MOVE New Haven Study Overview

Home , CTtransit, Downtown New Haven, New Canaan Branch, Quinnipiac Meadows

Transit Mobility Study

0 | Introduction Transit Mobility Study

Chapter 1 Introduction ...... 1 1.1 MOVE New Haven Study Overview ...... 1 1.2 Report Structure ...... 2

Chapter 2 Purpose and Need Statement ...... 4 2.1 Purpose and Need of Study ...... 4 2.2 Goals and Objectives ...... 5

Chapter 3 System Description ...... 7 3.1 System Overview ...... 7 3.2 CTtransit New Haven Routes ...... 8 3.3 Route Profiles ...... 11 3.4 Ridership ...... 16 3.5 Bus Stops...... 25 3.6 CTtransit Fares and Revenue ...... 28

Chapter 4 Bus Supportive Infrastructure and Fleet...... 30 4.1 Signal Timing and Real Time Technology ...... 30 4.2 Roadway Operations ...... 33 4.3 Infrastructure ...... 34 4.4 Fleet ...... 36 4.5 Commuter Park and Ride Lots ...... 36 4.6 Multi-Modal Connectivity ...... 37 4.7 Private Shuttle Services ...... 43

Chapter 5 Bus Performance Evaluation ...... 48 5.1 Data Used for the Bus Performance Evaluation ...... 50 5.2 Route Design ...... 50 5.3 Schedule Design ...... 52

Contents Transit Mobility Study

5.4 Route Productivity ...... 57 5.5 Service Delivery ...... 68 5.6 Summary of Bus Performance Evaluation ...... 71 5.7 Low Ridership Bus Stop Segments ...... 74

Chapter 6 Complementary Planning Efforts ...... 76

Chapter 7 Market Analysis ...... 79 7.1 Employment ...... 80 7.2 Population ...... 84 7.3 Income ...... 87 7.4 Transit Commuters and Zero Car Ownership ...... 90 7.5 Senior Population ...... 94 7.6 Transit Propensity ...... 97 7.7 Proposed New Development ...... 101

Chapter 8 Study Outreach ...... 103 8.1 Public and Stakeholder Engagement ...... 103 8.2 Survey Outreach ...... 115 8.3 Peer Agency Review ...... 117

Chapter 9 Summary of Phase 1 Analysis ...... 121 9.1 Summary of System Infrastructure ...... 122 9.2 Summary of System Performance ...... 123

APPENDIX A: Route Profiles APPENDIX B: Peer Review APPENDIX C: Rail to Bus Connectivity

Contents Transit Mobility Study

Tables

Table 1: Variations by Route (Inbound and Outbound) ...... 11 Table 2: CTtransit New Haven Route Span of Service (Inbound and Outbound) ... 12 Table 3: CTtransit New Haven Headways Outbound AM and PM Peak ...... 14 Table 4: CTtransit New Haven Maximum Headways per Route ...... 15 Chart 5: Annual CTtransit New Haven Ridership 5-Year Trend...... 16 Table 6: CTtransit New Haven Average Ridership by Route (2015) ...... 17 Table 7: CTtransit New Haven Average Weekday Ridership Trend by Route Comparison ...... 19 Table 8: Top 10 Average Weekday CTtransit New Haven Boarding and Alighting Bus Stops (2015)...... 21 Table 9: Top 10 Average Weekday CTtransit New Haven Boarding and Alighting Bus Stops (Excluding New Haven (2015)) ...... 23 Table 10: Average Weekday CTtransit Boardings by Municipality (2015) ...... 24 Table 11: CTtransit New Haven Bus Stops and Average Weekday Ridership by Municipality ...... 25 Table 12: CTtransit New Haven Bus Stops per New Haven Neighborhood ...... 26 Table 13: Route 950 Express Zone Fare ...... 29 Table 14: Park and Rides in the Greater New Haven Region ...... 36 Table 15: Train Stations and CTtransit New Haven Connectivity in Greater New Haven ...... 38 Table 16: Yale University Routes and Span of Service ...... 45 Table 17: Bus Performance Service Criteria ...... 49 Table 18: Bus Stop Spacing – Evaluation Criterion ...... 50 Table 19: Bus Stop Spacing – Evaluation Results ...... 51 Table 20: Load Factors – Evaluation Criterion ...... 53 Table 21: Weekday Load Factor Evaluation Results ...... 54 Table 22: Span of Service Evaluation Criterion ...... 55 Table 23: Span of Service Load Factors ...... 56 Table 24: Passenger Trips per Revenue Mile Evaluation Criterion ...... 57 Table 25: Passenger Trips per Revenue Mile Results ...... 58 Table 26: Passenger Trips per Revenue Hour – Evaluation Criterion ...... 59 Table 27: Passenger Trips per Revenue Hour – Evaluation Results ...... 60 Table 28: Estimated Operation Cost of Each CTtransit New Haven Route ...... 63 Table 29: Fare Box Recovery Evaluation Criterion ...... 64 Table 30: Estimated Fare Box Recovery Results ...... 65 Table 31: Ratio of Revenue Miles to Non-Revenue Miles Evaluation Criterion ..... 67 Table 32: Ratio of Revenue Miles to Non-Revenue Miles Results ...... 67 Table 33: Average Distance between Failures Evaluation Criterion ...... 68 Table 34: FTA Minimum Service-life categories from Buses and Vans ...... 70 Table 35: Fleet Average Age Evaluation Criterion ...... 70 Table 36: Summary of Bus Performance Evaluation ...... 71 Table 37: Projected Employment Levels by Workforce Investment Area ...... 80

Tables and Figures Transit Mobility Study

Table 38: Largest Employers in the South-Central Region ...... 83 Table 39: Population Trends and Projected Growth in Connecticut ...... 84 Table 40: Percentage of Transit Commuters & Households with No Vehicle ...... 91 Table 41: Percentage of Senior Population ...... 94 Table 42: Transit Propensity – Evaluation Criterion ...... 97 Table 43: Transit Score Category Ranges for Greater New Haven ...... 98 Table 44: Perceived Strengths, Weaknesses, and Opportunities of the CTtransit New Haven Transit System from the January 5th, 2017 Stakeholder Meeting ..... 105 Table 45: Peer Transit Agency Demographics Comparison to New Haven ...... 118 Table 46: CTtransit New Haven System Evaluation ...... 125

Figures Figure 1: CTtransit New Haven Service Coverage ...... 9 Figure 2: CTtransit New Haven Core Service Area ...... 10 Figure 3: Downtown New Haven Bus Stop Map ...... 22 Figure 4: CTtransit New Haven Bus Stops per New Haven Neighborhood ...... 27 Figure 5: Location of New Signal Upgrades for TSP ...... 31 Figure 6: New Haven Transportation Improvements ...... 35 Figure 7: Cycling Map designed by Brian Tang for Elm City Cycling...... 40 Figure 8: Proportion of Weekday Downtown Shuttle Ridership by Service ...... 44 Figure 9: Overlay Service Between Yale University Shuttle and CTtransit New Haven ...... 46 Figure 10: Yale University’s Transit Visualization System via Cell Phone ...... 47 Figure 11: CTtransit New Haven's Lowest Ridership Bus Stops ...... 75 Figure 12: Employment Density in Greater New Haven ...... 82 Figure 13: Population Density and Location of Shopping in Greater New Haven .. 86 Figure 14: Median Household Income in Greater New Haven ...... 87 Figure 15: Average Household Income in the City of New Haven ...... 88 Figure 16: Median Household Income ...... 89 Figure 17: Households with No Vehicle ...... 92 Figure 18: Transit Commuters ...... 93 Figure 19: Seniors (65 Years and Over) ...... 96 Figure 20: Greater New Haven Transit Propensity by Census Block Group and Existing CTtransit New Haven Routes ...... 99 Figure 21: Core Service Area Transit Propensity by Census Block Group and Existing Route Network ...... 100 Figure 22: New and Proposed Development in the City of New Haven and Surrounding Municipalities ...... 102

Tables and Figures Transit Mobility Study

1 Introduction

1.1 MOVE New Haven Study Overview Through a partnership between the City of New Haven, the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), the Greater New Haven Transit District (GNHTD), the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), this two phase Move New Haven Transit Mobility Study is being conducted to evaluate and recommend improvements to CTtransit New Haven’s system. Study goals include enhancing access to jobs and educational institutions, increasing CTtransit New Haven customer service, and upgrading quality of service and operating efficiency. Attention to productivity and effectiveness of the CTtransit New Haven system is a key goal for this Study in achieving a plan that is fundable. For example, this Study seeks to improve effectiveness of the bus system by better serving key destinations and locations of employment at the least possible cost or subsidy. It is the intent of this Move New Haven Transit Mobility Study to evaluate the current CTtransit New Haven system (Phase 1) and develop recommendations (Phase 2) based on this evaluation to improve the Greater New Haven transit system for both transit- dependent and choice riders with minimal operating increases.

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1.2 Report Structure This technical report concludes the Move New Haven Transit Mobility Study’s first phase with documentation of the system’s existing conditions, results of a route performance evaluation, a review of previous studies, market analysis, and outreach, as outlined below: . Purpose and Need statement that clearly defines the goals and objectives of this Study to be applied in Phase 2 of the Study. . System description of the existing CTtransit New Haven service including service coverage, ridership, bus stops, and CTtransit fare and revenue information. . Bus supportive infrastructure and fleet describes the bus supportive transportation infrastructure, commuter park and ride lots, multi- modal connectivity, and shuttle network. . Bus performance evaluation of the CTtransit New Haven system at a route level which applies the bus service guidelines developed for the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study to the routes in the CTtransit New Haven system. The evaluation identifies areas of strength and areas of concern and informs the development of route-specific recommendations for capital investment and future system planning. . Complementary planning efforts were reviewed, including previous bus service planning studies within the Greater New Haven region that have been developed leading up to this Study. The Regional Transit Development Strategies (2005), Implementation of the Regional Transit Study (2008), Connecticut Statewide Bus Study (2017), and Route 1 Bus Rapid Transit Feasibility Study (2017) provide valuable information for Phase 2 of this Study. . Market analysis provides an understanding of the underlying demand for transit and why support for transit is important to Greater New Haven’s communities. . Study Outreach informed the public about the importance of transit within Greater New Haven and gained user and non-user feedback on the CTtransit New Haven system. Feedback from public and stakeholder engagement, survey outreach, and peer agency interviews that supports findings from the data collection portion of this Phase 1 report are provided. . Summary of Phase 1 analysis which will guide the development of system improvements in Phase 2 of this Study.

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This report provides the information needed to support the development of recommendations for improved CTtransit New Haven service in Phase 2 of the Move New Haven Transit Mobility Study.

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2 Purpose and Need Statement

Given the analyses and conclusions of Phase 1 of the Move New Haven Transit Mobility Study, the following purpose, need, goals and objectives will guide the development of system improvements in Phase 2. 2.1 Purpose and Need of Study The purpose of this Study is to provide Greater New Haven with the building blocks that will help implement transit improvements in a phased and thoughtful manner, considering the timing of potential funding sources and alternative constructability. The focus of Phase 2 of the study will be to develop recommendations for CTtransit New Haven system. These recommendations will address the need to expand the effectiveness of the system’s major routes while also recommending adjustments for poor performing routes. The result will position the system to be better-balanced from a service and fiscal perspective, to deliver improved customer experiences, to become better coordinated with other modes, and to advance the system to be more consistent with other modern bus systems where possible. These transit improvement recommendations will consider the travel needs of the Greater New Haven community for both the short and long term.

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2.2 Goals and Objectives The primary goals guiding the development of system improvements include: 1. Improve connections to jobs and schools; 2. Upgrade quality of service, operating efficiency and productivity; 3. Increase CTtransit New Haven customer service; 4. Provide an integrated multi-modal network; and 5. Develop a fundable project with public support.

Each of the goals have specific objectives as noted below: 1. Improve connections to jobs and schools: > Ensure transit-dependent residents can reach employment and educational institutions beyond the downtown New Haven core; > Improve transit access during non-peak/traditional work/school days and hours; and > Encourage choice travelers to use the public transit system for travel to work and school. 2. Upgrade quality of service, operating efficiency and productivity: > Reduce service gaps; > Improve service headways; > Reduce bus customer travel times; > Improve bus reliability and on-time performance; and > Improve transit service to high ridership origins and destinations. 3. Increase CTtransit New Haven Customer Service: > Provide user-friendly transit system maps, route renumbering; reliable headways, and real-time information; > Clarify route structure by reducing route variations and duplications to enable improved system usability; > Reduce service redundancy with other transit operators; and > Improve branding and customer service relationship.

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4. Provide an integrated multi-modal network: > Better serve bus connections to commuter and Amtrak rail service; > Improve bus stop comfort and accessibility to bus stops by foot; > Provide multi-modal amenities such as bicycle facilities and bike- share stations at bus stops. 5. Develop a fundable project with public support: > Minimize operating increases; > Reduce expenditures that don’t result in system performance improvement except where necessary; > Ensure transit improvements can be implemented in phases; and > Provide a recommended transit plan that can secure funding within a highly competitive context.

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3 System Description

3.1 System Overview CTtransit New Haven provides bus service to the Greater New Haven Region serving about 10 million annual passenger trips with 15 fixed- route, one intercity express, and two shuttle services. No limited-stop or priority service is provided in the system. The fixed-routes radiate from the system’s hub at the downtown New Haven Green throughout New Haven and to 19 additional municipalities. In addition to New Haven, the municipalities of Hamden, West Haven, East Haven, and North Haven represent the core service area of the regional system. The fixed routes operate with multiple variations that include different stopping patterns, extended coverage, differing headways, and differing spans of service. Overall, 14 of the 15 fixed-routes in the system operate with over 90 variations. The bus system provides connections to 10 train stations including provision of a free shuttle service between New Haven’s downtown and Union Station. A commuter shuttle service within New Haven’s downtown is also operated that provides service to Union Station in the PM peak. The bus system provides for connections to Amtrak, Metro-North New Haven Main Line and Waterbury Branch and Shore Line East services as well as regional park and rides. Aside from the dedicated shuttles however, this intermodal connectivity is coincidental with the bus system’s purpose as a regional transit system.

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3.2 CTtransit New Haven Routes CTtransit New Haven is a division of CTtransit that is owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), operated by HNS Management, and managed by First Transit. The service area covers an estimated 500 square miles in size with a 2014 population of about 531,314. The division serves the City of New Haven and 19 surrounding municipalities including:

> Ansonia > North Branford > Branford > North Haven > Cheshire > Orange > Derby > Seymour > East Haven > Shelton > Guilford > Wallingford > Hamden > Waterbury > Madison > West Haven > Meriden > Woodbridge > Milford For the purposes of this Study, a core service area has been delineated from the overall service area. In addition to New Haven, municipalities listed in bold (above) are the core municipalities that border New Haven. As detailed later in this chapter, the overwhelming majority of existing ridership, bus stops and service hours are in the core service area.

Figure 1 provides an overview of CTtransit New Haven’s overall system coverage, followed by a more detailed map of the core service area in Figure 2. Routes are designated by letters and route deviations are designated by numbers. CTtransit New Haven’s fixed and express routes connect with bus service provided by other CTtransit divisions, including Meriden Transit District, Greater Waterbury Transit District, Wallingford Transit District, Valley Transit District, and Milford Transit District, as well as rail service connections with Amtrak, New Haven Line, and Shore Line East. In addition to CTtransit New Haven, the Greater New Haven Transit District (GNHTD) provides paratransit service within a ¾ mile perimeter of CTtransit fixed route service.

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Figure 1: CTtransit New Haven Service Coverage

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Figure 2: CTtransit New Haven Core Service Area

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3.3 Route Profiles To improve familiarity with all CTtransit New Haven’s fixed-routes, a Route Profile for each route is provided as Appendix A to this report. The Route Profiles include routing pattern, average total travel time from end- to-end, total length of each route pattern, the number of weekday trips, headways, and span of service for each route variation. They also provide the number of route variations or patterns per route. For example, the D- Route has 15 route variations that bus customers need to understand to make sure they get on the correct bus to reach their destination at the desired time-point. All the fixed routes in the CTtransit New Haven system have multiple route variations except the L-North Branford Route. Table 1 provides an overview of the more than 90 route variations in the CTtransit New Haven system. These route variations are based on a review of 2016 CTtransit New Haven schedules. The B-Route, D-Route, and J-Route have the highest number of route variations or modifications.

Table 1: Variations by Route (Inbound and Outbound)

# of Route Route Name Route Variations Variations B, BO, B1, B1Z, B2, B3, B3Z, B4, B5, B6, B7, BJ, B Congress Ave/Whalley Ave 14 BJO, BZ C North Haven C1, C1X, C2, C2X, C3, C3X, C4, C4X, CX 9 D, D1, D3A, D4A, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, D10, D Grand Ave/Dixwell Ave 15 D12, D13, D14, DL F West Chapel St F, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, FQZ 7

G East Chapel St/Shelton Ave G, G1, G2, G3, G4, GF 6 J Whitney Av/Kimberly Ave J, J1, J2, J3, J4, J4x, J5, J6, J7, J7X, J8, JM, JX, JZ 14 L North Branford L 1 M Washington Ave/State St M, M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M7 7 O Winchester Ave/Route 1 O, O2, O4, O5, O7, OM, 55X 7 Q State St/Edgewood Ave Q, Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 5

S Madison (Express Route 1) S, S1 2

Z Goffe St/Sargent Drive Z, Z1, Z2, Z3, ZM 5

Route variations could include physical diversions from the main route and/or differing service patterns, headways and spans. Route variations

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have traditionally provided CTtransit New Haven the opportunity to respond to transit service requests to new locations within a limited budget along existing routes. At the same time, it can cause confusion among bus customers while compromising a consistent headway and span of service for the dominant full-time route pattern. Route variations take operators, fleet and financial resources from the dominant route pattern to provide those resources for the additional, lower-ridership route variations. Span of Service Most of the CTtransit New Haven routes operate seven days a week (Table 2) except for four local routes and the intercity express 950 bus. There is also no shuttle service on the weekends because the shuttles are exclusively commuter connectors.

Table 2: CTtransit New Haven Route Span of Service (Inbound and Outbound)

Week Day Saturday Span Span of Service of Service Sunday Span Service all Route all Route of Service all Route Route Name Type Variations Variations Route Variations B Congress Ave Local 4:59AM-12:42AM 5:45AM-12:44AM 6:30AM-11:43PM

B Whalley Ave Local 4:25AM-1:37AM 5:20AM-1:12AM 5:58AM-12:34AM

C North Haven Local 4:15AM-11:40PM 5:20AM-11:40PM no service SLC Commuter Connection Shuttle 5:53AM-10:27PM no service no service Downtown D Dixwell Ave Local 4:59AM-12:40AM 5:25AM-1:40AM 5:56AM-12:33AM

D Grand Ave Local 5:04AM-1:45AM 5:20AM-1:49AM 6:00AM-12:45AM

F West Chapel Local 5:49AM-10:10PM 6:10AM-10:40PM no service

F East Haven Local 5:11AM-10:38PM 6:05AM-7:48PM no service G Shelton Ave / East Local 5:23AM-10:30PM 6:06AM-7:28PM 7:30AM-6:37PM Chapel J Kimberly Ave Local 4:57AM-12:40AM 6:05AM-12:40AM 6:20AM-12:34AM

J Whitney Ave Local 5:15AM-1:40AM 5:30AM-12:50AM 7:20AM-12:40AM

L North Branford Local 6:15AM-6:07PM no service no service M Washington Ave / State Local 4:54AM-10:40PM 5:24AM-7:06PM 7:04AM-5:48PM St O Route 1 (includes 55x) Express 5:15AM-11:43PM 6:15AM-11:40PM 6:30AM-10:43PM

O Winchester Ave Local 5:03AM-9:28PM 5:50AM-6:31PM 6:12AM-6:25PM

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Week Day Saturday Span Span of Service of Service Sunday Span Service all Route all Route of Service all Route Route Name Type Variations Variations Route Variations Q State St / Edgewood Ave Local 5:21AM-1:49AM 5:53AM-1:14AM 7:07AM-12:14AM

S Madison Local 5:50AM-7:50PM 7:00AM-6:03PM no service US Union Station Shuttle Shuttle 6:05AM-10:15PM no service no service (FREE) Z Goffe St / Sargent Dr Local 5:45AM-10:12PM 6:00AM-7:10PM No service

While some routes may have no Sunday or weekend service, transit access may still be available because route variations on other routes cover part of the same market. For example, though the C-North Haven Route is not in service on Sundays, its route within North Haven is duplicated by the D-Grand Ave route variation extension on Sunday. There are seven variations of the D-Grand Ave route that run from downtown New Haven to BJ’s Plaza along Universal Drive in North Haven every day of the week and two additional variations (D16, and D17) that are added to the schedule on Sunday to provide extended service along the C-North Haven route.

Span of service varies by route for both outbound (from New Haven downtown) and inbound (to New Haven downtown) trips. Routes with the most generous weekday and Saturday span of service operate from approximately 5:00AM until 1:45AM the next day. Sunday’s longest span of service is from 6:00AM to 12:45AM the next day along the D-Grand Ave route.

CTtransit New Haven merges routes on public schedules so that customers are presented with all route options within a market. This provides customers with improved spans of services if they are traveling in an area with route duplication. For example, the F-West Chapel route schedule shows the F5 and the F6 route variations as well as the B3, BZ, B1Z, and B3Z routes. These additional B route variations do not exceed more than 3 trips per day but they provide expanded service coverage for F route bus customers. Headway The B-Congress Ave, B-Whalley Ave, D-Dixwell Ave, and D-Grand Ave routes have frequent headways for extended periods of the day, as highlighted in green (Table 3). They have AM headways ranging from 5 to 20 minutes with headways in the PM peak that are no longer than 30

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minutes. As noted in the next section (3.4 Ridership), these four routes are also the highest ridership routes in the CTtransit New Haven system. More than 50% of the routes have 40 minute or longer headways with large headway variations in either the AM and PM peak. Often the headway variations occur randomly where the first two trips may be 15 minutes apart, the third provided 30 minutes later, and the fourth at 20 minutes later.

Table 3: CTtransit New Haven Headways Outbound AM and PM Peak1

AM* Service Weekday PM* Weekday Route Route Name Type Headway Headway B Congress Ave Local 10-20 min 4-30 min B Whalley Ave Local 5-15 min 9-25 min C North Haven Local 50-70 min 20-70 min SLC Commuter Connection Downtown Shuttle 25-60 min 25-50 min D Dixwell Ave Local 10 min 8-15 min D Grand Ave Local 5-10 min 10-20 min F West Chapel Local 5-30 min 5-35 min F East Haven Local 10-30 min 10-46 min G Shelton Ave / East Chapel St Local 15-40 min 15-40 min J Kimberly Ave Local 5-20 min 10-44 min J Whitney Ave Local 5-30 min 5-30 min L North Branford Local N/A 55 min M Washington Ave / State St Local 13-35 min 30-45 min O Route 1 (includes 55x) Local 16-40 min 8-20 min O Winchester Ave Local 15-40 min 20-45 min Q State St / Edgewood Ave Local 17-28 min 20-45 min S Madison Local 60 min 30-40 min US Union Station Shuttle (FREE) Shuttle 20 min 20 min Z Goffe St / Sargent Dr Local 3-30 min 15-45 min *AM denotes 7AM-10AM and PM represents 4PM-7PM. Routes with headways greater than 40 minutes are shown in bold

1 April and August 2016 CTtransit New Haven schedules provided on their website.

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In addition to headway performance in the AM and PM peak, the Study Team referred to 2016 CTtransit New Haven schedules to assess the maximum wait time bus customers have to wait for a bus for all of the routes within the system. As shown in Table 4, the maximum wait time ranges from 20 to 120 minutes depending on the route. The free Union Station Shuttle has the lowest maximum wait time of 20 minutes. Conversely, the O Route 1, S-Madison route, and Q-Route have the highest wait times with maximum headways of 120 minutes. Overall, except for the Union Station Shuttle, maximum wait times are high among all routes.

Table 4: CTtransit New Haven Maximum Headways per Route2

Service Weekday Saturday Sunday Route Route Name Type Headway Headway Headway B Congress Ave Local 85 min 60 min 75 min B Whalley Ave Local 60 min 60 min 75 min

C North Haven Local 70 min 90 min no service

SLC Commuter Connection Downtown Shuttle 67 min no service no service D Dixwell Avenue Local 80 min 60 min 75 min

D Grand Avenue Local 60 min 60 min 75 min

F West Chapel Local 60 min 60 min 75 min

F East Haven Local 60 min 65 min no service G Shelton Ave / East Chapel St. Local 75 min 45 min 75 min

J Kimberly Ave Local 49 min 60 min 135 min

J Whitney Ave Local 60 min 155 min 75 min

L North Branford Local 72 min no service no service

M Washington Ave / State St Local 45 min 77 min 75 min O Route 1 (includes 55x) Local 120 min 60 min 135 min O Winchester Ave Local 60 min 65 min 75 min

Q State St / Edgewood Ave Local 120 min 70 min 75 min S Madison Local 120 min 60 min no service US Union Station Shuttle (FREE) Shuttle 20 min no service no service Z Goffe St / Sargent Dr Local 75 min 65 min no service

2 April and August 2016 CTtransit New Haven schedules from the CTtransit website.

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Headways after 6 PM tend to be longer and are dependent upon duplications and variations of service from multiple routes to serve key destinations with late night operations (such as Walmart on Foxon Ave in New Haven which is open until midnight and is served by the combination of the D-Grand Ave and Q-State routes and variations). 3.4 Ridership CTtransit New Haven has the second highest annual passenger trips among transit systems in Connecticut. In 2015, there were about 9,052,806 annual riders on the CTtransit New Haven system. Over the five year period leading up to 2015, there was a noticeable uptick in annual riders from 2011 to 2012, followed by a slight increase in 2013, a slight decrease in 2014, and a larger decrease in ridership in 2015. From 2014- 2015, there was a decline in ridership of about 500,000 riders. Overall for the 5-year period from 2011 to 2015, CTtransit New Haven experienced a 3.5% increase in ridership (Chart 5).

Chart 5: Annual CTtransit New Haven Ridership 5-Year Trend

9,562,320 9,526,686 9,453,992

9,052,806 Annual RidershipAnnual 8,749,911

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Year

Source: Connecticut Department of Transportation

CTtransit New Haven weekday ridership is primarily distributed among one-third (five routes) of the system-wide routes that collectively provide service for 54% of the total system-wide annual weekday passengers (Table 6). These five routes traverse the main corridors of Dixwell Ave, Grand Ave, Whalley Ave, Congress Ave, and Route 1 within New Haven, Woodbridge, West Haven, Milford, Orange, Hamden, North Haven, and East Haven. They are highlighted in bold in Table 6. All five routes

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radiate from the downtown New Haven Green and proceed to the southwest, north-west, north, and north-east of New Haven. They provide transit connections to large attractors for employment and shopping such as Hamden Plaza, CT Post Mall, Super Stop & Shop, Walmart, Target, Amity Shopping Center, and Home Depot. They also provide community connections to surrounding municipalities, neighborhoods, senior centers such as Bella Vista, low-income housing such as West Rock, community centers, medical facilities, and educational institutions. On the weekend CTtransit New Haven ridership has the same dominate routes (with the addition of F-West Chapel St. on Saturday) but at a reduced total as compared with weekday ridership. Ridership on Saturday is about one-third of weekday ridership. Ridership on Sunday is less than a quarter of weekday ridership. The two shuttle routes and the L-North Branford route do not operate either day. On Sundays, there are eight additional routes that do not operate.

Table 6: CTtransit New Haven Average Ridership by Route (2015)3

Avg. % of Avg. % of Avg. % of Weekday Total Saturday Total Sunday Total Route Route Name Ridership System Ridership System Ridership System D Dixwell Ave 6,021 14% 2,209 16% 2,173 23%

D Grand Ave 4,926 12% 1,888 14% 1,639 18%

B Whalley Ave 4,534 11% 2,197 16% 910 10% B Congress Ave 4,382 10% 2,204 16% 1,057 11%

O Route 1 3,186 7% 792 6% 925 10%

J Kimberly Ave 2,343 5% 650 5% 529 6%

J Whitney Ave 2,023 5% 700 5% 446 5%

F West Chapel St. 1,785 4% 793 6% NA 0% M Washington Ave 1,373 3% 200 1% NA 0% C North Haven 1,332 3% 506 4% NA 0%

Q State St. 1,304 3% 149 1% 237 3% Q Edgewood Ave 1,217 3% 250 2% 569 6% Z Goffe Dr. 1,077 3% 25 0% NA 0% M State St. 1,055 2% 169 1% 107 1%

3 The data in this table comes from CTtransit New Haven’s 2015 ‘Route Summary Productivity” report.

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Avg. % of Avg. % of Avg. % of Weekday Total Saturday Total Sunday Total Route Route Name Ridership System Ridership System Ridership System Union Station US 994 2% NA 0% NA 0% Shuttle F East Haven 992 2% 497 4% NA 0% O Winchester Ave 985 2% 317 2% 222 2% Z Sargent Dr. 929 2% 29 0% NA 0%

G East Chapel St. 924 2% 54 0% 298 3% G Shelton Ave 662 2% 32 0% NA 0% S Madison 538 1% 153 1% NA 0% 55x Post Mall Flyer 74 0% 125 1% 175 2% SLCA Commuter AM 47 0% - 0% NA 0% North L1 38 0% - 0% NA 0% Branford/Route 80 SLCP Commuter PM 37 0% - 0% NA 0%

Over the years, ridership has also fluctuated on individual CTtransit New Haven routes. Table 7 highlights average weekday ridership counts for 3- year averages of 2010 to 2012 versus 2013 to 2015 for all CTtransit New Haven routes. The high ridership B, D, and O-Route 1 routes (highlighted in bold) have 10% to 20% ridership increases over the 3-year average comparison. Meanwhile, the C-North Haven route, Union Shuttle Service, S-Madison route and AM and PM Commuter Connections have over 40% ridership increases. The Commuter Connection and S-Madison route however have low initial ridership counts so an increase in ridership along these routes, while high on a percentage basis, does not greatly influence overall system-wide ridership growth.

Conversely, the 55x CT Post Mall, M-Washington Ave, Z-Sargent Dr., and L1 North Branford routes have ridership declines over the 3-year average comparisons. These declines are not significant enough to impact the overall system-wide ridership growth for this period.

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Table 7: CTtransit New Haven Average Weekday Ridership Trend by Route Comparison4

3-Year Average 3-Year Average Average Counted Counted Counted Passengers Passengers Passenger Route Route Name (2010-2012) (2013-2015) Growth SLCA Commuter Connection AM 20 44 124%

C North Haven 828 1,320 59%

US Union Station Shuttle 638 1,015 59% SLCP Commuter Connection PM 25 37 49%

S Madison 395 565 43%

OW Winchester Ave 742 1,003 35% D Dixwell Ave 5,214 6,252 20%

Z Goffe Dr. 861 1,010 17%

B Whalley Ave 3,991 4,614 16%

B Congress Ave 3,908 4,477 15%

G Shelton Ave 572 653 14%

G East Chapel St. 766 859 12%

Q State St. 1,146 1,285 12%

J Whitney Ave 1,846 2,066 12%

O Route 1 2,977 3,280 10%

D Grand Ave 4,565 5,017 10%

Q Edgewood Ave 1,128 1,238 10%

M State St. 995 1,081 9%

F East Haven 970 1,028 6%

J Kimberly Ave 2,311 2,409 4%

F West Chapel St. 1,764 1,832 4% 55x Post Mall Flyer 72 70 -3%

M Washington Ave 1,516 1,440 -5%

Z Sargent Dr. 951 873 -8% L1 North Branford/Route 80 36 30 -16%

4 The data in this table comes from CTtransit New Haven’s 2015 ‘Route Summary Productivity” report.

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All 10 of the highest ridership bus stops in the CTtransit New Haven Green CTtransit New Haven system are in New Haven (Table 8). Many of these bus stops provide service to/from multiple routes. The highest average weekday bus stop boardings and alightings within the CTtransit New Haven system are at the New Haven Green as shown in Table 8 and highlighted in bold. This is not surprising since all fixed-route, express and shuttle services traverse the downtown New Haven Green at Elm Street, Chapel Street, Temple Street, and/or Church Street. Figure 3 provides an overview of the bus stops at the • Primary hub for system New Haven Green. • Bordered by Elm St., Chapel St., College St., and Church St. Bus routes are pulsed from the New Haven Green (multiple routes arrive and depart at the • Buses are timed in a pulse manner same time to enable transfers) only during the during the weekday off-peak and weekday off-peak hours, Saturday after 6:15PM, weekends and all day on Sunday to ensure passengers • Bus stop on every corner of the New make connections when buses run less Haven Green frequently. Pulse service requires communication between the bus operator and • 11 bus stops that serve 12 CTtransit dispatcher. As the bus approaches the New New Haven routes Haven Green, the bus operator provides the • Bus lane provided leading up to the buses’ vehicle block number, which is then Elm St. and Temple St. intersection recorded by the dispatcher on duty. Pulse service buses are positioned within proximity of each other around the New Haven Green to make transferring easier for passengers. In addition to major hourly pulse service, higher ridership routes, such as the B and D routes, run more frequently with mini pulses. CTtransit New Haven averages 7-minute dwell times at the New Haven Green during pulse service. Buses are held at the New Haven Green until all routes are present with a few exceptions. For example, buses going to the train station can be released earlier to provide connections to meet rail schedules. Also, if a bus is arriving late, the dispatcher will release a bus intended to traverse the same route before the late bus arrives. The two bus stops with highest net negative boardings and alightings are inbound and do not provide outbound service among the high ridership routes that serve the stop. The Elm St./Temple St. bus stop provides inbound service along the one-way Elm St. with 1,650 more alightings than boardings. The Church St./Center St. bus stop provides inbound service along the one-way Church St. with more than 1,042 more alightings than boardings. Both bus stops are along one-way streets.

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Only two of the 10 highest ridership bus stops are outside of the downtown New Haven Green. These two high ridership bus stops are at Union Station and the intersection of Grand Ave and Ferry St. Both bus stops are in census tracts that have a percentage of zero-car household ownership greater than 31%, headways of 20 minutes or less throughout the weekday, and services more than 1 bus route.5 The J-Kimberly Ave route, Union Station Shuttle, and Commuter Connection Downtown PM shuttle all serve Union Station. The Union Station Shuttle provides 20 minute headways throughout the day from 6AM to 10PM and is free. The Grand Ave and Ferry St. bus stop services the 2nd highest ridership route in the CTtransit New Haven system (D-Grand Ave), and the C-North Haven route. The D-Grand Ave route serves the Grand Ave and Ferry St. bus stop with 10 minute headways or less from 7AM to 7PM during the weekday.

Table 8: Top 10 Average Weekday CTtransit New Haven Boarding and Alighting Bus Stops (2015)

Total Total Total Boarding Net Boarding Bus Stop Name Boarding Alighting and Alighting and Alighting Town Elm St/Temple St. 889 2,539 3,428 (1,650) New Haven

Chapel St/Church St. 1,615 1,690 3,305 (75) New Haven

Chapel St/Orange St. 1,978 1,201 3,179 777 New Haven

Chapel St/Temple St. 1,654 816 2,470 838 New Haven

Temple St/Chapel St. 1,582 709 2,291 873 New Haven

Church St/Center St. 460 1,502 1,962 (1,042) New Haven

Temple St/NH Green 332 792 1,124 (460) New Haven

Union Ave/Union Station 607 414 1,021 193 New Haven

Church St/Chapel St. 705 149 854 556 New Haven

Grand Ave/Ferry St. 427 395 822 32 New Haven

5 2010 to 2014 5-Year American Community Survey

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Figure 3: Downtown New Haven Bus Stop Map

Source: CTtransit’s “New Haven Metro Area Bus System Map”

Bus stops in municipalities outside of New Haven with high average weekday boardings and alightings are provided in Table 9. The bus stops range in ridership from approximately 179 to 836 average weekday riders. Hamden, Meriden, Milford, Waterbury, and West Haven have the highest ridership bus stops outside of New Haven. CT Post Mall in Milford, with its high number of employees, is the highest ridership bus stop outside of New Haven. The core market area municipalities of West Haven and Hamden have some of the highest ridership stops outside of New Haven. However, Milford (CT Post Mall), Meriden (railroad connectivity) and Waterbury (social service connectivity) also have high ridership locations even though they are out of the core service area due to their special trip generators.

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Table 9: Top 10 Average Weekday CTtransit New Haven Boarding and Alighting Bus Stops (Excluding New Haven (2015))

Total Total Total Boarding Net Boarding Bus Stop Name Boarding Alighting and Alighting and Alighting Town

CT Post Mall Transit Hub 479 357 836 122 Milford

West Campbell Ave/Elm St. 379 258 637 121 Haven West Campbell Ave/Main St. 308 203 511 105 Haven

Maden Plaza/Dixwell Ave 314 61 375 253 Hamden

Dixwell Ave/Putnam Ave 198 163 361 35 Hamden

Skiff St/Dixwell Ave 228 76 304 152 Hamden

W Main St/Leavenworth St. 230 2 232 228 Waterbury

State St/Railroad Station 148 35 183 113 Meriden

West Campbell Ave/Center St. 86 96 182 (10) Haven

Dixwell Ave/Arch St. 124 55 179 69 Hamden

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As shown in Table 10, New Haven has the highest percentage of CTtransit New Haven boardings. Only 27% of CTtransit New Haven’s boardings are outside of New Haven. West Haven and Hamden have the second and third highest boardings but at a significantly lower level of boardings than New Haven. Nine of the 20 municipalities served by CTtransit New Haven each have less than 1% of the total system-wide boardings.

Table 10: Average Weekday CTtransit Boardings by Municipality (2015)

Municipality Boardings % of Boardings System-Wide New Haven 34,339 73% West Haven 4,417 9% Hamden 3,673 8% Milford 876 2% Waterbury 569 1% East Haven 523 1% Orange 484 1% North Haven 447 1% Meriden 334 1% Ansonia 280 1% Branford 260 1% Wallingford 174 0% Derby 159 0% Cheshire 92 0% Seymour 70 0% Guilford 63 0% Shelton 63 0% Madison 52 0% Woodbridge 11 0% North Branford - 0% Bold=core service area

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3.5 Bus Stops There are more than 3,000 bus stops within the CTtransit New Haven service area of which approximately 2,200 bus stops are within the transit agency’s core market area (Table 11). New Haven has the highest percentage of bus stops within the transit service area. Of the 20 municipalities served by CTtransit New Haven, approximately 30% of the stops are in New Haven. These stops on average, are highly productive, resulting in 73% of the system’s ridership. The remaining four core area municipalities (highlighted in bold) account for 41% of the stops in the system but only 19% of the ridership. When considered on a municipal level, East Haven only produces an average of two weekday boardings for each of its 237 stops. Likewise, North Haven produces an average of 2.5 weekday boardings per stop. Outside of the core market area, where ridership is low, average stop productivity is better in some areas like Milford but this could be due to a single high ridership location (such as the CT Post Mall).

Table 11: CTtransit New Haven Bus Stops and Average Weekday Ridership by Municipality

% of Bus Stops % of Boardings System- Municipality Bus Stops System-Wide Boardings Wide New Haven 943 30% 34,339 73% Hamden 513 16% 3,673 8% West Haven 373 12% 4,417 9% East Haven 237 8% 523 1% North Haven 173 5% 447 1% Branford 165 5% 260 1% Wallingford 134 4% 174 0% Milford 106 3% 876 2% Cheshire 97 3% 92 0% Orange 80 3% 484 1% Derby 49 2% 159 0% Waterbury 48 2% 569 1% Guilford 47 1% 63 0% Ansonia 43 1% 280 1% Seymour 43 1% 70 0% Meriden 36 1% 334 1% Madison 26 1% 52 0% Woodbridge 19 1% 11 0% North Branford 16 1% - Shelton 7 0% 63 0% Bold=core service area

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In addition to the municipal analysis, an assessment of bus stops per neighborhood within the City of New Haven was performed. Table 12 and Figure 4 provide the approximate number of bus stops compared to the percentage of zero car households within each neighborhood in tabular and map form. The Hill, East Rock, and Downtown neighborhoods have the highest number of bus stops and generally high percentages of zero car households. The Hill neighborhood has approximately 115 of the City’s bus stops and 36% of the neighborhood’s households have no car.

Table 12: CTtransit New Haven Bus Stops per New Haven Neighborhood6

% of Zero Car Households (2014 Neighborhood Bus Stops % of Bus Stops ACS) Hill 115 12% 36% East Rock 86 9% 27% Downtown 74 8% 43% East Shore 55 6% 7% Fair Haven 55 6% 32% Quinnipiac Meadows 55 6% 21% Amity 52 6% 21% Newhallville 51 5% 35% Fair Haven Heights 48 5% 31% Westville 46 5% 8% Annex 40 4% 13% Dixwell 37 4% 45% Wooster Square/Mill River 33 3% 33% Beaver Hills 31 3% 30% Edgewood 31 3% 25% Long Wharf 30 3% Not Provided West Rock 30 3% 26% Prospect Hill 25 3% 14% West River 25 3% 38% Dwight 24 3% 46%

6 DataHaven 2014 New Haven Neighborhood Estimate is based on 2014 5Y American Community Survey and official City Plan Department boundaries. In the report it states "neighborhood-level data from the American Community Survey are subject to high margins of error". Long Wharf estimates were not provided.

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Figure 4: CTtransit New Haven Bus Stops per New Haven Neighborhood

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The municipalities with the 2nd and 3rd highest percentage of bus stops are within the core service area municipalities of Hamden and West Haven. Hamden has a higher percentage of bus stops, at the border with New Haven, in the southern section of the municipality due to five different route options in this portion of Hamden. The highest percentage of zero car households are within census tracts in the southern portion of Hamden. In addition, Hamden’s southern Highwood neighborhood census tract 1655 has the highest percentage of transit commuters among all neighborhoods in Hamden (9.2%). The second highest percentage of transit commuters within Hamden is census tract 1657 in Hamden Plains (5.8%).7 In West Haven, Campbell Ave in the north-east section of the municipality is the key transit service corridor with the highest ridership bus stops. This corridor has some census tracts with 15% zero car households and greater, as well as some census tracts with 5% transit commuters and greater. Overall, census tracts with higher percentages of zero car households and transit commuters are within the north-east section of West Haven closer to the New Haven border. 8 3.6 CTtransit Fares and Revenue In Fiscal Year 2014, CTtransit New Haven earned $8,510,000 in fare revenue from 9,526,686 annual passenger trips. Annual expenses in Fiscal Year 2014 for CTtransit New Haven totaled $41,194,070 for operations. CTtransit New Haven received operational funding of $30,579,939 from the State of Connecticut. Fare revenue covers 20.7% percent of operating expenses. Fare setting is a state-level policy decision. Although, changes to the fare structure, such as the free Union Station Shuttle, can be an option that is more local to New Haven. Potential changes in fare policy may be assessed in the context of funding for proposed improvements in Phase 2 of this study. Fixed local route CTtransit New Haven fares are the same as for all statewide CTtransit buses with regular cash fares of $1.75. Children (age 4 and under, maximum of three with each adult) ride free. There is a reduced fare of $1.40 for children between 5-18 years. Free transfers for unlimited rides on local buses going in any direction within two hours of the time of fare payment is offered. CTtransit also provides reduced fare for seniors and the disabled, 10-ride tickets, all-day passes, 1 trip pass with two-hour transfer window, 3-day passes, 5-day passes, 7-day passes, and 31-day passes which are valid for

7 Profile of Selected Economic Characteristics from U.S. Census 2000 data: http://www.hamden.com/filestorage/691/725/SearchByAddress.html 8 2014 5-Year American Community Survey

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unlimited riders during the specified period. CTtransit tickets and passes are available at the CTtransit Customer Service and Sales Outlet at the New Haven Green, online, and sales outlet partners such as Stop & Shop. The Route 950 express between New Haven and Hartford uses a zone fare structure (Table 13) with free transfers from an express to a local bus and an upcharge to the express fare on a transfer from a local to an express bus. Children (age 4 and under, maximum of 3 with each adult) ride free. Ten (10)-trip and monthly passes are available and priced within each zone. Table 13: Route 950 Express Zone Fare

Route 950 Express Zones Travelled One-Way Fares Hartford/Wethersfield and North Haven/New Haven Zone 5 ($5.15)

Middletown and North Haven/New Haven Zone 4 ($4.30)

Middletown and Hartford/Wethersfield Zone 3 ($3.50)

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4 Bus Supportive Infrastructure and Fleet

Improving transportation network efficiency by implementing transit- supportive roadway strategies can positively impact the cost of providing the service for the transit operator and the performance of the service for the end-user.9 There are several transit-supportive roadway strategies that can be implemented to improve bus travel time, travel time reliability, and user-experience, which are key considerations for transit agencies. The following is an assessment of CTtransit New Haven’s existing transit-supportive roadway strategies. Strategies related to signal timing, infrastructure, and operations were assessed. Since New Haven has more than 70% of CTtransit New Haven’s boardings and the highest percentage of bus stops system-wide, as well as staff resources at the city level, the following assessment of transit supportive roadway strategies is focused on New Haven. 4.1 Signal Timing and Real Time Technology The modification of traffic signal timing to favor bus movement is a key strategy that can improve bus travel times. Both CTtransit New Haven and

9 Improving Transportation Network Efficiency Through Implementation of Transit- Supportive Roadway Strategies, July 2015, Transit Cooperative Research Program

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the City of New Haven have advanced initiatives to support planning for the signal timing strategy called Transit Signal Priority (TSP). TSP provides buses with the capability to gain priority at a traffic signal over regular traffic when paired with a bypass lane (called a queue jump) or to hold a traffic signal green longer to enable the bus to catch the green. The City of New Haven has taken the initiative to reduce bus travel times and delays in the downtown by replacing traffic signal equipment with new signals to improve coordination timing and to accommodate TSP in the future. Figure 5 locates the eight intersections in downtown New Haven that are proposed for the installation of improved traffic signal equipment. All eight of these intersections are within a block of the downtown New Haven Green where CTtransit New Haven’s transit hub is located, as well as proximate to bus stops within the top 10 highest boarding and alighting bus stops in the CTtransit New Haven system as noted previously in Table 8.

Figure 5: Location of New Signal Upgrades for TSP

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Bus technology that is associated with TSP is called Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL). AVL is an on-board “brain” for a bus that enables connections between the bus and a TSP-equipped signal, as well as to transmit its geographic location at all times. AVL provides “real time information” about the bus, including its location relative to a stop or traffic signal and the time that might elapse before it arrives. CTtransit New Haven has recently equipped buses with a Trapeze Transit Master10 for its AVL system capabilities, which can support both real-time information and TSP. Real-time information is available for the system on the “https://transitapp.com” application with the intent for more applications to adopt the information. Customers can track real-time bus information using the “transit” application that can be used on iOS and Android devices as displayed on this page. CTtransit New Haven has a goal of implementing real-time information at CTtransit New Haven bus stops. Although, funding for planning and implementation is not available at this time.11 The Union Station bus stop however provides a monitor that informs bus riders of the scheduled time the next bus will arrive. In addition to providing when the next bus is scheduled, it also provides a list of nearby bus stops and their route arrival times. CTtransit is embracing additional technology upgrades for its transit system. Automated Passenger Counters (APC) have been installed on CTtransit New Haven buses to track ridership. Onboard electronic fare boxes with bar-code reading technology rather than magnetically encoded stripe technology have also been implemented. This new farebox provides for more flexible payment options and the eventual implementation of a smart card system which can be a contact or contactless pocket-sized plastic card used for transit payment.

10 Route 1 Bus Rapid Transit Feasibility Study, 2017, Prepared for CTDOT 11 Route 1 Bus Rapid Transit Feasibility Study, 2017, Prepared for CTDOT

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Currently the new farebox system enables the monthly pass to be replaced by a 31-day pass based on purchase and use. Customers no longer need to obtain and use the pass within a defined month. In addition, the 10-trip paper “punch” style ticket has been replaced by a magnetically encoded ticket that does not have an expiration date. 4.2 Roadway Operations In addition to TSP and real-time information, the proposed signal upgrades in downtown New Haven coincide with the proposed conversion of existing “one-way” to “two-way” traffic movement. One- way streets dominate much of downtown New Haven. The unpredictable pattern of the one-way street network makes circulation difficult and navigation confusing for automobiles and buses.12 In 2015, the South Central Regional Council of Governments (SCRCOG) and the City of New Haven finalized a City of New Haven Two-Way Conversion Final Report. The report recommended the conversion of 18 downtown New Haven streets from one-way to two-way. These recommended conversions are proximate to bus stops that are within the top 10 highest boardings and alightings of the CTtransit New Haven system as noted previously in Table 8. The recommended street conversions would impact the highest ridership bus stops in the CTtransit New Haven system and may result in changes to the placement and location of bus stops. As a first step in implementing the “one-way” to “two-way conversion”, New Haven will be converting Church St. between Chapel St. and Grove St. from a “one-way” to “two-way” direction. In addition, Wall St.’s one- way eastern direction will be switched to the opposite direction as a one- way western direction. The J, O, L, M, and C routes, as well as Commuter Connection Shuttle serve bus stops along the Church St. segment proposed for a “one-way” to “two-way conversion”. Bus operations, as well as bus stop placement and location, may be affected by the roadway conversions. The proposed Wall St. segment has no bus stops. These conversions coincide with the City’s downtown signal upgrades, which began in the Spring of 2017 with an anticipated completion of 2018. Phase 1 will include 8 signal upgrades. Phase 2 will include the Grove St. traffic movement change from a “one-way” to “two-way” traffic movement.

12 City of New Haven Two-Way Conversion Final Report, 2015, Prepared for City of New Haven

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4.3 Infrastructure Transit agencies interface with customers at bus stops yet these bus stops are often maintained by the local jurisdiction. CTtransit New Haven and the 20 municipalities within its service area share responsibilities regarding stop location decisions, installation, and maintenance. In New Haven, the municipality installs bus shelters and maintains an inventory of 103 bus stop shelters. These bus stops vary from near-side to far-side, with some additional mid-block bus stop shelters. Twenty-one (21) of the 103 inventoried bus stop shelters have benches. New Haven installs all bus stop signage. In addition to bus stops, transit supportive roadway infrastructure was also assessed. New Haven has no marked or signed bus lanes except for a half-block of “bus-only” lane on Elm St. between Temple St. and College St. to accommodate a high ridership near-side bus stop at Elm St. and Temple St. In addition, no bus-pull out or bulb out locations are provided. New Haven has been active in supporting multi-modal accessibility through several transportation planning and capital programming initiatives that impacts the bus network and accessibility to bus stops. These improvements have the potential to improve multi-modal connections to CTtransit New Haven’s bus stops. As shown in Figure 6, many of the transportation improvements are near existing CTtransit New Haven routes. These improvements are in different stages: planned, in- process, proposed, and recently completed. Figure 6 highlights the location of traffic calming medians, traffic signal upgrades, signalized pedestrian crosswalks, pedestrian signal upgrades, bike share, protected bike lanes, and one-way to two-way street conversions in the New Haven downtown to calm traffic for pedestrians and cyclists. These amenities support bus riders, who are multi-modal users, including pedestrians and cyclists.

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Figure 6: New Haven Transportation Improvements

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4.4 Fleet In 2014, CTtransit New Haven operated a fleet of 129 vehicles. This fleet operated 3,971,086 vehicle revenue miles and 348,183 vehicle revenue hours. CTtransit New Haven will receive 87 new 40-foot buses in 2017 and 2018. These buses will enable CTtransit to retire fleet buses that have exceeded their useful life. From May 2016 to April 2017, CTtransit New Haven’s 129 vehicles were comprised of a mix of articulated, 100/300/400 series standard, and new Xcelsior series standard buses. The 100/300/400 series dominated the system with 93 buses, followed by 10 articulated buses, and 20 new Xcelsior series buses. Per a CTtransit New Haven analysis of crashes by bus type from May 2016 to April 2017, the articulated buses had the highest number of crashes per bus (3.3). Followed by the standard 100/300/400 series buses with 2.3 crashes per bus. The new Xcelsior buses had the lowest number of crashes per bus (2.0). These Xcelsior buses will replace the 100/300/400 series buses in 2017 and 2018 and are more representative of future performance. 4.5 Commuter Park and Ride Lots There are 10 park and rides within the Greater New Haven region with connections to CTtransit New Haven service (Table 14). These park and rides enable transfers between automobiles and local and express bus routes.

Table 14: Park and Rides in the Greater New Haven Region

Park & Ride Lot Location Bus Connections Branford Route 1 @ Cherry Hill CTtransit F, S Cheshire I-84 @ Route 70 CTtransit J, CTfastrak 924, 925, 928 East Haven Route 1 @ Kimberly Avenue CTtransit S Guilford I-95 @ Route 1 CTtransit S Middletown I-91 @ Country Club Road CTtransit 950 North Haven Route 40 @ Devine St. CTtransit M, 950 Orange Route 15 @ Route 34 CTtransit F Shelton Route 8 @ Bridgeport Avenue CTtransit F, GBT 15 Waterbury I-84 @ Scott Rd. & E. Main St. CTtransit J, 26-28

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4.6 Multi-Modal Connectivity Rail Service As mentioned previously, connections between bus and rail service are coincidental. This means that buses stop at rail stations but that the connections between bus and rail are not scheduled to coincide. The time the bus arrives at a rail station is dependent upon the metrics of the route including the number of stops, span of service, travel time and headway and not upon the scheduled arrival or departure times of trains. CTtransit New Haven’s “transitapp” provides real-time information for both rail and bus service, which enables the “app” to view real-time information for the two modes together for transfer time data via iOS and Android devices. In contrast to real-time information, fare payment between bus and rail is not synced. A consistent payment method that can be used between the bus and rail is not provided. Commuter rail service is operated on the New Haven Main Line and its three branches (New Canaan Branch, Danbury Branch, and Waterbury Branch) by MTA Metro-North Railroad under contract with CTDOT, and on the Shore Line East under contract with Amtrak. In general, commuter rail service is primarily oriented towards serving the Connecticut – New York City commuter market, with an additional significant market to Stamford. New Haven is served by State Street Station (Shore Line East and New Haven Line), which is served by 8 CTtransit New Haven bus routes, as well as Union Station (Northeast Corridor, Shore Line East and New Haven Line), which is served by the CTtransit New Haven J-Kimberly Route, the Union Station Shuttle and the Commuter Connection PM Downtown shuttle. The Hartford Line is a planned commuter rail service between New Haven and Springfield, Massachusetts which will operate over Amtrak's New Haven–Springfield Line with new commuter rail and expanded intercity rail service between the two cities. The line will initially serve 9 stations including 6 existing stations (5 in Connecticut) and 3 replacement/new stations in Berlin, Meriden and Wallingford. Four additional stations are contemplated in Enfield, West Hartford, Newington and North Haven. The service is anticipated to begin in January 2018. The CTtransit New Haven C-North Haven route from New Haven to Meriden Station provides bus service over a similar, parallel route pattern as the proposed Hartford Line from New Haven to Meriden. The CTtransit New Haven C-North Haven Route currently serves both Wallingford Station and Meriden Station, which are proposed Hartford Line stops. The Hartford Line would also serve the existing State Street Station and Union Station.

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Eleven CTtransit New Haven bus routes serve the 10 train stations located in the Greater New Haven area (Table 15). More detail about the timing of the connections between bus and rail can be found in the Appendix. Table 15: Train Stations and CTtransit New Haven Connectivity in Greater New Haven

CTtransit New Haven Route Train Operator Train Station Connection Metro-North Waterbury Line Ansonia F-West Chapel Shore Line East Branford F-East Haven Metro-North Waterbury Line Derby-Shelton F-West Chapel Amtrak Hartford Line Meriden C-North Haven Metro-North New Haven Line, Milford J-Kimberly Shore Line East D-Grand, F-East Haven, G-East Chapel, Metro-North New Haven Line, Shore Line New Haven State Q-State, Z-Sargent, C-North Haven, East St. Station Commuter Connection Shuttle Amtrak Hartford Line/Northeast Line, New Haven Union J-Kimberly, Union Station Shuttle, PM Metro-North New Haven Line, Station Commuter Connection Shore Line East Metro-North Waterbury Line Seymour F-West Chapel Amtrak Hartford Line Wallingford C-North Haven Metro-North New Haven Line, West Haven B-Congress Shore Line East

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Bicycle Amenities As part of the Bikes on Board! Program, all CTtransit New Haven Division routes accept bicycles and the fleet is equipped with external bike racks. The racks can accommodate up to two bicycles on a first come, first served basis. New Haven is an active partner in promoting bike to transit, bike planning, bicycle education, implementing bike amenities, and securing public-private-partnership funding for a bike share program. Bike paths, bike lanes, shared lane markings and bicycle wayfinding signs have been implemented throughout the New Haven downtown core. In addition, bike parking has been added to commercial attractions and at Union Station. Many of the bike facilities overlap with bus routes and bike lanes are adjacent to bus stops. For example, on Elm Street at the downtown New Haven Green, a bike lane abuts a bus only lane leading up to the Temple St. and Elm St. intersection as shown in the photo on this page. Figure 7 provides a map of bike facilities within the City.

Figure 7 does not include the protected bike lane along Long Wharf Drive and the contra-flow lane on High St. At the time of this draft technical report, the multi-modal bicycle, pedestrian, and transit action plan for downtown New Haven was being prepared. Recent bicycle amenity upgrades include: > Protected cycle tracks along Long Wharf Drive > Edgewood Avenue protected cycle tracks in the Westville neighborhood > Parking protected bike lanes and bike lanes re-striped along Yale Avenue > Phase 4 of the Canal Trail complete

Elm St. Bike Lane and Bus-Only Lane Union Station Bike Parking

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Figure 7: Cycling Map designed by Brian Tang for Elm City Cycling

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Pedestrian Approximately 14% of New Haven residents walk to work. Of the 10 largest cities in New England, only Boston has a higher percentage of residents who travel to work via non-motorized transportation. In 2010 New Haven finalized a Complete Streets Design Manual which promotes inclusion of all roadway users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, bus and train riders (station access), motorists, and multimodal users. The Design Manual highlights streets designed with sidewalks, raised medians, improved bus stop placement for pedestrian access, traffic-calming measures, and facilities that provide for the mobility of disabled travelers. It mentioned prioritizing transit within the transportation network to improve bus travel times and better compete with the car. Key recommended amenities within the Manual’s Complete Streets Toolbox included: sidewalk widening, ADA compliant curb ramps, street furniture such as bus stop shelters, informational signs and kiosks, and waste receptacles, crosswalks, and pavement markings such as directional arrows, bus only lanes, and stop bars that accommodate tight radii bus turning movements at an intersection.

Downtown New Haven and key corridors to and from the downtown have pedestrian amenities such as sidewalks, crosswalks, and traffic calming markings to provide for pedestrian friendly access to bus stops. Not all CTtransit New Haven bus stops are easily accessible by foot especially in locations where crosswalks and sidewalks are absent. This tends to be more apparent in municipalities further from the core service area.

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4.7 Private Shuttle Services In the Fall of 2015, the New Haven Shuttle Study was finalized, which outlined the current state of the existing 32 identified shuttle “routes”, with over 15 independent providers, to Union Station in New Haven. The report recommended a consolidated Union Station shuttle service with a branding presence to: > Reduce inefficiencies of overlapping shuttle service > Improve transfer times with rail and intercity bus service > Ensure frequent and reliable service

In September 2015, the Union Station shuttle providers with the highest estimated ridership and frequency were CTtransit, Yale University, and Yale New Haven Hospital. These three providers operated 13 of the total 32 identified routes serving Union Station. Ten of these 13 routes provide less than a mile service exclusively between Union Station and downtown New Haven. The names of the routes provided by these three shuttle providers are CTtransit New Haven’s Union Station Shuttle, Yale University’s Red & 25 Science Park Shuttle, and the Yale New Haven Hospital’s Saint Raphael Campus and York Street Campus Routes. The following lists all the known shuttle providers that service Union Station.13 > CTtransit New > Hopkins School Haven > La Quinta New > Yale University Haven > Yale New Haven > Premier Hotel and Hospital Village Suites > Southern > Clarion Connecticut State > Maritime Center University (Fusco > Quinnipiac Management) University > Fair Parking > University of New > LAZ Parking Haven > ProPark > Wesleyan University Among the three highest ridership Union Station shuttle service providers, Yale University’s Red & 25 Science Park Route had the highest

13 2015 Final Report: New Haven Shuttle Study

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estimated ridership for bidirectional weekday shuttle service (40%), followed by the Union Station Shuttle (33%), and the Saint Raphael Campus (6%) and York Street Campus shuttles (21%) provided by the Yale New Haven Hospital (Figure 8). Over 2,500 trips on an average weekday were made on these four major routes.

Figure 8: Proportion of Weekday Downtown Shuttle Ridership by Service14

Yale Hospital York Street Campus, CTtransit New 541, 21% Haven Union Station Shuttle, Yale Hospital 833, 33% Saint Raphael Campus, 144, 6%

Yale University's Red & 25 Science Park, 1,013, 40%

CTtransit New Haven’s Commuter Connection PM shuttle service and the J-Kimberly Ave fixed-route provide service to and from downtown New Haven and Union Station as well, but they were not mentioned in the Study’s analysis, due to lack of data and the shuttle service focus. The CTtransit New Haven J-Kimberly Ave route serves 251 weekday riders at the Union Station bus stop and the Commuter Connection PM shuttle serves 23 riders at the stop.15 Yale University’s Blue shuttle (evening) also provides service but was not included in the 2015 New Haven Shuttle Study because data was not available.

14 2015 Final Report: New Haven Shuttle Study, Page 1-8 15 2015 CTtransit New Haven Route Profiles

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Yale Shuttle Service Yale University provides shuttle services between the University, the East Rock neighborhood north of the downtown New Haven Green, and the New Haven train stations for students, faculty, and staff. Free service for staff, students, and faculty includes daytime routes, nighttime routes, and shuttle services to the Yale New Haven Hospital and VA Hospital, as well as a Special Services Shuttle. Yale University operates a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week transit system during the weekdays and a reduced schedule on the weekends (Table 16). Table 16: Yale University Routes and Span of Service

Daytime Night Weekend Blue Route (7AM-6PM) Blue Route (6PM-1AM) Blue Line (8:15AM-5:45PM) Orange Route (7AM-11AM & 4PM-6PM) Orange Route (6PM-10:45PM) Red & 25 Science Park (7:05AM-6:50PM) Yale Nighttime (6PM-6AM) Yale Medical School Nighttime Early Red Route (5:40AM-7AM) Shuttle Service (6PM-1AM) West Campus Green Line (7:10AM-8:20PM West Campus Purple Line (7AM-11:30PM)

VA Hospital Shuttle (6AM-7PM)

Yale New Haven Hospital Shuttle (6:12AM-7:35PM)

As shown in Figure 9, the Yale University transit system provides service to destinations that CTtransit New Haven also serves. In some cases, the Yale University service overlays CTtransit New Haven routes. Yale University provides a longer span of service with its Nighttime and Medical School Nighttime shuttles that run from 6PM to 6AM. CTtransit New Haven does not provide service from approximately 2AM to 5AM. Yale University also provides consistent headways of 15 minutes or less on its weekday service throughout the day, whereas CTtransit New Haven does not have consistent 15 minute headways on some of the routes that overlap with the Yale Shuttles. The Yale Shuttle system’s overlay with CTtransit New Haven service is a majority with the G-Shelton Ave, J- Whitney Ave, M-State St., and B-Congress Ave routes. As noted earlier in section 3.3 Route Profiles, the AM and PM peak headways for all four of these routes range from 5 to 45 minutes. In regards to span of service, the J-Whitney Ave and B-Congress Ave routes provide service from 5AM to midnight, and the M-State St. and G-Shelton Ave routes provide service from 5AM to 10:30PM.

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Figure 9: Overlay Service Between Yale University Shuttle and CTtransit New Haven

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Real time bus information is provided on-line and via app to track Yale University shuttles using a Transit Visualization System as shown in Figure 10. A map of each Yale University service route is provided with real-time information, in Google Maps, about the location and estimated arrival time of the bus along the route. CTtransit New Haven also provides real- time information about their routes via a transit application.

Figure 10: Yale University’s Transit Visualization System via Cell Phone

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5 Bus Performance Evaluation

CTtransit New Haven’s bus service was evaluated based on service criteria outlined in the Bus Service Guidelines Chapter of the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study. The purpose of this evaluation is to inform the development of Phase 2 recommendations as the evaluation is expected to identify specific performance issues that might be improved. This bus service evaluation focuses on criteria that address the key service standards of: > Route design > Route productivity > Schedule design > Service delivery On-time performance is a criterion of the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study but is not included in this evaluation due to the lack of data. CTtransit New Haven does not have a formal process of evaluating on- time performance. Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) technology, that makes it easier to track on-time performance, is in the early stages of implementation and will regularly provide this information in the future. Operating cost is not a service criterion in the Bus Service Guidelines Chapter of the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study but is included in the category of Route Productivity for this performance evaluation to

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understand the break-down by route of CTtransit New Haven’s $41 million annual operating cost. The four operating service standards and the evaluation criteria are summarized in Table 17. Table 17: Bus Performance Service Criteria

Service Standard Criteria and Purpose

 Bus stop spacing: Used in siting of new bus stops and evaluation of existing bus stop spacing. Route Design  Transit propensity: Assesses existing bus route service coverage and identifies areas where new bus service may be warranted. (Listed in Section 7.6 Market Analysis)

Load factors: Used in determining service levels based on ridership demand. Schedule  Design  Span of service: Used in determining hours of service, based on ridership during the first and last hours of service on the route.

 Passenger trips per revenue mile: Used in evaluating efficiency of routes based on revenue miles (a useful counterpart to passenger trips per revenue hour).  Passenger trips per revenue hour: Used in evaluating efficiency of route based on revenue hours (a useful counterpart to passenger trips per revenue mile). Route Productivity  Operating cost: Helps quantify the benefits and costs of a transit system when adding additional variables such as the number of passengers that ride each route.  Estimated fare box recovery: Used in evaluating how much fare revenue covers the cost of providing service.  Ratio of revenue miles to non-revenue miles: Used in evaluating efficiency of scheduled service based on amount of non-revenue mileage.  NOT PROVIDED: On-time performance: Used in evaluating overall route performance and identification of routes which require modified running times. Service Delivery  Average distance between failures: Used in evaluating overall fleet availability for revenue service.  Fleet average age: Used in evaluating overall fleet performance and its availability for revenue service.

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5.1 Data Used for the Bus Performance Evaluation CTtransit New Haven provided extensive data from the following sources to support this evaluation: > Ridership Information was collected from CTtransit New Haven’s 2015 Trip Summary Report and 2015 Route Profile Report via ride- check data > Revenue Information was taken from CTtransit New Haven’s 2014 Weekday Line Statistic Report, the National Transit Database, and financial audits > Bus Stop Information was derived from CTtransit New Haven’s August 2016 General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) 5.2 Route Design Bus Stop Spacing The spacing intervals of bus stops along a route affect the accessibility to the system and efficiency of operations. Siting bus stops close together increases passenger accessibility to the service by reducing the distance they must walk to the bus stop. This close spacing of stops however requires the bus to make more frequent stops, reducing its overall speed and increasing the route travel time, which impacts the efficiency of the service. With fewer stops, buses would be able to provide speedy service and complete their route quickly, but this would be achieved at the expense of passenger accessibility to the bus route. Bus stop guidelines recommend locating bus stops so that accessibility is balanced with efficiency. Criterion Per the Bus Service Guidelines from the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study, specific routes with more than 4 stops per mile should be examined for potential operating improvements. Table 18: Bus Stop Spacing – Evaluation Criterion

Criteria Purpose of Criteria Performance Metric Project Goal Addressed

Used in siting of new Varies between 1 – 4 bus Enhance access to jobs; develop bus stops and Bus Stop stops per mile (every 1,300 to recommended expansions and evaluation of existing Spacing 5,300 feet), no more than 4 modifications of fixed route and bus stop spacing stops per mile intercity service

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Results The following bus stop spacing results are based on data from CTtransit New Haven’s August 2016 General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS). Due to CTtransit New Haven’s current practice of numerous route variations, the analysis used the most common (dominant) route variation. The total number of bus stops per route was divided by the total distance of the route. This analysis does not include part-time routes. Most CTtransit New Haven’s fixed-routes and shuttle services have more than the benchmarked four bus stops per mile. Only the S-Madison, the J-Whitney Ave to Waterbury, and the 55X Flyer to CT Post Mall in Milford have an average number of bus stops per mile of four or less. About half of the CTtransit New Haven routes have more than double the benchmark performance metric of four stops per mile. The F5-West Chapel route traverses within New Haven and the G-Shelton Ave route to Hamden’s Pine Rock neighborhood have the highest number of average bus stops per mile.

The length of the routes as well as the land use context that the routes traverse, should be considered when viewing Table 19’s average number of bus stops per mile. For example, the F5-West Chapel route has the highest (11) average number of bus stops per mile. It traverses the urban neighborhoods of New Haven for approximately two miles from the downtown New Haven Green. The J-Whitney Ave route has one of the lowest average bus stops per mile (2). In contrast to the F5-West Chapel St. route, the J-Whitney Ave’s most popular route variation travels between 23 to 27 miles to Waterbury from the downtown New Haven Green through a primarily suburban land use context.

Table 19: Bus Stop Spacing – Evaluation Results

Average Stops per Average Distance Route Service Type Mile between Stops F5 West Chapel St. Local 11 0.09 G Shelton Ave Local 10 0.10 B Congress Ave Local 9 0.11 O Winchester Ave Local 9 0.11 F East Haven Local 9 0.11 Q Edgewood Ave Local 9 0.12 G East Chapel Local 8 0.12 D Dixwell Ave Local 8 0.12 Z Goffe St. Local 8 0.12 Z Sargent Dr Local 8 0.13 M Washington Ave Local 8 0.13 O Route 1 Local 7 0.14

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Average Stops per Average Distance Route Service Type Mile between Stops L North Branford Local 6 0.16 D Grand Ave Local 6 0.16 Union Station Shuttle Local 6 0.16 (FREE) Q State St. Local 6 0.16 B Whalley Ave Local 6 0.16 C North Haven Local 6 0.16 J Kimberly Ave Local 6 0.17 F6 West Chapel St. Local 6 0.18 Commuter Connections PM Shuttle 5 0.20 Commuter Connections AM Shuttle 5 0.21 S Madison Local 4 0.25 J Whitney Ave Local 2 0.46 55x Flyer Express 1 1.53 Transit Propensity The transit propensity analysis for the region is presented in Chapter 7 (Section 7.6) since it is closely aligned with the regional demographics provided in that chapter. 5.3 Schedule Design Load Factors and Headway Gaps Passenger peak and off-peak load factors measure the capacity utilization of a bus route. Load factor data can inform whether a specific route experiences crowding along the entire route or only along certain segments and during what time of day passengers experience crowding. Load factors are provided in CTtransit New Haven’s 2015 Trip Summary Reports and are calculated by dividing the maximum load of a trip by the number of passengers the bus can seat. Headways, also known as the time interval between buses, are tied to load factors. Headways are usually shorter on routes with high passenger volumes. The shorter headways mean that buses run more often to accommodate riders without overcrowding. If headways are too long, buses may become overcrowded and lead to reduced passenger comfort, as well as delays caused by excessive bus alighting/boarding time. It is standard to have shorter headways during peak hours when ridership is typically higher, and longer headways during off-peak hours when demand is less.

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Criterion The Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCRP Report 100) recommends specific load factors for overall passenger comfort.16 To efficiently allocate service and maintain passenger comfort, the TCQSM recommends scheduling service to meet 1.0 passengers per seat during off-peak times and 1.3 passengers per seat during peak times. Table 20: Load Factors – Evaluation Criterion

Criteria Purpose of Criteria Performance Metric Project Goal Addressed Used in determining Schedule service so there Develop recommended expansions if routes are are 1.3 passengers for and modifications of fixed route Peak and operating at sufficient every seat on the bus in and intercity service; enhance Off-Peak or excessive service peak hours and 1 access to jobs; determine where Load Factors levels (headway) passenger per seat in off connectivity between the bus and based on ridership peak hours at the peak rail system in Connecticut can be demand load point enhanced

Results Table 21 shows the minimum and maximum weekday trip load factors per route from CTtransit New Haven’s 2015 Trip Summary Reports. Vehicle capacity of 38 or 57 passengers has been included in the load factors depending on the size of the bus. As noted below, there are nine fixed-routes with trips that exhibit crowding during the weekday and exceed the 1.3 passengers for every seat on the bus in the peak hour and/or 1 passenger per seat in the off-peak hour. The approximate time of day that the crowding occurs is provided as well, which is mostly during the 10AM-3PM segment of the day. Vehicle capacity is also provided for each trip. The following routes and times of day are suggested for additional headway gap analysis: Greater than the Peak Load Factor Performance Metric of 1.3: > CTtransit New Haven Route B Whalley Ave: 1.71 maximum load factor at 3:00PM (38 seat vehicle capacity for trip) > CTtransit New Haven Route D Grand Ave: 1.50 maximum load factor at 10AM (38 seat vehicle capacity for trip) > CTtransit New Haven Route B Congress Ave: 1.32 maximum load factor at 10AM (38 seat vehicle capacity for trip)

16 TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 165: Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual, 2013

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Between the Non-Peak and Peak Load Factor Performance Metric of 1.0 – 1.3: > CTtransit New Haven Route G East Chapel St: 1.24 maximum load factor at 2:17PM (38 seat vehicle capacity for trip) > CTtransit New Haven Route Z Sargent Dr: 1.13 maximum load factor at 1:30PM (38 seat vehicle capacity for trip) > CTtransit New Haven Route D Dixwell Ave: 1.11 maximum load factor at 1:45PM (38 seat vehicle capacity for trip) > CTtransit New Haven Route M Washington Ave: 1.11 maximum load factor at 12:12PM (38 seat vehicle capacity for trip) > CTtransit New Haven Route J Whitney Ave: 1.04 maximum load factor at 6:30AM (57 seat vehicle capacity for trip) > CTtransit New Haven Route O Route 1: 1.00 maximum load factor at 2:30PM (38 seat vehicle capacity for trip) Table 21: Weekday Load Factor Evaluation Results

Maximum Load Minimum Load Factor by Trip (period Route Service Type Factor by Trip of occurance) B Whalley Ave Local 0 1.71 (peak) D Grand Avenue Local 0.03 1.5 (peak) B Congress Ave Local 0 1.32 (peak) G East Chapel St. Local 0 1.24 (off-peak) Z Sargent Dr. Local 0 1.13 (off-peak) D Dixwell Ave Local 0 1.11 (off-peak) M Washington Ave Local 0 1.11 (off-peak) J Whitney Ave Local 0 1.04 (off-peak) O Route 1 Local 0 1 (off-peak) M State St Local 0 0.95 (off-peak) F West Chapel Local 0 0.92 (peak) G Shelton Ave Local 0 0.92 (peak) S Madison Local 0.13 0.89 (peak) Union Station Shuttle Shuttle 0 0.88 (off-peak) C North Haven Local 0 0.84 (peak) J Kimberly Ave Local 0 0.76 (peak) O Winchester Ave Local 0 0.74 (peak) Q State St. Local 0 0.74 (off-peak) Q Edgewood Ave Local 0 0.71 (peak)

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Maximum Load Minimum Load Factor by Trip (period Route Service Type Factor by Trip of occurance) F East Haven Local 0 0.63 (off-peak) 55X Express 0.16 0.61 (off-peak) Z Goffe St. Local 0 0.58 (peak) Commuter Connection Shuttle 0 0.45 (peak) Downtown AM Commuter Connection Shuttle 0 0.24 (peak) Downtown PM L North Branford Local 0 0.21 (peak)

Span of Service The span of service refers to the hours that bus service operates each day. For fixed-bus service on a weekday, a typical service span is 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM.17 The span of service assessment utilized load factors from CTtransit New Haven’s 2015 Trip Summary Reports. A load factor is calculated by dividing the maximum load of a trip by the number of passengers the bus can seat. Criterion As stated in Table 22, when passenger loads on the last or first trip are equal to or greater than 1.3 passengers per seat, it indicates that there may be strong demand for earlier or later transit service. In these cases, expanding the span of service should be explored.

Table 22: Span of Service Evaluation Criterion

Criteria Purpose of Criteria Performance Metric Project Goal Addressed Used in determining Provide service on all routes Develop recommended whether bus routes between 6:00 AM and 7:00 PM. improvements to service provide sufficient hours Span of Expand service earlier or later frequency and span to of service (span), based Service when the first or last run is equal relieve overcrowding and on ridership during the to or exceeds 1.3 passengers for best meet CTtransit New first and last hours of every seat on the bus Haven’s travel needs service on the route

Results Span of service data noted below is collected from 2015 and 2016 CTtransit New Haven weekday bus schedules. Overall, all fixed-routes and

17 April and August 2016 CTtransit New Haven schedules from the CTtransit website.

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shuttles provide service that meets the performance metric of 6AM to 7PM when assessing both the inbound and outbound service of each route per the data provided in Table 23. In addition, Table 23 shows that none of the load factors for the first or last runs exceed the benchmark performance metric of 1.3 passengers for every seat on the bus. It should be noted however that bus scheduling and usage is a cause and effect relationship. If the load for the last trip of a route at say, 7PM, is not overloaded it does not necessarily imply low demand or adequate span of service for the route. For bus riders that leave work at 9PM, taking the last bus at 7PM is not an option. Those unmet trips are simply not measurable by the Span of Service Load Factor metric. Public outreach and previous system feedback suggests a desire for longer span of service as referenced in Chapter 8. Table 23: Span of Service Load Factors

Load Factor for First Load Factor for Last Route Service Type Weekday Trip Weekday Trip B Congress Ave Local 0.21 0.42 G Shelton Ave Local 0.14 0.24 O Route 1 Local 0.41 0.23 Z Goffe St. Local 0.15 0.19 J Whitney Ave Local 0.03 0.19 S Madison Local 0.39 0.17 55X Flyer Express 0.26 0.17 G East Chapel St. Local 0.12 0.16 F West Chapel Local 0.18 0.15 O Winchester Ave Local 0.13 0.14 B Whalley Ave Local 0.24 0.13 D Dixwell Ave Local 0.32 0.1 L North Branford Local 0.12 0.09 F East Haven Local 0.24 0.08 Z Sargent Dr. Local 0.09 0.07 C North Haven Local 0.29 0.06 Q State St / Local 0.39 0.05 Edgewood Ave J Kimberly Ave Local 0.28 0.04 D Grand Avenue Local 0.22 0.04 M Washington Ave Local 0.2 0.03

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Load Factor for First Load Factor for Last Route Service Type Weekday Trip Weekday Trip Commuter Connection Shuttle 0.00 0.03 Downtown M State St. Local 0.2 0.02 Union Station Shuttle Shuttle 0.10 0.02 (FREE)

5.4 Route Productivity Passenger Trips per Revenue Mile Comparing the number of passengers served against the distance operated allows transportation providers to gauge route productivity. A route with a low number of passengers per revenue mile may indicate that the route has low utilization. Alternatively, a route with too many passengers per revenue mile might suggest overcrowding and the need to adjust service frequency. In either case, the data is useful to transit agencies in understanding their service productivity. Criterion Per the Bus Service Guidelines from the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study, individual routes that have less than two passenger trips per revenue mile for local routes should be examined for potential operating improvements. Table 24: Passenger Trips per Revenue Mile Evaluation Criterion

Criteria Purpose of Criteria Performance Metric Project Goal Addressed Used in evaluating whether Develop recommended Individual routes that have buses are carrying enough improvements to service Passenger less than two passenger trips per revenue mile, and frequency and span of Trips per trips per revenue mile for thus if they are operating service to relieve Revenue local routes should be efficiently (a useful overcrowding and best meet Mile examined for potential counterpart to passenger CTtransit New Haven’s travel operating improvements trips per revenue hour) needs Results The data for the following passenger trips per revenue mile evaluation was provided by CTtransit New Haven’s 2015 Trip Summary Reports. As noted below, there are four fixed-routes and one shuttle that should be considered for potential operating improvements because they have less than two passenger trips per revenue mile. Except for the L-North Branford along State Route 80 and the Commuter Connection Shuttle, three of the four fixed routes with less than two passenger trips per

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revenue mile have route variations more than 20 miles long from route end to end. (The L-North Branford route is approximately 10 miles in length). Fixed-Route: > CTtransit New Haven L-North Branford: 0.57 passenger trips per mile > CTtransit New Haven S-Madison: 0.92 passenger trips per mile > CTtransit New Haven C-North Haven to Meriden: 1.50 passenger trips per mile > CTtransit New Haven J-Whitney Ave to Waterbury: 1.82 passenger trips per mile Shuttle Service: > CTtransit New Haven Commuter Connection Shuttle: 1.71 passenger trips per mile Table 25: Passenger Trips per Revenue Mile Results

Passenger Trips per Route Service Type Revenue Mile D Grand Ave Local 7.01 D Dixwell Ave Local 5.75 B Whalley Ave Local 5.58 F West Chapel St. Local 5.53 B Congress Ave Local 5.23 G Shelton Ave Local 4.35 Q State St. Local 4.34 M Washington Ave Local 4.24 Z Sargent Dr. Local 4.04 Z Goffe St. Local 3.98 Q Edgewood Ave Local 3.60 J Kimberly Ave Local 3.50 O Route 1 (includes 55x) Local 3.35 O Winchester Ave Local 2.86 G East Chapel St. Local 2.62 M State St. Local 2.60 F East Haven Local 2.26 J Whitney Ave Local 1.82

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Passenger Trips per Route Service Type Revenue Mile Commuter Connection AM and Shuttle 1.71 PM (combined) C North Haven Local 1.50 S Madison Local 0.92 L North Branford Local 0.57

Passenger Trips per Revenue Hour Passenger trips per revenue hour measures the number of passengers carried by one bus in one hour of passenger operation. It is indicative of a route’s effectiveness and productivity. The higher the number of passengers carried per trip for each hour the bus is in service, the more efficient and cost-effective the bus route is. Criterion Per the Bus Service Guidelines from the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study, individual local routes that have less than 20 passenger trips per revenue hour should be examined for potential operating improvements (Table 26).

Table 26: Passenger Trips per Revenue Hour – Evaluation Criterion

Criteria Purpose of Criteria Performance Metric Project Goal Addressed Passenger Used in evaluating Individual routes that have less than Develop recommended Trips per efficiency of route 20 passenger trips per revenue hour improvements to service Revenue based on revenue for local routes and less than 10 frequency and span to Hour hours passenger trips per revenue hour for relieve overcrowding and express routes should be examined best meet the CTtransit for potential operating New Haven’s travel improvements needs

Results Only one CTtransit New Haven fixed-route and one shuttle service fall below the performance metric of 20 passenger trips per revenue hour: > L-North Branford: 9.62 passenger trips per revenue hour > Commuter Connection Shuttle: 18.63 passenger trips per revenue hour

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The L-North Branford should be considered for potential operating improvements. The route connects North Branford and East Haven with New Haven and the downtown New Haven Green. This low ridership fixed-route is approximately 20 miles long with 38 weekday passengers in 2015 and no weekend service. The Commuter Connection shuttle which traverses the New Haven downtown in the AM and to and from Union Station to the New Haven downtown in the PM falls below the performance metric and should be considered for operating improvements. It carried 83 average weekday passengers during the 2015 weekday with no weekend service. The Commuter Connection is $1.75, has inconsistent headways of 25-67 minutes, and only runs from about 6AM-10:30AM and then from 3PM- 9PM. The D-Dixwell Ave route to Hamden, D-Grand Ave route to East Haven, and the B-Whalley Ave route to Woodbridge are the highest route performers. The D and B routes have high passenger trips per revenue hour due to connections from the downtown New Haven to key shopping centers, schools, community centers, and low-income housing. The routes include connections for residents of the Bella Vista Senior Center and West Rock housing development, as well as shopping centers or corridors such as Hamden Plaza, Amity, Walmart, and North Universal Drive in Hamden, New Haven, and North Haven. Table 27 summarizes passenger trips per revenue hour based on the 2015 Trip Summary Report data provided by CTtransit New Haven via ride check data. The data is an average of the inbound and outbound weekday passenger trips per revenue hour. Table 27: Passenger Trips per Revenue Hour – Evaluation Results18

Route Service Type Passenger Trips per Rev Hour D Grand Ave Local 70.54 D Dixwell Ave Local 60.62 B Whalley Ave Local 59.63 B Congress Ave Local 56.47 J Kimberly Ave Local 56.01 F West Chapel St. Local 53.81 Q State St. Local 49.37 G Shelton Ave Local 46.42 Z Sargent Dr. Local 46.39

18 2015 CTtransit New Haven Trip Summary Report

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Route Service Type Passenger Trips per Rev Hour O Route 1 (includes 55x) Local 45.12 Z Goffe St. Local 43.88 M Washington Ave Local 43.21 Q Edgewood Ave Local 39.58 O Winchester Ave Local 35.64 M State St. Local 35.25 G East Chapel St. Local 34.60 F East Haven Local 33.45 J Whitney Ave Local 30.93 C North Haven Local 25.97 S Madison Local 20.13 Commuter Connection AM and Shuttle 18.63 PM (combined) L North Branford Local 9.62

Estimation of Operating Cost Developing operating costs by route helps to quantify the benefits and costs of a transit system when adding additional variables such as the number of passengers that ride each route. It is one of many criteria that contribute to the determination of whether a transit route is effective and it has the potential to identify operating inefficiencies that can be adjusted to optimize the service and maximize benefit from a cost perspective. Operating cost is important due to limited funding for public transit and low fare-box recovery ratios. CTtransit New Haven has an average fare-box recovery ratio of 21% system-wide. The State of Connecticut funds most operating deficits for all bus properties including CTtransit New Haven. Results The following estimation of operating costs per route is a high-level overview by weekday, Saturday, and Sunday service using a three-unit cost factor model. It incorporates data collected from the National Transit Database’s (NTD) 2015 Annual Database Operating Expense Report and NTD’s 2014 Transit Profile for revenue hours, revenue miles, and recovery hours. It also uses CTtransit New Haven’s 2015 Line Summary to calculate the number of vehicles operating at maximum service for each route. The total operating cost, number of units (miles and buses), and unit cost (cost per mile and cost per hour) of the CTtransit New Haven system that was used for this three-unit cost factor model is in-line with the financial

61 | Bus Performance Evaluation Transit Mobility Study data provided by the Connecticut Department of Transportation for the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study. The 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study used FY2014 data, whereas this three-unit cost model used 2015 financial data. The three-unit cost factor model incorporates the following: > Vehicle operations > Revenue and recovery hours > Vehicle maintenance > Revenue miles > Non-vehicle > Vehicles maintenance > Overhead > General administration Not surprisingly, the operating cost estimates show the D, B, J, and O routes with the highest estimated operating costs within the CTtransit New Haven system-wide. These routes provide the greatest amount of service with the highest weekday ridership and high fare box recovery ratios. On a per rider basis, the D and B routes are the least costly routes to operate. The pattern of highest ranked 2015 weekday ridership routes however does not directly correlate with the highest estimated total operating cost in consecutive rank. For example, the J-Whitney Ave route has a similar estimated total operating cost as the B-Whalley Ave route, but carries approximately half of the total weekday riders. This is in large part due to route coverage from end-to-end. The J-Whitney Ave has route variations that travel more than 25 miles to Waterbury during the weekday, while the B-Whalley Ave route travels no more than 13 miles to Seymour. This also applies to the C-North Haven route, which has route variations that travel between 7 to 23 miles with approximately 60 minute headways. Its operating cost is like the J-Kimberly Ave route, yet carries only 56% of J-Kimberly Ave’s total ridership. On a cost by rider basis, the S-Madison, 55x, L-North Branford, and the Community Connection shuttle are the costliest routes to operate.

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Table 28: Estimated Operation Cost of Each CTtransit New Haven Route

Estimated Based on the 3-Factor Unit Cost Model

Total 2015 Estimated Total Total Total Annual Total Per Rider Costs for Costs for Costs for Cost Weekday Cost Route Name Weekdays Saturdays Sundays (Rounded)* Passengers Annually D Dixwell Ave $3,571,448 $463,930 $265,858 $4,301,240 5,969 $2.42 D Grand Ave $2,825,953 $475,033 $278,923 $3,579,910 4,824 $2.48 O Route 1 $2,674,541 $445,077 $174,803 $3,294,420 3,008 $3.59 B Congress Ave $2,726,599 $370,230 $190,737 $3,287,570 4,562 $2.44 B Whalley Ave $2,741,097 $299,601 $130,293 $3,170,990 4,619 $2.38 J Whitney Ave $2,540,491 $297,642 $292,106 $3,130,240 2,095 $4.90 J Kimberly Ave $2,043,377 $262,457 $115,117 $2,420,950 2,377 $3.55 C North Haven $2,099,409 $166,179 $12,986 $2,278,570 1,343 $5.98 F West Chapel $1,773,434 $247,667 $0 $2,021,100 1,721 $4.22 M State St. $1,238,052 $120,530 $66,633 $1,425,220 922 $5.48 F East Haven $1,258,412 $161,436 $0 $1,419,850 1,019 $4.74 S Madison $1,331,761 $76,097 $0 $1,407,860 571 $8.81 M Washington Ave $1,193,788 $107,568 $0 $1,301,360 1,193 $3.97 Q Edgewood Ave $1,093,638 $119,466 $75,026 $1,288,130 1,206 $4.05 G East Chapel St. $1,061,698 $126,269 $81,762 $1,269,730 974 $5.01 O Winchester Ave $1,029,596 $105,767 $73,353 $1,208,720 874 $5.10 Q State St. $946,229 $114,220 $73,988 $1,134,440 1,305 $3.22 Z Sargent Dr. $833,848 $49,344 $0 $883,190 909 $3.71

Z Goffe St. $796,155 $77,106 $0 $873,260 1,010 $3.01 G Shelton Ave $586,229 $59,109 $0 $645,340 704 $3.49 Union Station Shuttle $401,886 $0 $0 $401,890 994 FREE 55X $121,430 $42,833 $74,707 $238,970 75 $6.77 L North Branford $147,124 $0 $0 $147,120 38 $14.89 CCD Shuttle PM $128,768 $0 $0 $128,770 37 $13.39 CCD Shuttle AM $109,234 $0 $0 $109,230 46 $9.13 SUBTOTAL $35,274,196 $4,187,562 $1,906,293 $41,368,070 42,400 *The total annual cost is based on a rounded 3-unit cost factor model. The estimate is proximate to the FY 2014 CTtransit New Haven annual operating cost ($41,194,070)

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Estimated Fare Box Recovery Fare box recovery is the amount of the cost per passenger trip that is covered by the fare paid. Per 2014 Connecticut Department of Transportation data from the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study, CTtransit New Haven’s system-wide fare box recovery was 21%. This implies bus riders only pay 21% of the cost of the service. The additional 79% of the cost to operate the service is subsidized through tax dollars. In January 2017, CTtransit New Haven’s base fare increased from $1.50 to $1.75 per ride. The following evaluation is based on the $1.50 fare from 2016 and prior. Criterion Per the Bus Service Guidelines in the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study, individual routes that have a fare box recovery in the bottom 60th percentile of CTtransit’s average should be examined for potential operating improvements. For this analysis, the cost per passenger trip and average fare paid was compiled from CTtransit New Haven’s current unit costs. The cost per mile ($2.60) represents vehicle related costs such as fuels, tires, and other mileage based costs. The cost per hour ($43.87) represents the driver wages and benefits. Typically, the fare box recovery ratio is calculated by dividing the total revenue received from passenger fares by the amount of operational costs. In keeping with the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study, this fare box recovery evaluation follows a specific formula provided by CTtransit to calculate the fare box recovery ratio for its routes, and this formula was used to calculate the fare box recovery ratio: = ( ) + ( + ) 𝑇𝑇𝑝𝑝 ∗ 𝐹𝐹𝑎𝑎 Where: 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 𝑀𝑀𝑟𝑟 ∗ 𝐶𝐶𝑚𝑚 𝐻𝐻𝑟𝑟 𝐻𝐻𝑙𝑙 ∗ 𝐶𝐶ℎ Tp = 2015 Unlinked Passenger Trips Hr = Revenue Hours Fa = Average Fare Hl = Recovery Hours (Layover) Mr = Revenue Miles Ch = Cost per Hour - $43.87 Cm = Cost per Mile - $2.60

Table 29: Fare Box Recovery Evaluation Criterion

Criteria Purpose of Criteria Performance Metric Project Goal Addressed

Used in evaluating Individual routes that have a fare how much fare box recovery in the bottom 60th Provide cost-effective Fare Box revenue covers the percentile of the agency’s average service consistent with Recovery cost of providing should be examined for potential travel needs and funding service operating improvements

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Results The average fare box ratio of all CTtransit New Haven’s routes is about 35% (Table 30). Not surprisingly, the CTtransit New Haven routes with the highest fare box recovery ratio are the D and B routes. These routes had the highest number of average weekday passengers in 2015, have frequent headways, and weekday spans of service from 6AM to midnight. Meanwhile, the lowest fare box recovery ratios were the Commuter Connection Shuttle, as well as the L-North Branford, and 55X Flyer routes. These three routes had less than 100 weekday passengers in 2015. The Union Station Shuttle is not listed because it’s free. The lowest average fare box recovery ratios are highlighted in green in Table 30. These routes have lower ridership and/or longer revenue mile distance compared to other routes along the system. These routes could be considered for operating improvements to potentially increase their fare box recovery ratio. Table 30: Estimated Fare Box Recovery Results

Estimated Revenue Route Service Type Recovery Rate D Grand Ave Local 64% B Whalley Ave Local 63% B Congress Ave Local 63% D Dixwell Ave Local 64% Q State St. Local 53% Z Goffe St. Local 49% G Shelton Ave Local 48% J Kimberly Ave Local 44% O Route 1 Local 42% Z Sargent Dr. Local 45% Q Edgewood Ave Local 41% F West Chapel St. Local 37% M Washington Ave Local 39% G East Chapel St. Local 35% F East Haven Local 31% O Winchester Ave Local 33% J Whitney Ave Local 27% M State St. Local 29% C North Haven Local 24%

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Estimated Revenue Route Service Type Recovery Rate S Madison Local 16% Commuter Connection Downtown AM Shuttle 19% 55x Express 6% L North Branford Local 2% Commuter Connection Downtown PM Shuttle 2% Total Average 35%

Ratio of Revenue Miles to Non-Revenue Miles Comparing a route’s revenue miles against its non-revenue miles provides insight about how efficiently a route is scheduled and whether the system’s storage facility is well-sited. Non-revenue miles are incurred when a bus travels from its maintenance/storage facility to the starting point of the route, and inversely, from the end of the route back to the storage facility. These miles are non-productive because they require fuel and labor while not carrying passengers and collecting fares (revenue). Ideally, a bus should travel only a short distance to begin or end revenue service (i.e., a route should have a low ratio of revenue to non-revenue miles). For transit agencies, the siting of such facilities also involves many factors like the availability and cost of land to build the facility, beyond its accessibility to the service area. The consideration of these other factors can mean that maintenance/storage facilities are not always ideally located for transit service. Results To evaluate this metric, revenue and non-revenue mileage data was used from CTtransit New Haven’s 2015 Weekday Line Statistics Report. Local routes where the non-revenue mileage is more than 5% of revenue miles are recommended for potential operating improvements.

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Table 31: Ratio of Revenue Miles to Non-Revenue Miles Evaluation Criterion

Criteria Purpose of Criteria Performance Metric Project Goal Addressed Used to determine if route Upgrade and expand operations (and costs) are Individual local routes maintenance facilities to Ratio of properly allocated to providing with non-revenue support improved fleet Revenue service to riders vs. travel to mileage that is more than performance, system Miles to Non- and from the depot. It 5% of revenue mileage reliability and reduce non- Revenue provides an evaluation of the should be examined for revenue trips; provide cost- Miles efficiency of scheduled service potential operating effective service consistent based on amount of non- improvements with travel needs and revenue mileage funding

For CTtransit New Haven, the bus maintenance/storage facility is in Hamden along the M-State St. Route. With the concentration of service in the New Haven core as well as the disperse service area, most of the routes except for four fixed routes and one shuttle service, have ratios of revenue miles to non-revenue miles that exceed the performance metric of 5% revenue mileage. Table 32 summarizes the results of this evaluation.

Table 32: Ratio of Revenue Miles to Non-Revenue Miles Results

Non- Revenue Revenue Ratio of Revenue Miles to Route Service Type Miles Miles Non-Revenue Miles Commuter Connection Shuttle 20.90 18.68 89% Downtown AM Z Sargent Dr. Local 237.51 87.62 37% 55x Express 51.71 14.85 29% Q State St. Local 296.35 78.62 27% S Madison Local 620.98 152.03 24% M Washington Ave Local 349.72 74.53 21% C North Haven Local 878.24 136.59 16% F East Haven Local 473.62 73.25 15% J Kimberly Ave Local 696.77 90.83 13% B Whalley Ave Local 899.47 116.08 13% J Whitney Ave Local 1227.56 131.20 11% B Congress Ave Local 878.83 84.82 10% Z Goffe St. Local 256.97 23.16 9% Union Station Shuttle Shuttle 83.26 7.23 9% (FREE) L North Branford Local 58.78 5.04 9% O Winchester Ave Local 342.87 27.84 8% D Grand Ave Local 902.43 70.49 8%

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Non- Revenue Revenue Ratio of Revenue Miles to Route Service Type Miles Miles Non-Revenue Miles D Dixwell Ave Local 1127.29 82.75 7% G Shelton Ave Local 173.62 10.56 6% M State St. Local 451.85 27.33 6% G East Chapel St. Local 375.18 18.96 5% O Route 1 Local 950.07 40.42 4% F West Chapel St. Local 704.01 22.55 3% Q Edgewood Ave Local 342.56 0.17 0% Commuter Connection Shuttle 30.42 0.00 0% Downtown PM

5.5 Service Delivery Average Distance between Failures Identifying the frequency that buses are taken out of service for repair helps agencies to understand and improve their service reliability. Removing a vehicle from service can lead to unforeseen operational costs, diminished reliability and reduced customer satisfaction. Criterion The average or mean distance between vehicle failures (MDBF) is calculated using the number of vehicle failures and total revenue miles reported in the 2014 National Transit Database (NTD). NTD distinguishes between two types of mechanical failures – “major mechanical system failures” and “other mechanical system failures.” Major mechanical system failures leave vehicles physically inoperative. Other mechanical system failures leave vehicles operational but prevent them from continuing in service due to stricter agency policy. For this evaluation, both types of vehicular failures were considered. MDBF was calculated at the system-wide CTtransit New Haven level because the information needed to calculate at a route level was not available. Table 33: Average Distance between Failures Evaluation Criterion

Criteria Purpose of Criteria Performance Metric Project Goal Addressed Average Used in evaluating Systems with mean distance Upgrade and expand Distance overall fleet reliability between failures (MDBF) maintenance facilities to support between and availability for that fall below the improved fleet performance, Failures revenue service statewide average should system reliability and reduce be investigated for non-revenue trips improvements

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Results Per 2014 National Transit Database, CTtransit New Haven’s average of 1,372 miles between failures is below the statewide average of 14,32519 miles between failures. As reported in Chapter 3, CTtransit New Haven will be receiving new buses in their fleet which should lengthen the average distance between failures for the fleet. Fleet Average Age Tracking the average age of the bus fleet assists an agency in ensuring they provide a reliable and comfortable service to its customers. Older buses are more likely to have mechanical components that are defective, worn-out or do not operate optimally. When buses experience failures that require them to be removed from service, it results in unforeseen operational costs associated with having to place a replacement vehicle into revenue service and invest more in maintenance of its fleet. It may also leave an agency with fewer buses to serve customers, which can negatively affect rider satisfaction.20 When a bus breaks down during revenue service, a rider’s trip becomes disrupted, impacting their confidence in the service. Ultimately, riders become frustrated with the quality or reliability of service, and may begin seeking other ways to travel if they experience vehicle breakdowns regularly. Criterion Average fleet age is calculated based on vehicle size. The FTA sets minimum service-life guidelines for different vehicle size categories.21 Table 34 below lists the age guideline for each size category.

19 The statewide average distance between failures was calculated using the average distance between failures for all property agencies in Stage 2 of the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study. 20 Per the FTA, transit operators are required to maintain a certain number of spare vehicles in their fleets. The number of spares (also known as “spare ratio”) is equal to 20 percent of the number of vehicles operated in maximum service. The spares are intended to be deployed when vehicles are removed from service for maintenance, repairs, etc. This spare ratio allows transit operators to continue scheduled service in the face of vehicle failures. 21 Laver, Richard, et.al. (2007). Useful Life of Transit Buses and Vans (Report No. FTA VA-26- 7229-07.1). Washington, D.C.: Federal Transit Administration.

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Table 34: FTA Minimum Service-life categories from Buses and Vans

Approximate Gross Useful Vehicle Weight Life Asset Length (Pounds) Seats (Years) Miles 35 to 48 ft. and Heavy-duty Large 33,000 to 40,000 27 to 40 12 500,000 60 ft. articulated Heavy-duty Small 30 ft. 26,000 to 33,000 26 to 35 10 350,000 Medium-duty 30 ft. 16,000 to 26,000 22 to 30 7 200,000 Light-duty Mid 25 to 35 ft. 10,000 to 16,000 16 to 25 5 150,000 Light-duty Small 16 to 28 ft. 6,000 to 14,000 10 to 22 4 100,000

The fleet average age was calculated at the CTtransit New Haven level rather than route level because information about the buses assigned to specific routes was not available. The 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study performance metric for this analysis is if the average age of the fleet exceeds two-thirds of the recommended service life, CTtransit New Haven should consider a replacement schedule and review of current policies. For this evaluation, CTtransit New Haven’s asset class is heavy- duty large. Two-thirds of the FTA’s minimum service life of 12 years for this asset class is 8 years. The benchmark for CTtransit New Haven’s fleet average age evaluation is 8 years.

Table 35: Fleet Average Age Evaluation Criterion

Criteria Purpose of Criteria Performance Metric Project Goal Addressed Used in evaluating Should the average age of Upgrade and expand overall fleet the fleet exceed two-thirds Fleet maintenance facilities to support performance and its of the recommended Average improved fleet performance, reliability and service life, that agency’s Age system reliability and reduce availability for revenue replacement schedule and non-revenue trips service policies should be reviewed Results CTtransit New Haven exceeds the 8-year threshold of heavy-duty large buses with the average age of their fleet at 10.9 years. As noted previously, CTtransit New Haven will receive 87 new 40-foot buses in 2017 and 2018. These new buses will replace 67% of their fleet of 129 buses bringing the average age down to approximately 4 years.

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5.6 Summary of Bus Performance Evaluation The bus performance evaluation results reported in previous sections of this chapter identify CTtransit New Haven routes that are underperforming among specific criteria. For this assessment, the following route productivity criteria were considered for underperformance: passenger trips per revenue mile, passenger trips per revenue hour, estimated fare box recovery, cost by rider, and ratio of revenue miles to non-revenue miles. The evaluation was used to determine if there is a pattern of underperformance among multiple criteria for specific routes. Table 36 summarizes all the bus service evaluation criteria and highlights the specific criteria used to determine whether a route or route segment is underperforming. Table 36: Summary of Bus Performance Evaluation

Service Standard Criteria Purpose Evaluation of Criteria

Used in siting of new Bus stop About ½ of the CTtransit New Haven routes have bus stops and spacing more than the benchmark performance metric of evaluation of existing Route 4 bus stops per mile. Design bus stop spacing.

Used in determining Overcrowding is occurring predominately during service levels based on the non-peak AM and PM periods on nine of the Load Factors ridership demand and CTtransit New Haven routes. Buses that come & Headways whether shorter more often can reduce overcrowding. The B and D headways are needed. routes are overcrowded in the peak.

Schedule Data analysis shows that none of the routes have Design Used in determining load factors for the first and last runs of the day hours of service, based that exceeds the benchmark performance metric Span of on ridership during of 1.0 (non-peak hour) or 1.3 (peak hour) service the first and last hours passengers for every seat on the bus. However, of service on the public feedback during the engagement process route. has consistently cited the need for increased spans of service.

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Service Standard Criteria Purpose Evaluation of Criteria

Used in evaluating J-Whitney Ave, C-North Haven, S-Madison, L- efficiency of routes Passenger North Branford, and Commuter Connection based on revenue trips per Shuttle routes have less than the benchmark miles (a useful revenue mile performance metric of less than 2 passenger trips counterpart to per revenue mile and should be considered for passenger trips per service improvements. revenue hour.)

Used in evaluating efficiency of route Commuter Connection Shuttle and L-North Passenger based on revenue Branford routes have less than the benchmark trips per hours (a useful performance metric of less than 20 passenger revenue hour counterpart to trips per revenue hour and should be considered passenger trips per for service improvements. revenue mile).

Route Helps quantify the The S-Madison, 55x CT Post Flyer, L-North Productivity benefits and costs of a Branford and Commuter Connection Shuttle Operating transit system when routes have the highest cost per rider of the cost per rider adding additional routes in the system. These routes have costs per variables such as the rider more than 2.5 times that of the best number of passengers financially performing route (B-Whalley Ave). that ride each route.

Used in evaluating C-North Haven, S-Madison, Commuter Estimated fare how much fare Connection Shuttle, 55x, L-North Branford, and box recovery revenue covers the the Union Station Shuttle have fare box recovery cost of providing ratios in the bottom 60th percentile of the agency’s service. average.

Ratio of Used in evaluating Almost all the routes, except for G-East Chapel St., revenue miles efficiency of scheduled O-Route 1, F-West Chapel St., and Q Edgewood to non- service based on Ave, have a ratio of revenue miles to non-revenue revenue miles amount of non- miles above 5%. revenue mileage.

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Service Standard Criteria Purpose Evaluation of Criteria

Average CTtransit New Haven’s system-wide average Used in evaluating distance distance between failures falls below the statewide overall fleet availability

between average. Although, it is assumed that the addition for revenue service. failures of 87 new 40 foot buses in 2017 and 2018 will reduce failures.

Used in evaluating

Service Delivery Fleet average overall fleet CTtransit New Haven will receive 87 new 40 foot age performance and its buses in 2017 and 2018. availability for revenue service.

Overall, the following routes are included as underperforming in the evaluation of several criteria highlighted in Table 36:

> C-North Haven > L-North Branford (fare-box recovery, (trips per revenue trips per revenue mile, trips per mile) revenue hour, cost per rider, fare-box > Commuter recovery) Connection Shuttle (trips per revenue > S-Madison (trips per mile, trips per revenue mile, cost revenue hour, cost per rider, fare-box per rider, fare-box recovery) recovery) > 55X CT Post Flyer > J-Whitney Ave revenue miles (cost (trips per revenue per rider, fare-box mile) recovery) The additional performance criteria within the route design, schedule design, and service delivery service standards captured a broader number of routes and/or the CTtransit New Haven system as a whole in regards to underperformance and potential suggestions for improvement. For example, the bus stop spacing assessment, which is listed as a route design service standard, showed about ½ of the system’s routes are spaced more than the benchmark performance metric of 4 stops per mile. In addition, the load factor assessment within the schedule design service standard, showed that headway changes should be considered for nine of the CTtransit New Haven routes due to overcrowded trips during specific times of the weekday.

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Lastly, the span of service assessment, which is a schedule design service standard, could not identify any routes with high load factors on the first and last trips of the weekday routes that would suggest overcrowding and merit service expansion. 5.7 Low Ridership Bus Stop Segments A ridership analysis was also performed to assess where there are low ridership bus stops within the CTtransit New Haven system. This analysis led to the conclusion that there are several consecutive low ridership bus stops that showcase underperforming route segments. Figure 11 highlights underperforming segments with black dots along the CTtransit New Haven route lines. The black dots represent bus stops with less than 3 average weekday boardings and alightings. The following routes have underperforming route segments based on this ridership exercise: > B-Congress Ave (Part-Time) > C-North Haven > D-Dixwell (Part-Time) > F-East Haven > F-West Chapel St. > J-Whitney Ave > J-Whitney Ave (Part-Time) > L-North Branford > M-State St.

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Figure 11: CTtransit New Haven’s Lowest Ridership Bus Stops FGR 11 ast HFaGpRton 11 oodur ast Hapton oodur <3 Avg. Weekday Riders per Bus Stop

!( !(!( !( !( Train Station !(!( Meriden aterur !( Cheshire C aterur !( Cheshire Meriden !(!( B Middeur !( Whalley Ave/Congress Ave !(!( !( Middeur !(!( !( Middetown !(!( !(!( Middeied !(!(!( !( Middetown !(!( !( Middeied !(!(!( !( !(!(!(!( C rospet !( !( North Haven !( !( rospet !( !( !(!( !( !( !(!( !( !( !( D !( !( Grand Ave/Dixwell Ave !(!( !(!( Naugatu !( !( Naugatu !( !(!( J !( !( F !( !( East Haven/West Chapel St. Whitney !(!( !( Southur !(!( !( Southur Ave !( Hadda !( Hadda !(!( Durha !(!( !( DurhaG !(!( !( Shelton Ave/East Chapel St. !(!( !(!( Beaon Fas !( Beaon Fas !( !(!( !(!( !(!(!(!( !(!( !(!(!( J !( !(!(!(!( aingord Whitney Ave/Kimberly Ave !(!( !(!( aingord !( !( !( !(!( !(!( !( Oord !( !( Oord !( !( !(!( BeBtehtahnan !(!( L North Branford !(!( !( !( !(!( !( !(!( !(!( M !(!( D Washington Ave/State St. !(!( CheCshteerster HHaadd!(e!(enn !( !(!( !(!( !(!( !( !( !(!( !( !( !(!( !(!( !( !( !( !( !(!( NNoorrtth Haven !(!( O !(!( !(!( Route 1/Winchester Ave !(!(!(!(!( !(!( !( !( !(!(!( !( !( F !( !(!( !( !( !(!( !(!(!( !(!( !(!(!( !(!(!(!(!(!( !( !( !(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!( !(!( !( !( !( !( !( !( !(!( !( !( Q !( !(!(!( !( State St./Edgewood Ave !(!( !( !( Seour !(!(!( !( !( S!(e!( our !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( Deep River !( !( Dixwell !( !(!(!(!( !(!( !( !( !(!( Deep River !( !(!(!(!(!(!( !(!(!(!( !( !(!( !( !(!( Madison !(!(!( !(!(!(!( !( !(!(!( !( !( SMadison iingworth !( Ave !(!( !( !(!(!(!( !( !(!( Madison via Routeiingw 1orth !( !( !( !( !(!(!(!( !( !(!( !( !( !( !(!(!( !( !(!( !( !( !( !(!( !( !( North Branord !( !(!(!( !( !( !(!( !( !( North Branord !( !( !(!(!( !(!(!( !( !(!(!( !( !(nsonia !( !( !(!( !(!(!(!(!( !(!( !( !(!( !( !( Guiord !( !( !( !(!(!(!(!(!( !(!( !( !( nsonia !(!( !(!(!(!(!(!(!( !(!( !( !(!( Guiord !( !( !(!(!(!(!(!(!(!( !( !(!( !( State St Z Goffe St./Sargent Dr. !( !( !(!(!( !( !(!( !( !( !( !( !( !( !(!(!(!(!(!( !( Rt 80 Monroe !(!( !( !( !(!( !(!(!(!(!( !( !(!( !( !( !( !(!(!(!( !( Monroe !( !(!( !( !( !(!(!(!( !( !(!( !( B !( !(!(!( !(!( !( !( !(!( !( 55 !(!( !( !(!( !( !(!( !(!(!( oodridge !( !( !(!( X CT Post Flyer !( !( !(!( !(!(!( !(!(!(!(!(!(!( !(!( oodridge !( !(!(!(!( !( !( !(!( !( M !( !(!( !(!(!(!(!( !(!(!(!(!(!( !( !( !(!(!( !(!(!(!( !( !(!( !(!( !(!( !(!(!(!(!(!(!( !( estroo !( L !( !(!(!(!(!(!( !(!(!( !( !(!(!(!(!(!(!( estroo !( !( !( !( Sheton !(!( !( !(!(!( !( Q !( !( !(!( !(!(!( Core Service Area !( !( !( !( !(!( !( !(!( !( !(!( !( !( ast !(!( !( Sheton !( !( !( !(!( !( !(!( !( !( !( !(!( !( !( !( !( ast !( !( !(!( !( !(!( !( !( !( !(!(!(!(!(!( !( !( !( Haven !( !( !( !( !( !(!(!(!(!(!( !( !( !( !(!( Haven !(!( !(!( !( S Service Area !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( G !(!( !( !( Z !( !( !(!(!( !( Branord !( !( !( !( !(!( !(!( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( Orange !( !( !(!( !(!(!( !( !(!( !(!(!(!( !(!( Branord !(!( !( !( !(N!( ew Haven !(!( !(!( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !(!( !( Orange !( !(!(!( !(!( !( !(!( !(!( !(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!( !( !( N!(!( !(ew Haven !( !(!( !( F !(!( !( !( !( !(!( !( !( !(!(!(!( !(!(!( !( !( !( !( !(!(!( !( !(!( !(!( !(!( !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!( !( !(!( !(!( !( !(!( !(!( !(!(!( !( Cinton !( !( !( !(!( !( !(!(!(!( !( !( !( !(!( !( !(!( !( !(!(!(!(!(!( !(!(!(!( !( !( !( !(es!(!(!(t Hav!(!(en !( !(!(!( !(!(!(!( !(!( !( !( !( !( !(!( !(!( Cinton Truu !( !( !( !(!(!( !(!( !( !(!(!(!(!(!(!(!( !(!(!( O es!(!(t H!( aven !( !(!(!(!(!(!( !( !(!( !( !( Truu Stratord !( !( !( !( !( !( !( !(!( Rt 1 !( Stratord !(!( !( !( 55 !(!( !( !( Miord !(!( !( !( X !(!( !(!(!( !(!( !( Miord !( !( !( !(!( !( !( East !( !( Post Chapel St !( !( !( Long Island Sound !( Mall !( !( !(!(!( !( !( !(Flyer !( Long Island Sound !( !(!( !( Savin !( Rock

CTtransit New Haven nderperoring Route Segents Muniipaities served CTtransit New Haven CTtransit New Haven nderperoring Route Segents Muniipaities served CTtransit New Haven i 0 2 4 8 Miles i 0 2 4 8 Miles 75 | Bus Performance Evaluation Transit Mobility Study

6 Complementary Planning Efforts

There are several state and regional transit planning initiatives that have aided in the development of this technical report. At the state level, the Connecticut Department of Transportation has supported the development of a 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study and 2017 Route 1 Bus Rapid Transit Feasibility Study that is of interest to this Move New Haven Transit Mobility Study.

The 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study assesses travel needs and evaluates performance of the State’s bus system, including the CTtransit New Haven system. The Study includes several types of statewide level analysis, including: > The identification of service coverage gaps, an evaluation of interconnectivity between regional transit agencies, and identification of inconsistencies between fare structures, technology, and passenger amenities; > Development of Statewide Bus Service Guidelines to evaluate performance of individual bus routes, which are used in this technical report’s Chapter 5: Bus Performance Evaluation; and

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> Performance analyses for the highest and lowest performing bus routes, which includes CTtransit New Haven routes and are highlighted in this technical report’s Chapter 5: Bus Performance Evaluation. In addition, the 2017 Route 1 Bus Rapid Transit Feasibility Study presents a summary of the running times, ridership, and cost of implementing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) features along CTtransit New Haven’s O-Route 1 from the New Haven downtown, through Orange and West Haven, to the CT Post Mall in Milford. The BRT recommendations for O-Route 1 would be in addition (overlay) to the existing local CTtransit New Haven O-Route 1 service. At a regional level, efforts to address Greater New Haven’s transit service issues have been studied by the South Central Regional Council of Governments. Both the 2005 Regional Transit Development Strategies Study and 2008 Implementation of the Regional Transit Study provided recommendations for the CTtransit New Haven transit system that will aid in the development of recommendations for the Move New Haven Transit Mobility Study. A key objective for this current Study, due to lessons learned from the previous region-wide studies, is to develop fundable recommendations with support and buy-in from the public and key stakeholders at the City, state, and regional level. Relevant information from the 2005 and 2008 regional transit studies is provided below: > 15 transit hubs were recommended. The recommended transit hubs are in CTtransit New Haven’s core service area of New Haven, West Haven, East Haven, Hamden, and North Haven with the addition of CT Post Mall in Milford, which is outside of the core service area. > Suggested a “flex route” at a ¼ mile or more of fixed-bus routes. The “flex route” is based upon population density, paratransit trip production, and trip attractors. > Encouraged reducing the number of route variations within the CTtransit New Haven system. The approach simplifies the route network > Provided service changes to several routes and variations of those routes. Shortening and extending specific routes were suggested for consideration. > Recommended targeting low ridership bus stops for consolidation. > Proposed BRT features and bus stop improvements.

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> Recommended improved connections between bus and rail. The 2005 Regional Transit Development Strategies Study recommended Union Station Shuttle headways of 10 to 15 minutes. Relevant information from the Route 1 Bus Rapid Transit Feasibility Study is provided below: > New Haven is pursuing traffic signal equipment upgrades, improved coordination timing, and TSP in downtown New Haven. > Implementing BRT along the O-Route 1 has an estimated bus running time savings of 25%. > Annual operating cost of a BRT route along the O-Route 1 is estimated at $1,413,000. > All the proposed bus stations for the BRT route are at existing bus stops in New Haven. None of the bus stops in New Haven would need to be moved to accommodate BRT.

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7 Market Analysis

There are several variables that support transit demand. Population density, the number of jobs concentrated in one area, demographic make-up of a community, household income, and presence of zero car households all play a role in defining transit suitability. Employment and population forecasts, as well as the location of projected growth, informs the planning of transit for the future. These factors also provide insight into whether the current transit system is providing good coverage to areas that should be served. The following market analysis provides information on employment and population trends within the South-Central Region and New Haven County. The top 25 largest employers and shopping attractors are also noted, followed by an overview of demographics for the municipalities and City of New Haven neighborhoods that are served by CTtransit New Haven. Data is provided for median and average household income, and percentage of transit commuters, households with no-vehicles, and senior population. The population, employment, and households with no- vehicles data informs the last component of this market analysis: transit propensity.

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7.1 Employment Employment is projected to increase for the Greater New Haven region. The South-Central Workforce Investment Area (WIA), where Greater New Haven resides, is projected to have an employment increase of 9.6% between 2012 and 2022 (Table 37). This is slightly higher than the statewide forecasted employment growth of 9.4%.22 Employment growth can potentially result in increased travel demand, and proportionally demand for transit service. Table 37: Projected Employment Levels by Workforce Investment Area

All Occupations 2012 (Estimated) 2022 (Projected) Percent Change Eastern WIA 199,714 213,131 6.7% North Central WIA 582,508 640,174 9.9% Northwest WIA 237,065 261,012 10.1% South Central WIA 365,401 400,578 9.6% Southwest WIA 391,112 428,197 9.5% State Total 1,775,800 1,943,092 9.4%

The highest concentration of jobs within the Greater New Haven area includes downtown New Haven, census block segments along the future Hartford Rail Line from North Haven to Meriden, and the Route 1 corridor in Orange, Milford, and West Haven to the west, and East Haven, Branford, and Guilford to the east. Hamden, Waterbury, Derby, and Shelton all have pockets of census blocks with relatively high job concentrations although none of these concentrations are as high as the New Haven downtown. Employment has been growing in the City with now over 80,000 jobs relative to the approximately 360,000 jobs in the region. Shelton, Cheshire, and Milford have some concentrated job densities outside of the ½ mile service buffer (which represents the reasonable access distance to transit) of the CTtransit New Haven transit system but these municipalities also have bus service through another provider (i.e. the Milford Transit District and Valley Transit District) and train service at

22 The State of Connecticut's Department of Labor Office of Research creates ten-year industry employment forecasts. The employment forecasts consider historical trends and other forecasts to help project Connecticut’s employment changes. The most recent employment projections range between 2012 and 2022. Connecticut municipalities are grouped by Workforce Investment Areas (WIA) covering geographical divisions. Each Workforce Investment Areas and the municipalities included in them may be found on the Connecticut Department of Labor website (https://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/wia/TownListing.htm).

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Ansonia, Derby-Shelton, and Milford. Cheshire has an emerging employment center proximate to Interstate-691 as shown in Figure 12. CTtransit Waterbury provides bus service to Cheshire. Conversely, there are also large swaths of revenue miles in the CTtransit New Haven system that traverse routes and have bus stops among very low employment densities (2 jobs per acre or less) including stops along the J-Whitney Ave to Waterbury route, the B-Whalley Ave to Seymour route, the F-West Chapel St. to Derby route, the L-North Branford route, and the S-Route 1 to Madison route. Figure 12 shows employment densities throughout the Greater New Haven region and whether these concentrations are within a ½ mile of a CTtransit New Haven route. Most of CTtransit New Haven’s service coverage is within the South- Central Region. Per the 2013-2018 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the South-Central Region, health care and social assistance, retail, manufacturing and educational services are the top private industry sectors by employment. The health care and social assistance industry sector employs the largest number in the South-Central Region with educational services listed as the second top economic driver in the region. Of note, educational services have a much larger concentration in the South-Central Region when compared to the State. Conversely, finance and insurance have a much larger concentration in the state than the South-Central Region.23 As listed in the 2013-2018 CEDS report for the South-Central Region, the 25 largest employers (excluding public administration) are provided in Table 38. This list is dominated by both the healthcare and social services and educational service industry sectors. Most of the employers on the list are in the larger municipalities within the region except for Marrakech Inc. in Woodbridge. Over 50% of the businesses listed are in the City of New Haven. In addition to the two dominant industries within the region, manufacturers are included in the list. Covidien, also known as Medtronic, and Assa Abloy Door Security Solutions represent the manufacturing industry sector.

23 South Central Region 2013-2018 Comprehensive Economic Strategy, 2013, Regional Economic Xcelleration

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Figure 12: Employment Density in Greater New Haven

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Table 38: Largest Employers in the South-Central Region24

Company Name Town Industry/Business Description Size/Range Schools‐Universities and Colleges Yale University NEW HAVEN 5,000 ‐ 9,999 Academic Yale New Haven Health System NEW HAVEN Hospitals/Clinics 5,000 ‐ 9,999 Southern Connecticut State Schools‐Universities and Colleges NEW HAVEN 1,000 ‐ 4,999 University Academic Covidien NORTH HAVEN Surgical Appliances‐Manufacturers 1,000 ‐ 4,999

Veterans A airs Connecticut WEST HAVEN Hospitals 1,000 ‐ 4,999

Servicom LLCﬀ MILFORD Call Centers 1,000 ‐ 4,999

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield WALLINGFORD Insurance 1,000 ‐ 4,999 Midstate Medical Ctr. MERIDEN Hospitals 1,000 ‐ 4,999 Temple Medical Ctr. NEW HAVEN Clinics 1,000 ‐ 4,999

General Counselors O ce NEW HAVEN Business Services NEC 1,000 ‐ 4,999

Yale School of Med Psychiatryﬃ NEW HAVEN Psychiatric Hospitals 500 ‐ 999

Quest Diagnostics WALLINGFORD Physicians and Surgeons 500 ‐ 999

Milford Hospital MILFORD Hospitals 500 ‐ 999

United Illuminating Co NEW HAVEN Utilities 500 ‐ 999 Social Service and Welfare Marrakech Inc. WOODBRIDGE 500 ‐ 999 Organizations American Medical Response NEW HAVEN Ambulance Service 500 ‐ 999

Schick ‐Wilkinson Sword MILFORD Marketing Programs and Services 500 ‐ 999

Elm City Newspapers NEW HAVEN Newspapers (Publishers/Mfrs) 500 ‐ 999

Schools‐Universities and Colleges Quinnipiac University HAMDEN 500 ‐ 999 Academic Knights of Columbus NEW HAVEN Fraternal Organizations 500 ‐ 999 ASSA ABLOY DOOR SECURITY NEW HAVEN Valves & Pipe Fittings NEC (Mfrs) 500 – 999 SLTNS SUBWAY World Headquarters MILFORD Restaurant Management 500 ‐ 999 DOCTOR'S Associates Inc. MILFORD Restaurant Holding Companies 500 ‐ 999 US Post O ce NEW HAVEN Post O ces 500 ‐ 999

Knights ofﬃ Columbus Insurance NEW HAVEN Insuranceﬃ 500 ‐ 999

24 South Central Region 2013-2018 Comprehensive Economic Strategy, 2013, Regional Economic Xcelleration, Page 117

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7.2 Population From 2000 to 2010, Connecticut’s total population increased by 5%. Future forecasted growth from 2010 to 2025 is expected to maintain the same rate. Most of this population growth in the 10-year period between 2000 and 2010 occurred in Middlesex County, New London County, Tolland County and Windham County, which are largely rural and suburban areas of the state. For the forecasted years of 2010 to 2025, these largely rural and suburban areas show a lower or similar projected growth as its historical trend from 2000 to 2010. Meanwhile, New Haven County and Hartford County show a slightly higher projected growth percentage between 2010 and 2025 when compared to its historical trend of 2000 to 2010. (see Table 39). Table 39: Population Trends and Projected Growth in Connecticut

Historical Growth Future Growth (2000 - 2010) 2025 Projected (2010 - 2025) County Actual % Actual % Fairfield 34,262 4% 954,479 37,650 4% Hartford 36,831 4% 936,810 42,796 5% Litchfield 7,734 4% 193,112 3,185 2% Middlesex 10,605 7% 170,976 5,300 3% New Haven 38,469 5% 912,056 49,579 6% New London 14,967 6% 285,773 11,718 4% Tolland 16,327 12% 160,759 8,068 5% Windham 9,337 9% 129,527 11,099 9% Total 168,532 5% 3,743,492 169,395 5% Sources: US Census, 2000 and 2010 Decennial Census, UCONN, 2015-2025 Population Projections

All Connecticut counties are projected to grow from 2010 to 2025 with rates ranging from 2% (Litchfield) to 9% (Windham). New Haven County’s population growth is in the middle with 6% projected growth. The largest population municipality within New Haven County is the City of New Haven with a 2014 total population of 130,553. Per the city’s New Haven Vision 2025, which is a ten-year update to their 2003 Comprehensive Plan, the City of New Haven is “forecasted to grow by nearly 15% over the next decade. It is now one of the fastest growing cities in Connecticut.”25

25 New Haven Vision 2025, November 2015, Executive Summary, Page xi

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Population Density As shown in Figure 13, CTtransit New Haven is successful at providing coverage for a significant portion of the Greater New Haven region with a population density of five or more people per acre where no other transit service is provided (such as CTtransit Wallingford or CTtransit Waterbury.) Like the employment density analysis, there are also large swaths of revenue miles in the CTtransit New Haven system that traverse areas with low population densities along the J-Whitney Ave to Waterbury route, the B-Whalley Ave to Seymour route, the F-West Chapel St. to Derby route, and the S-Route 1 to Madison route. In addition, there are several shopping centers, Walmart, Stop & Shops, Shop Rites, and C-Town grocers throughout the Greater New Haven area. These are attractors for employment within the retail industry, as well as key locations for shopping needs. All the shopping attractors listed are within a ½ mile of CTtransit New Haven service.

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Figure 13: Population Density and Location of Shopping in Greater New Haven

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7.3 Income Greater New Haven Across the 20 municipalities that comprise Greater New Haven, Woodbridge, Madison, Cheshire and Orange have the highest median household income (Figure 14). The median household income for those municipalities is over $100,000. On the other end of the spectrum, the City of New Haven has the lowest median household income of all the municipalities in Greater New Haven. Figure 14 further illustrates median household income levels in the region.

Figure 14: Median Household Income in Greater New Haven

$160,000

$140,000

$120,000

$100,000 $78,331 $80,000

$60,000

$40,000

Median Household Income Household Median $20,000

Source: 2010 to 2014 5-Year American Community Survey City of New Haven In the City of New Haven, the neighborhoods with highest median household income are Westville, East Rock, East Shore and Prospect Hill, each with an median household income over $85,000 (Figure 15). Comparatively, the City of New Haven has a median household income of about $58,000 (brown bar in Figure 15). Thirteen of the nineteen neighborhoods have a median household income below the City’s overall median. The neighborhoods of Hill, West Hills/River, Fair Haven, West Rock, Dwight and Newhallville are comparatively lower income with median household incomes under $40,000.

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Figure 15: Average Household Income in the City of New Haven26

$120,000

$100,000

$80,000

$57,862 $60,000

$40,000

Average Household I ncome $20,000

Source: 2010 to 2014 5-Year American Community Survey Core Market Area Focusing on the core market area of West Haven, East Haven, North Haven, New Haven, and Hamden, the median household income at the census tract level further illustrates the disparity between New Haven and its surroundings (Figure 16). While most of New Haven’s census tracts are on the lower end of the income spectrum, a few neighborhoods such as Westville and East Rock have a higher median household income.

26 DataHaven 2014 New Haven Neighborhood Estimate is based on 2014 5Y American Community Survey and official City Plan Department boundaries. In the report, it states "neighborhood-level data from the American Community Survey are subject to high margins of error.”

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Figure 16: Median Household Income

J Durham Less than $40,000 Beacon Falls $40,000 - $50,000 C Wallingford Oxford $50,000 - $65,000 Bethany $65,000 - $80,000

Greater than $80,000 Hamden North Haven

F Seymour Madison D North Branford M Ansonia Guilford B Woodbridge O L

Q Shelton East Haven

New Haven S Branford Orange Z

O West Haven

55 Stratford X Milford

Median Household Income CTtransit New Haven i 0 1 2 4 Miles Core Service Area

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7.4 Transit Commuters and Zero Car Ownership New Haven has the highest percentage of transit commuters (12%) and households with no vehicle (29%) of the 20 municipalities in the Greater New Haven region (left side of Table 40). In addition to New Haven, West Haven, Hamden and Waterbury have more than 5% of residents that commute by transit. Among New Haven’s neighborhoods (right side of Table 40), West Hills/River has the highest share of transit commuters (38%) while Dwight has the highest share of zero car households (46%). The blue highlights in Table 40 indicate the top 5 municipalities and neighborhoods for transit commuters and zero car ownership. Overall, the municipalities and neighborhoods with a higher percentage of households with no vehicles also have a higher percentage of residents who commute by transit (City of New Haven, West Haven, Waterbury, and the West Hills/River, Dwight and Dixwell neighborhoods of New Haven). Areas that have a high share of zero car ownership households and a correspondingly low share of residents who commute by transit, such as Ansonia and Meriden, indicate potential areas where transit improvements may be needed.

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Table 40: Percentage of Transit Commuters & Households with No Vehicle 27

Greater New Haven City of New Haven*

Transit HH with Transit HH with No Municipality Commuters No Vehicle Neighborhood Commuters Vehicle City of New Haven 12% 29% West Hills/River 33% 38% West Haven 6% 12% Dwight 21% 46% Hamden 5% 9% Prospect Hill 21% 14% Waterbury 5% 19% Dixwell 20% 45% Milford 4% 6% Edgewood 20% 25% Orange 4% 4% Beaver Hills 19% 30% Branford 4% 5% Amity 18% 21% Derby 3% 8% Hill 16% 36% Ansonia 3% 15% East Rock 14% 27% North Haven 3% 5% Fair Haven 14% 32% Woodbridge 2% 6% Newhallville 13% 35% Guilford 2% 3% Annex 12% 13% Madison 2% 4% Wooster Square/Mill River 12% 33% North Branford 2% 4% Quinnipiac Meadows 10% 21% Shelton 2% 5% Downtown New Haven 6% 43% East Haven 2% 7% West Rock 6% 26% Seymour 2% 5% Westville 4% 8% Cheshire 1% 4% East Shore 2% 7% Meriden 1% 10% Fair Haven Heights 2% 31% Wallingford 1% 5% Source: 2010 to 2014 5-Year American Community Survey Note: Blue text indicates top 5 geographies in each category Core Market Area In the core market area (Figure 17 and Figure 18), there is a similar consistency between those census tracts with a high share of zero car households and those with a high transit commute share. The City of New Haven shows this relationship along with areas of West Haven and Hamden.

27 DataHaven 2014 New Haven Neighborhood Estimate is based on 2014 5-Year American Community Survey and official City Plan Department boundaries. In the report, it states "neighborhood-level data from the American Community Survey are subject to high margins of error.”

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Figure 17: Households with No Vehicle

Durham Less than 4% Beacon Falls 4 - 8% C Wallingford Oxford 8 - 18 % Bethany 18 - 31%

J Greater than 31% Hamden North Haven

F Seymour Madison D North Branford M Ansonia Guilford B Woodbridge O L

Q Shelton East Haven

New Haven S Branford Orange Z

O West Haven

55 Stratford X Milford

Households with No Vehicles CTtransit New Haven i 0 1 2 4 Miles Core Service Area

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Figure 18: Transit Commuters

Durham Less than 2% Beacon Falls 2 - 4% Wallingford Oxford 4 - 8 % Bethany C 8 - 15%

J Greater than 15% Hamden North Haven

F Seymour Madison D North Branford M Ansonia Guilford B Woodbridge O L

Q Shelton East Haven

New Haven S Branford Orange Z

O West Haven

55 Stratford X Milford

Transit Commuters CTtransit New Haven i 0 1 2 4 Miles Core Service Area

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7.5 Senior Population The City of New Haven has a relatively young population compared to the municipalities in the Greater New Haven region; just 10% of the population is over 65, the lowest percentage across the region (Table 41). The highest percentage of seniors are in Branford, Woodbridge, Madison, North Haven and Guilford, where one in five residents are seniors. Across New Haven’s neighborhoods, Fair Haven has the highest percentage of seniors while Dwight has the lowest.

Table 41: Percentage of Senior Population28

Greater New Haven City of New Haven*

Municipality Senior Population Neighborhood Senior Population Branford 21% Fair Haven Heights 24% Woodbridge 20% East Shore 18% Madison 20% Westville 13% North Haven 20% West Hills/River 13% Guilford 20% Newhallville 13% North Branford 19% Edgewood 11% Shelton 18% Prospect Hill 10% Orange 18% Beaver Hills 10% East Haven 17% Dixwell 10% Wallingford 17% West Rock 9% Milford 17% Amity 9% Hamden 15% Annex 9% Derby 15% Fair Haven 9% Cheshire 15% Wooster Square/Mill River 9% Meriden 15% East Rock 8% Ansonia 14% Hill 8% West Haven 13% Quinnipiac Meadows 8% Seymour 12% Downtown New Haven 5% Waterbury 12% Dwight 4% City of New Haven 10% Source: 2010 to 2014 5-Year American Community Survey

28 DataHaven 2014 New Haven Neighborhood Estimate is based on 2014 5-Year American Community Survey and official City Plan Department boundaries. In the report, it states "neighborhood-level data from the American Community Survey are subject to high margins of error.”

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Core Market Area In the core market area, the population trends hold at the census tract level, with New Haven having a younger population than the surrounding municipalities (Figure 19). The neighborhoods of Fair Haven Heights, East Shore and Westville, however, skew older in the City of New Haven.

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Figure 19: Seniors (65 Years and Over)

Durham Less than 9% Beacon Falls 9 - 13% Wallingford C Oxford 13 -17 % Bethany 17 - 20%

J Greater than 20% Hamden North Haven

F Seymour Madison D North Branford M Ansonia Guilford B Woodbridge O L

Q Shelton East Haven

New Haven S Branford Orange Z

O West Haven

55 Stratford X Milford

Seniors 65 Years and Over CTtransit New Haven i 0 1 2 4 Miles Core Service Area

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7.6 Transit Propensity The demand for transit is correlated with population and employment density as well as zero car households. Transit propensity maps can be a valuable tool in understanding whether existing transit service is provided to high demand transit locations and if additional transit service to new locations is needed. A transit propensity map for Greater New Haven is provided in Figure 20. The map highlights population, job, and zero-car households by census block group to identify whether bus service is currently serving transit demands within the region. These variables were selected based on their relationship to transit demand. Higher population densities are correlated to higher ridership for transit. Commuting to work is the most prevalent trip purpose nationally. Similarly, the density of jobs is correlated to higher transit ridership. Lastly, lack of vehicle ownership is found to be a strong indicator of transit dependency. Combining these factors together in a single function provides for a score that accounts for density, concentrations of employment, and transit dependency.

Table 42: Transit Propensity – Evaluation Criterion

Criteria Purpose of Criteria Performance Metric Project Goal Addressed Enhance access to jobs; Develop Used to assess existing A combined metric recommended expansions and bus route service measuring population modifications of fixed route and Transit coverage and to density, density of zero-car intercity service; Improve and expand Propensity identify areas where households, and density to urban bus service to provide urban new bus service may jobs for areas outside of ½ residents access to bus service within be warranted mile of existing bus routes half-mile of home

The following formula highlights the use of population density, concentrations of employment, and zero car household data from the U.S. Census Bureau to evaluate transit propensity. For this formula, zero car households per acre is weighted highest, followed by population per acre, and then jobs per acre. This transit score formula was used in the 2017 Connecticut Statewide Bus Study to assess transit propensity at the statewide level.

= (0.41 × ) + (0.09 × ) +

𝑇𝑇 𝑟𝑟𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑆𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 (0.74 ×𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 ) 𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴 The scores from𝑍𝑍 𝑍𝑍𝑍𝑍𝑍𝑍the propensity𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐𝑐 𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻𝐻 ℎanalysis𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 are𝐴𝐴 𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴𝐴broken into five categories (High, Medium-High, Medium, Marginal, and Low) as shown in Table 43. Areas that scored Medium or higher (1.0 or better) and fall outside the ½

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mile walkshed29 of the existing bus routes were identified as potential areas for service expansion. It is important to note that not all areas that met this guideline for potential service expansion are necessarily candidates for transit service expansion. Small towns, or other remote areas that fall within the Medium and higher classification should be examined further to determine whether transit service is truly warranted. Table 43 highlights the percentage of total census block groups, population, jobs, households with no vehicles, and land area by acre for each transit score range. As shown in Table 43, approximately 30% of the land area scored a Medium to High transit propensity score. This implies only an estimated 30% of the total region’s land area has a propensity for transit demand and is suggested for CTtransit New Haven service. Seventy-two percent (72%) of the population, 74% of the jobs, and 93% of the households with no vehicles are within this 30% of Medium to High transit propensity land area. This information was captured by adding the High, Medium-High, and Medium transit score percentages among the population, jobs, and households with no vehicles used in the transit score formula and shown in Table 43.

Table 43: Transit Score Category Ranges for Greater New Haven

% of Total % of Transit Census Households % of Land Transit Score Score Block % of with No Area Category Range Groups Population % of Jobs Vehicle (Acres) High > 7.5 18% 16% 23% 47% 2% Medium-High 2.5-7.5 34% 32% 23% 32% 9% Medium 1.0-2.5 24% 24% 28% 14% 19% Marginal 0.6-1.0 12% 14% 15% 4% 21% Low <0.6 13% 14% 11% 3% 48%

A map of the transit score dichotomy is provided in Figure 20 with transit propensity rankings within the Greater New Haven area and additional areas served by CTtransit New Haven in Waterbury and Meriden. Figure 21 highlights transit propensity within the core service area. Existing CTtransit New Haven bus routes are provided. The propensity to use transit score by block group is displayed from red and orange (high likelihood to use) to grey/no highlighting (low likelihood to use).

29 A ½ mile walkshed is referenced in the Let’s Go CT: Connecticut’s Bold Vision for a Transportation Future (February 2015). The plan calls for a 25% expansion of bus service, providing residents in urbanized areas access to bus within half-mile of home.

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Figure 20: Greater New Haven Transit Propensity by Census Block Group and Existing CTtransit New Haven Routes

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Figure 21: Core Service Area Transit Propensity by Census Block Group and Existing Route Network

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Of the 530 block groups analyzed, 402 block groups (76%) had a transit propensity score of Medium or higher within a ½ mile of an existing CTtransit New Haven route. This means that the CTtransit New Haven system is doing a good job, for the most part, of providing transit where it is needed. Only four block groups had scores of Medium that were not within a ½ mile buffer of an existing transit route. These block groups are in Shelton, Ansonia, and Cheshire. The transit scores for these four census blocks are between 1.04 and 1.80, which are low-end scores within the lowest transit score proposed for service expansion. Of these outlier census block groups, Cheshire had the highest (1.80) ranked census block group, followed by Ansonia (1.61), and Shelton (1.44 and 1.04). It is important to stress that transit propensity maps offer a high-level assessment of transit demand and further analysis is required when considering service expansion. 7.7 Proposed New Development In response to increased population and New Development Highlight: employment growth, several new land use developments are planned within CTtransit Amazon Distribution Center New Haven’s core service area. The City of Coming to North Haven New Haven and the Economic Development Corporation of New Haven provided • Located at the “Pratt & Whitney” information on proposed residential, mixed- warehouse distribution site at 415 use, institutional, commercial, and Washington Ave, North Haven, C.T. recreational developments. Most of these (mentioned in Figure 22). proposed developments are along existing CTtransit New Haven routes as noted in • Estimates 1,800 new jobs at the Figure 22. These attractors may have the new warehouse facility. potential to increase bus boardings and • Currently served by CTtransit New alightings at these locations and should be Haven’s C North Haven route on considered for improved bus stop comfort weekdays and Saturday and and convenience. CTtransit New Haven D Grand Ave route on Sunday (infrequent service).

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igure 22: New and Proposed Development in the City of New Haven and Surrounding Municipalities

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8 Study Outreach

8.1 Public and Stakeholder Engagement The Phase 1 outreach for this study builds upon New Haven’s previous public outreach efforts that were conducted in the summer of 2014. At that time, New Haven held four public information meetings, in-person outreach at bus stops, and an on-line survey to gather input on the bus service needs of the New Haven community. The New Haven community was given the opportunity to comment on the quality of current transit service, transit needs, or deficiencies. A total of 260 online and 46 paper responses were received in the 2014 survey outreach. The following provides an overview of the comments30: > 28% of respondents reported that they rely on public transit as their primary means of transportation. > “More frequent service,” “more evening and weekend service,” and “more available route information” emerged as a priority for improving the bus system. > 68% of respondents thought the New Haven community would support bus rapid transit, light rail, or streetcar service. 26% were unsure. Only 6% said “no”.

30 2014 New Haven Alternatives Analysis, Prepared for City of New Haven

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In the Fall of 2016, the Phase 1 outreach for this study was initiated to inform and seek community input from residents, business owners, educational institutions, community groups, and public officials with a process designed to maximize inclusiveness and build consensus. Two public engagement meetings and one Stakeholder and Community Engagement Committee meetings were held. In addition, survey outreach was conducted in-person and on-line for a total of more than 800 survey responses (not a statistical sample). A website and social media outreach was also used. This Phase 1 collaborative process ensured that the public and stakeholders had (and will have moving forward) opportunity to know and understand the study process and scope, to comment on the study as it progresses, and to feel confident that their concerns and ideas have been heard. Many approaches were used to let people know what was happening throughout Phase 1 of the study, and there will be a variety of opportunities for discussion, comment, and relevant input continuing in Phase 2. Committees and Stakeholder Engagement To engage active and interested stakeholders and ensure open communication for input and advice, the following committees were organized and met during Phase 1 of the study:

> Technical Management Committee comprised of representatives from the City of New Haven, the Greater New Haven Transit District (GNHTD), Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) and South Central Council of Governments (SCCOG). Meetings were held to facilitate the Study, to assess Study tasks completed so far, and to receive input on Phase 1 findings. > Stakeholder Committee with broad representation from various agencies, city departments, non-profits, institutions and major employers. In the first Stakeholder meeting held at 10AM on January 5th, 2017, special interest groups such as Workforce Alliance, the City of New Haven’s Disability Services Department, and the Kennedy Center attended, as well as institutional and employer representation from the Yale Office of Sustainability, Yale New Haven Hospital, Science Park Development Corporation, Elm City Cycling, Economic Development Corporation of New Haven, and DataHaven participated. Approximately 30 people attended the meeting. The meeting provided an overview of the Move New Haven Transit Mobility Study, the Study’s outreach process and schedule, role of the stakeholder committee, peer review, and an open discussion about the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities of the CTtransit New Haven system. Table 44 outlines the perceived strengths, weaknesses, and

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opportunities generated from the discussion. In some cases, a strength could also be a weakness. For example, the system’s good coverage or “it goes everywhere” is good for accessing multiple destinations around the region even if the ridership is not high, yet the downside is reduced reliability and frequency of the system overall as resources need to be spread out to support the system. Table 44: Perceived Strengths, Weaknesses, and Opportunities of the CTtransit New Haven Transit System from the January 5th, 2017 Stakeholder Meeting

Strengths “historical system with presence” Well subscribed usage It goes everywhere Designed to meet demands (receptive to requests) New technology coming Bike racks provided on buses Consistent service Reasonable cost Community and political support Reliability (some lines) CTtransit New Haven provides jobs (Bus operators, dispatchers, etc.) Weaknesses Disconnect between jobs and routes, can’t fill jobs due to lack and quality of transportation It goes everywhere Little opportunity to integrate and change the system Share the road – rules of the road – safety Fare is too high for some Takes a long time – many transfers Limits people’s choices for jobs, span of service Lack of 24/7 service Lack of effective snow removal at bus stops Bus bunching (inconsistent headways and reliability) Lack of driver community interaction training Opportunities Provide reserved wheelchair spot on bus at all times Connect routes to today’s jobs Focus development on transit Better intermodal connections Rethink the “hub” and spoke Upgrade traffic lights for transit Less and less people use apps on phones. Can real-time information (in the future) be at the bus stops? Education – travel training Connected smart cards

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> Community Engagement Committee (CEC) meetings, comprised of representatives from each of New Haven’s community districts, were held throughout Phase 1 of the Study. All of the bus study meetings were held from 6PM-8PM at the New Haven Free Public Library at the downtown New Haven Green and were open to the public. Three CEC meetings took place during Phase 1 of the Study with an additional three planned for Phase 2 of the Study. The CEC meetings provided information about the Study’s progress, survey outreach, and data analysis in Phase 1. CEC participants and the public were given the opportunity to provide feedback on the CTtransit New Haven system and were asked to raise awareness about the Move New Haven Transit Mobility Study and encourage them to tell their community districts about the Study’s survey and website. > CTtransit planners, bus drivers, supervisors, and dispatchers were also consulted as a separate engagement effort to gain “first-hand” bus operations feedback as well as information on service planning bus fleet, bus stops, and bus driver satisfaction. Bus drivers provided anecdotal comments on specific routes that they picked to talk about. The comments listed may reflect an individual bus driver or dispatcher’s feedback and not a consensus among all CTtransit staff at the meeting: J4 Waterbury Route: The J4 currently goes to the Waterbury Green and traverses within Waterbury for approximately five miles from the border of Waterbury to the Waterbury Green. A CTtransit bus driver recommended ending the Waterbury route at the border of Waterbury to connect with the CTtransit Waterbury service. There was a recommendation for a transit hub/transfer point to the CTtransit Waterbury system at a commuter lot in Waterbury. Reactions to this recommendation included inconvenience to riders with a transfer. Also, there may not be capacity on the buses for a second seat ride. Additional feedback on the J4 to Waterbury are provided below: . The J4 currently picks up riders in Waterbury who would otherwise be using CTtransit Waterbury service. . It’s difficult to keep schedule when picking up CTtransit Waterbury riders within Waterbury. . The J4 used to be an express within Waterbury. There was support for reintroducing the express service. . Buses are packed and there is bus bunching on the J4 in the Waterbury area. . Bus riders sometimes cannot differentiate between the CTtransit Waterbury and the CTtransit New Haven buses.

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. Anecdotal feedback that articulated buses break down because of hills near Waterbury was provided. . Headways are over 60 minutes on the J4 on Saturdays. D-Dixwell Ave Route: The D-Dixwell route has too many bus stops. “There are an estimated 40 bus stops from downtown New Haven to Hamden Plaza.” Anecdotal observations from bus drivers stated there are more outbound bus stops and less inbound. Recommend rethinking the placement of bus stops since they are close together and to better accommodate articulated buses. This would imply longer walking distances to the bus stop for some customers. In addition, a dispatcher commented that there are several variations on the D-Dixwell Ave Route that are confusing to some customers. D-Grand Ave Route: General comments for the D-Grand Ave Route included bus bunching issues within New Haven, conflicts with cars parked at bus stops, and bus customer confusion with the different route variations along the D-Grand Ave Route, specifically the D12 and D13 to Bella Vista. C-North Haven Route: There was a recommendation to simplify the C- North Haven Route variations due to confusion with several express and fixed-route services along the C-North Haven. The CTtransit staff meeting also included a discussion of the following topics: > Downtown New Haven Green transfer system and bus stops. > Lack of bus stop signs in some areas. > Bus stop pull-in and bus stop pull-out access such as issues of parked cars at bus stops. > The City of New Haven’s no-parking enforcement at bus stops initiative. > Observed congestion pinch-points that affect bus reliability such as Gateway Community College on Church St. in New Haven and routes proximate to the University of New Haven in West Haven. > Weekend operation and reliability issues such as difficulties meeting scheduled time-points due to limited frequent headways and consolidation of routes. Anecdotal feedback claimed there is not enough layover time for bus drivers on weekends for some routes. In addition, infrequent buses on the weekends implies long transfer time waits for bus customers. In response, bus drivers will hold the bus for transferring riders with the knowledge that the next bus may not be for another 60 minutes, which can affect meeting time-points. > Perceived low-ridership routes.

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> Crosstown route opportunities such as an Ella Grasso Blvd. route was recommended by one bus driver. > Bus driver comfort, safety, and training such as a rest area for bus drivers at the Downtown New Haven Green, especially at night and early in the morning when retail and institutions are closed. One CTtransit employee recommended eliminating the sales booth at the downtown New Haven Green and replacing it with a break room and private bathroom for bus drivers.

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Branding and Display Material for Public Engagement

Public Engagement To engage a large cross-section of the public, various engagement techniques have been employed to keep the public involved and informed for during Phase 1 of the study. Similar techniques are anticipated to support the Phase 2 efforts. In the Fall of 2016, Phase 1 involved two public engagement events and a variety of survey methods (not a statistical sample). Phase 2 will involve two virtual public meetings

109 | Study Outreach Transit Mobility Study and an education campaign. A project-dedicated website, Facebook, and Twitter account are being used in both phases. These outreach approaches involve the public in a meaningful way and enables the public to participate in the Study when they have the time, rather than at a prescribed time and place. At the summation of Phase 1’s public outreach, the Project Team compiled a list of more than 100 individuals who attended the public meetings and provided comments on the Study’s website.

November 2nd, 2016 Stetson Branch Library Public Meeting

Fall 2016 Public Engagement Events (Phase 1) To engage as much of the community as possible, one public engagement event was held on October 26th, 2016 at New Haven’s Downtown Farmer’s Market next to the ‘New Haven Green’. The second public engagement event occurred on November 2nd, 2016 at the Stetson Branch Library. This “take the project to the people” approach garnered engagement from a diverse set of the New Haven population as it linked

110 | Study Outreach Transit Mobility Study the public outreach event to another community gathering. The events were staffed and provided the following materials: > Study fact sheets with project banding > Sign-in sheets with project branding > Informational boards and maps with project branding to engage the public > Surveys in both English and Spanish

To engage the public in a meaningful way, three interactive boards were provided in addition to the in-person surveys, at the two public engagement events. The first board asked, “How do you travel on CTtransit?” above a map of Greater New Haven. Participants were asked to provide a blue dot where they live and a red dot where they travel to most often. The second board asked “Which CTtransit improvements would be most important to you?”, where attendees placed a dot on the two transit improvements they felt were most important. Lastly, the third board asked, “How would you improve your CTtransit ride?” with a list of service planning improvements to pick from, which highlighted the “balancing act” that transit planners often grapple with when making changes to a transit system. For example, participants chose between “frequent service with transfers” or “no transfers but less frequent service”. Another example was “longer walks to frequent service” or “shorter walks to infrequent service”.

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Approximately 20 people placed dots on the public engagement boards. Based on the dot placement on the boards, meeting attendees to the two public engagement events who participated in the engagement boards, provided the following feedback on transit improvements: > More inter-modal hubs (in addition to the New Haven Green) to allow more direct routing > Bus stop improvements such as shelters, lighting, and seating > Real time information on your cell phone to let you know when the bus is arriving > Frequent service with transfers, as opposed to no transfers but less frequent service > Longer walks to frequent service, as opposed to shorter walks to infrequent service > Buses come more often during peaks (7AM-10AM and 4PM-7PM), as opposed to buses come more often in the middle of the day > More nighttime service, as opposed to more daytime service

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Website and Social Media (Phase 1) A Study website and social media platform are effective ways to enhance public participation efforts. It ensures a clear, open, and transparent study process among a wider audience throughout the process. This Study includes a project website (www.movenewhaven.com), Facebook, and Twitter account that has been updated throughout Phase 1 to convey updates such as notices about public meetings, and deliverables. The website and social media follows the study’s progress, advertises meetings, provides access to meeting minutes and documents, current schedule information, and allows the public to make comments and ask questions. The following provides a highlight of the 42 comments received from the website at the completion of Phase 1 of this Study: Headways and Span of Service: > Buses don’t run frequently enough to compel a choice rider to ride. Walking and biking can be faster. > Recommend shorter headways so the bus comes more often. (Not specific on which routes.) > Improve headways during rush hour. For example, there are 40 minute headways for the Q-Edgewood Ave route to the Westville neighborhood in New Haven. Recommend 20 minute or shorter headways. > Improve the D-Dixwell Ave route headways from Hamden to New Haven from 8AM-10AM

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> Increase evening and weekend buses to support people traveling to and from work at non 9AM to 5PM hours. > Improve shuttle service to and from Union Station. > The bus does not adequately serve the Westville neighborhood in New Haven on evenings. Coordinated Connections: > Recommend coordinated connections with rail service at Union Station on the J-Kimberly Ave route on weekends (from the downtown New Haven Green). Transfers/Transit Hub/Bus Stops: > Consider moving CTtransit New Haven’s bus hub away from the downtown New Haven Green. > Reconsider CTtransit New Haven’s hub and spoke to the downtown New Haven Green. (“It's impossible to go to the next neighborhood without a long ride to the center and back.” – website comment) > Connect buses with new outer ring buses so that riders don't have to go to the downtown New Haven Green to transfer. > Label bus stops with maps, schedules, and fare information (not only real-time information). Quality of Service: > Provide a wheelchair accessible transit link between New Haven and Middletown. > CTtransit New Haven schedules are unreliable and bus stops are too close together. (Referred to the Washington DC circulator as an example of a limited bus stop improvement.) > Buses need to run on-time. Service Coverage: > Provide transit service to and from Bradley International Airport. > Integrate Yale and other university buses to desegregate the bus system and increases resources to a system that benefits the whole city. > Connect people to jobs and housing in surrounding towns, such as teens and adults that must travel to the strip malls to find jobs that no longer exist in New Haven.

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> Increase bus frequency to the United Community Nursery School at Temple and Wall Streets during evenings and Saturdays to help parents drop their child off at the nursery school. > Provide express transit routes to the Yale University campus and Union Station. > Expand the Z-Sargent Ave route service span for individuals who get out of work after 8:30PM in the Long Wharf neighborhood. Fares: > Increase ridership rather than increase fares for seniors Non-Bus Related Comments: > Recommend an entire network of protected bike infrastructure, with bike safety in mind, for the City of New Haven. Make bike riders obey traffic rules. > Provide more Metro-North train service between NYC and New Haven at the State Street Station. > Improve street lighting for pedestrian safety. Of all the comments received in the previous and current Phase 1 outreach, the following topics related to CTtransit New Haven were the most consistently commented upon: > Headways > Span of Service (including weekends) > Reliability 8.2 Survey Outreach In the Fall of 2016, a non-statistical travel survey of CTtransit and Yale bus riders and non-riders was undertaken as part of the Phase 1 outreach for the Move New Haven Transit Mobility Study to better understand the travel patterns of riders and the reasons why people choose not to ride. Over 800 on-line, paper, and in-person surveys were filled out. Questions included how often and from/to where do you travel by CTtransit New Haven; which routes they use; and are they required to make a transfer to complete their trip. The surveys were available in both English and Spanish: > In-Person Bus Stop Survey: During the first public engagement event on October 26th, 2016, in-person survey outreach was conducted at bus stops adjacent to the downtown New Haven Green to engage riders in a short survey (not a statistical sample) focused on

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how they use the bus and transfer activity. Study Team staff conducted surveys at bus stops via hand-held tablets over an 8-hour period, including at least one peak period. > On-Line Survey: Slightly modified ‘New Haven Green’ surveys were available for online response. The surveys were advertised on the Move New Haven social media outlets (www.movenewhaven.com, twitter, and Facebook), partner websites, interior of CTtransit New Haven buses, a November 2nd twitter blast by the Mayor of New Haven, the December 1st New Haven tree lighting, participating libraries, and at Community Engagement Committee meetings. Flyers advertising the survey included QR codes. > Paper Survey: Drop boxes with project branding were set up at three libraries (New Haven Free Public Library, Fair Haven Branch Library, and Stetson Branch Library) for the public to fill-out paper surveys at their convenience over a two-month period. The public was also given the opportunity to fill-out paper surveys at the December 1st New Haven Tree Lighting, Bella Vista Senior Center, C-Town Fair Haven grocery store and C-Town The Hill grocery stores in early December. Of the 800 collected surveys, 683 were accepted as complete and were included in the survey analysis. The survey was not a statistically designed or applied survey and thus the sample of survey respondents was highly dependent upon the areas where the survey was administered and advertised. As such, the survey results do not provide a statistical representation of the Greater New Haven District or the entire CTtransit New Haven system. The results provide insight into the travel behaviors, patterns and opinions of the sample collected, which can complement the primary data driven approach of this Study, if commonalities between the two approaches are found. Survey Summary Seventy-nine percent (79%) of survey participant’s origins and destinations were within New Haven, which has the highest ridership bus stops within the transit system. In addition, the highest ridership bus route (D-route) was the most popular route, among survey respondents, when asked “Which bus route do you typically use?”. The municipalities with the next highest number of bus stops in the region, excluding New Haven, are Hamden and West Haven, which were the second and third highest origins and destinations of the survey respondents. The number of bus transfers by CTtransit New Haven riders is not provided by CTtransit New Haven data. Due to only one transfer hub at the Downtown New Haven Green and the lack of a crosstown connection, it was assumed that a significant number of riders transfer to reach their

116 | Study Outreach Transit Mobility Study destinations. Only 31% of survey respondents reported however that they typically use two or more buses to complete their trip. Consistent with expectations, the bus rider survey respondents primarily use CTtransit New Haven service to access jobs (44%) with trip frequency that is typical for a 5-day work schedule (36%), which re-emphasizes the importance of CTtransit New Haven’s role in providing access to jobs. As the region’s employment grows, CTtransit New Haven’s services will play a critical supporting role. Forty-five percent (45%) of bus riders who responded to the survey claimed a household income of less than $29,999. Contrast this income with 38% of non-bus rider survey responses who claimed they make more than $100,000 in household income. Not surprisingly, the non-bus riders had higher levels of household ownership and a greater number of drivers in the household, and responded to the “Why don’t you ride the bus?” survey question with “I prefer driving”, “Buses do not go where I want to go”, and “I don’t know where the buses go or how to use them” 8.3 Peer Agency Review As part of the Phase 1 data collection of the Move New Haven Transit Mobility Study, a benchmark analysis of three transit provider agencies (as noted below) was conducted to provide context for the CTtransit New Haven system and to assess potential strategies employed in those cities for applicability to CTtransit New Haven. A more detailed analysis of the three systems is provided as an Appendix to this technical report. > Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide) – Ann Arbor, Michigan > Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO) – Houston, Texas > Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) – Providence, Rhode Island Providence and Ann Arbor were chosen due to a somewhat similar population size and employment base among the three cities, presence of a significant university or institutional presence, as well as transit system similarities such as a downtown transit hub, radial system connection, and/or connection to commuter rail and Amtrak. It’s interesting to note that Providence almost matches New Haven’s land area and median household income. Both systems are also owned by the state they serve.

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At first glance, Houston looks like an outlier peer agency within the group. Although Houston’s population, employment base, and land area is much larger than New Haven, it was selected because of its recent introduction of a New Bus Network service expansion at a relatively minimal cost increase. In contrast to its dissimilarity, Houston has a household poverty rate and medium household income that fits within Ann Arbor and Providence’s rates.

Table 45: Peer Transit Agency Demographics Comparison to New Haven31

Employment Land Median Household (In Labor Area (Sq. Household without Household Location Population Force) Miles) Income Car in Poverty New Haven 130,553 67,841 18.68 $37,508 28.5% 26.4% Peer Ann Arbor 115,985 62,955 27.83 $56,835 13% 22.6% Agency Providence 178,562 92,038 18.40 $37,514 19% 29.7% Cities Houston 2,167,988 1,140,523 599.59 $45,728 10% 22.9%

31 2014 U.S. Census Bureau

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In addition to a high-level review of each system, phone interviews were conducted with lead staff involved in transit service planning at each transit agency. The information gleaned in these phone interviews provided invaluable information regarding new or innovative approaches to improve transit service delivery, promote transit usage, and better link communities, large institutions, and key employer corridors. Key takeaways from the peer agency review of agency plans and phone interviews can be found in the Appendix to this report. A highlight of some of the key-takeaways are below: > All three transit agencies have implemented recent system-wide route restructuring that CTtransit New Haven can learn from. This includes service improvements to expand transit linkages to new locations. > Extensive public outreach and elected official buy-in was important for all three agencies’ system-wide restructuring. > Ann Arbor has implemented, and Providence is in the midst of planning, the reinvention of their downtown transit hub. > All three agencies have partnerships with local universities and community colleges to provide lower-fare or free bus service to students, staff, and/or faculty. > Faster bus service, including bus rapid transit features, have been employed by all three transit agencies. > Ann Arbor implemented Automated Vehicle Identification (AVI) and Automated Passenger Count (APC) technology as early as 1997 with several lessons learned on developing user-friendly “Live Maps” and real-time information for customers. > Houston provides a “Next Bus Text” service with real time bus arrival information and on-line interactive service map for bus customers. > All three agencies have improved their time-table information and maps to reduce confusion among bus customers who are new to the system. Overall, the efforts in these three cities (and many others) indicate that it is possible, with the cooperation of stakeholders and the public, to re- vision and refresh an entire transit system to better meet the current and future needs of a region. In all three cases, the transit providers felt that incremental service changes could no longer provide the type and magnitude of system change that was necessary to serve current needs or to provide a strong foundation for their region or city’s economic growth. While the objectives of at least two of the agencies (METRO and RIPTA) were to provide the necessary changes without an increase in operating costs, in the end increases were required. Additionally, while all three agencies focused on increasing ridership, many other factors

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(including the low cost of gasoline) have tempered ridership increases. However, in all instances, the improvements are expected to have long- term benefits. Incremental modifications since implementation have helped the system adapt to the results and keep the service targeted and fresh.

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9 Summary of Phase 1 Analysis

As the second highest ridership transit system in Connecticut, CTtransit New Haven plays an important role in connecting residents to jobs, recreation and educational opportunities within the Greater New Haven region. Nearly 10 million passengers use the transit system annually. Within the 20-municipality CTtransit New Haven service area, New Haven is the primary focus of trip-making with more than 70% of average weekday boardings. This is a function of New Haven’s strong transit- supportive demographics, its growth, and the overall structure of the CTtransit New Haven system. The New Haven Green is the focal point of most routes and service is oriented inbound and outbound to/from this primary hub, which forces transfers for cross-regional travel. Four additional municipalities comprise the core of the CTtransit New Haven service area including Hamden, North Haven, West Haven and East Haven. Together with New Haven, this core service area delivers 92% of the system’s boardings. A few additional municipalities have one or two high ridership nodes, such as the CT Post Mall in Milford, but fail to provide consistently high ridership at multiple locations. Overall, the system provides good coverage to the geographies most likely to support the use of transit. A market analysis shows that for the

121 | Summary of Phase 1 Analysis Transit Mobility Study most part the system is proximate to new development and expected growth. However, as this report describes, the system has struggled to provide effective service throughout the region with many routes performing poorly while well performing routes are reaching their maximum effectiveness. Fluctuating ridership, high costs, and mixed perceptions of the system by customers and stakeholders have resulted. Supplemental transit systems have developed within the region to compensate in part for the CTtransit system’s short-comings and to provide a business-focused control over transit customer service delivery. These supplemental, private shuttle systems and routes overlay the core system public routes, resulting in duplicative expenditures for service and increased traffic. However, their ability to attract their constituents to private shuttles reduces businesses dependence upon auto access and reduces the need for parking within the urban service area. 9.1 Summary of System Infrastructure The CTtransit New Haven system operates on the regional and local roadway network with buses operating in mixed traffic. The buses also operate without traffic signal priority and thus must wait in queues at downtown intersections, which extend bus travel times and could result in the reliability issues reported by some system riders. With a single downtown hub at the New Haven Green, bus riders are forced to transfer to complete cross-town trips and riders are forced downtown even if their travel does not require a downtown visit. While the hub is effective in allowing for connections the concentration of buses and pedestrians accessing stops makes it even more difficult to traverse for buses. Without any data available to measure on-time performance, reliability issues are only known through information reported through community outreach. However, some facts such as the age of the system fleet and the incidence of bus breakdowns, support the public dialogue of system failures and reliability issues. These infrastructure conditions are typical of older urban systems that have organically expanded without a specified plan. Modern systems such as those researched in the peer review for this study include bus priority measures, multiple transfer hubs or direct routings, and state-of- the-industry fleets (in addition to diversified service offerings such as local, limited and express routes). Modern systems also include new technologies to improve customer service and system perception such as the provision of real-time bus arrival information and smart-phone fare payment and other expedited fare/boarding systems.

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While the City of New Haven is planning for new infrastructure in their downtown, new buses will soon be delivered to improve the reliability of the CTtransit New Haven fleet, and new technologies have been recently introduced to the system to improve the customer experience, a coordinated plan is necessary to make best use of these investments and to plan for additional bus-supportive infrastructure. As reported earlier in this report, the CTtransit New Haven system is not intended to provide feeder connections (except for the Union Station Shuttle and Commuter Connection route) to other transit systems or modes. The ability to do so today is only coincidental. However, modern systems embrace multi-modal connections to improve usage of all systems and the CTtransit system should consider opportunities to improve connectivity. This includes improved connectivity to non-transit systems such as bicycle and pedestrian networks and even coordination with private shuttles. 9.2 Summary of System Performance The performance analysis conducted as part of this study details a system that has few well performing routes. Despite being afflicted by multiple route variations (in a system where 15 routes have 90 variations), inconsistent spans of service, and inconsistent headways, there are two routes that are the effective work-horses of the system: the D route (comprised of D-Dixwell Ave and D-Grand Ave) and the B route (comprised of B-Whalley Ave and B-Congress Ave). These two routes attract 62% of the system’s ridership, with the remaining ridership (38%) distributed across thirteen additional routes and two public shuttles.

What sets these routes apart are their long operating periods (18+ hours) with short headways (as short as a bus every 5 minutes). When compared with other system routes that extend as far as Waterbury the B and D routes are compact; operating primarily within the core service area. These factors enable users of these routes to reliably complete round trips with short total trip times. Accordingly, the B and D routes perform at the top of the system for all performance metrics (including costs per rider) except for two metrics (bus stop spacing and peak/off-peak loading). For bus stop spacing the routes exceed the metric of 4 bus stops per mile with some segments exceeding 9 stops per mile. This is not surprising since virtually every route in the system exceeds this metric. Numerous bus stops on high ridership routes slow the bus travel time for all users and only nominally expand accessibility. Additionally, the B and D routes have periods of passenger crowding with as many as 1.71 riders per seat in the peak (vs. the metric of 1.3) and 1.11 riders in the off-peak (vs. the metric of 1.0). Bus crowding not only impacts passenger comfort it also affects bus

123 | Summary of Phase 1 Analysis Transit Mobility Study boarding and alighting, which extends bus stop dwell time and lengthens overall travel time. Crowding indicates a need to examine bus scheduling and fleet assignment. For the remaining routes, most exhibit sufficient performance. However, there are a few routes whose performance fails multiple standards. These include the C-North Haven, J-Whitney Ave, L-North Branford, S-Madison, 55x CT Flyer and the Commuter Connection Shuttle. Some of these routes are plagued by short spans of service (12 hours or less), multiple variations (C-North Haven has 9), long headways (as long as a bus every 2 hours on the S-Madison) and long routings (C-North Haven and L- Branford). The operating costs per rider are especially high for these routes with the L-North Branford costing more than 6 times as much per rider as the most cost-effective route (D-Dixwell). Additionally, poor loading per revenue mile plagues these routes with some routes going long distances without a single boarding. Accordingly, ridership on these routes is low. Table 46 highlights data results from the Bus Performance Evaluation supplemented by some metrics from the Existing Conditions and Market Analysis sections of this report. Route and schedule design supplemented by infrastructure improvements are critical to unlocking the key for balanced system of well performing routes. Routes with high performance require additional investment to maintain or even further improve their effectiveness. Poor performing routes require adjustments to either improve effectiveness or consensus amongst the system’s stakeholders about the purpose or need for routes that may not be focused on performance but rather regional coverage.

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Table 46: CTtransit New Haven System Evaluation

Service Standard Criteria Purpose Evaluation of Criteria

CTtransit New Haven has good ½ mile service Assess existing bus coverage inclusion of census block groups with route service coverage high density of population, employment, and zero Transit and identify areas car households. In addition, key shopping centers propensity where new bus service and grocers within Greater New Haven are all (see Chapter 7) may be warranted. within a ½ mile of transit service. All educational institutions that employ more than 500 employees are within a 1/2 mile of bus service as well.

Used in siting of new Bus stop About ½ of the CTtransit New Haven routes have bus stops and spacing more than the benchmark performance metric of evaluation of existing (see Chapter 5) 4 bus stops per mile. bus stop spacing.

Assess resource

Route Design allocation within the transit system, The B-Route, D-Route, and J-Route have the Route including impact on highest number of route variations. Each of these Variations headways, span of 3 routes, have 14 to 15 route variations for (see Chapter 3) service, and the inbound and outbound. dominant full-time route pattern.

The downtown New Haven Green is the only hub Used for service in the CTtransit New Haven system. High ridership convenience, reduced bus stops outside of the New Haven Green that Transit Hubs operating costs, and are serviced by multiple routes suggests (see Chapter 3) increased visibility of additional transit hubs would benefit the system. the system. The 2005 and 2008 regional transit studies recommended locations for additional hubs.

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Service Standard Criteria Purpose Evaluation of Criteria

Used in determining Overcrowding is occurring predominately during Load factors & service levels based on the non-peak AM and PM periods on nine of the headways ridership demand and CTtransit New Haven routes. Buses that come (see Chapter 5) whether shorter more often can reduce overcrowding. The B and

headways are needed D routes are overcrowded in the peak.

Data analysis shows that none of the routes have Used in determining load factors for the first and last runs of the day hours of service, based that exceeds the benchmark performance metric

Schedule DesignSchedule Span of on ridership during of 1.0 (non-peak hour) or 1.3 (peak hour) service the first and last hours passengers for every seat on the bus. However, (see Chapter 5) of service on the public feedback during the engagement process route. has consistently cited the need for increased spans of service.

Used in evaluating J-Whitney Ave, C-North Haven, S-Madison, L- efficiency of routes Passenger North Branford, and Commuter Connection based on revenue trips per Shuttle routes have less than the benchmark miles (a useful revenue mile performance metric of less than 2 passenger trips counterpart to (see Chapter 5) per revenue mile and should be considered for

passenger trips per service improvements. revenue hour.)

Used in evaluating oute Productivity

R efficiency of route Commuter Connection Shuttle and L-North Passenger based on revenue Branford routes have less than the benchmark trips per hours (a useful performance metric of less than 20 passenger revenue hour counterpart to trips per revenue hour and should be considered (see Chapter 5) passenger trips per for service improvements. revenue mile).

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Service Standard Criteria Purpose Evaluation of Criteria

Helps quantify the The S-Madison, 55x CT Post Flyer, L-North benefits and costs of a Branford and Commuter Connection Shuttle Operating transit system when routes have the highest cost per rider of the cost per rider adding additional routes in the system. These routes have costs per (see Chapter 5) variables such as the rider more than 2.5 times that of the best number of passengers financially performing route (B-Whalley Ave). that ride each route.

Used in evaluating C-North Haven, S-Madison, Commuter Estimated fare how much fare Connection Shuttle, 55x, L-North Branford, and box recovery revenue covers the the Union Station Shuttle have fare box recovery (see Chapter 5) cost of providing ratios in the bottom 60th percentile of the agency’s

Route Productivity service. average.

Average Used in evaluating CTtransit New Haven’s system-wide average distance overall fleet availability distance between failures falls below the statewide between for revenue service. average. Although, it is assumed that the addition failures of 87 new 40 foot buses in 2017 and 2018 will (see Chapter 5) reduce failures.

Used in evaluating

Service Delivery Fleet average overall fleet CTtransit New Haven will receive 87 new 40 foot age performance and its buses in 2017 and 2018. (see Chapter 5) availability for revenue service.

Public Engagement Beyond the data-driven evaluation of the CTtransit New Haven system, the Study team engaged the public throughout the Fall of 2016 with in- person public engagement, a Community Engagement Committee, and stakeholder meetings. Social media, website, and a survey was also used to gain feedback about the bus experience for both current riders and to

127 | Summary of Phase 1 Analysis Transit Mobility Study ask non-riders why they are currently not riding the bus. Common themes among non-bus riders who were open to the idea of taking a bus, responded with the perception of “buses do not go where I want to go” and “I don’t know where the buses go or how to use them”. Current bus riders, stakeholders and members of the public highlighted: > the lack of bus reliability > inadequate service in the evenings and weekends > the inefficiency of a singular transit hub at the Downtown New Haven Green > a need for new or improved service to specific destinations such as Union Station, Westville, Yale University, Bradley International Airport, malls, and community centers With input from both public feedback and the data driven evaluation of the CTtransit New Haven system, the Move New Haven Transit Mobility Study will progress to Phase 2 of this Study. CTtransit New Haven’s current route and schedule design, as well as route productivity, and service delivery, combined with public feedback, will inform the recommendations developed in Phase 2

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