilities, etc. This routing, coupled with increasing time between buses, is not surprisingly, only attracting the transit disadvantaged – defined as those with reduced incomes, youth, seniors and people with disabilities. Many riders spend hours each day, riding, transferring and waiting for APT service. At the same time, Augusta – Richmond County is expanding, with new housing opportunities and growth to the south, with a renewed focus towards reinvigoration of downtown as well as the potential for other types of economic growth.