10-04-16REG10.Pdf
AGENDA ITEM 10 ST. JOHNS COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Deadline for Submission - Wednesday 9 a.m. – Thirteen Days Prior to BCC Meeting
10/4/2016 BCC MEETING DATE
TO: Michael D. Wanchick, County Administrator DATE: September 1, 2016
FROM: Phong Nguyen, Transportation Division Manager PHONE: 904 209-0613
SUBJECT OR TITLE: Approval of the St. Johns County 2016 Transit Development Plan
AGENDA TYPE: Business Item, Resolution
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
As a recipient of Block Grant funding from the Florida Department of Transportation we are required to develop and maintain a Transit Development Plan. This is a 10 year plan that establishes a strategic focus and mission to guide the development of the St. Johns County public transportation system. The plan must be updated yearly with a major update once every 5 years. For this year a major update was required. We are requesting the 2016 St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners approve this major update which will cover a ten year period from 2017 through 2026.
1. IS FUNDING REQUIRED? No 2. IF YES, INDICATE IF BUDGETED. No IF FUNDING IS REQUIRED, MANDATORY OMB REVIEW IS REQUIRED: INDICATE FUNDING SOURCE:
SUGGESTED MOTION/RECOMMENDATION/ACTION:
Motion to adopt Resolution 2016-______, Approving the St. Johns County 2016 Transit Development plan and authorizing the County Administrator or his designated representative to execute any other related documents and take any other actions necessary in connection with the submittal of the Transit Development Plan to the Florida Department of Transportation.
For Administration Use Only: Legal: RL 9/20/2016 OMB: N/A Admin: DML 9/21/2016
Growth Management Department TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT DIVISION 2016 Transit Development Plan
To: Board of County Commissioners
From: Phong Nguyen, Transportation Development Manager
Date: September 12, 2016
Subject: Major update of the Transit Development Plan
Hearing dates: Board of County Commissioners – October 4, 2016
Commissioner District: All Districts
SUGGESTED MOTION/RECOMMENDATION/ACTION
Motion to adopt Resolution 2016-____ Approving the St. Johns County 2016 Transit Development plan and authorizing the County Administrator or his designated representative to execute any other related documents and take any other actions necessary in connection with the submittal of the Transit Development Plan to the Florida Department of Transportation.
Page 2 Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update
BACKGROUND:
Each transit agency in Florida that receives transit block grant funding is required to prepare a Transit Development Plan to ensure that the provisions of public transportation services are consistent with the travel needs and mobility goals of the local communities that are served by the system. The plan covers a ten-year period with a major update every five years, with minor updates in each of the interim years. This update is a major update which requires an approval by the Board of County Commissioners. The plan includes five elements.
PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
The public involvement plan is developed to receive input from the community. Input was collected from transit customers, agency stakeholders, elected officials, bus drivers, and the general public. This input was collected through meetings, phone calls, interviews and surveys. The results of this input fall into 2 categories; response from riders and responses from the public. Results from the public indicated significant support for public transportation within the community. Most agreed that effective public transportation is important for the economy and that public transportation should be improved to reduce congestion. The majority of respondents stated the biggest need for public transportation was in the St. Augustine/St. Augustine Beach area.
EVALUATION OF THE CURRENT SYSTEM
Service Description
Existing services include a fixed route system and a demand response/paratransit system. The fixed route system serves St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach, Vilano Beach, the Town of Hastings, Flagler Estates, the St. Augustine Outlet malls and the Avenues Mall in Jacksonville. These areas are serviced with 7 routes, operating 8 buses. Service hours are from 5:30 AM to 8:05 PM Monday through Saturday. The regular fare is $1.00 per trip, an all-day pass is $3.00 and a monthly pass is $30.00. A half fare is available on all fare prices to seniors, children under 6, persons with disabilities and students. Over the last 5 years the ridership has increased over 30%. In 2000, when the service was first introduced, ridership was 8,184. In 2015, the total ridership was 277,316.
The Demand Response/paratransit system provides service to those unable to use the fixed route system. Those served include the elderly, disabled, economically disadvantaged, children at risk and individuals with no other means of transportation. The hours of regular service are from 4 AM through 6:30 PM Monday thru Saturday. On some occasions service can be provided outside of regular hours. Most service is provided within the County but some out of County trips are provided, mainly to Jacksonville.
Population Profile
This population profile is based on the Northeast region of Florida to include Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties. St. Johns has the fastest growing population in Northeast Florida, at 3.7% annually. It is second in total population for Northeast Florida with Page 3 Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update
13.7% of the population; Duval is the largest with 56.3%. In 2014, the total population in the urban areas of St. Johns County was 158,093 with a total County population of 217,919. Note that federal funding for public transportation is based on the St. Augustine Urbanized area with a total population of 75,492 in 2014.
Population Density and Demographics
In the St. Augustine Urbanized area the greatest population densities are generally north and south of King Street, between Masters Dr. and SR A1A; the St. Augustine South area; east of Anastasia Blvd; near the Bridge of Lions; St. Augustine Beach south of SR 312 between SR A1A and A1A Beach Blvd.; and along SR A1A north of SR 206.
Employment Characteristics The highest concentrations of employment are within the St. Augustine Urbanized Area, generally along US 1 near King St. and near SR 312. There are 35 private companies with 100 or more employees, and 67% of those companies are within the St. Augustine Urbanized Area. Major public employers include St. Johns County, the St. Johns County Sheriff Office and the cities of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach.
Commuting Characteristics 80 % of workers drive alone 55% of County residents work within the County 40% of County residents commute to Duval County (59% of those workers live in Fruit Cove) ALTERNATIVES AND STRATEGIES
To attract new customers, the recommendation is to expand existing routes and add new routes. See map attached for existing and proposed routes. In the future, this will include more frequent service on weekdays and Sunday service. Specific route change recommendations include adding new service between St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach, and new service to the Outlet Mall/World Golf Village area.
Capital Improvements include vehicle replacement and expansion to support new routes, installation of bus shelters and amenities, and coordination with Jacksonville Transportation Authority to construct a park and ride and bus bay facility with amenities.
TEN-YEAR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN/FINANCIAL PLAN
The Transit Development Plan’s (TDP) financial strategy includes cost and revenue estimates for transit enhancements over the ten-year period of 2017-2026. Estimates represent order of magnitude estimated costs for both operating and capital improvements. Applying current service characteristics and anticipated revenues, the financial plan utilized a TDP financial planning tool developed by FDOT. The implementation of these service improvements will depend on actual funding availability, recommendations from the on-going comprehensive operations analysis, and actual service plans.
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Costs and revenues for the ten-year period: Revenues identified are based on information from County and COA staff for FY 2016 and FY 2017, and represent federal, state, and local sources. Total costs are approximately $52.3 million over the ten years. Revenues are estimated to be $35.1 million over the same time period, resulting in an estimated shortfall of $17.1 million in unfunded needs. The vast majority of unfunded needs are from increases in deviated fixed route service as well as maintaining demand response services.
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RESOLUTION NO. 2016-
A RESOLUTION BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF ST. JOHNS COUNTY, FLORIDA, APPROVING THE 2016 ST. JOHNS COUNTY TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT PLAN
WHEREAS, each recipient in Florida who receives State Block Grant funding for public transportation must prepare a ten year Transit Development Plan; and
WHEREAS, this 2016 Transit Development Plan establishes a strategic focus and mission for public transportation services and can serve as a guide in the future development of public transportation in St. Johns County; and
WHEREAS, this 2016 Transit Development Plan will cover fiscal years 2017 thru 2026; and
WHEREAS, the Transit Development Plan integrates transit goals and objectives with those of other adopted plans; and
WHEREAS, the Transit Development Plan is a yearly requirement with a major update required every fifth year; and
WHEREAS, the last major update, accomplished in 2011 for fiscal years 2012 thru 2021, was approved by Resolution 2011-238; and
WHEREAS, the Transit Development Plan meets the requirements set forth by the Florida Department of Transportation; and
WHEREAS, the Transit Development Plan was developed using public input from the analysis of community surveys and interviews with community leaders; and
WHEREAS, it is in the overall interests of St. Johns County to approve the Transit Development Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of St. Johns County authorizes the County Administrator or his designated representative to execute any other related documents and take any other actions necessary in connection with the submittal of the Transit Development Plan to the Florida Department of Transportation.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioner of St. Johns County, Florida, that:
1. The above recitals are incorporated by reference into the body of this Resolution, and such Recitals are adopted as Findings of Fact. 2. The Board of County Commissioners of St. Johns County, Florida approves the 2016 St. Johns County Transit Development Plan as presented. 3. The Board of County Commissioners of St. Johns County authorizes the County Administrator or his designated representative to execute any other related documents and take any other actions necessary in connection with the submittal of the Transit Development Plan to the Florida Department of Transportation. 4. To the extent that there are typographical or administrative errors that do not change the tenor, or concept of this Resolution, then this Resolution may be revised without the subsequent approval of the Board of County Commissioners.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of St. Johns County, State of Florida, this 4th day of October 2016.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF ST. JOHNS COUNTY, FLORIDA
By:______Jeb S. Smith, Chair
ATTEST: Hunter S. Conrad, Clerk
By: ______Deputy Clerk
St. Johns County Transit Development Plan 2016 Major Update St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
DRAFT Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update
9/1/2016
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ...... 1 1.0 Introduction ...... 5 2.0 Public Involvement...... 9 2.1 Public Involvement Plan ...... 9 2.2 Elected Official and Stakeholder Input ...... 11 2.2.1 Elected Official Interviews ...... 11 2.2.2 Stakeholder Questionnaires...... 15 2.2.3 Stakeholder Group Meetings ...... 23 2.3 On-Board Transit Survey ...... 24 2.3.1 Description of Survey ...... 24 2.3.2 Survey Results ...... 24 2.4 Bus Driver and Staff Questionnaire ...... 37 2.4.1 Description ...... 37 2.4.2 Summary of Questionnaire Results ...... 37 2.5 Public Opinion Survey (Online Survey) ...... 40 2.5.1 Overview of Survey ...... 40 2.5.2 Online Survey Results ...... 40 2.6 Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Analysis ...... 42 2.7 Summary of Public Involvement ...... 43 3.0 Existing Service Area Conditions ...... 44 3.1 Transit Service Area ...... 44 3.2 Population Profile ...... 44 3.3 Population Density and Demographics ...... 47 3.3.1 Population Density ...... 47 3.3.2 Demographic Summary...... 47 3.4 Employment Density and Large Employers ...... 58 3.4.1 Employment Density ...... 58
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
3.4.2 Large Employers ...... 60 3.5 Commuting Characteristics and Patterns ...... 62 3.5.1 Means of Transportation to Work ...... 62 3.5.2 Place of Work ...... 62 3.5.3 Commuters from St. Johns County to Other Counties ...... 62 3.5.4 Commuters from Other Counties to St. Johns County ...... 62 3.5.5 Additional Commuting Patterns - St. Augustine and Jacksonville ...... 63 3.6 Tourism ...... 65 3.7 Major Destinations and Points of Interest ...... 66 3.8 Land Use, Development ...... 72 3.9 Existing Roadways ...... 72 3.10 Planned Transportation Improvements ...... 80 4.0 Existing Transit Services ...... 82 4.1 St. Johns County Public Transportation (Sunshine Bus) ...... 82 4.1.1 Description of Services ...... 82 4.1.2 Ridership Trends ...... 85 4.2 Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) Service ...... 86 4.3 Inter-County Transit Connections ...... 86 4.3.1 Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) ...... 86 4.3.2 Greyhound Connector/ Ride Solutions (Putnam County) ...... 87 4.3.3 Amtrak ...... 87 4.4 Private Carriers...... 87 4.5 Other Multimodal Transportation Opportunities ...... 87 5.0 Transit Performance Evaluation...... 88 5.1 Introduction ...... 88 5.2 Selection of Peer Transit Agencies ...... 88 5.3 Characteristics and Measures ...... 89 5.4 Fixed Route ...... 90 5.4.1 Service Characteristics ...... 90 5.4.2 Performance Measures ...... 95 ...... 96
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
...... 100 ...... 100 5.4.3 Fixed Route Performance Summary ...... 110 5.5 Demand Response ...... 112 5.5.1 Service Characteristics ...... 112 5.5.2 Performance Measures (Demand Response) ...... 115 5.5.3 Demand Response Performance Summary ...... 128 5.6 Performance Evaluation Summary ...... 130 5.6.1 Service per Capita ...... 130 5.6.2 Service Effectiveness ...... 130 5.6.3 Service Efficiency ...... 130 5.6.4 Cost Effectiveness ...... 130 6.0 Policies, Plans and Additional Context ...... 132 6.1 Plans, Policies and Documents...... 132 6.1.1 State ...... 132 6.1.2 Regional ...... 132 6.1.3 Local ...... 133 6.2 Additional Context ...... 145 6.2.1 Federal ...... 145 6.2.2 State ...... 145 6.2.3 Regional and Local ...... 146 7.0 Transit Demand and Mobility Needs Summary ...... 151 7.1 Transit Dependent - Traditional Market ...... 151 7.1.1 Public Involvement Highlights ...... 151 7.1.2 Existing Conditions Highlights ...... 151 7.2 Potential Bus Riders - Discretionary Market ...... 154 7.3 Additional Needs from Existing Conditions Data and Public Input ...... 155 7.3.1 General Needs within St. Johns County ...... 155 7.3.2 Specific Suggestions for Transit Enhancements ...... 156 7.3.3 Regional Commuting Needs and Trends ...... 156 7.4 Ten-Year Ridership Demand Forecasts ...... 157
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
7.4.1 Model Development ...... 157 7.4.2 TBEST Ten-Year Status Quo Modeling Results ...... 158 7.4.3 TBEST Ten-Year TDP Transit Alternatives Modeling Results ...... 159 7.5 TD Populations ...... 159 8.0 Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives ...... 160 9.0 TDP Alternatives and Strategies ...... 166 9.1 Ten-Year TDP Service and Capital Enhancements (Deviated Fixed Route) ...... 167 9.1.1 Modifications to Existing Bus Routes ...... 167 9.1.2 Addition of New Bus Routes (new service) ...... 167 9.1.3 Capital Improvements ...... 168 9.2 Paratransit Services ...... 168 9.3 Additional Study and Coordination ...... 168 10.0 Financial Plan ...... 172 APPENDIX A: PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PLAN (PIP) ...... APPENDIX B1: STAKEHOLDER/AGENCY QUESTIONNAIRE ...... APPENDIX B2: STAKEHOLDER QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES ...... APPENDIX C: STAKEHOLDER GROUP MEETINGS ...... APPENDIX D1: ON-BOARD TRANSIT SURVEY INSTRUMENT ...... APPENDIX D2: ON-BOARD SURVEY RESPONSES ...... APPENDIX E1: BUS OPERATOR/STAFF QUESTIONNAIRE ...... APPENDIX E2: BUS OPERATOR/STAFF QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES ...... APPENDIX F: ONLINE PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY RESPONSES ...... APPENDIX G: PUBLIC COMMENT/MEETING MATERIALS ...... APPENDIX H: ADDITIONAL EXISTING CONDITIONS TABLES AND FIGURES ...... APPENDIX I: FAREBOX RECOVERY RATIO ......
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
List of Tables
Table 1.1 Transit Development Plan Checklist (F.A.C. Public Transit 14-73.001) St. Johns County (2017- 2026) Major Update ...... 6 Table 2.1 Summary of TDP Public Involvement Activities ...... 10 Table 2.2 Elected Officials Interviewed ...... 11 Table 2.3 List of Stakeholder Questionnaires Received ...... 16 Table 2.4 Number of Surveys Collected ...... 24 Table 2.5 If “yes”, please specific which language(s) ...... 27 Table 2.6 Satisfaction Ratings for Bus Survey Characteristics by Average Score ...... 34 Table 2.7 Satisfaction with Sunshine Bus Service ...... 35 Table 2.8 Summary of Rider Comments by Topic (Question 16) ...... 36 Table 2.9 Population 5 Years and Older Who Speak a Language Other than English at Home...... 42 Table 3.1 North Florida’s Population by County ...... 46 Table 3.2 St. Johns County Population Characteristics ...... 46 Table 3.3 Urban Area Population ...... 46 Table 3.4 Population by Jurisdiction ...... 47 Table 3.5 Demographic Characteristics Summary ...... 50 Table 3.6 Household Vehicles Available ...... 51 Table 3.7 Large Employers in St. Johns County ...... 61 Table 3.8 Means of Transportation to Work ...... 63 Table 3.9 Place of Work ...... 63 Table 3.10 Workplace for Workers Living in St. Johns County, 2011 and 2013 ...... 64 Table 3.11 Residence for Workers Employed in St. Johns County, 2011 and 2013 ...... 64 Table 3.12 Comparison of Commuters to St. Augustine Area and Jacksonville ...... 65 Table 3.13 Planned Transportation Improvements ...... 80 Table 4.1 Sunshine Bus Service Characteristics ...... 83 Table 5.1 Peer Agencies ...... 89 Table 5.2 Service Characteristics Utilized in the Evaluation ...... 89 Table 5.3 Performance Measures Utilized in the Evaluation ...... 90 Table 5.4 Five-Year Area and Service Trends (Fixed Route) ...... 91 Table 5.5 Peer Area Characteristics, FY 2014 (Fixed Route) ...... 92 Table 5.6 Peer Agency Service Characteristics, FY 2014 (Fixed Route) ...... 93 Table 5.7 Peer Agency Financial Characteristics, FY 2014 (Fixed Route) ...... 94 Table 5.8 Service Area LOS Trends (Fixed Route) ...... 95 Table 5.9 Peer Agency Service Area LOS, FY 2014 (Fixed Route) ...... 95 Table 5.10 Urbanized Area LOS Trends (Fixed Route) ...... 98 Table 5.11 Peer Agency Urbanized Area LOS, FY 2014 (Fixed Route)...... 98 Table 5.12 Service Effectiveness Trends (Fixed Route) ...... 101 Table 5.13 Peer Agency Service Effectiveness, FY 2014 (Fixed Route) ...... 101 Table 5.14 Service Efficiency Trends (Fixed Route) ...... 104
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
Table 5.15 Peer Agency Service Efficiency, FY 2014 (Fixed Route) ...... 104 Table 5.16 Cost Effectiveness Trends (Fixed Route) ...... 106 Table 5.17 Peer Agency Cost Effectiveness, FY 2014 (Fixed Route) ...... 106 Table 5.18 Fixed Route Performance Summary ...... 111 Table 5.19 Five-Year Area and Service Trends (Demand Response) ...... 112 Table 5.20 Peer Agency Service Characteristics, FY 2014 (Demand Response) ...... 113 Table 5.21 Peer Agency Financial Characteristics, FY 2014 (Demand Response) ...... 114 Table 5.22 Service Area LOS Trends (Demand Response) ...... 115 Table 5.23 Peer Agency Service Area LOS, FY 2014 (Demand Response)...... 115 Table 5.24 Urbanized Area LOS Trends (Demand Response) ...... 118 Table 5.25 Peer Agency Urbanized Area LOS, FY 2014 (Demand Response)...... 118 Table 5.26 Service Effectiveness Trends (Demand Response)...... 119 Table 5.27 Peer Agency Service Effectiveness, FY 2014 (Demand Response) ...... 119 Table 5.28 Service Efficiency Trends (Demand Response) ...... 122 Table 5.29 Peer Agency Service Efficiency, FY 2014 (Demand Response) ...... 122 Table 5.30 Cost Effectiveness Trends (Demand Response) ...... 124 Table 5.31 Peer Agency Cost Effectiveness, FY 2014 (Demand Response) ...... 124 Table 5.32 Demand Response Performance Summary ...... 129 Table 6.1 Related Goals, Objectives and Policies ...... 136 Table 7.1 Ten-Year Ridership Forecast ...... 159 Table 9.1 Ten-Year Service Enhancements ...... 166 Table 10.1 Capital and Operating Assumptions ...... 173 Table 10.2 Service Characteristics ...... 174 Table 10.3 Service Implementation Plan ...... 175 Table 10.4 Operating Costs for Transit Improvements ...... 176 Table 10.5 Capital Needs and Costs ...... 177 Table 10.6 TDP Costs and Revenues by Source ...... 178 Table 10.7 Ten-Year TDP Cost Summary ...... 179 Table 10.8 Ten-Year TDP Revenue Summary ...... 179
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
List of Figures
Figure 2.1 Where Riders Came From (Origin) ...... 25 Figure 2.2 Where Riders Were Going (Destination) ...... 25 Figure 2.3 Means of Transportation to the Bus ...... 26 Figure 2.4 Means of Transportation from the Bus ...... 26 Figure 2.5 Language(s) Spoken at Home ...... 27 Figure 2.6 Frequency of Sunshine Bus Use ...... 28 Figure 2.7 Length of Time Survey Respondents Have Been Sunshine Bus Customers ...... 28 Figure 2.8 Gender ...... 29 Figure 2.9 Age ...... 29 Figure 2.10 Race and Ethnic Heritage of Survey Respondents ...... 30 Figure 2.11 Income ...... 30 Figure 2.12 Transportation Options ...... 31 Figure 2.13 New or Additional Transit Service Needs ...... 31 Figure 2.14 Bus Fare ...... 32 Figure 2.15 Overall Satisfaction with Sunshine Bus ...... 33 Figure 2.16 Satisfaction with the Value of Sunshine Bus Service ...... 33 Figure 2.17 Frequent Complaints...... 38 Figure 2.18 Potential Ten Year Priorities ...... 39 Figure 3.1 Service Area ...... 45 Figure 3.2 Population Density ...... 48 Figure 3.3 Future Population Density ...... 49 Figure 3.4 Percent Zero Car Household ...... 51 Figure 3.5 Density of 65 Years Old & Above ...... 52 Figure 3.6 Percent 65 Years Old & Above ...... 53 Figure 3.7 Below Poverty Level Density ...... 54 Figure 3.8 Percent Below Poverty Level ...... 55 Figure 3.9 Median Household Income ...... 56 Figure 3.10 Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Density ...... 57 Figure 3.11 Employment Density ...... 58 Figure 3.12 Jobs Heat Map...... 59 Figure 3.13 Large Employers ...... 60 Figure 3.14 Government Services ...... 67 Figure 3.15 Assisted Living Facilities ...... 68 Figure 3.16 Common Paratransit Destinations ...... 69 Figure 3.17 Medical, Colleges and Shopping Points of Interest ...... 70 Figure 3.18 Tourism Points of Interest ...... 71 Figure 3.19 St. Johns County Future Land Use ...... 74 Figure 3.20 St. Augustine Future Land Use ...... 75 Figure 3.21 St. Augustine Beach Future Lane Use ...... 76
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
Figure 3.22 Hastings Future Land Use ...... 77 Figure 3.23 Developments of Regional Impact ...... 78 Figure 3.24 Functional Classification ...... 79 Figure 4.1 Sunshine Bus Existing Transit Service ...... 84 Figure 4.2 Sunshine Bus Annual Ridership, 2000 – 2015 ...... 85 Figure 4.3 Sunshine Bus Average Monthly Ridership, 2011 – 2015 ...... 85 Figure 7.1 Existing Transit Dependent Needs - Combined Zero Car HH and Below Poverty Level ...... 152 Figure 7.2 Existing Transit Dependent Needs – Combined Demographic Characteristics ...... 153 Figure 7.3 Potential Bus Riders ...... 154 Figure 9.1Existing and Future Bus Routes ...... 169 Figure 9.2 TDP Bus Routes ...... 170 Figure 9.3 TDP Level of Service ...... 171
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
Executive Summary The Sunshine Bus Company offers deviated fixed-route public transportation to riders of all ages in St. Johns County, Florida. As part of the county’s commitment to providing public transportation services, St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners (SJCBOCC), in cooperation with its contractor, the St. Johns County Council on Aging, Inc. (SJCCOA) completes a transit development plan (TDP). This document contains a major update to St. Johns County’s TDP.
TDP Requirements
Each transit agency in Florida that receives state transit block grant funding is required to prepare a TDP to ensure that the provision of public transportation services is consistent with the travel needs and mobility goals of the local communities that are served by the transit system. By establishing a strategic focus and mission for the transit services, the TDP can serve as a guide in the future development of the transit system that will meet the needs of the community.
The TDP is a ten-year plan. The Florida Department of Transportation requires that a major update of the plan is produced every five years, with minor updates completed in each of the interim years. Florida’s interest in TDPs is governed by Sections 339.135 and 339.155, Florida Statutes, as described in Chapter 14-73, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C). According to Florida Administrative Code: Rule 14- 73.001, TDPs should include the following elements:
Public involvement plan and process; Situation appraisal of factors within and outside the transit provider that affect the provision of transit service; Vision, mission and goals and objectives; Alternative courses of action; Ten-year implementation program; and Relationship to other plans.
Public Involvement
A specific program of public involvement was developed in order to engage the community in this planning effort. Described in a TDP Public Involvement Plan, there were multiple opportunities to provide input during the TDP’s development. Through meetings, phone calls, interviews and surveys, public input represented a variety of perspectives within the community. Input was collected from existing transit customers, agency stakeholders, elected officials, bus drivers, and the general public.
The typical Sunshine Bus rider is dependent on public transportation. In a survey of Sunshine Bus riders, the vast majority of survey respondents indicated they rode the bus at least every week (86%), made less than $20,000 a year (72%) and would not be able to drive themselves if Sunshine Bus were not available (95%). Since the last TDP major update, complete in 2011, surveys of Sunshine Bus riders consistently indicate they want more transit service. Transit enhancements most commonly suggested by current riders are: greater frequency, more service hours and Sunday service. More frequent transit
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT) service is necessary to attract additional transit riders, including individuals who do not currently ride public transit.
The results of an online survey of St. Johns County residents, businesses and employees, revealed significant support of public transportation within the community. For example, a majority of online survey respondents indicated they would use public transportation if it was available to them (74%) and agree that there is a need for additional or improved public transportation within St. Johns County (88%). Most agree that an effective public transportation system is important for the economy (92%); and agree that public transportation should be improved to reduce congestion (91%). When asked to choose between different areas of the County, about 60% of online survey respondents stated they most need public transportation in the St. Augustine/St. Augustine Beach area.
Existing Conditions
St. Johns County’s population is currently the fastest growing county within Northeast Florida. Over the TDP’s ten-year period, land use changes and growth are anticipated as there are many large developing areas. These large developing areas are generally located in the northern portion of the county, in densely populated areas closer to Jacksonville, north of the City of St. Augustine. The highest concentrations of transit dependent individuals, however, are generally located within the St. Augustine Urbanized Area and southwest portions of the County near Hastings and Flagler Estates. The majority of jobs, large employers and other major destinations are also located within the St. Augustine Urbanized Area. Sunshine Bus’s deviated fixed-route buses currently serve the St. Augustine Urbanized Area, Hastings and Flagler Estates.
There are also large employers, major destinations and points of interest not currently near Sunshine Bus’s coverage area. These are mostly located within the northeast (Nocatee and Ponte Vedra area), northwest (Julington Creek area) and World Golf Village area of the County. Based on demographic characteristics, these areas of St. Johns County are generally represented by higher median household incomes. Challenges with providing effective and efficient transit service to these areas of the county include the ability to attract these individuals to use transit, the county’s expansive geographic area and development patterns that are not transit friendly.
From a regional perspective, the TDP identifies cross-county commuting trends as well as needs for public transportation between St. Johns County and nearby counties. Many St. Johns County residents travel to Jacksonville to work. Although this is true for St. Johns County overall, greater percentages of residents living in northern St. Johns County travel to Jacksonville to work as compared to the St. Augustine area and southern St. Johns County. In addition, St. Johns County residents travel to Jacksonville for medical and retail services. Fifty-three (53%) of online survey respondents need public transportation between St. Johns County and other counties. When asked which counties, most chose Duval County, followed by Flagler County and Putnam County.
Since 2005, Sunshine Bus’s deviated fixed-route ridership has increased every year. Over the five-year period from FY 2010 through 2014, the number of riders on Sunshine Bus’s deviated fixed-route transit system have increased a by 40%, from 185,864 to 259,402 passengers. A review of Sunshine Bus’s performance as compared to other similar transit agencies (referred to as the peer group), revealed that
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT) deviated fixed-route service efficiency and cost effectiveness are good while the same for demand response services are poor, compared to the peer group. Cost per revenue mile and cost per revenue hour are much lower than the peer group average, for deviated fixed-route service.
The following list presents a summary lists of mobility and transit service needs in St. Johns County, as informed by quantitative service analyses and public comments.
Increased frequency (e.g. shorter wait times) Enhanced service providing greater access and more direct access to major employment centers, activity centers and services Extended span of service that includes more trips in the early morning and late evening periods Sunday service Enhanced communication systems, design features and amenities on vehicles and bus stops Improvements to bus schedules to make them easier to understand
Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives
The 2016 Major Update to the St. Johns County TDP presents updated goals, objective and strategies; alternative courses of action; and a ten-year implementation program to address the community’s need for transit.
VISION: To provide the opportunity for every person in St. Johns County to enjoy wellness, longevity and quality of life choices within a strong, healthy community through the provision of public transportation.
MISSION: To provide safe, affordable and reliable mobility options.
GOAL 1 – CUSTOMER FOCUS: Maintain and continuously improve customer-focused service and products.
GOAL 2 - MOBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY: Provide mobility and access to meet current and evolving mobility market needs and opportunities, and to improve the economy.
GOAL 3 – INTERAGENCY AND REGIONAL COORDINATION: Enhance and improve multimodal coordination and connectivity to promote travel efficiencies and effectiveness.
GOAL 4 – EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY: Provide an Effective and Efficient Public Transportation System.
GOAL 5 – QUALITY OF LIFE: Enhance economic prosperity, livability and environmental sustainability within the service area.
GOAL 6 – EDUCATION AND TRAINING: Inform the community on the value of a quality public transit system and develop a highly qualified Sunshine Bus workforce.
GOAL 7 – CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS: Establish the appropriate infrastructure necessary to maintain and expand fixed-route and paratransit services in the future.
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
TDP Ten-Year Implementation Program
Recommended transit service enhancements for the next ten years were determined based on public and stakeholder input, an evaluation of transit needs and consideration of financial resources anticipated to be available. In addition to maintaining current transit services, several service and capital enhancements are proposed over the TDP’s ten-year horizon. TDP enhancements include modification to existing bus routes, the addition of new bus routes and capital improvements.
Transit ridership forecasts reveal that if no transit service enhancements are implemented over the next ten years there will likely be minimal ridership increases. Implementation of the TDP transit program is expected to increase ridership, emphasizing the need for enhanced public transportation services in St. Johns County. As transit demands and services increase, sustainable and dedicated funding sources are required to offset revenue shortfalls.
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
1.0 Introduction St. Johns County provides public transit services to citizens of St. Johns County in the state of Florida. As part of its commitment to providing transit services to its citizens, St. Johns County conducts a Transit Development Plan (TDP). The TDP outlines strategic initiatives and services for a ten-year period: years 2017-2026. This plan is mandated by state law and provides a basis for St. Johns County to receive state funding for its transit projects. The process is repeated once every five years, as a major update to the plan. Annual or minor updates are also conducted.
The most recent major update (2012-2021) was adopted by the SJCBOCC on August 16, 2011. Every year since August 2011, a 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 annual update document has been completed. The TDP helps ensure that the St. Johns County Sunshine Bus Company public transportation services are consistent with the travel needs and mobility goals of the county. By establishing a strategic focus and mission for the transit services, the TDP serves as a guide for the future development of a transit system that will meet the needs of the community.
In order to assess the context of the local operating environment, this document reviews public transportation vision, mission, goals, objectives and strategies for St. Johns County as well as existing conditions and relevant plans and studies. The TDP’s alignment with local, regional and statewide transportation priorities and planning efforts is critical its success. Just as important, the TDP incorporates opportunities for public and agency feedback and assisted with evaluating the provision of public transit services to the community. As part of the TDP, a specific program of public involvement was developed in order to engage the community in this planning effort. The TDP Public Involvement Plan (PIP), which appears as Appendix A, relies on coordination and solicitation of input from existing transit riders, public agency stakeholders and the general public.
Development of this TDP is described in ten sections: Public Involvement; Existing Service Area Conditions; Existing Transit Services; Transit Performance Evaluation; Policies, Plans and Additional Context; Transit Demand and Mobility Needs Summary; Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives; TDP Alternatives and Strategies; and Financial Plan. This document was developed in accordance with the state laws and rules governing Transit Development Plans (Florida Administrative Code, F.A.C. 14- 73.001). The relationship between these ten parts and the F.A.C. 14-73.001 is summary in Table 1.1. Table 1.1 serves as a checklist for the TDP’s development requirements and identifies the location within this TDP where each requirement has been addressed.
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Table 1.1 Transit Development Plan Checklist (F.A.C. Public Transit 14-73.001) St. Johns County (2017-2026) Major Update
(3) Transit Development Plans YES NO COMMENTS/REFERENCE Use a Ten-Year planning horizon covering year for Throughout TDP X which funding is sought and nine subsequent years (A) Public Involvement Public Involvement Plan approved by FDOT Section 2, Appendix A or consistent with North Florida TPO’s X adopted public involvement plan prior to initiation of TDP development process TDP to include a description of the process Throughout TDP X used and activities Solicit comments from First Coast Section 2 X Workforce Development (WorkSource) Appendices A, B and C Advise FDOT, WorkSource, North Florida Section 2, Appendix A X TPO of all TDP related public meetings FDOT, WorkSource, North Florida TPO Section 2, Appendix A provided comment opportunity/review during development of Mission, Goals, X Objectives, Alternatives, and Ten-Year Implementation Program Public Involvement Plan process included Section 2, Appendix A opportunities for review and comments by X public (citizens, passengers and other interested agencies not mentioned) (B) Situation Appraisal The TDP serves as a strategic planning Throughout TDP X document Include an appraisal of factors within and Sections 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 outside Sunshine Bus that effect the provision X of transit service Assess the effects of land use, state and Sections 3, 6 and 7 local transportation plans, other governmental actions and policies, X socioeconomic trends, organizational issues and technology Estimation of the community’s demand for Section 7
transit service over a ten-year period using FDOT Planning tools (TBEST), or: X Section 7 FDOT Approved transit demand Section 7 N/A estimation techniques Assessment of the extent to which land use Sections 3, 6 and 7 and urban design supports the efficient X provision of transit service
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(3) Transit Development Plans YES NO COMMENTS/REFERENCE Consider comprehensive plan, land Section 3 and 6 use/development forecasts, major changes in land use policies, or changes in land use for X major activity centers that may affect ridership Evaluation of performance of service provided Section 5 X to the community (C) Mission and Goals Includes Vision, Mission, Goals and Section 8 Objectives with consideration for the X situation appraisal (D) Alternative Courses of Action Develop and evaluate alternative strategies Sections 8 and 9 X and actions for achieving goals and objectives Include alternative benefits and costs X Sections 9 and 10 Consider financial alternatives, including Sections 6 (Additional X any new or dedicated revenue sources Context) and 10 (E) Ten-Year Implementation Plan Identify policies and strategies for achieving Sections 8 and 9 X goals and objectives over a ten-year period Maps indicating areas to be served, type Section 9 X and level of service to be provided Includes a monitoring program to track Sections 9 and 10 performance measures as a part of the X ten-year implementation program Include a Ten-Year Financial Plan (operating Section 10 and capital) noting sources and expenditure of X funds Include a Capital Acquisition Plan X Sections 9 and 10 Include anticipated revenues by source X Section 10 Include detailed list of projects or service Sections 9 and 10 X needed to meet the goals and objectives Include an implementation program noting Sections 9 and 10 X projects and services (F) Relationship to Other Plans Be consistent with the Florida Transportation Sections 6 and 8 (Goal 3) X Plan (FTP) Be consistent with local government Sections 6 and 8 (Goal 3) X comprehensive plans Be consistent with North Florida TPO Long Sections 6 and 8 (Goal 3) X Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) Be consistent with NEFRC Regional Sections 6 and 8 (Goal 3) X Transportation Plan goals and objectives Describe relationship between Ten-Year Sections 6 Implementation Program and any other local X plans
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
(3) Transit Development Plans YES NO COMMENTS/REFERENCE (4) Annual Updates N/A (5) Plan Submission and Approval YES NO COMMENTS/REFERENCE TDP submitted to the Department by Draft submitted September September 1 1, 2016. Planned submittal of
local adopted TDP to FDOT expected October 2016 (6) Grant Administration YES NO COMMENTS/REFERENCE TDP adequately provides FDOT with Throughout TDP sufficient information to enable the X Department to make funding decisions pertinent to the provider TDP contains information about funding Sections 9 and 10 needs that could qualify for FDOT funding X through Chapter 341, Florida Statutes Source: Based upon requirement from Florida Administrative Code 14-73.001
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2.0 Public Involvement
2.1 Public Involvement Plan A Public Involvement Plan (PIP) was developed to help ensure that the transit development plan provides opportunities for stakeholders and the general public to participate in developing the TDP. The TDP utilizes a multi-faceted approach for engaging the public and key stakeholders through various activities. St. Johns County’s TDP public involvement includes inter-agency and regional coordination; elected official and stakeholder input; surveys to collect feedback from Sunshine Bus customers, bus drivers/staff and the general public; and public comment opportunities. Table 2.1 summarizes TDP public involvement activities. Public involvement efforts include coordination with agencies potentially serving LEP and other disadvantaged populations, such as low income and minority communities; coordination with the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind; and a LEP analysis.
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Table 2.1 Summary of TDP Public Involvement Activities
Number of Activity Stakeholder Type Date Participants PIP Approval (not applicable) January 2016 --- Elected Official Interviews Elected Official March 2016 5 Elected Officials Agency or Entity such as February – 14 Completed Stakeholder Questionnaires government or social service March 20161 Questionnaires agency, schools Staff representative(s) of St. Johns County and incorporated cities, SJCCOA, and other local, regional and state agencies such as the county’s visitor and convention January - 16 Attendees bureau, FDOT, Northeast Florida January and Stakeholder Group Meetings April - 15 Attendees Regional Council, Northeast April 2016
Florida Reginal Transportation Commission, North Florida TPO and CareerSource NEFL (First Coast Workforce Development, Inc.). Transit Passenger Survey Bus Riders April 2016 84 Completed Surveys (On-Board Transit Survey) Bus Driver/Staff Sunshine Bus / March - April 22 Completed Questionnaire SJCCOA Staff 2016 Questionnaires Public Opinion Survey (Online General Public, generally not bus June – July 402 Surveys Survey) riders 2016 Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board Transportation Disadvantaged, March - 11 Attendees March 2016 Presentations (board general public meetings include opportunity for public comment) SJCBOCC Presentation (board County representatives, general October meetings include opportunity TBD public 2016 for public comment) Source: ETM, 2016
Notice of FDOT staff approval of the PIP was received on January 28, 2016. Appendix A contains a copy of the PIP and Appendices B – G contain additional public involvement materials.
1 One questionnaire was distributed and received back in August, 2016
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2.2 Elected Official and Stakeholder Input
2.2.1 Elected Official Interviews Individual interviews were held with two representative from the SJCBOCC and one elected official from each of St. Johns County’s incorporated communities. Questions from the Stakeholder Questionnaire (Appendix B) were used to help generate discussion during the interviews and to help ensure that each official addressed the major themes of needs, priorities and/or goals. Three interviews were in-person and two were completed by phone.
Table 2.2 lists the elected officials interviewed. These interviews took place between March 2, 2016 and March 16, 2016.
Table 2.2 Elected Officials Interviewed
No. Name Community Interview Date 1 Mayor Tom Ward Town of Hastings March 2, 2016 2 Commissioner Jeb Smith, BOCC Chair St. Johns County March 3, 2016 3 Commissioner Rachael Bennett St. Johns County March 3, 2016 4 Commissioner Margaret England City of St. Augustine Beach March 4, 2016 5 Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline City of St. Augustine March 16, 2016 Source: ETM, 2016
Input regarding public transportation identified through interviews with elected officials is summarized below, according to key themes.
Major Destinations:
Within St. Johns County
Jobs and services, such as: o Medical facilities (such as Flagler Hospital and doctor’s offices) o Government services such as libraries, post offices and the county’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Building. People use libraries for computer use/job seeking. Hastings and Anastasia Libraries were specifically mentioned. o Grocery store, retail areas (such as the outlet malls, Walmart and Target), and pharmacy locations. Destinations in the St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach areas, such as: o SR-312 and US-1, this area is a hub of services and amenities o Downtown St. Augustine o Anastasia Boulevard o St. Augustine Beach: the Pier, Publix shopping area on A1A, Sea Grove area, destinations along Anastasia Boulevard, Anastasia State Park From west, including Hastings: o Diverse locations within the St. Augustine area.
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o Medical destinations and jobs are important for those that need transportation services. Vilano Main Street area Council on Aging senior center on Marine Street
Outside of St. Johns County
In addition to the St. Augustine area, people in Hastings also travel to Palatka (Putnam County) to shop. Some are currently using another public transportation system that carries people by bus between Hastings and Palatka. The train station in Palatka currently serves people well if they want to travel to/from Orlando, or to areas to the north.
Service Needs within St. Johns County:
Service frequency on existing bus routes vs. new/expanded service o One elected official stated that current bus riders experience challenges with frequency of service when getting to jobs in St. Augustine. o Another stated that increased frequency on existing bus routes is needed first, over new service expansion and that the system needs to prove that transit is a viable alternative to an automobile. o One elected official stated that new routes are more important than more frequent service on the existing routes, and believed that Sunshine Bus does not go where people need to go. o It is important to improve the existing service, including additional hours in the evening. o Another was not aware of any concerns in regards to frequency and/or new or expanded service. Alleviate the St. Augustine area parking and congestion challenges. o It is difficult for people to move around the city core where the current parking garages are located, due to traffic congestion. o Consider remote parking as a solution; remote parking has been successfully used for special events in the past. Connecting people to jobs and other major destinations located in St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach is a need. o A suggestion for a small circulator for residents, connecting the Boulevard, King Street and West Augustine. o Specifically, it was mentioned that some of St. Augustine Beach’s public works employees commute from areas such as Hastings and West Augustine. Many cannot afford the parking nor living in St. Augustine Beach. o Another representative noted that some people live on the west side of the county and work in St. Augustine, as the west side of the county contains low cost housing. There is a need for lower cost housing located closer to the jobs.
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Three elected officials stated that transit should serve tourism and special event needs. However, one of those three stated that the goals of the Sunshine Bus may not be aligned with serving tourism. o Connect the beach to downtown St. Augustine o Transit with stops along Anastasia Boulevard and A1A Beach was suggested by one elected official. One elected official mentioned that there may be a transportation need for county school district students who cannot ride the school bus (i.e., those that do not live within the school bus service area). Marketing is needed so people know about public transit services. Future Needs: o The county’s western border near the St. Johns River will be an attraction at some point. o East-west connectivity will be needed. o Increasing major employment nodes will increase the need for transit.
Service Needs outside of St. Johns County:
It was mentioned that transportation to Jacksonville and to the airport is a need. One representative felt that there is not much need to go to Putnam and Duval Counties. Regarding regional transportation, another representative mentioned that the county may not be interested if it is only an extension of JTA. Another concern mentioned is that the counties have different transportation needs. Another elected official did not see a need for regional transit to and from other counties until approximately 10 to 20 years from now.
Public Transportation Trends:
Inadequate parking and failing road capacity. o There is and will continue to be increased traffic congestion and parking needs within St. Augustine. o The impacts from tourism will be similar to an “explosion” placing more demands on parking and transportation. Tourism is increasing in the St. Augustine area and connections to tourist attractions are needed. Transit dependent market/Traditional transit market: o Since the service initially began, an increase in people waiting at Sunshine Bus bus stops has been observed (on the west side of the county). An example was provided of a man who rides his bicycle more than 3 miles to a Sunshine Bus bus stop in Flagler Estates. o Generally, whether or not people have jobs (i.e., financial resources) will impact whether or not they will need public transportation.
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Increasing bicycle use in the St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach area, with more people riding bicycles in the street. There are safety issues for bicyclists on A1A Beach in St. Augustine Beach between Pope Road and the Publix. o No bike lanes on A1A Beach. o Sand blowing on the roadway affects safety for bicyclists. Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is a national trend. Millennials see transportation differently than others. Millennials generally have a greater preference for transit than the population as a whole. Intercity passenger rail – Hopefully, All Aboard Florida will look at Orlando to Jacksonville next. Commuter rail - There are a lot of commuters traveling from the north to the south. Fuel cost has a proportional relationship to transit use.
Local funding Sources:
One elected official was supportive of additional public transit funding from the county, noting that the county’s general fund contribution has not increased. It was mentioned that the county needs a sustainable, dedicated funding source. There is a need for analysis of the funding guidelines to find additional ways to fund transit. It was mentioned that the cities of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach do not contribute dollars to the Sunshine Bus. St. Augustine Beach tourism generates bed tax/tourist development tax revenue and other revenues for the county. One representative stated that advertising and potential fare increases should be used. Another representative discussed private investment as a potential funding source. Some employers may be interested but it may not be practical. There are needs, however the provision of public transportation is not always affordable (i.e., to a business or to the county) and the cost of service needs to be justified.
Highest Priorities for Public Transportation and Goals for Future Public Transportation Service:
Connect major destination points. o Provide public transit service to government services, such as libraries and post offices. o Medical destinations o Connect people to their work locations. o Transit for tourism, connecting the City of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach. o Provide connections to tourist destinations and special events (in St. Augustine and St. Augustine beach) Reliability, accessibility and frequency are important.
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Resolve inadequate parking and congestion issues. o Connect Downtown St. Augustine and the St. Augustine Beach Pier to parking areas located outside of the congestion. Market the service in order to increase ridership. Service efficiency and effectiveness are important. o An example was mentioned of using smaller buses/vehicles instead of larger vehicles. St. Lucia Mini Bus was mentioned as a specific example. o Encourage innovative ideas/nontraditional solutions Reserve Transit Corridors – As time goes on, we are losing our ability to reserve transit corridors. We need to be more forward thinking in terms of corridors and transit facilities, and think about multimodal transportation options. Promote land use regulations that are more supportive of transit.
Additional Comments:
Draft information from the City of St. Augustine Parking Survey is available. St. Augustine Beach Vision Plan - the plan recognizes the impact of tourism. One representative was very happy with the council on aging transportation, stating that the service provides transportation three times a week to and from the senior center.
2.2.2 Stakeholder Questionnaires A stakeholder questionnaire was emailed to each member of the TDP Stakeholder Group and representatives of other key organizations throughout the community. The purpose was to collect input concerning public transportation needs, priorities and goals. Generally, the organizations contacted were believed to have constituents, clients and/or employees who either use public transportation or might be interested in using public transportation within, to and/or from St. Johns County. The participation of social service and community organizations helped consider the needs of low-income, minority and LEP populations.
Table 2.3 provides a list of the stakeholders who completed a stakeholder questionnaire; listed in the order of questionnaires received. All but one of these questionnaires were collected between February 18, 2016 and March 22, 2016. The final was collected on August 22, 2016. A series of 12 questions was developed to assess stakeholder views related to public transportation needs and goals. A copy of the stakeholder questionnaire is included in Appendix B.
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Table 2.3 List of Stakeholder Questionnaires Received
No. Name Affiliation 1 Gary Mackey, Transit Grant Specialist St. Johns County, Transportation Development 2 Lindsay Haga Northeast Florida Regional Council, designated planning agency for St. Johns County Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board 3 Pam Stevens, Land Use Coordinator Town of Hastings 4 Arleen Dennison, Director of College First Coast Technical College, Main Campus on Collins Advancement Avenue and Public Safety Campus on Gaines Road 5 Gary Peterson Home Again St. Johns, Inc. 6 Joe Stephenson, Executive Director Northeast Florida Regional Transportation Commission 7 Liz Peak, Regional Services Jacksonville Transportation Authority Coordinator 8 Lori Wagner, Certified Orientation & Florida School for the Deaf and Blind Mobility Specialist 9 Elisha Zuaro, Reading Specialist Florida School for the Deaf and Blind 10 Mary Kelley Kryzwick, Regional Catholic Charities – St. Augustine Regional Office Director 11 Marc Albert, Business Consultant CareerSource Northeast Florida 12 Daniel Stewart, VP of Student Services Flagler College 13 Tracy Dillon, Social Services Manager St. Johns County Health and Human Services 14 Melanie Patz, VP of Community Baptist Health Investment & Impact Source: ETM, 2016
A summary of responses for returned stakeholder questionnaires, in order of the questions, is presented below. Common themes and perceptions are identified, where possible.
1. Are you currently aware of St. Johns County’s public transit system (Sunshine Bus) and its services?
All stakeholders are aware of Sunshine Bus.
2. Do you use Sunshine Bus? If so, why? If not, what would encourage you to use Sunshine Bus?
Approximately, five stakeholders routinely recommend the use of Sunshine Bus for their clients, assist their clients with using Sunshine Bus and/or acknowledge that their clients use Sunshine Bus. These stakeholders are: Catholic Charities, Home Again, Florida School for the Deaf and Blind (FSDB), St. Johns County Health and Human Services (HHS) and First Coast Technical College (FCTC). Example types of assistance include providing access and bus tokens/passes to clients in
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need, and teaching the general use of public transportation to blind and visually impaired high school students.
Other stakeholders do not use Sunshine Bus as a form of transportation for various reasons. A few stated they have their own personal transportation/vehicles. A couple noted that the routes do not extend into Northwestern St. Johns County or do not extend into the City of Jacksonville for commuting. Other comments offered for not riding Sunshine Bus included: buses too infrequent, no bus stops located near home and not convenient. One visually impaired stakeholder commented that he did not want to flag down the bus.
3. What are the major destinations within your St. Johns County community? Please use specific names of places and/or street locations, if you can. (Major destinations may include office parks, hospitals or other medical centers, retail centers, government centers, colleges/universities or tourist destinations, for example.)
Based on the stakeholder responses, the majority of major destinations are located within the St. Augustine area. Common major destinations listed include government offices, medical services, shopping areas, US 1 in the St. Augustine area, downtown St. Augustine/St. George Old Town area, schools and St. Augustine Beach. Major destinations listed by stakeholders include the following:
Government: County government center, HHS Building, main public library on US 1, Social Security Office Retail: Walmart, Cobblestone shopping area, Seabridge Square and surrounding shopping areas, US 1 commercial/retail area between Moultrie Creek and SR 207, St. Augustine Outlet Malls, Home Depot, Target, Winn Dixie North Plaza, restaurants Medical services: Flagler Hospital, Flagler Family Medicine US 1: US 1 and SR 16, Wildwood Drive and US 1, US 1 and SR 206 Colleges: FCTC has two St. Johns County campuses (both off ofSR 16; one at Collins Avenue and the other off Gaines Road); Flagler College; St. Johns River State College St. George Old Town area/St. Augustine Historic District and Bayfront/Downtown St. Augustine/King St, from US 1 to the east St. Augustine Beach, the Pier Social services – HHS Building, Catholic Charities (the office across from county jail on Lewis Speedway and St. Francis House) Transportation Hub – Greyhound Bus Stop CR 210 and Interstate 95 area NW Sector - Intersection of SR 13/Racetrack, Bartram Trail Library, CR 210 Winn Dixie Mickler's Beach Park, Crescent Beach
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4. What are the major destinations outside of your community (or outside of the county) where people are traveling to/from your area?
The most commonly mentioned major destination outside of the stakeholders’ communities is the Jacksonville/Duval County area, with emphasis on Duval County’s employment centers, hospitals/medical services and malls. Various other destinations were also mentioned; some are specific areas or communities within St. Johns County while others are counties/cities outside St. Johns County. Specific destinations listed by stakeholders include the following: Jacksonville/Duval County: Avenues Mall, St. Johns Town Center, downtown Jacksonville, the John Turner Butler (JTB)/Southside area, Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital, Nemours’s Children’s Clinic, Mayo Clinic on San Jose, Shands Jacksonville, hospital on University Boulevard, and the beaches. Within St. Johns County: amphitheater, recreational parks such as Treaty and Davis, Outlet Malls on SR 16, Armstrong, Hastings, Flagler Estates, Shores, Ponte Vedra Area (including Ponte Vedra large employers) Race Track Road, and World Golf Village. Other areas outside of St. Johns County: Putnam County (Palatka and Crescent City), Flagler County, Clay County (Green Cove Springs and Orange Park) and Gainesville, including the Veterans Hospital.
5. Is there a need for more transit service in core areas of the county that are currently served by Sunshine Bus? (More service refers to additional routes, more buses, longer hours, more days of the week, etc.) Which is more important for Sunshine Bus: new/extended bus routes OR more frequent buses on existing routes? Please explain your answers.
About half of the stakeholders favor more frequent public transportation service over new/extended services, while most other stakeholders prefer both options (better frequency and new/extended services). One comment is that better frequency will increase ridership, particularly from riders not dependent on transit. Another comment is that home-to-work trips require additional routes, more frequency and longer hours to create a reliable and desirable alternative. Additional service improvement needs are listed below.
Sunday service FCTC (First Coast Technical College)2: o If the Purple Line could take a slight detour off of SR 16 to travel north on Collins to the main gate of FCTC, students would be more likely to use the bus. o Afternoon time schedules are particularly inconvenient for students. Current hours are not conducive to commuting between Hastings and St. Augustine/Palatka areas. Need more convenient service and additional regional destinations to serve FCTC students.
2 Additional details regarding student demographics and barriers to transportation were provided by FCTC.
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More frequent, earlier and later service on the Teal Line More service to Avenues Mall to connect to JTA. Bus stop needed closer to Catholic Charities offices. Longer hours in the evening and on the weekend to use transit for leisure and recreational pursuits.
6. Is there a need for transit service in other areas of St. Johns County, not currently served by Sunshine Bus? If “yes”, what areas and why?
At least half of the respondents stated a need for transit service in either the northwest or northeast areas of the county. Northwest and northeast communities mentioned include the SR 13 corridor, Fruit Cove, Julington Creek, Bartram Park, and CR 210 on the northwest; as well as Nocatee, Ponte Vedra and Palencia to the north and east. World Golf Village was also mentioned as an increasingly dense area.
In regards to northern St. Johns County, people commented on a need for transit connections to service industry and other jobs located in the CR 210 and Ponte Vedra areas. Another believed that people living along SR 13 in the northwest sector mostly prefer to travel to Mandarin. Another respondent indicated a transit need within the northwest community for non commuters, as an alternative to vehicle driving. For example, there is a transit need for residents to run errands within neighborhood commercial centers, for parents and children to ride to and from school together, or to travel to other activity centers or recreation sites. There was a specific comment that people need public transportation between Duval and St. Johns Counties east of the Intracoastal Waterway.
A few stakeholders commented that there are transit needs in the southern and more rural areas of the county, including the SR 206 and Interstate 95, Elkton, Hastings and Flagler Estates areas. One stakeholder noted that the highest areas of food stamp participation within the county are located in the St. Augustine and southeast St. Johns County zip codes (32084, 32086 and 32080). There was a suggestion to confirm Sunshine Bus’s future service area and to consider formal inter- local coordination/cooperation agreements to assure connectivity with neighboring transit services. [Sunshine Bus currently serves portions of some areas mentioned above, such as Palencia, Hastings, Flagler Estates and Elkton, as it traverses US 1 and SR 207, and stops in Hastings and Flagler Estates.]
7. Is there a specific facility or site within St. Johns County, not currently served by Sunshine Bus that would benefit from public transportation? If “yes”, what facility or site, and why?
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Not many facilities or sites were offered by the stakeholders; however, specific facilities/sites identified by four stakeholders are FCTC’s campuses on SR-163, the Flying J Truckstop at SR 206 and Interstate 95 (listed as a potential future location for Home Again), Catholic Charities office on Lewis Speedway (across from the county jail), and Lighthouse Park and Calhoun Center in St. Augustine. Northwest and northeast portions of the county were noted; with the representative from CareerSource commenting that the Ponte Vedra area has the most need due to employers having a difficult time finding employees. Another stakeholder listed the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club and Sawgrass Country Club for employment purposes; and specifically stated that public transportation is needed between east Duval County and Ponte Vedra employers. Two other stakeholders suggested express bus service from key St. Johns County locations countywide, to key destinations and connections to Duval County (and possibly in Putnam, Clay and Flagler Counties).
8. Is more regional transportation needed to connect St. Johns County with surrounding counties (such as Duval, Flagler, Putnam, Clay or other surrounding counties)? If “yes”, which counties and why.
Duval County was cited most frequently regarding regional transportation needs, followed by Flagler and Putnam counties and then Clay County. Duval County was noted for its medical specialists and employers. One respondent acknowledged that regional transportation will require regional cooperation and coordination. At least one stakeholder did not believe that regional transportation was needed. Other specific comments are listed below: HHS clients need transit to Putnam, Flagler and Duval for jobs, shopping and medical services. Due to in network provider insurance requirements, many must see doctors outside the county, especially for specialty doctors. Besides St. Johns County, ranking the other counties in which the majority of FCTC with transportation difficulties reside would be: 1. Putnam, 2. Clay, 3. Duval, 4. Flagler. Additionally, FCTC students are in frequent transition and some are homeless. Having access to transportation in these other counties may help them stabilize their living situations and contribute to success at school. Need more connector routes with Duval (east of the Intracoastal Waterway), Putnam and Flagler Counties to bring job seekers in those areas of higher unemployment to St. Johns County employers.
9. Changing conditions within the community can affect the existing transit market, as well as offer new opportunities to serve potential customers. Are there any specific trends that you think will affect public transportation needs over the next 10 years? (For example, socioeconomic, transportation, land use, urban design patterns, policy, funding, technological and/or other changes.)
3 Examples of scheduling difficulties were provided by FCTC
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Population Growth, Development and Congestion - The most common trend mentioned was population growth and development within the county, particularly in the northern sections of the county, as well as increasing traffic congestion within growth areas and St. Augustine. One stakeholder commented that Nocatee, Silver Leaf and Twin Creeks will be significant growth areas. A few stakeholders noted that population growth, new roadway connections or increased traffic are opportunities for additional public transportation services. Specific suggestions include using the FEC rail line along with buses to serve commuters and tourists, adding a bus route along Wildwood Drive to serve growth in that area, and planning a bus route along the future SR 313.
Demographic and Personal Preferences – There is growth in aging populations and an increase in senior living and assisted living facilities within St. Johns County. One specific example of transit needs related to older adults is the many elderly residents who do not have transportation or prefer not to drive to areas with heavy traffic in the Hastings area. Other trends potentially influencing transit are personal preferences not to drive, regardless of age, and increased concern about environmental issues. Technology, Flexibility and Information – One stakeholder discussed the importance of using technology and more creative, flexible transit services to increase information sharing, coordination and cooperation, and to ultimately improve personal mobility. This person encouraged personal mobility to occur by any means that can be facilitated rather than on the operation of fixed routes. Another stakeholder mentioned technology’s ability to make it easier for visually impaired transit customers to schedule rides with the use of an app, stating that visually impaired customers would likely be willing to pay more for this service.
Funding –Difficulties securing funding for traditional transportation infrastructure such as roadway expansion will influence the use of transit.
10. Public transportation seldom comes close to being paid for through user fares? What types of local funding sources should be used to continue or increase transit service in the future? (For example, private partnerships, advertising revenues, fare increases, ad valorem tax, sales tax, gas tax.)
The gas tax and advertising were cited most often as local funding sources for public transportation, followed by fare increases, sales tax, and private partnerships. Ad valorem, county funding, and impact fees were also mentioned. A few people stated that local funding is vital. Other responses noted that funding sources should be sustainable (i.e., lasting, viable) and diversified (i.e., varied). There was a suggestion for private partnerships with Ponte Vedra employers such as the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club and Sawgrass Country Club, to support the current and future transportation needs of their employees.
11. What should be the highest priority for public transportation services in St. Johns County?
The most common responses for the highest priority for public transportation services in St. Johns County focus on enhancing the transit system to make transit more convenient, either by making improvements to existing bus lines, adding new bus lines and/or expanding into other areas of
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the county. Example enhancements to existing bus lines include better frequency of buses, extended times of day, adding bus stops and incorporating concepts of Universal Design at bus stops and on buses. Universal Design is a type of design suggested by FSDB mobility specialist and students. The design benefits many potential users, including those with visual impairments or other special needs. Example design considerations include onboard annunciators and variable message signs to announce upcoming stops or an audible sound when bus doors open.
Additional responses suggest ways to increase and maximize ridership, expand the transit market beyond the transit dependent and garner support for increased taxes. These suggestions include implementing bidirectional express/commuter services, planning for future population and employment growth, and adopting the transit system as an acceptable mitigation to transportation impacts relating to growth.
Other priorities include providing connections to key destinations, finding funding sources to increase services and diversifying funding. In terms of markets or trip purposes, jobs, medical care and shopping centers were mentioned as a priority. One stakeholder suggested the following priority ranking: 1) medical services (local and regional), 2) critical life sustaining goods and services, 3) home to work/work to home trips (local and regional) and 4) everything else (local and regional). A final stakeholder added access to jobs, food, health services and entertainment for people without private transportation.
12. As you consider your answers to the prior questions, what would you suggest are appropriate goals for future public transportation service in St. Johns County (over the next 10 years)?
Goals may address themes, such as: access to jobs, access to services, ability to connect to other types of transportation (multimodal connections), cross-county connections, convenience, quality of service, ability to travel (mobility), ability to make transportation choices, frequency of service, hours of service, days of service, bus stops, bus stop signs, bus shelters, bike racks, safety, security, effectiveness and efficiency, image, information, customer service, funding, intergovernmental coordination, regional coordination, environment, energy, health, economy, education, training, marketing/communication).
Stakeholders suggested several topic areas that can be developed into potential goals, as summarized below. The most common topic areas focused on enhancing transit service (i.e., more frequent service, better hours/days, more bus stops, more bus lines/routes, etc.) and providing access to key destination, such as jobs and services. Convenience, mobility, multimodal connections, cross-county connections More frequent service Better operating hours and days of service Bus stops within activity centers Increase bus stops, including bus stops in neighborhoods More bus stop signs
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Access to services More bus lines/routes Mass transit access to downtown Jacksonville Personal mobility (first locally, then regionally) Support access to jobs using a coordinated, easy to use cross-county transportation system that would decrease cars on our roadways and decrease the effects of carbon- based fuels on our environment. Inform the public and promote the system throughout the region to increase awareness of the options and increase ridership. Support a thriving economy in St. Augustine by improving access to jobs. Encourage smart residential growth by ensuring convenient transportation services (such as Park-and-Rides and express commuter routes) Safety and security at bus stops Funding Technology/Information/Apps Collect and use data to drive decisions related to efficiency and effectiveness
13. Additional Comments Better outreach to residents about the service is needed. Suggestion for mail-outs to residents. Consider transfer tickets that will not require a fare for the next bus. Schedules/maps outlining the routes are not accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. People who are totally blind are not able to read the color coded maps.
2.2.3 Stakeholder Group Meetings St. Johns County staff coordinated with inter-governmental and regional agencies during development of the TDP. A stakeholder group of local, regional and state participants helped guide the study, with three Stakeholder Group meetings held at the St. Johns County Permit Building in the county’s main government center. Staff representative(s) of St. Johns County, City of St. Augustine, City of St. Augustine Beach, Town of Hastings, SJCCOA, and other local, regional and state agencies such as the county’s visitor and convention bureau, FDOT, Northeast Florida Regional Council, Northeast Florida Reginal Transportation Commission, North Florida TPO and CareerSource NEFL (First Coast Workforce Development, Inc.) were invited to attend the meetings. Appendix C contains meeting agendas and notes.
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2.3 On-Board Transit Survey
2.3.1 Description of Survey On Tuesday, April 5, 2016, a survey was administered to customers riding the Sunshine Bus Company deviated fixed-route system. The purpose of the survey was to collect information about rider demographics and travel activity, and obtain input from customers regarding suggestions to improve the service and their level of satisfaction with various aspects of the Sunshine Bus Company Service. Riders of selected buses on all bus routes were asked to complete a survey form while onboard the buses. The majority of bus riders were able to fill out the surveys themselves, while a few riders accepted the option of having the surveys administered to them. Most riders chose to take the survey; however, some riders declined to provide their input. A total of 84 surveys were completed.
Table 2.4 Number of Surveys Collected
Number of Bus Route Surveys
Connector 17 Orange 21 Blue 6 Purple 9 Teal 13 Green 8 Red 10 Total Surveys 84
The survey instrument is included in Appendix D. Survey results are described on the remaining pages of this section.
2.3.2 Survey Results The majority of survey respondents began their bus trip at home (Figure 2.1). Regarding the destinations of survey respondents (Figure 2.2), a significant percentage went shopping or on errands (27%); followed by home (23%), and work (17%) destinations.
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Figure 2.1 Where Riders Came From (Origin)
Q1. Where did you come from before you got on the bus for this trip?
Other 5.5% Visiting/Recreation 1.4% Shopping/Errands 15.1% Doctor/Dentist 0.0% School/College 2.7% Work 5.5% Home 69.9%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0%
% of Responses (N=73)
Figure 2.2 Where Riders Were Going (Destination)
Q2. Where are you going on this trip?
Other 13.0%
Visiting/Recreation 5.2%
Shopping/Errands 27.3%
Doctor/Dentist 7.8%
School/College 6.5%
Work 16.9%
Home 23.4%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% % of Responses (N=77)
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The majority of survey respondents either walked to the bus stop or walked to their trip destination. About 77% walked to the bus stop (Figure 2.3), while 59.5% walked to their final destination (Figure 2.4). Of these, most survey respondents walked no more than three blocks. After walking, the second highest mode of transportation for getting to the bus stop was being dropped off by someone else (7.3%), while the second highest mode for getting to their final destination was another bus (i.e., transferred to another bus route, 20.3%).
Figure 2.3 Means of Transportation to the Bus
Q3. How did you get to the bus stop for this trip?
Other 1.2% Taxi 1.2% Transfer from route 3.7% Bicycle 4.9% Was Dropped off 7.3% Drove 4.9% Walked more than 3 blocks 19.5% Walked 0-3 blocks 57.3%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%
% of Responses (N=82)
Figure 2.4 Means of Transportation from the Bus
Q4. How will you get to your final destination?
Other 1.3% Taxi 5.1% Transfer to route 20.3% Bicycle 7.6% Will be picked up 3.8% Drive 2.5% Walk more than 3 blocks 13.9% Walk 0-3 blocks 45.6%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% % of Responses (N=79)
Survey question number five (Q5), “Do you speak any other language(s) besides English at home?” is important to helping Sunshine Bus Company staff determine the frequency with which riders with
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Limited English Proficiency come in contact with transit. Figure 2.5 shows that almost 75% of riders surveyed did not speak any language besides English at home (62 out of 83 responses). The other 25% of survey respondents that speak other languages were provided an opportunity to write those languages on the survey form. Table 2.5 shows a count of the languages written on the surveys, with Spanish and sign language written most frequently.
Figure 2.5 Language(s) Spoken at Home
Q5. Do you speak any other language(s) besides English at home?
No 74.7%
Yes 25.3%
0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0%
% of Responses (N=83)
Table 2.5 If “yes”, please specific which language(s)
Count of Languages % Indicated Spanish 4 24% Sign Language 3 18% Arabic 2 12% Italian 2 12% Portuguese 2 12% Polish 1 6% Russian 1 6% French 1 6% Hungarian 1 6% 17 100%
Figures 2.6 and 2.7 indicate that most Sunshine Bus Company customers are frequent riders. The vast majority of survey respondents indicated they rode the bus weekly (86%); with 67% riding 3+ days a week and 19% riding 1-2 days a week. Seventy-four percent (74.4%) have been customers of Sunshine
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Bus Company for at least one year; and almost half (48.8%) have been customers for more than three years.
Figure 2.6 Frequency of Sunshine Bus Use
Q6. How often do you ride Sunshine Bus?
A few times a year 9.5%
1-2 times a month 4.8%
1-2 days a week 19.0%
3+ days a week 66.7%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% % of Responses (N=84)
Figure 2.7 Length of Time Survey Respondents Have Been Sunshine Bus Customers
Q7. How long have you been riding?
More than three years 48.8%
One to three years 25.6%
Less than one year 24.4%
First time 1.2%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% % of Responses (N=82)
Figures 2.8 – 2.9 show demographic information for individuals that participated in the survey. Generally, the same number of survey respondents were male as were female, both representing 50% of survey participants. Additionally, half of the survey respondents were between the ages of 35 and 59;
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT) over half indicated they were white; and over 70% had a total household income less than $20,000. For each age group shown in Figure 2.10, most survey respondents indicated they were 65 years old and above (20.5%); and of the income groups shown in Figure 2.11, most had a total household income of less than $10,000 (42.1%).
Figure 2.8 Gender
Q8. What is your gender?
Female 49.4%
Male 50.6%
48.5% 49.0% 49.5% 50.0% 50.5% 51.0% % of Responses (N=83)
Figure 2.9 Age
Q9. What is your age?
65+ 20.5% 60-64 9.6% 55-59 18.1% 45-54 16.9% 35-44 15.7% 25-34 10.8% 18-24 8.4% 17 years or under 0.0%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% % of Responses (N=83)
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Figure 2.10 Race and Ethnic Heritage of Survey Respondents
Q10. What is your Ethnic Heritage?
Non Hispanic 6.1% Hispanic 6.1% Other 8.5% Native American 1.2% Asian 3.7% Black/African American 19.5% White 54.9%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% % of Responses (N=82)
Figure 2.11 Income
Q11. Total Household Income, 2015
$50,000+ 2.6%
$40,000-$49,999 3.9%
$30,000-$39,000 7.9%
$20,000-$29,999 13.2%
$10,000-$19,999 30.3%
Less than $10,000 42.1%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0% % of Responses (N=76)
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In Figure 2.12, although the majority of survey respondents would use another means of transportation if Sunshine Bus were not available, only 5% would drive themselves. Most would travel by taxi (40%), a combined 28% would either bicycle or walk; and 17 % would ride with someone else. Twelve percent (12%) of survey respondents would not make their trip at all if Sunshine Bus were not available, potentially indicating that these are the most transit dependent as they may have no other transportation options available to them.
Figure 2.12 Transportation Options
Q12. How would you make this trip if not by Sunshine Bus?
Other 0.0% Wouldn't make trip 12.0% Taxi 37.3% Walk 13.3% Bicycle 14.7% Ride with someone 17.3% Drive 5.3% 0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% % of Responses (N=75)
Although most survey respondents (64.4%) stated there are not areas that need new or additional transit service, several respondents did provide specific comments indicating the additional transit service that they would like (Figure 2.13). Some comments focused on the desire for either more frequent buses (particularly on US 1 and the SR 16/SR 207 area), later hours, or more weekend service. Other comments listed various areas within St. Johns County, as well as cities outside of the county. Appendix D2 contains a list of new or additional services as written by survey respondents.
Figure 2.13 New or Additional Transit Service Needs
Q13. Are there areas that you need new or additional transit service?
No 64.4% Yes 35.6%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%
% of Responses (N=73)
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Question 14 on the survey asked about the type of fare that customers paid to board the bus. Over half of the survey respondents replied that they paid either a cash fare one way $1.00 (28.0%) or a reduced fare monthly unlimited $15.00 (26.7%).
Figure 2.14 Bus Fare
Q14. What fare did you pay for this trip?
Reduced Fare Monthly Unlimited $15.00 26.7%
Regular Fare Monthly Unlimited $30.00 9.3%
Reduced Day Pass $1.50 8.0%
Reduced Fair One-way $.50 20.0%
Unlimited Day Pass $3.00 8.0%
Cash Fare One Way $1.00 28.0%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% % of Responses (N=75)
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Question #15 asked, on a scale of 1 to 5, how satisfied Sunshine Bus riders were with various aspects of the Sunshine Bus Company transportation service, with 1 being very unsatisfied, 3 being neutral and 5 being very satisfied. Eight-four percent (84%) of survey respondents indicated they were satisfied. Specifically, Figure 2.15 shows that 62% of survey respondents were very satisfied, while 22% were somewhat satisfied.
Figure 2.15 Overall Satisfaction with Sunshine Bus
Q15A. Overall satisfaction
Very Satisfied 62.3%
Somewhat Satisfied 22.1%
Neutral 14.3%
Somewhat Unsatisfied 1.3%
Very Unsatisfied 0.0%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% % of Responses (N=77)
Over 90% of respondents indicated they were satisfied (either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied) with the value of service received for what they paid (Figure 2.16).
Figure 2.16 Satisfaction with the Value of Sunshine Bus Service
Q15E. Value of service you get for what you pay
Very Satisfied 76.3%
Somewhat Satisfied 15.8%
Neutral 6.6%
Somewhat Unsatisfied 1.3%
Very Unsatisfied 0.0%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% % of Responses (N=76)
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An average score was calculated for each service characteristic. As stated on the previous page, a 5 (very satisfied) is the highest number of points possible and a 1 (very unsatisfied) is the lowest. Table 2.6 contains the listing of average scores. The averaging of the scores show that in general, survey participants were at best very satisfied with aspects of Sunshine Bus service (score of 5) and at worst satisfied with other aspects of the service (score of 4).
Table 2.6 Satisfaction Ratings for Bus Survey Characteristics by Average Score
CHARACTERISTICS OF BUS SERVICE AVERAGE SCORE Bus driver safe driving 4.73 Value of service you get for what you pay 4.67 Cleanliness/Safety of buses and bus stops 4.62 Overall satisfaction with Sunshine bus 4.45 Bus driver courtesy 4.38 Ease of transfers between buses 4.22 Ease of using route and schedule info 4.18 Sunshine Bus Company’s telephone customer service 4.17 Ability to get where you want to go 4.14 Bus is on time 4.05 Convenience of routes 4.01 How often buses run 3.59
Table 2.7 (on the following page) shows the frequency of responses related to how satisfied Sunshine Bus Company riders were with various aspects of the Sunshine Bus Company. Over 80% of riders responded they were satisfied (either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied) with: cleanliness/safety of buses and bus stops (94%); bus driver safe driving (94%); value of service for what you pay (92%); overall satisfaction with Sunshine Bus Company (84%); and ease of transfers between buses (84%). Respondents were most dissatisfied with how often buses run, with 22% either somewhat or very unsatisfied.
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Table 2.7 Satisfaction with Sunshine Bus Service
HOW SATISFIED ARE VERY SOMEWHAT SOMEWHAT VERY YOU WITH EACH OF SATISFIED % SATISFIED % NEUTRAL % UNSATISFIED % UNSATISFIED % TOTAL THE FOLLOWING? 5 4 3 2 1
A. Overall satisfaction 48 62% 17 22% 11 14% 1 1% 0 0% 77 with Sunshine Bus 25 32% 20 26% 16 21% 10 13% 7 9% 78 B. How often buses run C. Ability to get where 36 46% 24 31% 12 15% 5 6% 1 1% 78 you want to go D. Ease of transfers 35 48% 26 36% 7 10% 3 4% 2 3% 73 between buses E. Value of service you 58 76% 12 16% 5 7% 1 1% 0 0% 76 get for what you pay 39 51% 22 29% 9 12% 5 6% 2 3% 77 F. Bus driver courtesy G. Bus driver safe 55 71% 18 23% 4 5% 0 0% 1 1% 78 driver 38 55% 15 22% 8 12% 6 9% 2 3% 69 H. Bus is on time I. Ease of using route 39 51% 22 29% 9 12% 5 6% 2 3% 77 and schedule info J. Convenience of 30 39% 25 32% 15 19% 7 9% 0 0% 77 routes K. Cleanliness/Safety of 55 71% 18 23% 4 5% 0 0% 1 1% 78 buses and bus stops L. Sunshine Bus 38 55% 15 22% 8 12% 6 9% 2 3% 69 Company’s telephone customer service
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Bus riders were provided space on the survey form to suggest ways to improve Sunshine Bus service. Comments received are summarized and grouped into categories in Table 2.8. Over 50% of written comments in question 16 suggest either more frequent buses, design enhancements, Sunday/daily service or more hours of service throughout the day. Ten percent (10%) suggest that improvements are needed in bus driver courtesy and another 10% suggest more or improved bus routes. A few comments raise potential policy issues related to customer service and on time performance, for example.
Table 2.8 Summary of Rider Comments by Topic (Question 16)
# of Comment % Comments Increase the number of trips or buses/Improve frequency of buses (Specific locations mentioned: to/from Outlet Mall, SR 16, SR 207, Teal Line, more 9 15% buses on each line) Design Enhancements related to bus, bus stop or location information/universal design (For example: Call out stops, tone (sound) to tell people inside the bus that a stop is coming up, Color flags or other way 9 15% to identify bus in distance, bus route color on back of bus, use color to indicate bus lines, can't read blinking lights, wish stops were easier to locate, paint back of bus stop signs yellow, not familiar with US 1bus stops Add Sunday service/Need daily service 8 13%
Increase the service hours/span of service 8 13% Compliment (For example: Great service for tourists, Teal Line is great for 7 11% Hastings/Flagler Estates, excellent service, convenient, I love the bus) Improve driver courtesy (For example: drivers sometimes unprofessional, buses sometimes pass stops if people are standing there without checking, 6 10% soothing music or no radio) Offer more or improved routes (For example: Split the Purple Line into 2 routes (Seabridge to St. Augustine outlet malls and St. Augustine outlet malls to Avenues Mall), routes on Volusia Street, a bus line to Jacksonville 6 10% Beach, from SR 207 to US 1, crossing the bridge, Restore Purple Line to the old schedule.) Miscellaneous comments (For example: An offer from a media designer to 5 8% help improve customer experience) Provide more bus stop amenities (For example: bus stop bench at Sea Bridge Square, benches at US 1 stops, bus stop rest area, trash cans at all 4 6% designated stops) Improve schedule adherence - improve on-time performance, including 2 3% buses arriving too early. A late bus is better than one that goes by too early Add more bus stops 2 3%
Total 62 100.0%
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2.4 Bus Driver and Staff Questionnaire
2.4.1 Description Sunshine Bus Company bus operators and other St. Johns County COA staff were provided an opportunity to complete a questionnaire over a period of nearly three weeks. From March 29, 2016 to April 15, 2016, bus operators and COA staff completed hard copies of a self-administering questionnaire at COA’s bus facility. The general purpose of this questionnaire (Appendix E1) was to collect input from bus operators and staff related to bus operations, such as common complaints from customers, strengths and weaknesses of the bus system, and suggestions to improve bus service. A total of 22 questionnaires were collected from 20 bus operators (19 Sunshine Bus and one Paratransit), one customer service/dispatch representative and one billing/schedule coordinator. Summary information for a few questions is contained on the following pages. Remaining summary and questionnaire responses are contained in Appendix E2.
2.4.2 Summary of Questionnaire Results Bus operators were asked to mark the five complaints heard most often from Sunshine Bus passengers/customers (Figure 2.17). Out of 14 options, the most common complaint selected was that bus schedules were too hard to understand (at 18.6%); followed by need Sunday service (14.3%) and not enough bus shelters or benches (14.3%); and need more evening/night service (10.0%), need more frequent services on existing routes (10.0%), and bus doesn’t go where I want (10.0%) all tied for third place. When asked whether or not the complaints they heard most often were valid, 12 out of 19 bus operators (63.2%) replied “yes”; the other seven replied no. Regarding the paratransit service, three out of seven bus operators/staff commented that customers would like shorter wait/turnaround times. Additional comments were that customers would like to make additional (non-medical) stops, the bus doesn’t come when they thought it would come (mostly too early) and some don’t qualify for the service and wish they did.
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Figure 2.17 Frequent Complaints
Q2. Please mark the FIVE complaints you hear most often from passengers/customers.
Bus is not clean 0.0% Bus is not comfortable 0.0% Safety/Security concern 0.0% Earlier hours on existing routes 0.0% Other 2.9% Bus leaves the stop too early 4.3% Bus is late 4.3% Passengers cannot get information 5.7% The route is too long or takes too much time 5.7% Bus doesn’t go where I want 10.0% Need more frequent service on existing routes 10.0% Need more evening/night service 10.0% Not enough bus shelters or benches 14.3% Need Sunday service 14.3% Bus schedule too hard to understand 18.6% % of Responses (N=70)
Bus operators were asked their opinions on options that were most important for Sunshine Bus to focus on over the next ten years (Figure 2.18). Out of 11 potential choices, the most common suggestion indicated was to replace the flag-down system with designated bus stops (at 21.3%); followed by local policies to encourage transit to reduce congestion (12.8%); and more frequent service (10.6%) and bus service to other areas of St. Johns County (10.6%) both tied for third place. Although Park-and-Ride (whether for St. Augustine area attractions or for residents going to Jacksonville) received minimal responses, when asked whether or not the county government center is a good location for a Park-and- Ride lot, 12 out of 17 bus operators (70.6%) replied “yes”. Of those that replied “yes”, reasons offered were varied including: lots of parking available, lots of routes come here and safe/clean. Others that replied “yes” either suggested that the specific location at the county government complex be close to the exit/near US 1 (2) or that a Park-and-Ride at the county government complex only be used for routes traveling to the north (2). Of the five who replied no, reasons offered included: too far away from town/majority of population, too much traffic and spaces fill up by employees and people doing business.
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Figure 2.18 Potential Ten Year Priorities
Q6. In your opinion, what is most important for Sunshine Bus over the next 10 years? (check up to three)
Encourage more paratransit riders to ride Sunshine Bus 0.0% P&R for St. Augustine/St. Augustine Beach attractions 2.1% P&R for residents going to Jacksonville 4.3% Other 6.4% Shuttle service for local beach and/or tourist attractions 6.4% Identify sustainable funding source(s) for public transit 8.5% Bus service to ANOTHER COUNTY 8.5% Attract more riders 8.5% Bus service to other areas of St. Johns County 10.6% More frequent service 10.6% Local policies to encourage transit to reduce congestion 12.8% Replace flag down system w/designated bus stops 21.3%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% % of Responses (N=47)
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2.5 Public Opinion Survey (Online Survey)
2.5.1 Overview of Survey A public opinion survey was implemented to obtain input from the general public (particularly St. Johns County residents, employees and businesses) and to guide development of the plan. The survey was available online for 35 days, from June 3, 2016 to July 7, 2016. A total of 402 surveys were collected. Information collected from survey respondents related to transit needs, factors that might influence decisions to use public transit, knowledge and attitudes about public transportation, and some demographics of the respondents.
The survey was made available on the St. Johns County, City of St. Augustine Beach and North Florida TPO’s websites. On St. Johns County’s website, the survey link (www.sjctransitstudy.com) was posted as the first item on the home page as well as on the transportation development page. The survey link was emailed to the St. Johns County Administrator, BOCC members, TDP Stakeholder Group (including FDOT, Northeast Florida CareerSource, and the North Florida TPO), as well as other stakeholders. All were encouraged to share the link with their contacts.
In addition to websites and email notification, the St. Johns County and other stakeholders posted information about the survey to media and/or social networking sites. Examples of the media outlets utilized are listed below.
Government Television (GTV), the television channel of St. Johns County, Florida – bulletin board Facebook – St. Johns County and North Florida TPO Twitter – St. Johns County and Northeast Florida Mobility Coalition Transportal (a virtual regional transportation resource) Media – email notification by St. Johns County
2.5.2 Online Survey Results Summary results are provided below. Charts, including detailed cross tabulations by home zip code, can be found in Appendix F.
Respondent Characteristics The majority of survey respondents live in St. Johns County (88%), work outside of their home (82%), and drive themselves to work (93%). Only 2% of survey respondents use public transportation to get to work and another 2% carpool. Of the age ranges, 22% selected 45-54 years old, followed by 35-44 years old at 19% and 65-74 at 15%. Over half the survey respondents had two or more working vehicles in their household; only 2% had none. Forty-two percent (42%) had a total annual household income of $70,000 or more.
Public Transportation Needs and Willingness to Use Public Transportation Considering that online survey respondents were not transit dependent, a significant percentage stated they either would consider using public transportation or needed public transportation. Seventy-four
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(74%) of survey respondents would consider using public transportation in St. Johns County if it was available to them. Thirty-seven (37%) said “yes” and another 37% said “maybe.” The remaining 26% said “no.”
Where do you most need public transportation? When asked to choose between different areas of the County, about 60% of survey respondents stated they most need public transportation in the St. Augustine/St. Augustine Beach area.
When asked to choose preferred connections to the St. Augustine area: 19% would like public transit to connect St. Augustine with the southwest (Hastings and Flagler Estates area); 18% would like to connect St. Augustine with the northwest (Julington Creek, Fruit Cove, Durbin Creek and/or northwest CR-210 areas); and another 18% with the northeast (Nocatee, Ponte Vedra Beach and/or Palm Valley areas). Eight (8%) would like to connect St. Augustine with the World Golf Village area.
Do respondents need public transportation to other counties and which counties Fifty-three (53%) of survey respondents need public transportation between St. Johns County and other counties. Twenty-eight (28%) said “yes” and another 25% said “maybe.” The remaining 47% said “no.” When asked which counties, most chose Duval County, followed by Flagler County and Putnam County.
Knowledge about public transportation Most survey respondents have heard of Sunshine Bus (77%) but only 14% had used Sunshine Bus in the past. Regarding paratransit, just over half of survey respondents had never heard of it (53%), and only 3% had used it.
Factors that might influence decisions to use public transportation When asked to select up to three conditions that would most encourage them to use public transportation, “frequent service (vehicle run often)” was selected most often; followed by “routes that serve the areas I need to go” and “low/affordable fares.”
When asked to select the option that best described why they would use public transportation in St. Johns County:
37% of survey respondents chose “to avoid driving in heavy traffic and/or parking conditions;” 21% chose “I like having a variety of transportation options” and 18% chose “I support transit for others and am willing to try it for myself.”
Finally, most survey respondents would use public transportation to get to “beaches or historic St. Augustine area attractions;” followed by “work” and then “shopping/errands.”
Attitudes about public transportation Most survey respondents agree (either agree or somewhat agree) with the following statements.
An effective public transportation system is important for the economy (92%). Public transportation should be improved to reduce congestion (91%).
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An effective public transportation system is important for the environment (86%). There is a need for additional or improved public transportation within St. Johns County (88%). I would support increased taxpayer funding of public transportation serving St. Johns County (67%). Twenty-two (22%) said they either disagree or somewhat disagree, while 10% were not sure.
2.6 Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Analysis The federal government directs the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to look at the services it provides, and make sure that individuals who have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English (i.e., who are limited English proficient, or LEP), have access to those services. On August 16, 2000, the President signed Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency.” Then the USDOT and FTA published LEP guidance in 2005 and 20074, respectively. As a result, public transportation providers that receive Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding, such as Sunshine Bus, must take reasonable steps to ensure that LEP persons have meaningful access to public transportation.
A four-factor framework is outlined in Section V of the 2005 DOT LEP Guidance5 to help transit agencies ensure that limited-English members of their population have meaningful access to benefits, services and information. These four factors are: 1) Determine the number or proportion of LEP individuals eligible to be serviced or likely to be served by transit; 2) Determine the frequency with which LEP individuals come in contact with transit; 3) Determine the relative importantance of transit provided by St. Johns County to peoples’ lives; and 4) Assess the available resources to the transit system.
To address Factor 1, U.S. Census, American Community Survey data for St. Johns County, Florida was used to determine the number and proportion of LEP individuals in the community.
Table 2.9 Population 5 Years and Older Who Speak a Language Other than English at Home
Language Number % of Total % of Number of % of Number of % of Total County of County Speakers that Speak Speakers that Speak Population Speaking Speakers Population6 English “Very Well” English Less than English Less than “Very Well” “Very Well” Spanish 8,194 4.3% 71.9% 28.1% 1.2% Other Indo-European 4,215 2.2% 74.1% 25.9% 0.6% Asian and Pacific 1,630 0.8% 0.4% Islander 52.4% 47.6% Other 1,467 0.8% 62.8% 37.2% 0.3% Total 15,506 8.1% 69.6% 30.4% 2.4% Source: American Community Survey, Table DP02: Selected Social, 2011 – 2013.
4 Circular 4702.1A, “Title VI and Title VI-Dependent Guidelines for FTA Recipients, 5 Federal Register/Vol.70, No.239/December 14, 2005 6 % of Total County Population 5 Years and Older
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Table 2.9 shows that about 2.5% of St. Johns County’s population speaks English less than “very well.” Of those, the predominant second language is Spanish. Four percent (4%) of the total county population speak Spanish at home, and 28% of that population speaks English less than “very well.” Still, this represents a relatively small portion (1.2%) of the total St. Johns County population.
To determine the frequency with which LEP individuals come in contact with transit, the on-board survey asked, “Do you speak any other language(s) besides English at home?” The majority of survey respondents (82.5%) stated that they do not speak any languages besides English at home.
The below questions on the on-board survey provide information concerning the relative importance of Sunshine Bus to people’s lives:
“How would you make this trip if not by Sunshine Bus?” “What is the most important reason you ride the bus?” and, “How often do you ride?”
The majority of riders surveyed (80%) said they ride the bus three or more days a week. About 60% said either that they don’t drive or that they did not have a car available. And, 16% would not make the trip if not by Sunshine Bus.
The Sunshine Bus Company’s website currently features a translation widget that allows individuals to translate website information into different languages. Since the last annual TDP update, no additional resources have been received to implement additional LEP measures. St. Johns County will continue to look for additional low-cost methods (as well as additional financial resources) to provide language translation assistance to customers that need it.
2.7 Summary of Public Involvement A variety of input and comments were received during public involvement. Some topics and sentiments were commonly observed across the various public involvement methods.
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3.0 Existing Service Area Conditions
3.1 Transit Service Area St. Johns County is located in Northeast Florida, bordered on the north by Duval County, on the south by Flagler County and on the west by the St. Johns River and Clay and Putnam Counties. To the east, St. Johns County is bounded by over 40 miles of beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. Just over one-third of St. Johns County’s population is concentrated in what is called the St. Augustine Urbanized Area, which includes the City of St. Augustine, City of St. Augustine Beach and surrounding areas. Another one-third of the population resides in the County’s northeast and northwest communities and is part of the Jacksonville Urbanized Area that extends from the north into St. Johns County. Interstate 95 (I-95) runs north-south through the center of the county and west of St. Augustine. US 1 is another principal north- south arterial that runs parallel to the Florida East Coast (FEC) rail line, a regional railroad providing rail service along the east coast of Florida. Figure 3.1 illustrates the study area. The Sunshine Bus Company provides public transportation services in St. Johns County, serving the St. Augustine Urbanized Area, as well as the Town of Hastings and Flagler Estates.
3.2 Population Profile St. Johns County’s population is the second largest within Northeast Florida and is currently the fastest growing county. Table 3.1 shows that the county’s population has increased 14.7% between years 2010 and 2014, a rate of increase faster than the region (7.1%) and faster than the State of Florida (5.8%). During this period, St. Johns County gained 27,880 residents. Also during this time, as shown in Table 3.2, households increased by about 8% and civilians employed in the labor force increased by 13%.
The US Census Bureau defines the more densely populated areas of the county as Urban Areas. Table 3.3 shows that 72.5% of St. Johns County’s population lives within Census Urban Areas. Between 2010 and 2014, population within these areas increased by 9%, or 13,233 residents. The Census Bureau defines two types of urban areas: Urbanized Areas of 50,000 or more people and Urban Clusters of at least 2,500 and less than 50,0007. In addition to the St. Augustine Urbanized Area and the Jacksonville Urbanized Area, the World Golf Village area is an Urban Cluster located west of Interstate 95 near SR 16.
Population estimates for St. Johns County’s three incorporated areas, the City of St. Augustine, the City of St. Augustine Beach and the Town of Hastings are shown in Table 3.4. Incorporated jurisdictions make up about 10% of the County’s total population. Of the incorporated areas, St. Augustine has the largest population (13,590), followed by St. Augustine Beach (6,480).
7 U.S. Census Bureau website https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/ua/uafaq.html, 8/2016
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Figure 3.1 Service Area
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Table 3.1 North Florida’s Population by County
Population 2010 - 2014 % of North Annual County % # 2000 2010 2014 Florida's Average % Change Change Population Change Baker 22,259 27,115 27,093 1.7% -0.1% -22 0.0% Clay 140,814 190,865 199,798 12.5% 4.7% 8,933 1.2% Duval 778,879 864,263 897,698 56.3% 3.9% 33,435 1.0% Flagler 49,832 95,696 102,408 6.4% 7.0% 6,712 1.8% Nassau 57,663 73,314 76,619 4.8% 4.5% 3,305 1.1% Putnam 70,423 74,364 72,143 4.5% -3.0% -2,221 -0.7% St. Johns 123,135 190,039 217,919 13.7% 14.7% 27,880 3.7% Region 1,243,005 1,488,541 1,593,678 100.0% 7.1% 105,137 1.8% State of 15,982,824 18,801,310 19,893,297 ------5.8% 1,091,987 1.5% Florida Source: US Census Bureau State & County Quick Facts, 2014 July 1 Estimate.
Table 3.2 St. Johns County Population Characteristics
Characteristic 2010 2014 % Change Persons 190,039 217,919 14.7% Households 75,338 81,309 7.9% Civilians employed in labor force 88,212 99,939 13.3% Land area (square miles) 600.66 600.66 0.0% Persons per square mile of land area (Density) 316.4 362.8 14.7% Source: 2010 Census Demographic Profile Data (DP-1); 2010 ACS 1-Year Estimates for civilians employed; 2014 US Census Bureau Estimate; and 2014 ACS 1-Year Estimates
Table 3.3 Urban Area Population
Population Share of % of Change, Share of 2010 2014 Urban Urban Area County's 2010 - 2014 County Population Population Area Population Growth # % Growth
St. Augustine Urbanized Area 69,173 75,492 34.6% 6,319 9.1% 47.8% 22.7% World Golf Village Urban Cluster 6,622 7,227 3.3% 605 9.1% 4.6% 2.2% Jacksonville Urbanized Area 69,065 75,374 34.6% 6,309 9.1% 47.7% 22.6% Total Urban Area 144,860 158,093 72.5% 13,233 9.1% 100.0% 47.5% Total St. Johns County 190,039 217,919 100.0% 27,880 14.7% ----- 100.0% Source: FDOT Office of Policy Planning, Urbanized Area Population Estimates (April 1, 2014), March 2015; FDOT Urban Cluster Population Estimates (April 1, 2014), March 2015
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Table 3.4 Population by Jurisdiction
Population % Hastings 604 0.3% St. Augustine 13,590 6.4% St. Augustine Beach 6,480 3.0% Unincorporated Area 192,890 90.3% County Total 213,566 100.0% Source: Florida Estimates of Population, BEBR (Bureau of Economic and Business Research), University of Florida, 2015
3.3 Population Density and Demographics
3.3.1 Population Density Geographic information systems (GIS) was used to develop a spatial analysis of population within St. Johns County, using the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) data (2014 5-Year Estimates). Overall, the highest concentrations of St. Johns County’s populations are located in the urbanized areas. Figure 3.2 (Population Density) represents the greatest concentrations of county residents in orange and red, and the smallest concentrations of residents in shades of green. In the St. Augustine Urbanized Area the greatest population densities are generally located north and south of King Street between Masters Drive and SR A1A; the St. Augustine South area; east of Anastasia Boulevard, near the Bridge of Lions; St. Augustine Beach, south of SR 312 between SR A1A and A1A Beach Boulevard; and along SR A1A, north of SR 206.
Using year 2040 data from the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Model (NERPM), GIS was applied to complete a spatial examination of future population density within St. Johns County (Figure 3.3). Over the next twenty years, population densities increase across the county. Areas with the greatest densities generally remain in the St. Augustine Urbanized Area and Jacksonville Urbanized Areas (northeast and northwest St. Johns County). The Nocatee DRI area (east of US 1 and south of Nocatee Parkway), however, significantly increases in population density, as does an approximate 13-acre area west of US 1 near the Twin Creeks DRI (just west of US 1 and south of CR 210), potentially future workforce housing.
3.3.2 Demographic Summary Table 3.5 identifies overall percentages of demographic groups for St. Johns County. Compared to Florida, the county contains a lower percentage of Hispanic or Latino residents (5.7% vs. 23.3%); a higher percentage of white residents (89.6% vs. 76.2%); a lower percentage of residents speaking languages other than English (7.8% vs. 27.8%); a higher median income ($65,575 vs. $47,212); a lower percentage of persons below poverty level (9.7% vs. 16.7%); and higher percentages of high school (93.8% vs. 86.5%) and college graduates (41.4% vs. 26.8%).
According to Census data, 1.5% of the county’s workers have no vehicle available in their household (Table 3.6). The incorporated communities of St. Augustine and Hastings have greater percentages of
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT) workers with no vehicles, at 6.9% and 11.2%, respectively. St. Augustine Beach is at 1.9%. A spatial distribution of household with no vehicles available is shown in Figure 3.4.
Population densities and percentages were also mapped for several population groups that tend to use transit more frequently than the general population, including low income populations, households without private vehicles, seniors and persons with limited English proficiency (Figures 3.5 -3.10). The highest concentrations of these population groups are generally located in the urbanized areas. However, the southwest area of the County (west of Interstate 95 between SR 206 and CR 13, including portions of Hastings) contains relatively high percentages of residents living below poverty level, higher percentages of households with no vehicles and lower median household incomes. Areas with the lowest median household incomes are generally located in and near the St. Augustine urbanized area and the southwest area of the county (including Hastings).
Figure 3.2 Population Density
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Figure 3.3 Future Population Density
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Table 3.5 Demographic Characteristics Summary
St. Johns County Florida Gender Male 98,729 48.5% 48.9% Female 104,673 51.5% 51.1% Ethnicity Hispanic or Latino 11,629 5.7% 23.3% Non-Hispanic or Latino 191,773 94.3% 76.7% Age Less than 20 years 50,890 25.0% 23.3% 20-34 years 31,020 15.3% 19.1% 35-54 years 58,030 28.5% 26.7% 55-64 years 28,987 14.3% 12.8% 65 years and older 34,475 16.9% 18.2% Median Age (Years) 42.6 41.2 Race White 182,338 89.6% 76.2% Black or African American 10,965 5.4% 16.1% American Indian & Alaska Native 395 0.2% 0.3% Asian 4,285 2.1% 2.5% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 187 0.1% 0.1% Other 896 0.4% 2.5% Identified by Two or More 4,336 2.1% 2.3% Language other than English spoken at home Language other than English spoken at home, 14,977 7.8% 27.8% percentage 5+ Income and Poverty Median household income ($) 65,575 47,212 % persons below poverty level in the past 12 9.7% 16.7% months Disability and Veteran Status Disability Status of Civilian Noninstitutionalized 21,595 10.7% 13.1% Population Civilian veterans 19,623 12.5% 10.1% Educational Attainment % high school graduate or higher ---- 93.8% 86.5% % bachelor's degree or higher ---- 41.4% 26.8% Housing Units Units % % Total Units 92,936 100.0% 100.0% Occupied Units 77,443 83.3% 79.7% Owner - Occupied Units 58,509 63.0% 52.7% Renter - Occupied Units 18,934 20.4% 27.0% Source: 2010-2014 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates
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Table 3.6 Household Vehicles Available
St. Augustine St. Johns County St. Augustine Beach Hastings Workers 16 years and Workers % Workers % Workers % Workers % older in households 91,941 100.0% 6,202 100.0% 3,082 100.0% 224 100.0% No vehicle available 1,379 1.5% 428 6.9% 59 1.9% 25 11.2% 1 vehicle available 16,365 17.8% 2,096 33.8% 592 19.2% 27 12.1% 2 vehicles available 49,188 53.5% 2,878 46.4% 1,880 61.0% 84 37.5% 3 or more vehicles 25,008 27.2% 800 12.9% 552 17.9% 88 39.3% Source: US Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey (ACS), 5 - year estimates
Figure 3.4 Percent Zero Car Household
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Figure 3.5 Density of 65 Years Old & Above
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Figure 3.6 Percent 65 Years Old & Above
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Figure 3.7 Below Poverty Level Density
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Figure 3.8 Percent Below Poverty Level
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Figure 3.9 Median Household Income
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Figure 3.10 Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Density
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3.4 Employment Density and Large Employers
3.4.1 Employment Density Using base-year data from the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Model (NERPM), GIS was applied to complete a spatial examination of employment within St. Johns County (Figure 3.11). Additionally, 2014 InfoUSA job location data was utilized to create a heat map indicating where jobs are concentrated within the County (Figure 3.12). Overall the highest concentrations of St. Johns County’s jobs are located within the St. Augustine Urbanized Area, generally along US 1 near King Street and near SR 312).
Figure 3.11 Employment Density
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Figure 3.12 Jobs Heat Map
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3.4.2 Large Employers The County’s Chamber of Commerce provided a list of private companies with at least 100 employees, including the St. Johns County School District. As mapped in Figure 3.13 and shown in Table 3.7, these 35 large employers comprise over 15,000 employees. The St. Johns County School District is the largest employer (3,700 employees), followed by Flagler Hospital (1,800) and Northrop Grumman (1,100 employees). The majority of large employers (15 out of 35) are located in the St. Augustine area representing 67% of these large employer jobs. Ten employers are located in Ponte Vedra representing 20% of the large employer jobs; and seven employers are located in the World Golf Village (WGV) area representing about 10% of these jobs. Many of these jobs are not located near existing transit routes. In addition to large private employers, St. Johns County, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and the cities of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach are major employers.
Figure 3.13 Large Employers
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Table 3.7 Large Employers in St. Johns County
Company Name Employees Description City/Community St. Johns County School District 3700 Public Education St. Augustine Flagler Hospital 1800 Hospital St. Augustine Northrop Grumman, St. Augustine 1100 Aircraft Integration Center St. Augustine Florida School for the Deaf and Blind 670 Statewide K-12 Boarding School St. Augustine Ponte Vedra Inn & Club 650 Hotels/Resorts Ponte Vedra Beach Ring Power 629 Heavy Construction Equipment Dealer St. Augustine (WGV) PGA Tour 620 Golf Resort Ponte Vedra Beach Carlisle Interconnect Technologies 600 High Tech. Wire Manufacturing St. Augustine Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa 465 Hotels/Resorts Ponte Vedra Beach Florida Army National Guard 400 Army and Air National Guard St. Augustine SAPA Extrusions North America 330 Manufacturing St. Augustine Flagler College 330 Education St. Augustine Vicar's Landing 320 Retirement Community (non-profit) Ponte Vedra Beach TPC 320 Golf Club Ponte Vedra Beach Moultrie Creek Nursing & Rehab 260 Nursing Home St. Augustine Council on Aging 201 Community Service St. Augustine Prosperity Bank 200 Financial Institution St. Augustine Renaissance Resort at WGV 200 Hotels St. Augustine (WGV) Westminster Woods- Julington Creek 190 Retirement Community Fruit Cove Conch House Marina/Resort 180 Restaurant/Marina/Motel Destination St. Augustine Glenmoor at World Golf Village 180 Retirement Community St. Augustine (WGV) D.R Horton 170 Home Builders St. Johns Advanced Disposal 160 Solid Waste and Recycling Services Ponte Vedra Beach Casa Monica Hotel 160 Hotel St. Augustine The Lodge and Club 150 Hotel and Private Club Ponte Vedra Beach Roadway Worker Training 150 Training and Support to Railroad industry St. Augustine (WGV) David Dobbs Enterprises 150 Specialty Advertising Products St. Augustine Hastings Comp. Mental Health 140 Juvenile Correction Facility (State of Florida) Hastings Capital Markets Cooperative 140 Provides secondary marketing to banks Ponte Vedra Beach University of St. Augustine (Health 120 Training Facility for health care practitioners St. Augustine Sciences) Rulon International 120 Wood manufacturing (ceilings, wood walls) St. Augustine (WGV) Sawgrass Country Club 110 Private Country Club Ponte Vedra Beach PGA Tour Entertainment 110 Video production of the PGA tour St. Augustine (WGV) Vacation Rental Pro's 105 Vacation Rental leasing & management Ponte Vedra Beach Slammer and Squire at WGV 100 Golf Course St. Augustine (WGV) 15,230 Source: St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce, 2/5/2016 (Private Companies with 100 employees and above, including St. Johns County School District)
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3.5 Commuting Characteristics and Patterns
3.5.1 Means of Transportation to Work Table 3.8 indicates that most St. Johns County workers drive alone to work (over 80 percent). Only 0.2 percent of workers in St. Johns County use public transportation to get to work. The incorporated communities of St. Augustine and Hastings have greater percentages of workers that use public transportation, at 1.4 and 3.8 percent, respectively. St. Augustine Beach is at 0 percent.
3.5.2 Place of Work Using US Census ACS data, place of work for workers living in St. Johns County was obtained (Table 3.9). For St. Johns County residents that work, over half (55 percent) work within the county. In all three incorporated communities of St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach and Hastings over 80 percent of workers work within St. Johns County.
3.5.3 Commuters from St. Johns County to Other Counties Table 3.10 summarizes commuter flows for workers living in St. Johns County. The table shows the top seven destination counties for St. Johns County’s workers. These are the counties where St. Johns County’s workers are employed. Using the US Census’ On the Map application and LEHD statistics, this section includes an analysis of employment commuting patterns for St. Johns County residents. The On the Map application is an online resource to obtain Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) data.
In year 2011 (the year of St. Johns County’s last major TDP update), 28,629 workers living in St. Johns County also work in St. Johns County (36 percent). In year 2013 (the most recent year of available data at the time of the analysis) the number of workers living and working in St. Johns County increased 6% by over 1,800 workers.
The remaining percent of workers commute to either nearby counties or counties outside of Northeast Florida. According to the data, the greatest share of St. Johns County workers commute to Duval County. Over forty percent of workers living in St. Johns County commute to Duval County. Between 2011 and 2013, there was an 8% increase in the number of workers living in St. Johns County who commute to Duval County (representing 2,421 workers). Although Duval County is the top destination county for St. Johns County workers, the percentage increase of workers commuting to Clay County and Flagler County was 24% and 18, respectively.
3.5.4 Commuters from Other Counties to St. Johns County Table 3.11 summarizes commuter flows for persons who live in other counties and work in St. Johns County. The table shows the top seven counties of origin for workers employed in St. Johns County. Similar to Table 3.10, this table also uses data from the US Census’ On the Map application and LEHD statistics. Of the workers who work in St. Johns County, about half come from communities within St. Johns County, while the other half come from other counties. Of the other counties, the greatest share of workers come from Duval County. Between 2011 and 2013, the number of workers commuting from Duval County to St. Johns County increased 12%. Although a significant amount of workers travel from Duval County, the percentage increase of workers commuting to St. Johns County from Clay County was 19%.
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3.5.5 Additional Commuting Patterns - St. Augustine and Jacksonville Table 3.12 offers a relative comparison of commuters to the St. Augustine area (represented in this table as St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach) and to Jacksonville. Generally, a larger share of workers living in northern St. Johns County communities are employed in Jacksonville than are employed in St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach. For example, fifty-nine percent of workers living in Fruit Cove (northwest St. Johns County) are employed in Jacksonville, compared to about six percent employed in St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach. Also, a larger share of workers living in St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach are employed in St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach than in Jacksonville. For example, 32.6 % of St. Augustine workers are employed in the St. Augustine area, while only 19.8% are employed in Jacksonville. Although the magnitude of St. Augustine workers traveling to Jacksonville is still relatively significant, with about 1,100 workers employed in Jacksonville.
Table 3.8 Means of Transportation to Work
St. Johns County St. Augustine St. Augustine Beach Hastings Workers % Workers % Workers % Workers % Workers 16 years and over 92,260 100.0% 6,403 100.0% 3,085 100.0% 240 100.0% Car, truck, or van 82,388 89.3% 4,463 69.70% 2,564 83.10% 190 79.2% >>Drove alone 75,192 81.5% 3,912 61.10% 2,422 78.50% 169 70.4% >>Carpooled 7,104 7.7% 551 8.60% 142 4.60% 21 8.8% Public Transportation 185 0.2% 90 1.40% 0 0.00% 9 3.8% Walked 923 1.0% 531 8.30% 37 1.20% 3 1.3% Bicycle 830 0.9% 519 8.10% 25 0.80% 7 2.9% Taxicab, motorcycle, other 1,476 1.6% 224 3.50% 65 2.10% 5 2.1% Worked at home 6,458 7.0% 576 9.00% 395 12.80% 26 10.8% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey (ACS), 5 - year estimates, Table S0801: Commuting (values calculated based on census percentages)
Table 3.9 Place of Work
St. Augustine St. Johns County St. Augustine Beach Hastings Workers % Workers % Workers % Workers % Workers 16 years and over 92,260 100.0% 6,403 100.0% 3,085 100.0% 3,085 100.0% Work in Florida 90,415 98.0% 6,205 96.9% 3,017 97.8% 3,085 100.0% Work in St. Johns County 51,204 55.5% 5,359 83.7% 2,539 82.3% 2,570 83.3% Work Outside St. Johns County 39,303 42.6% 845 13.2% 478 15.5% 515 16.7% Work outside Florida 1,845 2.0% 198 3.1% 68 2.2% 0 0.0% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 American Community Survey (ACS), 5 - year estimates, Table S0801: Commuting
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Table 3.10 Workplace for Workers Living in St. Johns County, 2011 and 2013
County of Work County of Residence St. Hills- All Other Duval Clay Orange Putnam Flagler Total Johns borough Locations
Number of St. Johns 34,161 30,445 2,526 2,218 1,422 1,177 1,044 11034 84,027 County Workers (2013) % 41% 36% 3% 3% 2% 1% 1% 13% 100%
Number of St. Johns 31,740 28,629 2,043 2,127 1,396 1,107 887 10532 78,461 County Workers (2011) % 40% 36% 3% 3% 2% 1% 1% 13% 100% 2011 - 2013 Percent 8% 6% 24% 4% 2% 6% 18% 5% 7% Change for each
Distribution of St. 2,421 1,816 483 91 26 70 157 502 5,566 Johns County's total increase (2011 - 2013) 43% 33% 9% 2% 0% 1% 3% 9% 100% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, OnTheMap Application and LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (Beginning of Quarter Employment, 2nd Quarter of 2011 and 2013).
Table 3.11 Residence for Workers Employed in St. Johns County, 2011 and 2013
County of Residence County of Work St. All Other Duval Flagler Clay Putnam Volusia Orange Total Johns Locations Number St. Johns of 30,445 11,718 2,834 2,280 1,754 1,146 967 10,685 61,829 County Workers (2013) % 49.2% 19.0% 4.6% 3.7% 2.8% 1.9% 1.6% 17% 100% Number St. Johns of 28,629 10,420 2,774 1,914 1,667 1,041 1,034 9,464 56,943 County Workers (2011) % 50.3% 18.3% 4.9% 3.4% 2.9% 1.8% 1.8% 17% 100%
2011 - 2013 Percent 6% 12% 2% 19% 5% 10% -6% 13% 9% Change for each
Distribution of St. 1,816 1,298 60 366 87 105 -67 1,221 4,886 Johns County's total increase 37% 27% 1% 7% 2% 2% -1% 25% 100% (2013 - 2011) Source: U.S. Census Bureau, OnTheMap Application and LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (Beginning of Quarter Employment, 2nd Quarter of 2011 and 2013).
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Table 3.12 Comparison of Commuters to St. Augustine Area and Jacksonville
Work Location St. Augustine Area Jacksonville % of workers Residence Location % of workers living in Work in St. living in the Home the Home Location that Work in Augustine and St. Location that work in St. Augustine Jacksonville Augustine Beach work in and St. Augustine Beach Jacksonville St. Augustine Beach CDP 938 34.4% 463 17.0% St. Augustine CDP 1,809 32.6% 1,095 19.8% Hastings CCD Area 866 17.0% 1,059 20.7% World Golf Village CDP 497 9.7% 2,537 49.6% Nocatee CDP 218 7.5% 1,202 41.2% Fruit Cove CDP 793 5.7% 8,217 59.2% Ponte Vedra CCD 416 3.4% 5,823 47.7% East Palatka CDP 34 4.3% Palm Coast 605 2.2%
Palatka CDP 53 1.1% Jacksonville CDP 1,340 0.4% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, OnTheMap Application and LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics, 2014 * - St. Augustine Beach is not one of the top 25 areas where workers are employed
3.6 Tourism With over 6.3 million visitors annually, St. Johns County is a major travel destination. There are numerous attractions within the County including attractions within the historic City of St. Augustine, beaches and golf courses. The St. Johns County Tourist Development Council (TDC) estimates that the County experienced 6,335,000 million total visitors (from outside of St. Johns County) in 2015. About fifty-six percent stayed overnight in commercial lodging establishments and thirty-seven percent were day visitors who did not spend the night in St. Johns County. The remaining visitors either stayed with friends or relatives or stayed in personal condos or vacation homes. During this period, the occupancy rate for hotels and motels was 66.4%, a record for 12 months.
St. Johns County has about 10,256 total rooms/units in over 220 facilities (hotels/motels, condos/private rentals, resorts, bed & breakfasts/inns and campgrounds). Forty-four percent of the rooms/units are located in the Anastasia Beaches area, twenty-four percent located in the St. Augustine/Vilano/North Beach area, thirteen percent located along the Interstate 95 corridor, ten percent located in Ponte Vedra Beach and eight percent in World Golf Village.
Tourism in St. Johns County has a significant economic impact on the County with over $1.7 billion in direct spending in 2015, up 4% over 2014. This spending generated 22,924 tourism jobs and $167 million
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT) in state and local taxes. Multiple industry sectors benefited from tourism spending including transit and ground passenger transportation at $62.9 million (3.8%), and scenic and sightseeing transportation at $60.4 million (3.6%).
3.7 Major Destinations and Points of Interest In addition to reviewing demographic and employment data, the locations of major destinations and points of interest may help determine transit enhancements. Figures 3.14 – 3.18 illustrate the locations of key government services; assisted living facilities; common paratransit destinations; medical, college and shopping point of interest; and tourism points of interest. The Sunshine Bus transit coverage area (a one-quarter mile distance on either side of each bus route) is shown on the figures to indicate how well the existing deviated fixed-route transit system serves these locations.
Within the St. Augustine Urbanized Area and Hastings, existing Sunshine Bus Routes generally serve these destinations very well. The following destinations/point of interests are near the existing transit coverage area but do not appear to be within one-quarter mile of Sunshine Bus routes.
Solomon Calhoun Community Center on Duval Street (Government Services) Anastasia Island Branch Library on SR A1A(Government Services) St. Augustine Beach Branch Post Office on SR A1A(Government Services) St. Augustine Beach City Hall Complex and Police Department on SR A1A (Government Service) First Coast Technical College Public Safety Campus on Woodlawn Road (School) W.E. Harris Community Center in Hastings on E. Harris St. (Government Services) Treaty Park near SR 207 and Wildwood Drive (Tourism – Recreation) Portions of North Beach/Vilano Beach/Crescent Beach on SR A1A (Tourism – Hotel/Motel)
There are also major destinations and points of interests not currently within or near the existing transit system’s coverage area. Several are located within the northeast, northwest and World Golf Village areas of the County.
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Figure 3.14 Government Services
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Figure 3.15 Assisted Living Facilities
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Figure 3.16 Common Paratransit Destinations
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Figure 3.17 Medical, Colleges and Shopping Points of Interest
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Figure 3.18 Tourism Points of Interest
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3.8 Land Use, Development Future Land Use Map components of the St. Johns County, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach and Hasting’s comprehensive plans illustrate anticipated land use, generally over the next 10 to 20 years. Figures 3.19 – 3.22 depict future land uses currently anticipated over the TDP’s ten–year horizon.
In St. Johns County land use changes and growth are anticipated as there are many developing areas, including Developments of Regional Impact (DRI). Figure 3.23 illustrates the locations of several DRIs, along with a table indicating the number of recent residential permits approved in year 2015. As shown, the DRIs are located north of SR 16 and outside of the St. Augustine Urbanized Area. Nocatee, a very large master planned community, continues to develop. It is approved for over 14,600 residential units along with 4.2-million square feet of office, 1-million square feet of retail, as well as a 10-acre affordable housing site at the junction of Valley Ridge Boulevard and Palm Valley Road. Over the next five to ten years, Twin Creeks and Silverleaf are anticipated to develop substantially. Similar to Nocatee, Silverleaf is approved for over 10,000 residential units. Appendix H contains a table of approved, built and remaining DRI development.
In addition to DRIs, Durbin Park in northern St. Johns County is expected to be a very large development bringing jobs, retail and services. Located on the south side of Race Track Road, and east and west of Interstate 95, Durbin Park is planned to be a mixed use development with retail, entertainment, office, hotel and residential land uses, built over a 20-year period. Phase I, bounded on the east by a new SR-9B extension is expected to contain about 600,000 square feet of retail, including big box retailers. Phase I could open as early as year 2018.
3.9 Existing Roadways Roadways are classified according to their function (Figure 3.24). In St. Johns County the major north- south commuting roadways of Interstate 95 and US 1 are classified as Principal Arterials. The state of Florida identifies Interstate 95 as a corridor with regional and statewide significance as it connects the state and Northeast Florida to areas to the north. Other principal arterials are SR 16 and SR 207. Roadway classifications range from principal arterials to minor collectors and local, neighborhood streets.
In addition to Interstate 95, there are other transportation facilities within St. Johns County designated on Florida’s Strategic Intermodal System (SIS), with statewide and regional significance. SIS facilities consist of statewide and regionally significant facilities and services, established to efficiently serve the mobility needs of Florida’s citizens, businesses and visitors. Currently, Interstate 95 and SR 207 are SIS highways, and the Florida East Coast Railway is a SIS railroad. Other key non-SIS state transportation facilities include US 1, SR A1A, SR 16 and the Northeast Florida Regional Airport.
St. Johns County maintains a Transportation Analysis Spreadsheet that identifies critical and deficient roadway segments8. Roadway segments are critical when 90% to 99.9% of their peak hour service volume are utilized, and roadway segments are deficient when 100% or more of their peak hour service volume are utilized. Of the 199 roadway segments in the spreadsheet, 40 (20%) are either critical or
8 Published date is 07/1/2015 (revised 8/18/2015)
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT) deficient. These 40 roadway segments represent 60 (14%) of the total 418 miles that are critical or deficient. Notable critical or deficient roadway segments are: US 1 near Wildwood Drive, SR 312 west of US 1, CR214/King St. between Volusia St. and Palmer St., Holmes Blvd. between SR 207 and CR214/King St., and SR 207 near Interstate 95. Existing Sunshine Bus routes travel on these roadway segments. A list of critical and deficient roadway segments are located in Appendix H.
Constrained roadway segments are roadways that will likely not be widened beyond the current number of lanes due to environmental, physical, political or severe economic constraints. Any capacity improvements on constrained roadways likely will need to occur through techniques that manage travel demand or improve traffic flow through solutions such as transit, ITS, intersection improvements and other context sensitive solutions. St. Johns County has constrained roadway segments located in the City of St. Augustine (portions of San Marco Ave. south of the Vilano Causeway, King St. east of US-1, the Bridge of Lions, the Vilano Causeway Bridge, and US 1/Ponce de Leon Blvd. north and south of King St.), and along portions of CR 214/W. King St., Masters Dr./Palmer St., International Golf Parkway, SR A1A, CR 210 and CR 210A in Ponte Vedra and SR 13 in the Fruit Cove area. An existing Sunshine Bus route extends along King St. and the Bridge of Lions.
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Figure 3.19 St. Johns County Future Land Use
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Figure 3.20 St. Augustine Future Land Use
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Figure 3.21 St. Augustine Beach Future Lane Use
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Figure 3.22 Hastings Future Land Use
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Figure 3.23 Developments of Regional Impact
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Figure 3.24 Functional Classification
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3.10 Planned Transportation Improvements The North Florida TPO approved the Path Forward 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) on November 13, 2014. The plan guides decisions and investments in the region’s transportation system and considers major road, transit, freight, bike and pedestrian needs over a 20-year horizon. Several projects are included in the adopted 2040 cost feasible LRTP. Table 3.13 lists the region’s cost feasible transportation projects within St. Johns County. Notable roadway capacity projects for St. Johns County include new express lanes along Interstate 95 between the First Coast Expressway and the St. Johns/Duval County Line, a new 4-6 lane roadway to the west of and parallel to Interstate 95 (named CR 2209/St. Johns Parkway), a new roadway in northern St. Augustine (SR 313) and the widening of portions of Race Track Road. The LRTP also documents existing and/or committed projects (i.e., E+C projects) expected to be operational by 2018. These projects include the SR 9B extension from southern Duval County to CR 2209 in St. Johns County. The SR 9B Extension will provide a direct connection between CR 2209 and Interstate 95 in St. Johns County, though Interstate 295 in Duval County. The 2040 cost feasible LRTP also plans for a few major public transportation projects, including commuter rail along the FEC, from a new Transportation Intermodal Center in downtown Jacksonville to St. Augustine. Bus rapid transit is included, between downtown Jacksonville and the Avenue Mall. Regional park and ride lots are also included.
Table 3.13 Planned Transportation Improvements
Roadway From To Capacity Improvement
CR-2209 CR-210 SR-16 Connector New 6 Lane Road CR-2209 SR-16 Connector CR-214 New 4 Lane Road Reconstruct 2 lanes and widen Dixie Hwy/Pellicer Lane SR 207 CR-214 King Street to add sidewalks & bike lanes Race Track Road @ New Road - 6-lane divided East Payton Parkway SR-9B Bartram Springs Parkway arterial International Golf I-95 Duval/St. Johns County Line Add 4 Express Lanes Parkway St. Johns Parkway/CR- Widen to 4-lane divided Race Track Road Bartram Park Blvd. 2209 arterial Widen to 4-6 lane divided Race Track Road Bartram Park Blvd. US-1 arterial SR -23/First Coast Clay/St. Johns County I-95 New Toll Road Expressway Line SR A1A Mickler Road Palm Valley Road Widen to 4 lanes International Golf SR-16 S. Francis Road Widen to 4 lanes Parkway SR-207 I-95 South Holmes Boulevard Widen to 6 lanes SR-312 US-1 SR-A1A Widen to 6 lanes SR-313 SR-207 SR-16 New 6 Lane Road SR-313 SR-16 US-1 New 4 Lane Road Duval/St. Johns County SR-9B CR-2209 New Road Line SR-A1A @ Red Cox Dr Coquina Rd Intersection Improvements
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Roadway From To Capacity Improvement
US-1 @ CR-210 Modify interchange US-1B Kings St US-1 Ponce de Leon Blvd Avenida Menendez Context Sensitive Solutions US-1B San Marco Ave Bridge of Lions SR-16 Context Sensitive Solutions West Payton Parkway Race Track Road SR-9B New Road Southeast Commuter Rail Downtown St. Augustine Source: North Florida TPO, 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), Cost Feasible Plan Projects within St. Johns County
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4.0 Existing Transit Services
4.1 St. Johns County Public Transportation (Sunshine Bus)
4.1.1 Description of Services St. Johns County, in coordination with the St. Johns County Council on Aging (SJCCOA), offers deviated fixed-route public transportation to riders of all ages in St. Johns County, Florida. The Sunshine Bus Company serves the St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach and surrounding areas, as well as the Town of Hastings and Flagler Estates. The transit service connects customers with major shopping, education, medical and health, government destinations and beaches, including Flagler Hospital, the County Health Department, library branches, the county government complex, the Outlet Mall and other retail/grocery stores. Connections to Jacksonville’s transit system (the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, JTA) can be made at the Avenues Mall in Jacksonville.
Route Deviations by reservation are available up to one-quarter of a mile from the bus routes. There is an additional $2.00 fare for each deviation. Additionally, the Sunshine Bus transit system is flag-down system allowing passengers to board buses generally at any safe street corner or location along the bus routes. As shown on Figure 4.1, seven different routes are available, all covering different areas. These areas are generally described below for each bus route. Additional service characteristics of the routes operated by Sunshine Bus are provided in Table 4.1.
Blue Line - US 1 and Downtown St. Augustine; Green Line - SR A1A in St. Augustine Beach, SR 206 and south US 1 areas; Orange Line - West St. Augustine areas; Purple Line - SR 16 Outlet Malls and the Avenues Mall areas, offering connections to Jacksonville’s transit system (the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, JTA) at the Avenues Mall in Jacksonville; Red Line - SR A1A, Downtown St. Augustine and the St. Johns County Government Center & Courthouse Areas; Teal Line - Hastings and Flagler Estates; and Connector Line - US 1, St. Augustine South, Shores Village, Vilano Beach, County Government Center and Seabridge Square retail area.
The service is available every weekday beginning between 5:30 and 6:45 a.m. and ending between 7:05 and 8:05 p.m., depending on the bus route. Similar service hours are offered on Saturdays, except that the Teal Line begins at 8:20 a.m. and runs till 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Additionally, on Saturdays and on holidays buses do not stop at a few destinations that are served on weekdays: County Health Department, V.A. Clinic, Azalea Health, and the St. Johns River State College.
The regular fare to ride the bus is 1.00 per one-way trip. A reduced fare of $0.50 per one-way trip is available to seniors 60+, children 6 years old and under, persons with disabilities and anyone with a Medicare Card. In addition to the regular and reduced priced fare, an all-day pass is available for $3.00 ($1.50 reduced price for seniors 60+, students and persons with disabilities); and a non-transferable
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT) monthly pass is available for $30 ($15 half price for seniors 60+, children 6 years old and under, persons with disabilities, anyone with a Medicare Card and students). The monthly pass price increased from $25 to $30 ($12.50 to $15 reduced fare) in December 2015. This increase was the first fare increase since the deviated fixed-route fares were introduced.
Table 4.1 Sunshine Bus Service Characteristics
Route Weekday Saturday Weekday Saturday Span of Service Name Frequency Frequency Roundtrips Roundtrips Blue Line 130 130 6 6 6:45 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. Green Line 130 130 6 6 6:45 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. Orange Line 130 130 6 6 6:45 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. Purple Line 215 215 4 4 5:30 am. To 7:15 p.m. Red Line 130 130 6 6 6:45 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. Teal Line 235 235 4 2 5:30 a.m. to 7:05 p.m. Connector 50 50 7 7 5:30 a.m. to 8:05 p.m. Line Source: Sunshine Bus’s revised June 2015 route schedules; ETM, 2016
The Sunshine Bus Company transit system provides several opportunities for bus riders to transfer from one Sunshine Bus Company line to another, located at key activity centers within the community. Scheduled to connect at the same times throughout the day, four bus routes (Blue, Green, Orange and Red Lines) begin and end at the “Bus Depot” (located at the northwest corner of A1A and Pope Road), and the other three bus routes (Purple, Teal and Connector Lines) begin and end at the Seabridge Square shopping area (located at the northwest corner of US1 and Highway 312). The Blue and Orange Lines serve the Seabridge Square area as well. Connections can also be made at other places throughout the transit system such as the County Government Center/County Health Department (Red, Connector, Purple and Teal Lines) and Flagler Hospital (Blue, Connector and Orange Lines). Although recent development at the Seabridge Square shopping center has required the removal of a bus shelter from the parking lot, County and SJCCOA staff are planning to construct two bus pullouts along US 1, emphasizing the county and SJCCOA’s commitment to maintaining connectivity for customers.
Over the past year, the Sunshine Bus Company implemented a modification of the Connector Line, by extending transit service to Vilano Beach and the St. Augustine South Subdivision. The modified route alignment traverses US 1 to May Street and the Vilano Causeway. Another vehicle was acquired to help provide this service; and to improve how frequent buses run on the modified bus line. Since the last major TDP update in 2011, 52 bus stop signs were installed along the US 1 corridor and 20 signs were installed along King Street. During the past year, Sunshine Bus Company placed several signs near the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) and has surveyed other locations throughout the developed areas of the county to provide better accessibility to the visually impaired, simultaneously enhancing safety and traffic control for the general public as well as people with other disabilities. Staff continues to work on the placement of bus stop signs and have tentatively identified sign locations on San Marco Blvd., within the city of St. Augustine along the Red Route and along Green Route as well as in the City of St. Augustine Beach.
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Figure 4.1 Sunshine Bus Existing Transit Service
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4.1.2 Ridership Trends Annual ridership and average monthly ridership trends are shown in Figures 4.2 and 4.3. Since 2005, ridership has increased every year. In 2005, the transit system experienced a ridership decrease due to modified bus routes that took time for riders to adjust. Based on the data, February is the lowest ridership month, while October and August are high ridership months.
Figure 4.2 Sunshine Bus Annual Ridership, 2000 – 2015
Annual Ridership
300,000 264,460 277,316 255,431 250,000 240,058 212,937 193,632 200,000 171,566 159,410 150,000 116,330
100,000 84,457 80,509 70,288 57,179
Number of Riders ofNumber 49,551 49,364 50,000 8,184 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Year
Source: St. Johns County Council on Aging, 2000 - 2015
Figure 4.3 Sunshine Bus Average Monthly Ridership, 2011 – 2015
Average Monthly Ridership (2011 - 2015)
23,000 22,535 22,187 22,000 21,580 21,033 21,143 21,000 20,656 20,634 20,658 20,121 20,197 20,207 20,000 19,089 19,000
18,000
17,000
Source: St. Johns County Council on Aging, 2011 - 2015
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4.2 Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) Service9 The SJCCOA is the Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC) for St. Johns County and is the primary transportation entity for Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) bus riders. As the CTC, the SJCCOA is responsible for coordinating, providing, and/or contracting for TD transportation services within St. Johns County. The TD program was established at the statewide level to provide coordinated transportation services to generally the elderly, disabled, economically disadvantaged, children at risk and individuals who have no other means of transportation. The TD population is defined under Chapter 427, Florida Statutes.
St. Johns County’s TD services are provided on a subscription and demand response basis, 24 hours per day and seven days per week. Although the demand response services operate under a 24-hour advanced notification basis, SJCCOA staff frequently provide transportation services on a same-day basis to be more responsive to the needs of transportation users. Generally reservations are needed by Friday in order to access the service on weekends. Subscription services are provided to those programs which transport individuals six days per week. An example of the subscription service is the Older Americans Act Nutrition programs. Regular operating hours are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. The fare is generally $2 per trip.
In addition to the Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged, the SJCCOA has transportation agreements with several entities such as social service agencies, nursing homes, hospitals and funding agencies (such as the Agency for Health care Administration). St. Johns County contracts with the SJCCOA to coordinate daily veterans administration (VA) transportation service to Gainesville, called DAV (Disabled American Veterans). The DAV uses volunteer drivers who receive a stipend. There are also other human/social service transportation providers, such as ARC (Association for Retarded Citizens), that provide specialized transportation services.
The SJCCOA as the CTC has an informal goal to shift annually 15-20% of paratransit riders to the public transit system, the Sunshine Bus system. Figure 3.16 (in Section 3.0) illustrates common paratransit destinations and indicates that the majority of common paratransit destinations are within the Sunshine Bus coverage area. Paratransit (demand response) service is generally more expensive to operate than fixed-routes because it covers the entire county and provides some cross county trips as well. SJCCOA provides a run to and from Jacksonville, three time a week.
4.3 Inter-County Transit Connections
4.3.1 Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) Interconnections between the Sunshine Bus and JTA may occur at the Avenues Mall near Southside Boulevard and US 1/Philips Highway. Passengers of the Sunshine Bus’s Purple Line may connect with JTA’s Philips 7-bus route, six days a week.
9 2012-2016 St. Johns County Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan (TDSP)
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4.3.2 Greyhound Connector/ Ride Solutions (Putnam County) Putman County’s Ride Solutions coordinates a Greyhound connector bus route that provides daily intercounty connections between Hastings and St. Augustine (in St. Johns County), Palatka (in Putnam County) and Gainesville (in Alachua County). Two trips are provided per day, one trip in the morning and one trip in the afternoon. In St. Augustine the bus leaves the Seabridge Square (1777 US 1 South) at 6:55 a.m. and 5:55 p.m., and the St. Augustine Parking Garage and bus loop (1 Castillo Drive) at 7 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. In Hastings (on SR-207), on-demand stops are allowed in the morning at 6:20 and 7:15 a.m. and in the afternoon at 5:25 and 6:15 p.m. Bus fare is $2.
4.3.3 Amtrak Intercity rail service does not currently serve St. Johns County. The closest Amtrak stations are located in Jacksonville and Palatka.
4.4 Private Carriers As a tour destination, there are a number of tour bus, trolley and other carriers that transport visitors to points of interest in St. Augustine. There are franchise transportation businesses such as Old Town Trolley Tours, Ripley’s Red Trains and the carriage rides. The Old Town Trolley offers a free beach bus serving St. Augustine Beach, and one of the stops on the Old Town Trolley Tours route is designated a Beach Bus Stop. In addition to franchise transportation businesses, there are driver-for-hire businesses that need to be licensed (inspected and insured) with the City of St. Augustine. Driver-for-hire businesses include taxis and airport shuttles as well as pedicab (bicycle), ghost tour/hearse, private van pool and golf cart transportation providers. Appendix H contains a list of these private carriers.
4.5 Other Multimodal Transportation Opportunities The North Florida TPO’s Cool to Pool commuter matching and tracking system assists commuters with finding carpool partners anywhere in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau or St. Johns counties. The system protects commuter privacy and uses proximity, destination, travel route, schedules and preferences to help find carpool partners. Additionally, individuals that carpool, vanpool, bike or walk from home to work at least three days per week and live in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau or St. Johns counties can register to receive free emergency taxi rides.
Uber is also available in St. Augustine which allows people to arrange rides with the use of a mobile application.
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5.0 Transit Performance Evaluation
5.1 Introduction This section presents a trend and peer evaluation of St. Johns County’s existing transit services, including deviated fixed-route and demand response. The trend analysis identifies how the Sunshine Bus’s performance has changed over time. The trend is a five-year span of time from fiscal year (FY) 2010 through FY 2014, the latest available data at the time of the analysis. The peer analysis compares Sunshine Bus to similarly situated transit agencies, using FY 2014 data.
Data from the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) National Transit Database (NTD) was utilized for this trend and peer evaluation. The Sunshine Bus and other transit agencies across the country report operating and financial performance characteristics to the FTA’s NTD. The database is updated annually with the information reported by these transit. The NTD provides a consistent set of measurable data that can be used in a peer systems analysis.
Together, St. Johns County and the SJCCOA receive federal transit funding to serve the St. Augustine Urbanized Area and rural areas of the County. For purposes of this evaluation, and per information reported to NTD, Urbanized Area (UZA) refers to the St. Augustine Urbanized Area and service area refers to all of St. Johns County.
5.2 Selection of Peer Transit Agencies Transit agencies with service characteristics similar to the Sunshine Bus were selected for the peer analysis. The TDP’s process to select peer agencies considered whether the potential transit agencies were NTD Small Systems Waiver Agencies, like Sunshine Bus; and considered both Florida and non Florida transit agencies. The TDP’s peer selection process also considered results from the FDOT’s Florida Transit Information System (FTIS) and Urban Integrated NTD (iNTD)10 internet tool. Generally, the urban iNTD tool features a methodology that calculates a total likeness score for each transit agency based on several service area and urban characteristics.
Primary service characteristics considered for selecting peer agencies were:
Total Revenue Miles Total Revenue Hours Urbanized Area Population Density Urbanized Area and Service Area Population Size NTD Small Systems Waiver status [all non-Florida peer agencies selected for the evaluation] Mix of Florida and non Florida Transit Agencies
10 The Urban iNTD tool features a peer selected process based on the Transit Cooperative Research Program’s (TCRP) Project G-11, “A Methodology for Performance Measurement and Peer Comparison in the Public Transportation Industry.” http://www.ftis.org/urban_iNTD.aspx
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The twelve cities and their respective transit agencies selected for the TDP’s peer analysis are listed in Table 5.1.
Table 5.1 Peer Agencies
Transit System Location/UZA NTD ID County Transit System Name Concord, NC 4167 Cabarrus Concord Kannapolis Area Transit Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie, FL 4097 St. Lucie Treasure Coast Connector Fort Walton Beach-Navarres-Wright, FL 4128 Okaloosa The Wave/ Emerald Coast (EC) Rider Hagerstown, MD 3042 Washington Washington County Transit Johnson City, TN 4054 Washington Johnson City Transit Leesburg- Eustis-Tavares, FL 4158 Lake LakeXpress Ocala, FL 4120 Marion Sun Tran Panama, FL 4185 Bay Baytown Trolley Parkersburg, WV 3003 Wood Mid-Ohio Valley Transit Authority/Easy Rider Rapid City, SD 8014 Pennington Rapid Transit System (RTS)-Rapid Ride Tyler, TX 6089 Smith Tyler Transit Wichita Falls, TX 6035 Wichita Wichita Falls Transit System (Falls Ride) Source: ETM, 2016
5.3 Characteristics and Measures The transit performance evaluation included several service characteristics and performance measures as shown in Tables 5.2 and 5.3, respectively.
Table 5.2 Service Characteristics Utilized in the Evaluation
General Service Characteristics Service Area Population Passenger Trips (Ridership) Passenger Miles Service Area Square Miles Percent of Total Trips Average Trip Length Service Area Density Revenue Miles Vehicles Operated in Max. Service (VOMS) Urbanized Area (UZA) Population Revenue Hours Average Fleet Age in Years UZA Square Miles % of Total Revenue Hours Operating Expense UZA Density Revenue Speed (mph) Farebox Revenues Source: ETM, 2016
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Table 5.3 Performance Measures Utilized in the Evaluation
Urbanized Area Service Area LOS Service (UZA) LOS Service Efficiency Cost Effectiveness Effectiveness
Trips per Service Trips per UZA Area Riders per Revenue Operating Cost per Operating Cost per Area Capita Capita Hour Revenue Hour Service Area Capita Revenue Hours per Revenue Hours per Riders per Revenue Operating Cost per Operating Cost per Service Area Capita UZA Area Capita Mile Revenue Mile UZA Capita Revenue Miles per Revenue Miles per Operating Cost per Trips per VOMS Service Area Capita UZA Area Capita Rider Local Subsidy per Local Subsidy per Revenue Miles per Average Fare per
Service Area Capita UZA Area Capita VOMS Rider Local Subsidy per
Rider Farebox Recovery
Ratio Source: ETM, 2016
5.4 Fixed Route
5.4.1 Service Characteristics Table 5.4 displays five-year service trends for Sunshine Bus’s deviated fixed-route bus system. Over the five-year period from FY 2010 through 2014, the number of riders on Sunshine Bus’s deviated fixed- route transit system have increased a by 40%, from 185,864 to 259,402 passengers. Revenue miles and revenue hours increased by 5.1% and 6.2%, respectively. Operating expenses and farebox revenues increased by 7.1% and 7.9%, respectively. Throughout the five-year period, the number of vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS) remained constant at seven vehicles; one vehicle for each bus route. From FY 2013 to FY2014, ridership and revenue miles increased (2.1% and 3.3%, respectively) while operating expenses and farebox revenues decreased (9.2% and 2.6%, respectively).
Tables 5.5, 5.6 and 5.7 compare area, service and financial data, respectively, for Sunshine Bus and the peer transit agencies selected for this evaluation. St. Johns County defines its service area as the entire County, unlike its peer transit agencies. As a result, Sunshine Bus’s service area coverage and service area square miles are significantly larger (over 300% larger) than the peer group average. Service area density is 78% lower than the peer group average (Table 5.5). Table 5.6 shows that Sunshine Bus’s revenue miles are 10% higher than the peer group average, while its ridership, revenue hours and VOMS are lower than the peer group average, at -35%, -21% and -24%, respectively. Sunshine Bus’s operating expense, estimated local subsidy and fare revenue are all lower than the peer group average, at -51%,- 65% and -62%, respectively.
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Table 5.4 Five-Year Area and Service Trends (Fixed Route)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) General Characteristics Service Area Population 149,300 190,039 195,823 195,823 195,823 31.2% 0.0% Service Area Square Miles 600 600 600 600 600 0.0% 0.0% Service Area Density 249 317 326 326 326 31.2% 0.0% UZA Population 53,519 69,173 69,173 69,173 69,173 29.2% 0.0% UZA Square Miles 35 43.06 43.06 43.06 43.06 23.0% 0.0% UZA Density 1,529.1 1,606.4 1,606.4 1,606.4 1,606.4 5.1% 0.0% Passenger Trips (Ridership) 185,863 202,899 237,132 254,163 259,402 39.6% 2.1% Percent Total Trips 95% 94% 92% 92% 93% -2.0% 1.5% Revenue Miles 457,381 478,467 466,125 465,165 480,511 5.1% 3.3% Revenue Hours 21,846 23,141 23,219 23,282 23,210 6.2% -0.3% Percent Total Revenue Hours 82% 77% 72% 64% 69% -15.1% 8.0% Revenue Speed (mph) 20.9 20.7 20.1 20.0 20.7 -1.1% 3.6% Passenger Miles 1,362,376 1,675,407 1,958,710 2,099,386 2,142,660 57.3% 2.1% Average Trip Length 7.3 8.3 8.3 8.3 8.3 12.7% 0.0% Vehicles Operated in Max. 7 7 7 7 7 0.0% 0.0% Service (VOMS) Average Fleet Age in Years 3.4 1.9 0.9 1.4 2.4 -58.8% 71.4% Operating Expense $870,494 $982,489 $1,132,809 $1,026,566 $932,598 7.1% -9.2% Farebox Revenues $90,620 $92,956 $98,017 $100,327 $97,766 7.9% -2.6% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 - 2014
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Table 5.5 Peer Area Characteristics, FY 2014 (Fixed Route)
Service Area UZA Service % Change Service Svc. Area Population Population Transit System UZA Area UZA in 2000 to Area (SA) Coverage Density Density Location/UZA Population [sq. [sq. mi.] 2010 UZA Population (SA/UZA) [pers. /sq. [pers. /sq. mi.] Population mi.] mi.]
Concord, NC 214,881 95,043 44.2% 63 1,509 180 1,194 86.8%
Fort Pierce/ 376,047 283,866 75.5% 572 496 208 1,807.9 38.9% Port St. Lucie, FL Fort Walton Beach- 191,917 191,917 100.0% 120 1,599 121 1,586 25.7% Navarres-Wright, FL
Hagerstown, MD 182,696 48,220 26.4% 70 689 133 1,374 51.8%
Johnson City, TN 120,415 61,630 51.2% 44 1,401 110 1,095 17.5%
Leesburg- Eustis- 131,337 97,497 74.2% 71 1,373 94 1,397 34.7% Tavares, FL
Ocala, FL 156,909 64,655 41.2% 55 1,176 112 1,401.0 47.3%
Panama, FL 143,280 105,192 73.4% 58 1,814 92 1,557 8.2%
Parkersburg, WV 67,229 39,587 58.9% 14 2,828 42 1,601 -21.5%
Rapid City, SD 81,251 67,956 83.6% 55 1,236 42 1,935 21.7%
Tyler, TX 130,247 110,490 84.8% 56 1,973 90 1,447 28.3%
Wichita Falls, TX 99,437 99,437 100.0% 71 1,401 50 1,989 0.0%
Peer Minimum 67,229 39,587 26.4% 14 496 42 1,095 -21.5%
Peer Maximum 376,047 283,866 100.0% 572 2,828 208 1,989 86.8%
Peer Average 157,971 105,458 67.8% 104 1,458 106 1,532 28.3%
St. Augustine, FL 69,173 195,823 283.1% 600 326 43 1,606 29.3% Sunshine Bus % Diff. from Peer -56.2% 85.7% 317.6% 476.5% -77.6% -59.4% 4.9% 3.4% Average (FY 2014) Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Table 5.6 Peer Agency Service Characteristics, FY 2014 (Fixed Route)
Ridership Avg. Purchased % Revenue Peak Transit System (unlinked Revenue Fleet Transportation Total Revenue Speed Fleet Location/UZA passenger Hours Age (PT) vs. Directly Trips Miles (MPH) (VOMS) trips) (Years) Operated (DO)
Concord, NC 470,015 100.0% 597,289 33,873 17.6 7 1.7 PT
Fort Pierce/ 186,093 64.3% 311,977 22,072 14.1 8 2.0 DO Port St. Lucie, FL Fort Walton Beach- 162,298 64.5% 400,359 31,362 12.8 12 0.8 PT Navarres-Wright, FL Hagerstown, MD 437,423 97.2% 405,984 26,471 15.3 8 6.8 DO
Johnson City, TN 677,227 93.7% 412,320 32,140 12.8 16 6.4 DO
Leesburg- Eustis- 318,371 69.1% 408,106 23,195 17.6 7 5.9 PT Tavares, FL
Ocala, FL 436,063 96.1% 487,296 31,065 15.7 6 7.4 PT
Panama, FL 680,635 87.5% 513,576 40,334 12.7 11 6.0 PT
Parkersburg, WV 511,358 99.1% 543,457 38,678 14.1 12 3.7 DO
Rapid City, SD 287,623 78.4% 294,080 19,490 15.1 9 4.0 DO
Tyler, TX 162,142 88.0% 294,044 20,018 14.7 5 8.2 DO
Wichita Falls, TX 453,206 100.0% 556,675 35,161 15.8 9 5.4 DO
Peer Minimum 162,142 64.3% 294,044 19,490 12.7 5 0.8 ---
Peer Maximum 680,635 100.0% 597,289 40,334 17.6 16 8.2 ---
Peer Average 398,538 86.5% 435,430 29,488 14.9 9 4.9 ---
St. Augustine, FL 259,402 93.2% 480,511 23,210 20.7 7 2.4 PT Sunshine Bus % Diff. from Peer -34.9% 7.7% 10.4% -21.3% 39.3% -23.6% -50.6% --- Average (FY 2014) Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Table 5.7 Peer Agency Financial Characteristics, FY 2014 (Fixed Route)
Farebox Transit System Estimated Local Operating Expense Fare Revenues Recovery Location/UZA Subsidy Ratio
Concord, NC $ 3,016,975 $1,154,309 $ 289,093 9.6%
Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie, $ 1,544,934 $ 949,735 $ 221,072 14.3% FL Fort Walton Beach- $ 1,304,876 $ 173,006 $ 216,856 16.6% Navarres-Wright, FL
Hagerstown, MD $ 1,554,972 $ 339,121 $ 332,982 21.4%
Johnson City, TN $ 1,997,671 $ 471,849 $ 163,381 8.2%
Leesburg- Eustis-Tavares, FL $ 2,114,801 $ 141,475 $ 142,765 6.8%
Ocala, FL $ 2,419,203 $ 510,866 $ 355,334 14.7%
Panama, FL $ 2,176,644 $ 113,621 $ 568,059 26.1%
Parkersburg, WV $ 2,937,235 $1,709,994 $ 179,863 6.1%
Rapid City, SD $ 986,199 $ 319,709 $ 251,235 25.5%
Tyler, TX $ 1,199,266 $ 322,321 $ 111,402 9.3%
Wichita Falls, TX $ 1,811,521 $ 480,974 $ 275,704 15.2%
Peer Minimum $ 986,199 $ 113,621 $ 111,402 6.1%
Peer Maximum $ 3,016,975 $1,709,994 $ 568,059 26.1%
Peer Average $ 1,922,025 $ 546,266 $ 258,979 14.5%
St. Augustine, FL $ 932,598 $ 191,567 $ 97,766 10.5%
Sunshine Bus % Diff. from -51.5% -64.9% -62.2% -27.6% Peer Average (FY 2014)
Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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5.4.2 Performance Measures This section of the performance evaluation displays fixed-route performance trends from FY2010 through FY2014; and compares Sunshine Bus’s FY2014 performance to the peer transit agencies. Performance measures related to service area level of service (LOS), UZA LOS, service effectiveness, service efficiency and cost effectiveness are compared.
Table 5.8 Service Area LOS Trends (Fixed Route)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) Level of Service (Service Area) Trips per Service Area Capita 1.24 1.07 1.21 1.30 1.32 6.4% 2.1% Revenue Hours per Service Area Capita 0.15 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 -19.0% -0.3% Revenue Miles per Service Area Capita 3.06 2.52 2.38 2.38 2.45 -19.9% 3.3% Local Subsidy per Service Area Capita $1.42 $1.40 $1.26 $0.91 $0.98 -31.3% 8.0% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 - 2014
Table 5.9 Peer Agency Service Area LOS, FY 2014 (Fixed Route)
Fixed Route PEER AGENCY Level of Service (Service Area)
Revenue Revenue Local Trips Per Transit System Location Hours Per Miles Per Subsidy Per Capita Capita Capita Capita Concord, NC 4.95 0.36 6.28 $12.15 Fort Pierce, FL 0.66 0.08 1.10 $3.35 Fort Walton Beach, FL 0.85 0.16 2.09 $0.90 Hagerstown, MD 9.07 0.55 8.42 $7.03 Johnson City, TN 10.99 0.52 6.69 $7.66 Lake County 3.27 0.24 4.19 $1.45 Ocala, FL 6.74 0.48 7.54 $7.90 Panama, FL 6.47 0.38 4.88 $1.08 Parkersburg, WV 12.92 0.98 13.73 $43.20 Rapid City, SD 4.23 0.29 4.33 $4.70 Tyler, TX 1.47 0.18 2.66 $2.92 Wichita Falls, TX 4.56 0.35 5.60 $4.84 Peer Average 5.51 0.38 5.62 $8.10 St. Augustine, FL 1.32 0.12 2.45 $0.98 % Diff. from Peer Average -76.0% -68.9% -56.4% -87.9% Source: National(FY 2014) Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Figures 5.1 Trips per Service Area Capita Trends
Figures 5.2 Trips per Service Area Capita (Peers)
Figures 5.3 Revenue Hours per Service Area Capita Trends
Figures 5.4 Revenue Hours per Service Area Capita (Peers)
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Figures 5.5 Revenue Miles per Service Area Capita Trends
Figures 5.6 Revenue Miles per Service Area Capita (Peers)
Figures 5.7 Local Subsidy per Service Area Capita Trends
Figures 5.8 Local Subsidy per Service Area Capita (Peers)
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Table 5.10 Urbanized Area LOS Trends (Fixed Route)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) Level of Service (Urbanized Area-UZA) Trips per UZA Area Capita 3.47 2.93 3.43 3.67 3.75 8.0% 2.1% Revenue Hours per UZA Area Capita 0.41 0.33 0.34 0.34 0.34 -17.8% -0.3% Revenue Miles per UZA Area Capita 8.55 6.92 6.74 6.72 6.95 -18.7% 3.3% Local Subsidy per UZA Area Capita $3.97 $3.84 $3.56 $2.57 $2.77 -30.3% 8.0% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 - 2014
Table 5.11 Peer Agency Urbanized Area LOS, FY 2014 (Fixed Route)
Fixed Route PEER AGENCY Level of Service (UZA Area)
Revenue Revenue Local Trips Per Transit System Location Hours Per Miles Per Subsidy Per Capita Capita Capita Capita Concord, NC 2.19 0.16 2.78 $5.37 Fort Pierce, FL 0.49 0.06 0.83 $2.53 Fort Walton Beach, FL 0.85 0.16 2.09 $0.90 Hagerstown, MD 2.39 0.14 2.22 $1.86 Johnson City, TN 5.62 0.27 3.42 $3.92 Lake County 2.42 0.18 3.11 $1.08 Ocala, FL 2.78 0.20 3.11 $3.26 Panama, FL 4.75 0.28 3.58 $0.79 Parkersburg, WV 7.61 0.58 8.08 $25.44 Rapid City, SD 3.54 0.24 3.62 $3.93 Tyler, TX 1.24 0.15 2.26 $2.47 Wichita Falls, TX 4.56 0.35 5.60 $4.84 Peer Average 3.20 0.23 3.39 $4.70 St. Augustine, FL 3.75 0.34 6.95 $2.77 % Diff. from Peer Average 17.0% 45.4% 104.8% -41.1% Source: National(FY 2014) Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Figures 5.9 Trips per UZA Capita Trends
Figures 510 Trips per UZA Capita (Peers)
Figures 5.11 Revenue Hours per UZA Capita Trends
Figures 5.12 Revenue Hours per UZA Capita (Peers)
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Figures 5.13 Revenue Miles per UZA Capita Trends
Figures 5.14 Revenue Miles per UZA Capita (Peers)
Figures 5.15 Local Subsidy per UZA Capita Trends
Figures 5.16 Local Subsidy per UZA Capita (Peers)
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Table 5.12 Service Effectiveness Trends (Fixed Route)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) Service Effectiveness Riders per Revenue Hour 8.51 8.77 10.21 10.92 11.18 31.4% 2.4% Riders per Revenue Mile 0.41 0.42 0.51 0.55 0.54 32.8% -1.2% Trips per VOMS 26,552 28,986 33,876 36,309 37,057 39.6% 2.1% Revenue Miles per VOMS 65,340 68,352 66,589 66,452 68,644 5.1% 3.3% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 - 2014
Table 5.13 Peer Agency Service Effectiveness, FY 2014 (Fixed Route)
Fixed Route PEER AGENCY Service Effectiveness
Riders Per Riders Per Revenue Trips per Transit System Location Revenue Revenue Miles per VOMS Hour Mile VOMS
Concord, NC 13.88 0.79 67,145 85,327 Fort Pierce, FL 8.43 0.60 23,262 38,997 Fort Walton Beach, FL 5.17 0.41 13,525 33,363 Hagerstown, MD 16.52 1.08 54,678 50,748 Johnson City, TN 21.07 1.64 42,327 25,770 Lake County 13.73 0.78 45,482 58,301 Ocala, FL 14.04 0.89 72,677 81,216 Panama, FL 16.87 1.33 61,876 46,689 Parkersburg, WV 13.22 0.94 42,613 45,288 Rapid City, SD 14.76 0.98 31,958 32,676 Tyler, TX 8.10 0.55 32,428 58,809 Wichita Falls, TX 12.89 0.81 50,356 61,853 Peer Average 13.22 0.90 44,861 51,586 St. Augustine, FL 11.18 0.54 37,057 68,644 % Diff. from Peer Average -15.5% -40.0% -17.4% 33.1% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Figures 5.17 Riders per Revenue Hour Trends
Figures 51.8 Riders per Revenue Hour (Peers)
Figures 5.19 Riders per Revenue Mile Trends
Figures 5.20 Riders per Revenue Mile (Peers)
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Figures 5.21 Trips per VOMS Trends
Figures 5.22 Trips per VOMS (Peers)
Figures 5.23 Revenue Miles per VOMS Trends
Figures 5.24 Revenue Miles per VOMS (Peers)
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Table 5.14 Service Efficiency Trends (Fixed Route)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) Service Efficiency Operating Cost per Revenue Hour $39.85 $42.46 $48.79 $44.09 $40.18 0.8% -8.9% Operating Cost per Revenue Mile $1.90 $2.05 $2.43 $2.21 $1.94 2.0% -12.1% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 - 2014
Table 5.15 Peer Agency Service Efficiency, FY 2014 (Fixed Route)
Fixed Route PEER AGENCY Service Efficiency
Transit System Location Operating Cost Per Revenue Hour Operating Cost Per Revenue Mile Concord, NC $89.07 $5.05 Fort Pierce, FL $70.00 $4.95 Fort Walton Beach, FL $41.61 $3.26 Hagerstown, MD $58.74 $3.83 Johnson City, TN $62.16 $4.84 Lake County $91.17 $5.18 Ocala, FL $77.88 $4.96 Panama, FL $53.97 $4.24 Parkersburg, WV $75.94 $5.40 Rapid City, SD $50.60 $3.35 Tyler, TX $59.91 $4.08 Wichita Falls, TX $51.52 $3.25 Peer Average $65.21 $4.37 St. Augustine, FL $40.18 $1.94 % Diff. from Peer Average -38.4% -55.6% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Figures 5.24 Operating Cost per Revenue Hour Trends
Figures 5.26 Operating Cost per Revenue Hour (Peers)
Figures 5.27 Operating Cost per Revenue Mile Trends
Figures 5.28 Operating Cost per Revenue Mile (Peers)
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Table 5.16 Cost Effectiveness Trends (Fixed Route)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) Cost Effectiveness Operating Cost per Service Area Capita $5.83 $5.17 $5.78 $5.24 $4.76 -18.3% -9.2% Operating Cost per UZA Capita $16.27 $14.20 $16.38 $14.84 $13.48 -17.1% -9.2% Operating Cost per Rider $4.68 $4.84 $4.78 $4.04 $3.60 -23.2% -11.0% Average Fare per Rider $0.49 $0.46 $0.41 $0.39 $0.38 -22.7% -4.5% Local Subsidy per Rider $1.14 $1.31 $1.04 $0.70 $0.74 -35.4% 5.8% Farebox Recovery Ratio 10.4% 9.5% 8.7% 9.8% 10.5% 0.7% 7.3% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 - 2014
Table 5.17 Peer Agency Cost Effectiveness, FY 2014 (Fixed Route)
Fixed Route PEER AGENCY Cost Effectiveness
Operating Cost Operating Operating Average Fare Estimated Local Transit System Location Per Service Cost Per UZA Cost per Per Rider Subsidy Per Rider1 Area Capita Capita Rider
Concord, NC $31.74 $14.04 $6.42 $0.62 $2.46 Fort Pierce, FL $5.44 $4.11 $8.30 $1.19 $5.10 Fort Walton Beach, FL $6.80 $6.80 $8.04 $1.34 $1.07 Hagerstown, MD $32.25 $8.51 $3.55 $0.76 $0.78 Johnson City, TN $32.41 $16.59 $2.95 $0.24 $0.70 Lake County $21.69 $16.10 $6.64 $0.45 $0.44 Ocala, FL $37.42 $15.42 $5.55 $0.81 $1.17 Panama, FL $20.69 $15.19 $3.20 $0.83 $0.17 Parkersburg, WV $74.20 $43.69 $5.74 $0.35 $3.34 Rapid City, SD $14.51 $12.14 $3.43 $0.87 $1.11 Tyler, TX $10.85 $9.21 $7.40 $0.69 $1.99 Wichita Falls, TX $18.22 $18.22 $4.00 $0.61 $1.06 Peer Average $25.52 $15.00 $5.44 $0.73 $1.62 St. Augustine, FL $4.76 $13.48 $3.60 $0.38 $0.74 % Diff. from Peer Average -81.3% -10.1% -33.9% -48.4% -54.3% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Figures 5.29 Operating Cost per Service Area Capita Trends
Figures 5.30 Operating Cost per Service Area Capita (Peers)
Figures 5.31 Operating Cost per UZA Capita Trends
Figures 5.32 Operating Cost per UZA Capita (Peers)
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Figures 5.33 Operating Cost per Rider Trends
Figures 5.34 Operating Cost per Rider (Peers)
Figures 5.35 Average Fare per Rider Trends
Figures 5.36 Average Fare per Rider (Peers)
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Figures 5.37 Local Subsidy per Rider Trends
Figures 5.38 Local Subsidy per Rider (Peers)
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5.4.3 Fixed Route Performance Summary Table 5.18 summarizes the fixed-route performance evaluation.
Service area level of service (LOS) – From FY 2010 to FY 2014, Sunshine Bus’s service area LOS has generally decreased as service area population has increased. The exception is trips per service area capita which increased slightly. Sunshine Bus provides a lower service area level of service than the peer group average. Trips per service area capita, for example, is 76% lower than the peer group average. Local subsidy per service area capita is 88% lower than the peer group average.
UZA level of service - Sunshine Bus’s UZA LOS has generally decreased as UZA population has increased, between FY 2010 to FY 2014. The exception is trips per UZA capita which increased slightly. Even with the decreasing LOS per capita, Sunshine Bus generally provides a higher UZA LOS than the peer group average. Revenue miles per UZA capita, for example, is over 100% higher than the peer group average. The exception is local subsidy per UZA capita which is 41% lower than the peer group average.
Service effectiveness – Over the five-year period, Sunshine Bus’s service effectiveness has increased. Revenue miles per vehicles operated in maximum service is 33% more effective than the peer group average; and more effective than 10 of the 12 peer transit agencies. For the other three service effectiveness performance measures, however, Sunshine Bus is generally not as effective as the peer group average.
Service efficiency – Over the five-year period, service efficiency has increased slightly. Sunshine Bus’s service is more efficient than the peer group average. Both operating cost per revenue hour and operating cost per revenue mile are lower than the peer group average, at -38% and -56%, respectively. Additionally, Sunshine Bus’s operating cost per revenue hour and per revenue mile are lower than all 12 transit agencies in the peer group.
Cost Effectiveness - From FY 2010 to FY 2014, Sunshine Bus’s cost effectiveness has generally improved, as operating cost per capita and per rider decreased, at about -17% and -23% respectively. Sunshine Bus provides service at a cost per rider that is 34% lower than the peer group average. Average fare per rider and local subsidy per rider are also lower than the peer group. Cost per person living in the urbanized area is also lower than the peer group average (10% lower), even with Sunshine Bus providing a higher service level per person (than its peers) within the urbanized area.
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Table 5.18 Fixed Route Performance Summary
Percent Change Percent from the (2010-2014) Peer Group Mean Level of Service (Service Area) Trips per Service Area Capita 6.4% -76.0% Revenue Hours per Service Area Capita -19.0% -68.9% Revenue Miles per Service Area Capita -19.9% -56.4% Local Subsidy per Service Area Capita -31.3% -87.9% Level of Service (Urbanized Area-UZA) Trips per UZA Area Capita 8.0% 17.0% Revenue Hours per UZA Area Capita -17.8% 45.4% Revenue Miles per UZA Area Capita -18.7% 104.8% Local Subsidy per UZA Area Capita -30.3% -41.1% Service Effectiveness Riders per Revenue Hour 31.4% -15.5% Riders per Revenue Mile 32.8% -40.0% Trips per VOMS 39.6% -17.4% Revenue Miles per VOMS 5.1% 33.1% Service Efficiency Operating Cost per Revenue Hour 0.8% -38.4% Operating Cost per Revenue Mile 2.0% -55.6% Cost Effectiveness Operating Cost per Service Area Capita -18.3% -81.3% Operating Cost per UZA Capita -17.1% -10.1% Operating Cost per Rider -23.2% -33.9% Average Fare per Rider -22.7% -48.4% Estimated Local Subsidy per Rider -35.4% -54.3% Farebox Recovery Ratio 0.7% -27.6% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 – FY 2014
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5.5 Demand Response
5.5.1 Service Characteristics Table 5.19 displays five-year service trends for St. Johns County’s demand response route bus system. Over the five-year period from FY 2010 through FY 2014, the numbers of St. Johns County paratransit riders have increased by 99%, from 9,556 to 19,010 passengers. Revenue miles and revenue hours increased by 70% and 110%, respectively. Operating expenses increased by 72%, while farebox revenues only increased by 22%. From FY 2013 to FY2014, paratransit service supply decreased. Ridership, revenue miles and revenue hours decreased by 16%, 19% and 21%, respectively.
Tables 5.20 and 5.21 compare demand response service and financial data, respectively, for St. Johns County and the peer transit agencies selected for this evaluation. Wichita Falls and Concord did not report demand response service data to NTD. Table 5.20 shows that St. Johns County’s demand response service supply is lower than the peer group average. Ridership, revenue miles and revenue hours are all lower, at -69%, -74% and -64%, respectively. Table 5.21 shows that demand response operating expense, estimated local subsidy and fare revenues are also lower than the peer group average, at -49%, -72% and -41%, respectively.
Table 5.19 Five-Year Area and Service Trends (Demand Response)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) General Characteristics Service Area Population 149,300 190,039 195,823 195,823 195,823 31.2% 0.0% Service Area Square Miles 600 600 600 600 600 0.0% 0.0% Service Area Density 249 317 326 326 326 31.2% 0.0% UZA Population 53,519 69,173 69,173 69,173 69,173 29.2% 0.0% UZA Square Miles 35 43.06 43.06 43.06 43.06 23.0% 0.0% UZA Density 1,529.1 1,606.4 1,606.4 1,606.4 1,606.4 5.1% 0.0% Passenger Trips (Ridership) 9,556 13,011 19,274 22,588 19,010 98.9% -15.8% Percent Total Trips 5% 6% 8% 8% 7% 39.6% -16.3% Revenue Miles 60,683 73,451 93,813 127,408 103,058 69.8% -19.1% Revenue Hours 4,910 6,729 9,225 12,997 10,289 109.6% -20.8% Percent Total Revenue Hours 18% 23% 28% 36% 31% 67.4% -14.3% Revenue Speed (mph) 12.4 10.9 10.2 9.8 10.0 -19.0% 2.2% Vehicles Operated in Max. Service (VOMS) 5 5 6 9 7 40.0% -22.2% Operating Expense $376,388 $496,717 $682,330 $811,114 $648,243 72.2% -20.1% Farebox Revenues $41,419 $48,899 $109,988 $149,528 $50,606 22.2% -66.2% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 - 2014
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Table 5.20 Peer Agency Service Characteristics, FY 2014 (Demand Response)
Purchased % Revenue Peak Transit System Revenue Revenue Transportation Ridership2 Total Speed Fleet Location/UZA Miles Hours (PT) vs. Directly Trips (MPH) (VOMS) Operated (DO)
Concord, NC
Fort Pierce/ 103,410 35.7% 474,789 30,998 15.3 24 DO Port St. Lucie, FL Fort Walton Beach- 89,195 35.5% 767,303 45,126 17.0 33 PT Navarres-Wright, FL Hagerstown, MD 12,777 2.8% 64,789 4,238 15.3 2 DO
Johnson City, TN 45,708 6.3% 248,346 22,697 10.9 12 DO
Leesburg- Eustis- 142,635 30.9% 1,352,734 85,294 15.9 49 PT Tavares, FL
Ocala, FL 17,830 3.9% 96,122 8,281 11.6 2 PT
Panama, FL 97,483 12.5% 528,602 48,244 11.0 19 PT
Parkersburg, WV 4,799 0.9% 21,139 2,277 9.3 1 DO
Rapid City, SD 79,261 21.6% 247,369 25,750 9.6 11 DO
Tyler, TX 22,180 12.0% 139,490 11,377 12.3 8 DO & PT
Wichita Falls, TX
Peer Minimum 4,799 0.9% 21,139 2,277 9 1 Not applicable
Peer Maximum 142,635 35.7% 1,352,734 85,294 17 49 Not applicable
Peer Average 61,528 16.2% 394,068 28,428 13 16 Not applicable St. Augustine, 19,010 6.8% 103,058 10,289 10.0 7 PT FL Sunshine Bus % Diff. from Peer -69.1% -57.9% -73.8% -63.8% -21.8% -56.5% Not applicable Average (FY 2014) Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Table 5.21 Peer Agency Financial Characteristics, FY 2014 (Demand Response)
Farebox Transit System Estimated Local Operating Expense Fare Revenues Recovery Location/UZA Subsidy3 Ratio
Concord, NC
Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie, $ 2,735,438 $1,333,812 $ 62,341 2.3% FL Fort Walton Beach- $ 1,466,968 $ 248,933 $287,461 19.6% Navarres-Wright, FL
Hagerstown, MD $ 220,260 $ 54,293 $ 17,339 7.9%
Johnson City, TN $ 1,389,697 $ 333,215 $ 98,440 7.1%
Leesburg- Eustis-Tavares, FL $ 3,768,080 $ 520,240 $ 94,075 2.5%
Ocala, FL $ 441,779 $ 136,182 $ 35,660 8.1%
Panama, FL $ 1,003,430 $ 135,903 $ 50,141 5.0%
Parkersburg, WV $ 176,059 $ 100,668 $ 840 0.5%
Rapid City, SD $ 1,112,051 $ 422,396 $176,674 15.9%
Tyler, TX $ 351,733 $ 183,188 $ 38,551 11.0%
Wichita Falls, TX
Peer Minimum $ 176,059 $ 54,293 $ 840 0.5%
Peer Maximum $ 3,768,080 $1,333,812 $287,461 19.6%
Peer Average $ 1,266,550 $ 300,052 $ 86,152 8.0%
St. Augustine, FL $ 648,243 $ 84,922 $ 50,606 7.8%
Sunshine Bus % Diff. from -48.8% -71.7% -41.3% -2.1% Peer Average (FY 2014) Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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5.5.2 Performance Measures (Demand Response) This section of the performance evaluation displays demand response performance trends from FY 2010 through FY 2014; and compares St. Johns County’s FY 2014 performance to the peer transit agencies. Measures utilized are related to: service area level of service (LOS), UZA LOS, service effectiveness, service efficiency and cost effectiveness are compared.
Table 5.22 Service Area LOS Trends (Demand Response)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) Level of Service (Service Area) Trips per Service Area Capita 0.06 0.07 0.10 0.12 0.10 51.7% -15.8% Revenue Hours per Service Area Capita 0.03 0.04 0.05 0.07 0.05 59.8% -20.8% Revenue Miles per Service Area Capita 0.41 0.39 0.48 0.65 0.53 29.5% -19.1% Local Subsidy per Service Area Capita $0.32 $0.41 $0.50 $0.51 $0.43 35.5% -14.3% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 - 2014
Table 5.23 Peer Agency Service Area LOS, FY 2014 (Demand Response)
Demand Response PEER AGENCY Level of Service (Service Area)
Revenue Revenue Local Trips Per Transit System Location Hours Per Miles Per Subsidy Per Capita Capita Capita Capita Concord, NC Fort Pierce, FL 0.36 0.11 1.67 $4.70 Fort Walton Beach, FL 0.46 0.24 4.00 $1.30 Hagerstown, MD 0.26 0.09 1.34 $1.13 Johnson City, TN 0.74 0.37 4.03 $5.41 Lake County 1.46 0.87 13.87 $5.34 Ocala, FL 0.28 0.13 1.49 $2.11 Panama, FL 0.93 0.46 5.03 $1.29 Parkersburg, WV 0.12 0.06 0.53 $2.54 Rapid City, SD 1.17 0.38 3.64 $6.22 Tyler, TX 0.20 0.10 1.26 $1.66 Wichita Falls, TX Peer Average 0.60 0.28 3.69 $3.17 St. Augustine, FL 0.10 0.05 0.53 $0.43 % Diff. from Peer Average -83.8% -81.2% -85.7% -86.3% Source: National(FY 2014) Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Figures 5.39 Trips per Service Area Capita Trends
Figures 5.40 Trips per Service Area Capita (Peers)
Figures 5.41 Revenue Hours per Service Area Capita Trends
Figures 5.42 Revenue Hours per Service Area Capita (Peers)
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Figures 5.43 Revenue Miles per Service Area Capita Trends
Figures 5.44 Revenue Miles per Service Area Capita (Peers)
Figures 5.45 Local Subsidy per Service Area Capita Trends
Figures 5.46 Local Subsidy per Service Area Capita (Peers)
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Table 5.24 Urbanized Area LOS Trends (Demand Response)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) Level of Service (Urbanized Area-UZA) Trips per UZA Area Capita 0.18 0.19 0.28 0.33 0.27 53.9% -15.8% Revenue Hours per UZA Area Capita 0.09 0.10 0.13 0.19 0.15 62.1% -20.8% Revenue Miles per UZA Area Capita 1.13 1.06 1.36 1.84 1.49 31.4% -19.1% Local Subsidy per UZA Area Capita 0.89 1.12 1.42 1.43 1.23 37.5% -14.3% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 - 2014
Table 5.25 Peer Agency Urbanized Area LOS, FY 2014 (Demand Response)
Demand Response PEER AGENCY Level of Service (UZA Area)
Revenue Revenue Local Trips Per Transit System Location Hours Per Miles Per Subsidy Per Capita Capita Capita Capita Concord, NC Fort Pierce, FL 0.27 0.08 1.26 $3.55 Fort Walton Beach, FL 0.46 0.24 4.00 $1.30 Hagerstown, MD 0.07 0.02 0.35 $0.30 Johnson City, TN 0.38 0.19 2.06 $2.77 Lake County 1.09 0.65 10.30 $3.96 Ocala, FL 0.11 0.05 0.61 $0.87 Panama, FL 0.68 0.34 3.69 $0.95 Parkersburg, WV 0.07 0.03 0.31 $1.50 Rapid City, SD 0.98 0.32 3.04 $5.20 Tyler, TX 0.17 0.09 1.07 $1.41 Wichita Falls, TX Peer Average 0.43 0.20 2.67 $2.18 St. Augustine, FL 0.27 0.15 1.49 $1.23 % Diff. from Peer Average -35.9% -25.9% -44.2% -43.7% Source: National(FY 2014) Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Table 5.26 Service Effectiveness Trends (Demand Response)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) Service Effectiveness Riders per Revenue Hour 1.95 1.93 2.09 1.74 1.85 -5.1% 6.3% Riders per Revenue Mile 0.16 0.18 0.21 0.18 0.18 17.1% 4.0% Trips per VOMS 1,911 2,602 3,212 2,510 2,716 42.1% 8.2% Revenue Miles per VOMS 12,137 14,690 15,636 14,156 14,723 21.3% 4.0% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 - 2014
Table 5.27 Peer Agency Service Effectiveness, FY 2014 (Demand Response)
Demand Response PEER AGENCY Service Effectiveness
Riders Per Riders Per Revenue Trips per Transit System Location Revenue Revenue Miles per VOMS Hour Mile VOMS
Concord, NC Fort Pierce, FL 3.34 0.22 4,309 19,783 Fort Walton Beach, FL 1.98 0.12 2,703 23,252 Hagerstown, MD 3.01 0.20 6,389 32,395 Johnson City, TN 2.01 0.18 3,809 20,696 Lake County 1.67 0.11 2,911 27,607 Ocala, FL 2.15 0.19 8,915 48,061 Panama, FL 2.02 0.18 5,131 27,821 Parkersburg, WV 2.11 0.23 4,799 21,139 Rapid City, SD 3.08 0.32 7,206 22,488 Tyler, TX 1.95 0.16 2,773 17,436 Wichita Falls, TX Peer Average 2.33 0.19 4,894 26,068 St. Augustine, FL 1.85 0.18 2,716 14,723 % Diff. from Peer Average -20.8% -2.8% -44.5% -43.5% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Figures 5.47 Riders per Revenue Hour Trends
Figures 5.48 Riders per Revenue Hour (Peers)
Figures 5.49 Riders per Revenue Mile Trends
Figures 5.50 Riders per Revenue Mile (Peers)
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Figures 5.51 Trips per VOMS Trends
Figures 5.52 Trips per VOMS (Peers)
Figures 5.53 Revenue Miles per VOMS Trends
Figures 5.54 Revenue Miles per VOMS (Peers)
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Table 5.28 Service Efficiency Trends (Demand Response)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) Service Efficiency Operating Cost per Revenue Hour $76.66 $73.82 $73.97 $62.41 $63.0 -17.8% 1.0% Operating Cost per Revenue Mile $6.20 $6.76 $7.27 $6.37 $6.29 1.4% -1.2% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 - 2014
Table 5.29 Peer Agency Service Efficiency, FY 2014 (Demand Response)
Demand Response PEER AGENCY Service Efficiency
Transit System Location Operating Cost Per Revenue Hour Operating Cost Per Revenue Mile Concord, NC Fort Pierce, FL $88.25 $5.76 Fort Walton Beach, FL $32.51 $1.91 Hagerstown, MD $51.97 $3.40 Johnson City, TN $61.23 $5.60 Lake County $44.18 $2.79 Ocala, FL $53.35 $4.60 Panama, FL $20.80 $1.90 Parkersburg, WV $77.32 $8.33 Rapid City, SD $43.19 $4.50 Tyler, TX $30.92 $2.52 Wichita Falls, TX Peer Average $50.37 $4.13 St. Augustine, FL $63.00 $6.29 % Diff. from Peer Average 25.1% 52.3% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Figures 5.55 Operating Cost per Revenue Hour Trends
Figures 5.56 Operating Cost per Revenue Hour (Peers)
Figures 5.57 Operating Cost per Revenue Mile Trends
Figures 5.58 Operating Cost per Revenue Mile (Peers)
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Table 5.30 Cost Effectiveness Trends (Demand Response)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) Cost Effectiveness Operating Cost per Service Area Capita $2.52 $2.61 $3.48 $4.14 $3.31 31.3% -20.1% Operating Cost per UZA Capita $7.03 $7.18 $9.86 $11.73 $9.37 33.3% -20.1% Operating Cost per Rider $39.39 $38.18 $35.40 $35.91 $34.10 -13.4% -5.0% Average Fare per Rider $4.33 $3.76 $5.71 $6.62 $2.66 -38.6% -59.8% Local Subsidy per Rider $5.00 $5.94 $5.08 $4.39 $4.47 -10.7% 1.9% Farebox Recovery Ratio 11.0% 9.8% 16.1% 18.4% 7.8% -29.1% -57.7% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 - 2014
Table 5.31 Peer Agency Cost Effectiveness, FY 2014 (Demand Response)
Demand Response PEER AGENCY Cost Effectiveness
Operating Cost Operating Operating Average Fare Estimated Local Transit System Location Per Service Cost Per UZA Cost per Per Rider Subsidy Per Rider1 Area Capita Capita Rider
Concord, NC Fort Pierce, FL $9.64 $7.27 $26.45 $0.60 $12.90 Fort Walton Beach, FL $7.64 $7.64 $16.45 $3.22 $2.79 Hagerstown, MD $4.57 $1.21 $17.24 $1.36 $4.25 Johnson City, TN $22.55 $11.54 $30.40 $2.15 $7.29 Lake County $38.65 $28.69 $26.42 $0.66 $3.65 Ocala, FL $6.83 $2.82 $24.78 $2.00 $7.64 Panama, FL $9.54 $7.00 $10.29 $0.51 $1.39 Parkersburg, WV $4.45 $2.62 $36.69 $0.18 $20.98 Rapid City, SD $16.36 $13.69 $14.03 $2.23 $5.33 Tyler, TX $3.18 $2.70 $15.86 $1.74 $8.26 Wichita Falls, TX Peer Average $12.34 $8.52 $21.86 $1.47 $7.45 St. Augustine, FL $3.31 $9.37 $34.10 $2.66 $4.47 % Diff. from Peer Average -73.2% 10.0% 56.0% 81.7% -40.0% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2014
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Figures 5.59 Operating Cost per Service Area Capita Trends
Figures 5.60 Operating Cost per Service Area Capita (Peers)
Figures 5.61 Operating Cost per UZA Capita Trends
Figures 5.62 Operating Cost per UZA Capita (Peers)
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Figures 5.63 Operating Cost per Rider Trends
Figures 5.64 Operating Cost per Rider (Peers)
Figures 5.65 Average Fare per Rider Trends
Figures 5.66 Average Fare per Rider (Peers)
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Figures 5.67 Local Subsidy per Rider Trends
Figures 5.68 Local Subsidy per Rider (Peers)
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5.5.3 Demand Response Performance Summary Table 5.32 summarizes the demand response performance evaluation.
Service area level of service (LOS) – From FY 2010 to FY 2014, service area LOS increased. Even with the increase, the County provides a significantly lower level of demand response service than the peer group average. Trips per service area capita, for example, are 84% lower than the peer group average. Local subsidy per service area capita is 86% lower than the peer group average.
UZA level of service –St. Johns County provides a lower LOS in the urbanized area than the peer group average. Revenue miles per UZA capita, for example, are 44% lower than the peer group average. Local subsidy per UZA capita is also 44% lower than the peer group average.
Service effectiveness – Over the five year period, service effectiveness generally increased for three out of the four service effectiveness measures. Service effectiveness, however is generally not as effective as the peer group average.
Service efficiency – Over the five year period, operating cost per revenue hour decreased, while operating cost per revenue mile slightly increased. Compared to the peer group average, service is not as efficient as the peer group average. Both operating cost per revenue hour and operating cost per revenue mile are higher than the peer group average, at 25% and 52%, respectively.
Cost effectiveness - From FY 2010 to FY 2014, operating cost per capita increased, consistent with rising service levels per capita. Operating cost per capita is 73% lower than the peer group average, which may be due to the lower level of service per capita provided compared to the peer group. Although operating cost per rider decreased over the five year period, cost per rider is 56% higher than the peer group average.
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Table 5.32 Demand Response Performance Summary
Percent Change Percent from the (2010-2014) Peer Group Mean Level of Service (Service Area) Trips per Service Area Capita 51.7% -83.8% Revenue Hours per Service Area Capita 59.8% -81.2% Revenue Miles per Service Area Capita 29.5% -85.7% Local Subsidy per Service Area Capita 35.5% -86.3% Level of Service (Urbanized Area-UZA) Trips per UZA Area Capita 53.9% -35.9% Revenue Hours per UZA Area Capita 62.1% -25.9% Revenue Miles per UZA Area Capita 31.4% -44.2% Local Subsidy per UZA Area Capita 37.5% -43.7% Service Effectiveness Riders per Revenue Hour -5.1% -20.8% Riders per Revenue Mile 17.1% -2.8% Trips per VOMS 42.1% -44.5% Revenue Miles per VOMS 21.3% -43.5% Service Efficiency Operating Cost per Revenue Hour -17.8% 25.1% Operating Cost per Revenue Mile 1.4% 52.3% Cost Effectiveness Operating Cost per Service Area Capita 31.3% -73.2% Operating Cost per UZA Capita 33.3% 10.0% Operating Cost per Rider -13.4% 56.0% Average Fare per Rider -38.6% 81.7% Estimated Local Subsidy per Rider -10.7% -40.0% Farebox Recovery Ratio -29.1% -2.1% Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 – FY 2014
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5.6 Performance Evaluation Summary
5.6.1 Service per Capita Service per capita provided within the urbanized area is good, for deviated fixed-route service. Sunshine Bus provides a higher level of service per capita within the St. Augustine Urbanized Area than its peers provide in their respective urbanized areas. Revenue hours per person and revenue miles per person are higher than the peer group average. However, local subsidy per person living in the St. Augustine Urbanized Area is much lower than the peer group. Service per capita provided within all of St. Johns County (service area) is poor, for both deviated fixed-route and demand response services. St. Johns County provides a lower level of service per capita within its service area than its peers provide in their respective service areas. This is likely due to St. Johns County’s much larger service area compared to its peers.
5.6.2 Service Effectiveness Service effectiveness is fair, for deviated fixed-route service. Revenue miles per VOMS are higher than the peer group average; while other service effectiveness measures are lower than the peer group average.
5.6.3 Service Efficiency Deviated fixed-route service efficiency is good while demand response service efficiency is poor, compared to the peer group. Cost per revenue mile and cost per revenue hour are much lower than the peer group average, for deviated fixed-route service.
5.6.4 Cost Effectiveness Deviated fixed-route cost effectiveness is good while demand response service efficiency is poor, compared to the peer group. Cost per rider is lower than the peer group average, for deviated fixed-route service (see Figure 5.69 on the following page). Demand response cost per rider is higher than the peer group average (see Figure 5.70 on the following page). Local subsidy per rider is lower than the peer group average for both modes of service.
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Figure 5.69 Fixed Route Cost per Rider
Figure 5.70 Demand Response Cost per Rider
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6.0 Policies, Plans and Additional Context This section of the plan provides additional information concerning the strategic context in which Sunshine Bus operates.
6.1 Plans, Policies and Documents Several state, regional and local plans are described below. From these plans Table 6.1 summarizes policies (goals, objectives and/or recommendations) related to the provision of public transportation in St. Johns County.
6.1.1 State Florida Transportation Plan The Florida Transportation Plan (FTP) is a single overarching statewide plan guiding Florida’s transportation future. It is a plan for all of Florida created by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and all organizations that are involved in planning and managing Florida’s transportation system, including statewide, regional, and local partners. The plan is made up of a Vision Element, a Policy Element, and an Implementation Element. The Vision Element, completed in August 2015, describes five different potential futures for the state of Florida and visions for the state’s transportation system within each including: Return to Historic Growth, Rural Rediscovery, Global Trade Hub, Innovation Hub, and Risks on the Horizon. The 2040 Policy Element, completed in December 2015, contains seven long- range goals as well as 30 objectives to guide Florida next twenty-five years (toward reaching a 50-year vision). The Implementation Element will be drafted in 2016, but will contain the responsibilities of each planning and transportation agency and organization.
6.1.2 Regional Long Range Transportation Plan (2040) The Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is created by the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) and acts as the blueprint to maintain and improve the regional transportation system. The multi-modal plan defines a vision of the region’s transportation needs over the next 20 years and contains future goals, strategies and projects, including cost feasible projects for which funding has been identified and the reasonable expectation of funding is available to implement the projects (called the Cost Feasible Plan). In Northeast Florida the LRTP is currently updated every five years to address new and evolving road, transit, freight, and pedestrian needs. The goals and objectives are meant to enhance the following: Economic competitiveness, livability, safety, mobility and accessibility, equity in decision making, and system preservation. The cost feasible plan was vetted through public outreach via online and through community events. It has a total of $12.8 billion in federal and state funded projects in Clay, Duval, Nassau, and St. Johns counties. There is an additional $1.3 billion in locally-funded projects. The goals and objectives in this plan were more general and broad than in other plans while the list of projects and cost feasible plan were more specific. Transit related projects include bus rapid transit (BRT), commuter rail and transit for downtown Jacksonville, regional park and ride lots, transit hubs, and improvements at the St. Johns River Ferry. Table 3.12 in the existing conditions section of this TDP lists the region’s cost feasible transportation projects within St. Johns County.
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Northeast Florida Strategic Regional Policy Plan – First Coast Vision (2060) The Strategic Regional Policy Plan (SRPP) contains a visioning section as well as a strategic directions section. The vision is not a plan, but rather a collection of goals and objectives that reflect the choices and values of citizens as to how they want to live. The strategic directions summary section also includes regional scale goals. This plan should serve as a guidebook on coordinated steps to achieve the goals for Northeast Florida included in the First Coast Vision section. The Plan is organized around strategic subject areas that are in turn related to the priorities of the State of Florida. Visions were created for prosperity, community, resiliency, people, nature, and mobility. The vision for mobility stated, “Affordable mobility options other than the private car are available for all of our residents that do not own a car. Transit is affordable and provides service that is safe, reliable, and convenient to all people at all stages of life.” These specific visions were supported by goals for each subject area. The implementation strategy of the SRPP to achieve regional transportation goals is to work with the newly created Regional Transportation Commission to further the development of new sources of mobility funding necessary to support a regional multi-modal transportation framework. To achieve this regional framework, the planning efforts of each of the seven counties, including St. Johns County and their municipalities must be coordinated with the SRPP.
Regional Transit Action Plan (RTAP) The RTAP is a planning product of the Northeast Florida Regional Transportation Commission (NEFRTC) that involved transit stakeholders from all regional counties in identifying and prioritizing implementable projects that improve regional transit services. It was initiated to identify best practices for regional transportation coordination that may be implemented in the Northeast Florida region. The intent of the plan is to build on the ongoing improvement in regional mobility coordination and regional transit services in Northeast Florida. The RTAP is separated into short-term, mid and long range projects as opposed to goals and objectives.
Northeast Florida Coordinated Transportation Plan JTA and the Northeast Florida Mobility Coalition updated a plan that recommends improved coordination of information, services and resources to encourage "seamless" transportation between transportation providers and between counties. The Coalition consists of members of the general public, transportation providers, social service agencies, veterans and veteran agencies /representatives, enlisted military members and support agencies, and elected officials.
6.1.3 Local St. Johns County Transit Development Plan (TDP) The TDP is a ten-year plan produced every five (5) years. St. Johns County’s most recent major update for Sunshine Bus covers years 2012 through 2021, and was adopted by the SJCBOCC on August 16, 2011. The plan’s vision is to provide the opportunity for every person in St. Johns County to enjoy wellness, longevity and quality of life choices within a strong, healthy community through the provision of public transportation. The mission of SJCCOA’s transportation program is to provide safe, affordable and reliable mobility options to both the general public and the transportation disadvantaged citizens of St. Johns County. Chapter 7 of the Major TDP Update contained a number of
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St. Johns County Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan Last revised March 2015, the overall mission of Florida’s transportation disadvantaged program is to ensure the availability of efficient, cost-effective, and quality transportation services for transportation disadvantaged persons. The Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (CTD) is an independent agency which serves as the policy development and implementing agency for Florida’s transportation disadvantaged program. Its purpose is to accomplish the coordination of transportation services provided to the transportation disadvantaged. The plan listed possible barriers to coordination including a lack of adequate funding for the coordination of transportation services, continued funding cuts, and agencies that don’t budget for transportation services or don’t pay fully allocated operating costs. Included within the plan are an Operations Element and an Implementation Plan. These elements provide a profile of the St. Johns County Transportation Disadvantaged system along with basic information on the daily operations. There is also a more specific schedule depicting when objectives and strategies should be implemented.
Local Comprehensive Plans St. Johns County Comprehensive Plan (2025) The Land Use and Transportation Elements complement each other with goals to provide a high quality of life and efficient movement and circulation system. Objectives within the elements stress working toward a balanced transportation system consisting of both public and private transportation networks that are safe options for all residents. A public transit service objective within the Transportation Element includes 12 policies to address St. Johns County’s development of public transportation services, for transit dependent customers and all residents within the County and its municipalities.
City of St. Augustine Comprehensive Plan (2030) Related to transit, the City of St. Augustine’s Transportation Element (TE) contains a policy to continue working with the Sunshine Bus to determine routes that will provide enhanced mobility as an alternative to the single-occupant automobile. There is also an objective and related policy to incorporate transportation strategies that reduce greenhouse emissions, including reducing vehicle miles traveled, facilitating future opportunities for transit oriented developments and working with regional agencies to educate and encourage transit within the region.
City of St. Augustine Beach Comprehensive Plan (2020) The Transportation Element of St. Augustine Beach’s Comprehensive Plan consists of four goals, one of which focuses on the transportation network as a whole, and another on communication between related agencies. The Transportation Element does not appear to specifically mention public transportation, however mentions developing a safe bicycle and pedestrian way system accessible to all major public and private transportation facilities.
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Town of Hastings Comprehensive Plan (2025) This plan was adopted in 2013 and has a horizon year of 2025. The Transportation Elements contain one goal, to provide for a traffic circulation system that serves existing and future land uses. The majority of objectives and policies focused on safety and coordination with other entities. One policy specifically, is to work with the North Florida TPO, St. Johns County and Putnam County to develop a formal process to coordinate transportation planning for the southwestern portion of St. Johns County.
Other Plans, Studies and Documents Flagler County Assessment of Transit Needs – Phase 2 (2025) This plan includes a goals, objectives, and strategies section, and a ten-year Capital and Operating Plan with a focus on intergovernmental coordination. The Flagler County Public Transportation (FCPT) Vision stated Flagler County exceeds expectations in delivering a well-balanced multi-modal transportation system that promotes economic development, community accessibility, sustainability, and environmental sensitivity. Its Mission stated: Flagler County will operate and coordinate a multi-modal public transportation system that effectively and efficiently meets the existing and future mobility needs as identified through ongoing outreach to Flagler County’s resident, visitors, and businesses.
The needs study included data from the US Census and the American Community Survey. These data showed that 779 workers from St. Johns County commute to work in Flagler County, 4.3% of the workforce. FCPT users were also given a survey, and results indicated 67.6% use the public transportation most often for Medical/Doctor/Dentist visits. There was also a request for public transportation from Flagler County to St. Augustine in this survey. Some conclusions made from the relevant data included that Flagler County has potential to have many strategic partners as they are geopolitically and economically split between the Central Florida and Northeast Florida regions. However, with the Northeast region, concerns exist that local funding for Flagler-based projects may be drawn into regional efforts that may only marginally benefit the county. Therefore, transportation issues are of particular relevance to the County as they cross multi-jurisdiction borders and concern mobility countywide, and in multiple regions. In addition to this, the expected designation of Flagler County/Palm coast as an urbanized area will open the door to new funding and challenges as the community decides what future public transportation will look like. Overall, there was not a lot of mention to St. Johns County other than a few survey data points, and the split between the Northeast and Central Florida regions.
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Table 6.1 Related Goals, Objectives and Policies
Plan/Study Related Goals, Objectives, Policies
Florida Transportation The Policy Element guides Florida over the next 25 years and beyond. Plan, Policy Element, Goal 1: Safety and security for residents, visitors, and businesses. Also addresses how FDOT transportation can support broader needs. Reduce the number of crashes on the transportation system Provide transportation infrastructure and services to help prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies Emphasis area mentioned: Increase safety and security for public transportation users. Goal 2: Agile, resilient, and quality infrastructure. Addresses conditions for all modes and emphasizes responsiveness to changing technologies and market trends, resiliency to risks, and customer service and other measures of quality. Meet or exceed industry, state, national, or international standards for infrastructure quality, condition, and performance for all modes of transportation Adapt transportation infrastructure and technologies to meet changing customer needs Increase the resiliency of infrastructure to risks, including extreme weather and other environmental conditions Goal 3: Efficient and reliable mobility for people and freight shifts from a focus on reducing travel time and delay to making the entire transportation system more efficient and reliable, including all modes as well as supporting regulatory processes. Increase the reliability of all modes of Florida’s transportation system Increase customer satisfaction with Florida’s transportation system and regulatory processes for residents, visitors, and businesses Goal 4: More transportation choices for people and freight. It recognizes widespread partner and public input on the need for a fuller range of options for moving people and freight, with emphasis on walking, bicycling, transit, and rail, as well as emerging mobility options such as shared and automated vehicles. Increase the use of new mobility options and technologies such as shared, automated, and connected vehicles Increase the share of person trips using public transportation and other alternatives to single occupancy motor vehicles Increase the number of quality options for visitor travel to, from, and within Florida Increase the efficiency and convenience of connecting between multiple modes of transportation Emphasis Areas: o Improve public transportation services within rural areas and between rural and urban areas. o Improve the efficiency and convenience of connections among local transit systems, between local and regional transit systems, and between transit and other modes. Goal 5: Transportation solutions that support Florida’s global economic competitiveness. It maintains emphasis on trade and logistics, while supporting Florida’s visitor industry and diversification into innovation industries. Increase transportation connectivity between Florida’s economic centers and regions Emphasis Areas:
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o Continue to plan proactively for future statewide and interregional transportation corridors, including coordination with regional visions, economic development, and trade development plans, and land use plans. Goal 6: Transportation solutions that support quality places to live, learn, work, and play. It emphasizes how transportation decisions can contribute to stronger communities, including greater emphasis on transportation’s contribution to public health and the changing needs of a diverse population. Plan and develop transportation systems that reflect regional and community values, visions, and needs. Increase customer satisfaction with Florida’s transportation system. Provide convenient, efficient accessibility to the transportation system for Florida’s residents and visitors. Provide transportation solutions that contribute to improved public health.
Goal 1: Invest in projects that enhance economic competitiveness. Long Range Transportation Objective 1: Improve travel time reliability on major freight routes. Plan (2040), North Florida Objective 2: Enhance access to jobs. TPO Objective 3: Maximize the return on investment. Goal 2: Invest in livable and sustainable communities. Objective 1: Enhance transit accessibility. Objective 2: Enhance transit ridership. Objective 3: Enhance bicycle and pedestrian quality of service. Objective 4: Reduce the cost of congestion per capita. Objective 5: Reduce the impacts of investments on the natural environment. Objective 6: Reduce emissions from automobiles. Objective 7: Consistency with land use planning. Objective 8: Promote active transportation. Objective 9: Support regional evacuation needs. Goal 3: Enhance Safety Objective 1: Reduce crashes. Objective 2: Reduce fatalities. Goal 4: Enhance mobility and accessibility. Objective 1: Optimize the quantity of travel – person-miles traveled, person trips, transit ridership, etc. Objective 2: Optimize the quality of travel – average trip time, reliability, etc. Objective 3: Improve the accessibility to mode choices – proximity to major transportation hubs, transit coverage, etc. Objective 4: Optimize the utilization of the system. Goal 5: Enhance equity in decision making. Goal 6: Preserve and maintain our existing system. Objective 4: Meet FTA transit system maintenance requirements. Objective 5: Maintain bicycle and pedestrian fatalities.
New policies and guidelines were also adopted to facilitate a continuous planning process. These include a focus on context sensitive solutions and bicycle and pedestrian accessibility with new transit service deployment. A policy to set aside funding for three types of projects was adopted: strategic safety priorities, traffic incident management and related technology, and bicycle and pedestrian improvements such as trails.
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Plan/Study Related Goals, Objectives, Policies
Regional Transit Action Highlights of implementation strategy recommendations (short-term, mid-term and long- Plan, NEFRTC term projects) related to St. Johns County’s public transportation system are listed below. 1. Regional Transit Coordinating Council: A new inclusive regional transit coordinating council (TCC) should be developed to reflect the highly collaborative nature of LCBs, the Coalition, and other regional partners. 2. Implementation of a Northeast Florida Mobility Network: It is important that Mobility Managers stay abreast of each other’s efforts, successes, failures, and emerging advances in the practice of mobility management. . Implementation can be achieved through developing multi-media collaboration platforms. 3. Travel Training Program Expansion: Are a low-cost, high impact strategy for expanding transit-use especially fixed-route transit and flexible services among older adults and people with disabilities. 4. Regional Fare Feasibility Study: Implementing a common fare payment system for use on all transit systems in the region provides several benefits. 5. Joint procurements: High volume purchases and sharing common support resources allows participating agencies to reduce costs while maintaining access to specialized services when needed. 6. Park-and-Ride facilities: Regional and local transportation services are enhanced when Park-and-Ride facilities are available. . A new study should be completed with emphasis on potential regional transit hub sites at: Cecil Commerce Center Parkway, south St. Johns County near the Flagler County line; Fernandina Beach on SR A1A; US 17 and SR 19 in Palatka; and in Macclenny. 7. Express Bus Services: Additional express bus services are in demand by the residents in Nassau County and the veterans in all Northeast Florida counties. . It is recommended that the RTC seek funding and negotiate with current transit providers to implement and market these express route services in the near term. 8. Frequency Enhancements of Current Services: Additional frequency has been identified as a near term demand. 9. Regional Bike Share Program: . It is recommended that the RTC plan for a Regional Bike Share Feasibility study in the next five years. 10. Regional Fare System 11. New service: A new seasonal trolley service has been proposed to operate between Fernandina Beach and St. Augustine along SR A1A. . Residents in Fruit Cove and Julington Creek have also requested transit service.
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Plan/Study Related Goals, Objectives, Policies
Northeast Florida Strategic Goal 1: Include centers of population and jobs that are well-connected, limit commute time Regional Policy Plan for most residents and provide opportunities for all residents of the region to work if they (2060), NEFRC choose. Northeast Florida makes development of regional employment centers and infrastructure a first priority, politically and fiscally.
Goal 2: In order to promote a diversified and vibrant regional economy, the region supports an efficient multi-modal transportation framework to move people and goods, and NEFRC and its partners support over time the infrastructure investments needed to make it work. The framework maintains an environment that includes mobility options to move goods and people to support business and industry. Objectives and Policies: Objective 1: People benefit from mobility and access The Region supports affordable mobility options other than the private car for residents that do not own a car. The Region aspires to provide the most reliable, comprehensive, and cost- effective service possible to the transportation disadvantaged. Objective 2: Maximize the utility of infrastructure in planned and connected centers. Objective 3: Create a Multi-Modal Transportation Network for Residents and Businesses.
St. Johns County GOAL #1: Define Mobility Market Needs in St. Johns County and Design Feasible Service Transportation Plans. Objective (Obj.) 1.1: Develop public transportation services that address the mobility Development Plan (2021 needs of transit dependent customers including major community destinations and medical Horizon Year) and health care facilities. Obj. 1.2: Develop public transportation services with a focus on employment sites. Obj. 1.3: Develop services designed to link employment opportunities with affordable and workforce housing. Obj. 1.4: Ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
GOAL #2: Maintain and Continuously Improve Customer-Focused Service and Products. Obj. 2.1: Seek input from users and non-users of the system through periodic surveys, focus groups, etc. to evaluate needs and respond with enhancements to programs and services. Obj. 2.2: Develop passenger amenities that best respond to local conditions.
GOAL #3: Provide an Effective and Efficient Public Transportation System. Obj. 3.1: Decrease wait and travel times. Obj. 3.2: Create better connectivity and travel choices for customers using multiple transfer centers. Obj. 3.3: Improve frequencies to system routes. OBJECTIVE 3.4: Expand the hours of operation of the Sunshine Bus Company. Obj. 3.5: Provide greater accessibility to transit by placing bus stops throughout the service area. Obj. 3.6: Increase passenger revenues per mile and per hour.
GOAL #4: Enhance and Improve Multi-modal Connectivity throughout the Region. Obj. 4.1: Seek opportunities to enhance transfer opportunities among SJCCOA services to promote travel efficiencies and effectiveness. Obj. 4.2: Work cooperatively with neighboring communities to implement services that improve the connectivity between public transportation modes and services. Obj. 4.3: Work cooperatively with the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) to ensure coordinated regional transportation planning and programming. Obj. 4.4: Participate in the Northeast Florida Regional Mobility Coalition, a cooperative partnership formed to enhance access to transportation for all persons throughout Northeast Florida.
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Plan/Study Related Goals, Objectives, Policies
GOAL #5: Support St. Johns County’s Community Visions for Quality of Life Issues Including Recreation, Growth Management and Overall Public Mobility and Accessibility. Obj. 5.1: Decrease barriers to mobility and accessibility. Obj. 5.2: Maintain consistency between transit programs and initiatives and local comprehensive plans. Obj. 5.3: Pursue the development of transit-friendly land use policies and land development criteria. Obj. 5.4: Coordinate with roadway improvement projects to ensure transit-friendly infrastructure is incorporated.
GOAL #6: Communicate the role of transit in St. Johns County. Obj. 6.1: Enhance the image and visibility of transit in the community. Obj. 6.2: Develop marketing programs with the goal of maintaining and increasing market penetration and developing new market segments for services. Obj. 6.3: Develop ongoing outreach programs designed to educate the public about available transportation alternatives.
GOAL #7: Continue the cooperative culture between St. Johns County, the Council on Aging and other mobility service partners which values respect, integrity, accomplishments and open communication. Obj. 7.1: Emphasize the team approach and provide a system of communication where information flows freely within and between the mobility service partners. Obj. 7.2: Ensure employees have the tools and training necessary to fulfill their job responsibilities.
GOAL #8: Establish the appropriate infrastructure necessary to maintain and expand fixed- route and paratransit services in the future. Obj. 8.1: Secure land and professional services necessary for the design and construction of a new operating base. Obj. 8.2: Acquire vehicles and associated equipment for fleet replacement and expansion. Obj.8.3: Establish passenger transfer locations in cooperation with property owners. Obj. 8.4: Establish designated bus stops with signage and shelters as appropriate.
St. Johns County Goal 1: Coordinate transportation-disadvantaged transportation services in St. Johns County Transportation using local, state, or federal government dollars. Disadvantaged Service Goal 2: Provide transportation programs which are consumer oriented and effectively Plan encourage the use of multiple occupancy vehicles. (Implementation by 2020) Objective 1: Determine repetitive travel needs by consumers and develop transportation services which encourage the use of regularly scheduled trips for activities of daily living, etc. Goal 3: Provide accessible transportation services to persons with disabilities. Objective 1: Comply with requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act regarding the access to and provision of transportation services. Goal 4: Provide six days per week transportation services in St. Johns County. Objective 1: Obtain private transportation operators to provide overflow and after- hour transportation services. Objective 2: Ensure transportation users can access the system to reserve transportation services after office hours. Goal 5: Respond to grievance issues in a timely fashion. Objective 1: Coordinator will respond to the direction of the Grievance Sub- Committee and the Local Coordinating Board in all grievances being appealed. Goal 6: Comply with all reporting requirements of the commission for the transportation disadvantaged and the local coordinating board.
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Plan/Study Related Goals, Objectives, Policies
Objective 1: Complete all reports in a timely fashion and submit reports which require Local Coordinating Board approval or review in time for planned Coordinating Board meetings.
St. Johns County LUE Goal A.2: To ensure that the Northwest Sector of St. Johns County will grow in the form Comprehensive Plan – of complete communities and neighborhoods within a framework of connected Land Use (LUE) and development edges and recreational trails, an orderly roadway and transportation Transportation (TE) circulation system that will sustain and provide a high quality of life, protection of the natural Elements environment, a sound economy, efficient movement of goods, services, and people and (2025) provide a healthy social and cultural environment for all residents. LUE Objective A.1.19 New Town Development – [Specifies transit design for projects to accommodate potential internal transit and links to external transit.] Land shall be set aside for transit purposes. Future potential transit stops should be located in the Town Center Village close to high density residential developments, and in or near the village centers. TE Goal B.1: The County shall provide countywide coordination and planning to achieve a balanced transportation system which consists of both public and private transportation networks and which provides for the safe and efficient movement of goods and people, including the transportation disadvantaged. Objective B.1.2: The County shall continue to maintain a safe and efficient roadway network by implementing the concurrency management system and implementing maintenance and operations improvements through various programs. TE Objective B.1.5: Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities. TE Objective B.1.7: The County shall continue to coordinate transportation activities with federal, state, regional, local agencies and local governments, having planning and implementation responsibilities for highway, mass transit, bicycle, multi- purpose greenways, multi-modular transportation alternatives, railroad, air, and other transit facilities by implementing actions specified in the corresponding policies. TE Objective B.1.8: Support continued operation of the County’s transportation disadvantaged services by coordinating and supporting the planning activities of the Northeast Florida Regional Council and the operating activities of the St. Johns County Council on Aging as the designated Community Transportation Coordinator in St. Johns County. TE Objective B.1.9: St. Johns County will develop public transportation services that address mobility needs of transit dependent customers and encourage the use of public transportation by all residents of St. Johns County and municipalities within. o Policy B.1.9.1: The County shall work with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority on the results of the public transit study and its feasibility to St. Johns County and its municipalities and to determine the extent to which public transit, paratransit, and ridesharing is feasible for the County. o Policy B.1.9.2: The County shall insure Future Land Use Maps support the development of public transit service. o Policy B.1.9.3: The County shall continue to cooperate with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority in examining the potential for public transit service within the northern half of the County. o Policy B.1.9.4: The County shall promote transit in new development by including provision of bus pullouts and paved areas for shelters, where applicable. These requirements shall be mandatory in Developments of
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Plan/Study Related Goals, Objectives, Policies
Regional Impact. The County shall develop standards for public transit facilities in non-DRI developments. o Policy B.1.9.5: The County shall establish requirements for park-and-ride facilities in major developments that provide access to transit facilities. o Policy B.1.9.6: The County shall develop policies and standards that will provide access to public transit through the use of bicycle and pedestrian systems and park and ride lots. o Policy B.1.9.7: The County shall address the need to provide safe pedestrian and bicycle access to commercial generators and attractors from transit facilities located on public access roads. o Policy B.1.9.8: St. Johns County shall continue to seek available funds authorized by Federal Transportation Acts as well as required matching funds to meet public transportation needs. o Policy B.1.9.9: The County shall conduct yearly surveys to evaluate and accommodate public transit needs. o Policy B.1.9.10: The County shall coordinate with FDOT and North Florida TPO to incorporate transit design and amenities when roadway improvements are made to state, county and local road segments. o Policy B.1.9.11: The County shall strive to improve transit routes by minimizing headways. o Policy B.1.9.12: The County shall develop a system and standards whereby the cost of providing transit service to large developments can be offset by developer’s contributions. TE Objective B.1.10: Coordinate transit plans and programs within St. Johns County. o TE Policy B.1.10.1: The County shall work with the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council, the St. Johns County Council on Aging as the Community Transportation Coordinator, jurisdictions within the County, and the neighboring jurisdictions, including the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, in coordinating any transit plans and programs. o TE Policy B.1.10.2: The County will continue to participate as a member of the Northeast Florida Mobility Coalition and participate in the development of the goals and objectives of the Northeast Florida Mobility Plan developed by the Coalition. o TE Policy B.1.10.3: St. Johns County will continue to participate as a member of the First Cost Intelligent Transportation System coalition and support the goals and objectives of the First Coast Regional Intelligent Systems Master Plan. TE Objective B.1.13: The County shall maintain the integrity of existing roadway and railway corridors for possible transportation or other linear uses, where possible and practical.
City of St. Augustine TE Goal: To maintain a coordinated multimodal transportation system which provides for the Comprehensive Plan – safe, efficient, and economical movement of people, goods, services, which is consistent Transportation Element with the Future Land Use Plan, conserves energy, and protects the City’s natural, cultural, (2030) and historical resources. TE Objective 1.1: Provide a safe, convenient and efficient motorized and non- motorized transportation system. TE Policy 1.1.4: Continue to implement provisions of the Downtown Area Traffic Master Plan (including those related to public transportation).
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Plan/Study Related Goals, Objectives, Policies
TE: Policy 1.1.5: Continue to maintain programs to license trams and other forms of paratransit. Continue to work with the Sunshine Bus Company and other providers to determine service routes that can provide enhanced mobility as an alternative to the single-occupant automobile. TE: Policy 1.1.7: The City shall continue to consider the development of bicycle and pedestrian routes… TE: Policy 1.1.9: The City establishes the following priorities for traffic and roadway improvement projects; 1st priority – projects which are need to protect public health and safety; 2nd priority – projects which are needed to preserve or achieve full use of existing facilities, or to prevent or reduce future maintenance or improvement costs; 3rd priority – projects which are needed to promote infill development and redevelopment; and 4th priority – projects which are needed to provide facilities and services to new developments. TE Objective 1.3: The Transportation Element system shall be consistent with and support the Future Land Use Plan as depicted on the Future Land Use Map series and all subsequent amendments. TE Policy 1.3.2: The City shall continue to maintain or improve existing pedestrian facilities… TE Objective 1.4: Coordinate the City’s TE plan with the plans and programs of the FDOT and St. Johns County. TE Objective 1.5: The City recognizes that the use of gasoline creates a large portion of the greenhouse gas emissions and shall incorporate transportation strategies to address the reduction of these greenhouse gas emissions. The City shall identify and pursue strategies to reduce the vehicle miles traveled. A.) Establish locations for compact mixed use development. B) Increase opportunities for job creation proximate to higher density residential. C) Facilitate future opportunities for transit- oriented developments. D) The City shall encourage existing and new developments to be connected by roadways, bikeways, and pedestrian systems that encourage travel between neighborhoods and access to transit without requiring use of the major thoroughfare system. TE Policy 1.5.1: The City shall employ Transportation System Management Strategies to protect the right-of-way, improve efficiency and enhance safety. A) The City will continue efforts to coordinate and participate in, when feasible, in regional transportation studies which encourage and promote transit initiatives. The County will continue to work with JTA, North Florida TPO, NEFRC and FDOT and other transportation agencies to educate and encourage transit in the region.
City of St. Augustine Beach Goal TE.1: Provide and promote the development of a city transportation system with the Comprehensive Plan – capacity to serve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. Transportation Element Objective TE.1.1: By the end of the year 2012, prepare a plan for ongoing (2020) transportation needs within the City, including parking, pedestrian, and bicycle needs for residents and visitors. The plan will be based on projected population, visitors, and available land. Objective TE.1.2: The City shall continue to protect existing rights-of-way and to provide adequate rights-of-way in new developments. Objective TE.1.3: The City’s Law Enforcement Organization shall establish a plan to monitor safety factors which affect the City’s transportation system and that will reduce traffic accidents.
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Plan/Study Related Goals, Objectives, Policies
Goal TE.2: Establish means of communication on transportation related issues with the FDOT, the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council, St. Johns County, St. Augustine, and other public or private transportation related agencies. Objective TE.2.1: The city shall coordinate on an annual basis its transportation goals, objectives and policies with those goals, objectives, and policies of St. Johns County, the First Coast TPO, and the FDOT five year Transportation Plan which apply or will have an influence on the City’s transportation plan and network. Objective TE.2.3: Traffic circulation planning for the City will be coordinated with the future land uses shown on the Comprehensive Plan’s Future Land Use Map, the FDOT 5-Year Transportation Plan, and any plans for the First Coast TPO, of which St. Johns County and the City are members. Goal TE.3: Provide parking facilities consistent with future development and future transportation needs. Objective TE.3.1: The City will continue to assess the need for the parking of vehicles on a yearly basis. Objective TE.3.2: The City shall study alternatives to beach parking and shall explore the available options and how they can be implemented. Goal TE.4: Develop a safe bicycle and pedestrian way system accessible to all major public and private transportation facilities. Objective TE.4.1: The City will evaluate and recommend providing bike paths/sidewalks where feasible or needed along the City’s transportation system. Goal C-1 (Capital Improvements Element): St. Augustine Beach shall undertake actions necessary to adequately provide needed public facilities to all residents within its jurisdiction in a manner which protects investments in existing facilities.
Town of Hastings Goal TE: Provide for a traffic circulation system which serves existing and future land uses. Comprehensive Plan Objective TE.1: The Town shall establish a safe, convenient, and efficient level of (2025) service which shall be maintained for all roadways. Objective TE.II.3: The Town shall coordinate its traffic circulation planning efforts with the Florida Department of Transportation for consistency with the Department’s 5-year Transportation Plan. Policy TE.II.3.2: The Town shall work with the North Florida TPO, St. Johns County, and Putnam County to develop a formal process to coordinate transportation planning for the southwestern portion of St. Johns County. Policy: The Town shall, during the capital improvements planning process, review the proposed roadway improvements which will be completed a part of the implementation of the FDOT 5-year Transportation Plan so that such capital project planning is complementary and consistent with the state roadway improvement planning. Flagler County Assessment Goal 1: Develop an efficient, effective, and convenient process to address multi-jurisdictional of Transit Needs/Transit planning within Flagler County and throughout the region. Development Plan, Phase Objective: Advocate Flagler County’s transportation interests through participation II (2025) in regional transportation decision making. Strategy: Coordinate with all municipalities within Flagler County, FDOT, Volusia TPO, St. Johns and Duval County through active participation in planning events, committees and boards. Strategy: Work cooperatively with neighboring communities to implement services that improve the connectivity between public transportation modes and services throughout the region.
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6.2 Additional Context The following information provides additional context for public transportation services within St. Johns County.
6.2.1 Federal The Sunshine Bus Company receives funding from several sources, including farebox revenues, St. Johns County, and state and federal government grants. On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, reauthorizing surface transportation programs through the end of Fiscal Year 2020 (September 30, 2020). Replacing MAP-21 (the previous transportation bill), FAST-ACT will provide a steady and predictable funding for five years with an increase of $1 billion per year to the national transit program. Federal transit funding grants that currently help fund Sunshine Bus’s transit services will be funded through the FAST-ACT’s multi-year federal transportation bill. These grants include the Federal Transportation Administration’s (FTA) Urbanized Area Formula Program (5307), Rural Program (5311), special needs grant for Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Disabled (5310) and Bus and Bus Facilities (5339). Sunshine Bus also receives Surface Transportation Program funding for vehicles. Over the few years, St. Johns County, the SJCCOA and other local and regional transportation stakeholders will determine benefits and impacts from the new FAST-ACT as there will be continuing, new and modified programs.
Additionally, the Jobs Access Reverse Commute (JARC, 5316) Program was repealed under MAP-21 and rolled into other programs. Currently, Sunshine Bus’s Purple Line, a cross-county route, is funded with 5316 funding. St. Johns County and SJCCOA should continue to determine the Purple Line’s viability, and determine availability of other funding and potential partnerships to fund public transportation.
6.2.2 State Florida Transportation Department of Transportation (FDOT) As mentioned in the Executive Summary of this document, under Florida Statute each transit agency in Florida that receives state transit block grant funding is required to prepare a TDP to ensure that the provision of public transportation services is consistent with the travel needs and mobility goals of the local communities that are served by the transit system. FDOT approves TDPs and ensures that transit agencies are consistent with state statute and guidelines.
From a funding perspective, Sunshine Bus receives FDOT Public Transit Block Grant funds. These funds are used as local match for federal grants. Over the next few years, St. Johns County and the SJCCOA should consider the potential for Sunshine Bus and paratransit services to receive additional state funds such as Public Transit Service Development Grant and Commuter Assistance Program (CAP) funds. CAP may help fund projects encouraging public/private partnerships and services designed to increase vehicle occupancy, such as express bus service, subscription transit service, bus pools, van pools, carpools and group taxi services. These funds may foster opportunities for the county to provide innovative public transportation services to individuals who need transportation to work. Service development grants fund special projects involving ways to increase service such as new technologies, services, routes or more frequent service; however, this is a short term funding source requiring other funding sources to be available at the end of the grant.
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Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (CTD) The CTD administers Florida’s TD program which coordinates and provides transportation for individuals including older adults, people with disabilities, low income individuals and children at risk. The SJCCOA receives CTD funding to provide TD services.
Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Program Due to recent changes in the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Program, the SJCCOA no longer directly provides transportation to the majority of Medicaid clients. Under the new system, transportation service for Medicaid clients is contracted to brokers, who provide the service. The SJCCOA, is however still able to provide transportation service to some Medicaid recipients. Exactly how this change affects Sunshine Bus Company and the county’s Medicaid recipients will need to be determined over time.
6.2.3 Regional and Local Northeast Florida Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) On June 18, 2013, Florida’s governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 606, the Northeast Florida Regional Transportation Commission Act, into law for the purpose of improving mobility and expanding multimodal transportation options for persons and freight within the region. SB 606 legislated the creation of a nine-member Regional Transportation Committee (RTC) consisting of elected officials covering a six-county area that includes Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns Counties. The RTC has been tasked to develop a Multimodal Regional Transportation Plan for Northeast Florida, including identifying and securing dedicated funding. Since the RTC’s establishment, the RTC has held regular meetings toward developing a RMTP for Northeast Florida, and identifying and securing dedicated funding. Prioritized, regionally significant projects and implementation strategies will emerge from the RTC’s Priorities Component, Regional Transit Action Plan and Economic Analysis Component. These documents will also provide guidance to secure adequate funding sources to carry out the plan’s initial phases. St. Johns County is supportive of the RTC as it seeks to advance significant projects by focusing on coordinating regional transportation and creating the organizational framework to implement a multimodal plan for the region. The implementation of RTAP recommendations will assist Sunshine Bus and other transit providers within the region.
Regional Park and Ride St. Johns County and JTA staff identified a potential park and ride site within St. Johns County, at the County’s Government complex. It is anticipated that the park and ride location will serve JTA regional express bus service between St. Johns County and downtown Jacksonville, with a potential stop in Jacksonville’s Southpoint area, a major employment area along the route. The site is approximately 2.25 acres of County owned parking area (over 200 parking spaces) located west of US 1 near Lewis Speedway and San Sebastian View, and within walking distance to a nearby Sunshine Bus Company bus stop. Relocating the Sunshine Bus stop to the park and ride would facilitate transit customer connections between the Sunshine Bus and JTA transit systems. Analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that approximately 26% of workers living near the County Government Complex work in Jacksonville (2,635 out of 10,200). Additionally, the site is near the Florida East Cost Railway (FECR), offering potential to become a future commuter rail station along JTA’s planned commuter rail
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Southeast Corridor in the long term. A conceptual sketch and planning level cost estimate for a two- vehicle bus bay, along with a concrete landing pad, bus shelter and other transit amenities have been completed. The estimate considers adjustments/replacement of existing drainage structures, landscaping and lighting. The total planning level cost estimate to construct this bus bay is approximately $158,200.
Alternative Fuels Following the completion of a regional alternative fuels master plan, the region has continued to focus on developing a system of infrastructure to support the use of alternative fuels. The North Florida TPO approved funding to support a compressed natural gas (CNG) project in St. Johns County. Up to 130 County vehicles were converted to CNG and a new public-private partnership CNG fueling facility, in partnership with Nopetro, was recently constructed. Sunshine Bus vehicles were not included in this vehicle conversion. Additionally, JTA recently opened a public-access CNG fueling facility through a public-private partnership with Clean Energy. Their goal is to have a fleet of 100 CNG buses over four years. JTA entered into a joint participation agreement with the FDOT to receive TRIP Funds for the design and construction of the CNG Facility.
Commuter Rail The region’s 2040 LRTP identifies commuter rail in St. Johns County as a project need. Following a System Plan to prioritize the three candidate rail corridors identified in the 2009 Commuter Rail Feasibility Study, JTA and the North Florida TPO ranked the Southeast Corridor as the first priority. The Southeast Corridor, runs along the FEC, parallel to US-1, from Jacksonville to St. Augustine in St. Johns County. Following the System Plan, the Southeast Corridor could advance into Project Development and commence with the FTA New Starts process.
Activity Center Changes Since the last major TDP update, a new County Health Complex was constructed on county-owned property located at the current St. Johns County government complex, in the northwest quadrant of the US-1/San Sebastian View intersection, just west of the FEC rail mainline. Sunshine Bus Company modified bus service to serve the new County Health Complex when it opened.
Mobility Challenges and Needs in the City of St. Augustine The St. Augustine urbanized area is experiencing transportation challenges; including congestion and parking issues. Additionally, staffs working for the cities of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach have expressed interest in enhanced bus service serving both residents and tourists within the communities of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach. Possible options include service independently operated by those communities; service contracted through the SJCCOA (not part of Sunshine Bus Company); or service provided directly by Sunshine Bus Company.
2016 St. Augustine Citizen Survey (Draft) The National Citizen Survey report is about the overall livability of St. Augustine. It is not only about where people live, but where they want to live. Within this survey, the Community Livability Report provides the opinions of a representative sample of 1,020 residents of the City of St. Augustine. The
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT) margin of error around any reported percentage is about 3%. The survey focused questions on eight facets of community: Safety, mobility, natural environment, built environment, economy, recreation and wellness, education and enrichment, and community engagement. Within the category of Community Characteristics, a vast majority of residents rated the quality of life in St. Augustine as “excellent” or “good”, which is comparable to the national benchmark. Mobility ratings varied with around three- quarter of residents giving a positive rating to the ease of walking, which was higher than the national benchmark. Overall ease of travel, travel by public transportation and car, public parking, and traffic flow were rated positively by half of residents or less, which is below the national benchmark. Specifically, travel by public transportation received 23% positive ratings, lower than the national benchmark. More than 9 in 10 respondents gave excellent or good ratings to St. Augustine as a place to visit and 8 in 10 gave excellent or good ratings to the vibrant downtown/commercial area. Other aspects within mobility were strong and similar to other communities except within street repair and bus or transit services, which were lower.
Within the participation category, more residents tended to engage in activities like walking or biking instead of driving alone and fewer residents reported that they used public transportation instead of driving. Within the special topics category, one question asked about the importance of several projects for the City to address in the upcoming 2017 budget. Improvements to traffic congestion was rated the highest importance followed by improvements to parking and street repairs. When asked about their support for increased taxes to fund projects and improvements, bicycle and pedestrian mobility improvements rated the highest. Important conclusions found from the survey results included that overall: St. Augustine is a great place to live, mobility ratings are generally favorable, but residents see areas for improvement, and a strong economy is a feature that makes St. Augustine a desirable community.
Organization and Staffing Issues According to the St. Johns County FY 2016 Financial Plan, St. Johns County has a form of county government called “Commission-Administrator”. The SJCBOCC as the elected legislative body appoints a County Administrator. The County Administrator implements and administers policies and programs established by the SJCBOCC. The intent is to separate legislative policy-making from its administration, gain increased professionalism and achieve greater coordination in the implementation of SJCBOCC policy.
St. Johns County purchases transportation services from the SJCCOA. Sunshine Bus operating employees include workers in the functions of vehicle operations, vehicle maintenance, non-vehicle maintenance and general administration. The pay scale SJCCOA drivers should be reviewed as attracting drivers has been a challenge for the SJCCOA.
Technology Issues Mobile Data Terminals The Sunshine Bus fleet is being updated with GIS equipped mobile data terminals (MDT). Advantages of the MDTs include automated ridership counts, hands-free communication for bus drivers, improved
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT) two-communication between bus drivers and dispatchers, and improved maps that may provide drivers with a better understanding of any route diversions. Real-Time Mobile Applications Using GPS technology, real-time applications provide up-to-the minute bus location information to let customers know exactly when their bus will arrive at their bus stop. Real time passenger information systems allow bus riders to plan their time and their trips more efficiently. Designed to appeal to a variety of customers, the systems typically allow customers to access information through a smart phone application, the internet, text messaging or phone. Real time passenger information will help the Sunshine Bus meet its goal of providing a reliable customer experience. Sunshine Bus should continue converting the system to create the foundation required for real-time applications. One Call/One Click and TransPortal Sunshine Bus is part of the region’s One Call/One Click Trapeze software system that is helping to improve cross county coordination, and coordination between multiple agencies. St. Johns County and the County’s Council on Aging are partnering with regional stakeholders, to create a regional mobility management program providing customers the ability to reserve, modify or cancel transportation trips through the internet (TransPortal). The integration of TransPortal with regional trip scheduling is a tremendous advance in regional mobility, whereby customers, including case managers, find the most appropriate and available transportation services within the region; and immediately book the services. Regional travel training; outreach and marketing; and regionally coordinated service delivery are additional program components.
This initiative is being funded with federal, state, local, and private sources, including a Veterans Transportation and Community Living grant. The participating entities are social, medical, human and transportation service providers operating in 12 counties. The TransPortal will assist St. Johns County and the north Florida region with improving mobility and efficiency; and providing better customer service; and it supports goals within the Northeast Florida Coordinated Mobility Plan. Success of a regional mobility system will require continued coordination among the regional partners; exploration and implementation of the technological and policy changes that must occur to help sustain the system; and outreach to customers and the community.
Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) North Florida’s Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) was developed over several years as part of the North Florida TPO ITS Master Plan. Since the plan, North Florida ITS stakeholders have made significant progress toward the installation of ITS fiber optic system and equipment within the region. Stakeholder are also updating the ITS Master Plan. Additionally, JTA may be deploying region wide transit signal priority (TSP) along corridors such as US-1. There may be opportunities for St. Johns County and Sunshine Bus Company to integrate ITS into bus operations in order to increase on time performance, and develop more reliable and attractive transit service for the community. Bus Facility and Fleet Maintenance Due to problems with transmissions as well as engines requiring replacement, maintenance for some Sunshine Bus vehicles has been costly in recent years. In addition, the capacity of the current bus facility
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(on Old Moultrie Road) is increasingly not sufficient for the existing vehicle fleet. The SJCCOA has discussed the need for another vehicle lift and more space for vehicles. As the transit system transitions to providing a greater level of service, covering more areas of the County and operating more vehicles in maximum service, the County and SJCCJOA will need to evaluate and respond to bus facility requirements.
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7.0 Transit Demand and Mobility Needs Summary Section 7.0 summarizes public transportation demand and mobility needs within St. Johns County. The section includes highlights of previous sections of the TDP, including public involvement input, existing conditions, transit performance evaluation and the review of policy, plans and context. The section also describes ridership demand forecasts for Sunshine Bus’s deviated fixed-route system and St. Johns County’s Transportation Disadvantaged (TD) program.
7.1 Transit Dependent - Traditional Market The typical Sunshine Bus passenger is dependent on public transportation. Transit dependent individuals tend to use transit more frequently than the general population due to their transportation needs, and include lower income populations, households without private vehicles and seniors, for example. A summary of public involvement and existing conditions information directly related to this traditional transit market follows.
7.1.1 Public Involvement Highlights Following are summary results of the on-board transit survey of bus riders, describing typical transit dependent characteristics of Sunshine Bus survey respondents.
Demographic and Travel Characteristics of Sunshine Bus Riders The majority are frequent riders as 86% ride weekly, and 67% ride as much as 3+ days a week The majority (72%) make less than $20,000 Most walk to/from the bus stop (77%/59.5%) Many paid a reduced fare/pass to ride Sunshine Bus (54.7%) 20% were 65+ years old Nearly 50% have been a customer for more than three years Only 5% would drive themselves if Sunshine Bus were not available
Service Satisfaction and Needs of Sunshine Bus Riders 92% are either very or somewhat satisfied with the value of service they receive for what they pay 84% are either very or somewhat satisfied with the overall service Most indicate there are not any specific areas that they need new or additional transit service (64%) In terms of dissatisfaction, the highest percentage of respondents are not satisfied with how often buses run (22%), followed by on-time performance (12%)
7.1.2 Existing Conditions Highlights Common residential locations for transit dependent individuals are summarized in Figures 7.1 and 7.2. These maps illustrate the higher density and higher percentage block groups represented by transit dependent population groups. Figure 7.1 represents transit needs of zero car household and below poverty level population groups. Figure 7.2 represents transit needs of zero car households; below poverty level, age 65 and above, and limited English proficiency populations; as well as median household income and general population density. These maps combine data mapped in the Existing
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Conditions section (Section 3.0) of this TDP, using 2014 U.S. Census, and American Community Survey data. Each census block was ranked for each transit need characteristic and resulting scores for each block group were averaged to produce a composite score.
Higher concentrations of these population groups are shown in red, pink and/or orange. In Figure 7.1, the highest concentrations of zero car households and below poverty level block groups are located within the St. Augustine Urbanized Area and southwest portions of the County near Hastings and Flagler Estates. In Figure 7.2, the highest concentrations of combined population groups (zero car households; below poverty level, age 65 and above, and limited English proficiency populations; median household income and general population density) are mostly located within the St. Augustine Urbanized Area as well as small portions of northeast St. Johns County.
Figure 7.1 Existing Transit Dependent Needs - Combined Zero Car Households and Below Poverty Level
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Figure 7.2 Existing Transit Dependent Needs – Combined Demographic Characteristics
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7.2 Potential Bus Riders - Discretionary Market Figure 7.3 illustrates high density areas of St. Johns County using NERPM base year data. In order to attract discretionary market ridership, at least hourly service is recommended. Using industry standards, the map suggests the minimum density threshold at which hourly transit service should be considered. Using these industry thresholds, the majority of areas suitable for at least hourly transit service are located in the St. Augustine Urbanized Area, along or near US 1, King Street, SR 312, SR 16 and A1A Beach Boulevard. A small area in Ponte Vedra is also represented on the map.
Figure 7.3 Potential Bus Riders
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7.3 Additional Needs from Existing Conditions Data and Public Input Additional summary information that indicates mobility needs and demand is presented below.
7.3.1 General Needs within St. Johns County NERPM and Development data - It is anticipated that Nocatee, Silver Leaf and Twin Creeks will be significant growth areas. The Nocatee DRI area is expected to significantly increase in population density. Additionally, Durbin Park in northern St. Johns County is expected to be a very large development bringing jobs, retail and services. Located on the south side of Race Track Road and west of I-95 and a new SR-9B extension, phase I is expected to contain about 600,000 square feet of retail, including big box retailers, and could open as early as year 2018. Chamber of Commerce data - About 10% of the County’s large private employers are located in the World Golf Village area; 20% within the Ponte Vedra area and 67% within the St. Augustine area. Of the major destinations and points of interest mapped, the majority located within the St. Augustine area are served by Sunshine Bus routes (deviated fixed routes). There are also major destinations and points of interest not currently near Sunshine Bus’s coverage area…these are mostly located within the northeast, northwest and World Golf Village area of the County. All common paratransit destinations located within the St. Augustine area are within Sunshine Bus’s coverage area. This indicates that Sunshine Bus’s deviated fixed-route system could likely serve many of the paratransit trips. Online survey – A significant percentage (74%) of survey respondents stated that they would consider using public transportation in St. Johns County. Online Survey - When asked to choose between different areas of the County, about 60% of survey respondents stated they most need public transportation in the St. Augustine/St. Augustine Beach area. Regarding trip purposes, most survey respondents would use public transportation to get to “beaches or historic St. Augustine area attractions;” followed by “work” and then “shopping/errands.” Online Survey - When asked to choose preferred connections to the St. Augustine area: 19% would like public transit to connect St. Augustine with the southwest (Hastings and Flagler Estates area); 18% would like to connect St. Augustine with the northwest (Julington Creek, Fruit Cove, Durbin Creek and/or northwest CR-210 areas); and another 18% with the northeast (Nocatee, Ponte Vedra Beach and/or Palm Valley areas). Eight (8%) would like to connect St. Augustine with the World Golf Village area. Online survey - When asked to select the option that best described why they would use public transportation in St. Johns County: o 37% of survey respondents chose “to avoid driving in heavy traffic and/or parking conditions;” o 21% chose “I like having a variety of transportation options” and o 18% chose “I support transit for others and am willing to try it for myself.” Stakeholder Questionnaire - The most common trends (potentially impacting public transportation) mentioned were population growth and development within the county,
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particularly in the northern sections of the county, as well as increasing traffic congestion. At least half of the respondents stated a need for transit service in either the northwest or northeast areas of the county. It was mentioned that St. Johns County employers have a difficult time finding employees, particularly in Ponte Vedra.
7.3.2 Specific Suggestions for Transit Enhancements Survey of transit riders - The following transit enhancements were most commonly suggested by Sunshine Bus riders: o Improve frequency of transit service o Implement design enhancements related to vehicles and bus stops o Add Sunday service/need daily service o Increase the service hours/span of service Online Survey - When asked to select up to three conditions that would most encourage survey respondents to use public transportation, “frequent service (vehicle run often)” was selected most often, followed by “routes that serve the areas I need to go.” Stakeholder Questionnaire - The most commonly suggested goals focused on enhancing transit service (i.e., more frequent service, better hours/days, more bus stops, more bus lines/routes, etc.) and providing access to key destinations, such as jobs and services. Bus Driver/Staff Questionnaire - The most common complaints heard by bus drivers/staff: o Bus schedules were too hard to understand (at 18.6%); o Need Sunday service (14.3%); and o Not enough bus shelters or benches (14.3%) o Need more evening/night service (10.0%), need more frequent services on existing routes (10.0%), and bus doesn’t go where I want (10.0%) were also selected.
7.3.3 Regional Commuting Needs and Trends U.S. Census data - A larger share of workers living in northern St. Johns County communities are employed in Jacksonville than in St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach. U.S. Census data - The largest share of workers living in St. Johns County travel to Duval (41%) and St. Johns (36%) Counties to work. The greatest percent increase (between 2011 and 2013) is from workers who live in St. Johns County and travel to Clay (24%) and Flagler (18%) Counties to work. U.S. Census data - The largest share of St. Johns County employees live in St. Johns County (50%), followed by Duval County (19%). The greatest percent increase (between 2011 and 2013) is from St. Johns County employees who live in Clay (19%) and Duval (12%) Counties. Online survey - Fifty-three (53%) of survey respondents need public transportation between St. Johns County and other counties. When asked which counties, most chose Duval County, followed by Flagler County and Putnam County. Stakeholder Questionnaire - Duval County was cited most frequently regarding regional transportation needs, followed by Flagler and Putnam counties and then Clay County. Duval County was noted for its medical specialists and employers.
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7.4 Ten-Year Ridership Demand Forecasts Ridership forecasts for Sunshine Bus deviated fixed-route service were prepared using the FDOT – approved transit demand forecasting model known as the Transit Boardings Estimation and Simulation Tool (TBEST). TBEST is a comprehensive transit analysis and ridership forecasting model capable of simulating travel demand at the individual route level. The GIS based software was designed to provide near- and mid-term forecasts of transit ridership consistent with the needs for transit operational planning and TDP development. The model uses demographic and transit network data as the basic inputs. The following factors were used by TBEST in developing the ridership data.
Transit network connectivity – the level of connectivity within the bus network between individual routes; greater connectivity equates to better transferability and more efficient bus service. Spatial and temporal accessibility – the spacing of bus stops and service frequency; the greater the distance between stops the more difficult the use of the service, the lower the potential for ridership. In addition, the less frequent (greater headways) service is frequently perceived as being less reliable and ridership decreases. Time-of-day variations – TBEST forecasts greater utilization for peak period travel times. Route competition and route complementary – the competition between routes serving the same transfer location or major destination results in lower utilizations while routes that are synchronized to support each other in terms of schedule, ease of transfer and major destinations benefit from the complementary relationship.
7.4.1 Model Development Using TBEST version 4.2.1, base year and future year models were developed. TBEST uses various demographic and transit network data as model inputs. The inputs and the assumptions made in modeling the Sunshine Bus system are presented below.
Year 2016 Validated Model (Base Year Model) The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) provided a validated base year model. Base year ridership forecasts were developed based on existing transit service. Additional details of the base model are listed as follows:
Utilizes U.S. Census data (2010 block level geography, the SF1 data table and block group demographic variables derived from the 2013 ACS 5-Year Estimates), InfoUSA employment data, and Florida Department of Revenue parcel data Contains all of St Johns County and portions of Duval County, due to the Purple Line that travels to and from the Avenues Mall, located in Duval County Based on existing transit service: Sunshine Bus 2016 bus route alignments and headways. Validated using a 3-month average of Sunshine Bus weekday and Saturday ridership data: November 2015, December 2015 and January 2016 Year 2026 Status Quo Model (Future Year Model without transit enhancements) A future year ridership forecast was developed based on base year transit service to reflect 2026 status quo conditions (without transit improvements). Additional details of this future year model are below:
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Contains all St Johns County and portions of Duval County, due to the Purple Line that travels to and from the Avenues Mall, located in Duval County Updated the base year model’s socio-economic growth rates using BEBR (Bureau of Economic Analysis Data) employment data and housing data from the North Florida TPO ’s 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan (Technical Memorandum #3: 2040 Data Sets, December 12, 2014) for Duval and St. Johns County Modified socio-economic data to include the next ten years of development in Nocatee Modified employment data to include the proposed phase 1 of Durbin National
Year 2026 Transit Alternatives Model (Future Year Model with transit enhancements) A future year ridership forecast was developed based on future transit enhancements over the ten-year TDP horizon. Additional details of this future year forecast model are below:
Geographic area is same as for the status quo model Contains the same population, socio-economic and employment data assumptions as used for the status quo model Developed ridership forecasts based on TDP ten-year enhanced transit service reflecting TDP transit alternatives.
TBEST Limitations TBEST is a tool for evaluating transit service modifications. It is not sensitive to factors such as improved marketing and advertising, fare changes, or traffic conditions, for example. Therefore, model outputs are not absolute ridership projections. Instead, TBEST model outputs provide a framework to compare and evaluate potential transit service modifications, for service implementation decisions.
7.4.2 TBEST Ten-Year Status Quo Modeling Results Using the validated model, the year 2016 and year 2026 scenarios were created. Both scenarios represent the existing deviated fixed-route system and level of service without any modifications. Based on TBEST modeling results, no transit modifications will result in only a small increase in annual system wide ridership over the ten-year period. With the status quo scenario, year 2026 system wide ridership is only expected to increase by 68,000 riders, a 25% total increase over the ten-year period (or an average annual increase of 2.5%). This projected ridership increase reflects anticipated growth of the service area, with no new transit service or service modifications. The projected ridership increase is very low compared to Sunshine Bus’s average annual ridership increase of 10% between fiscal years 2010 and 2014. Therefore, if no transit service enhancements are implemented over the next ten years there will likely be minimal ridership increases.
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7.4.3 TBEST Ten-Year TDP Transit Alternatives Modeling Results Based on TBEST modeling results, the TDP transit alternatives will results in a significant ridership increase (Table 7.1). Compared to the base year model, system wide ridership from the TDP transit alternatives is expected to increase by over 1.34 million riders, a 490% total increase over the ten-year period (or an average annual increase of 49%). Compared to the 2026 status quo model, system wide ridership from the TDP transit alternatives is expected to increase by over 1.27 million riders, a 373% total increase (or a 37% average annual increase). This estimate underscores the need for enhanced public transportation services in St. Johns County. Again, model outputs are not absolute ridership projections but a tool for comparative evaluations.
Table 7.1 Ten-Year Ridership Forecast
Future Year without Future Year with Transit Base Year, Existing Transit Enhancements Enhancements (TDP Transit Services (Status Quo) Transit Alternatives)
Year 2016 (TDP base year) 2026 (TDP horizon year) 2026 (TDP horizon year) Estimated Annual 272,661 340,642 1,609,946 Ridership Source: TBEST version 4.2.1, 2016
A description of TDP transit alternatives is located in Section 9.0 TDP Alternatives and Strategies.
7.5 TD Populations St. Johns County’s TD Service Plan describes the TD forecasting methodology. The methodology was completed by CUTR in 2013 and documented in a report11. The report concludes with the development of an updated paratransit service demand model and details its application.
CUTR updated its population and demand forecasts for the Statewide Transportation Disadvantaged Plan. Using the most current Census ACS demographic and socio-economic data available at the time of the analysis, three census data sets were used to measure Florida’s TD population: age, income and disability. Estimates were completed for potential TD individuals and current TD individuals. From this data, forecasts for total demand and unmet demand for trips were generated. St. Johns County’s TD Service Plan indicates that the 2016 total general TD population estimate is 65,608 unduplicated trips, an average annual growth of 3.21% since 2014.
11 Forecasting Paratransit Services Demand – Review and Recommendations: CUTR National Center for Transit Research, June, 2013
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8.0 Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives This section includes goals, objectives and strategies over the ten-year TDP to meet the County’s vision and mission.
VISION: To provide the opportunity for every person in St. Johns County to enjoy wellness, longevity and quality of life choices within a strong, healthy community through the provision of public transportation.
MISSION: To provide safe, affordable and reliable mobility options.
GOALS:
GOAL 1 – CUSTOMER FOCUS
GOAL 2 - MOBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY
GOAL 3 – INTERAGENCY AND REGIONAL COORDINATION
GOAL 4 – EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY
GOAL 5 – QUALITY OF LIFE
GOAL 6 – EDUCATION AND TRAINING
GOAL 7 – CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
GOAL 1 – CUSTOMER FOCUS: Maintain and continuously improve customer-focused service and products.
Objectives
Seek input from users and non-users of the system through periodic surveys, focus groups, etc. to evaluate needs and respond with enhancements to programs and services. Develop passenger amenities that best respond to local conditions. Review and enhance employee customer service training programs and tools, including bus operator courtesy training. Monitor and improve safety and security throughout the transit system.
Strategies
Conduct yearly surveys to evaluate and accommodate public transit needs and multiple markets.
Produce clear and user-friendly schedules of bus routes.
Identify and implement methods to provide real time information to customers.
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Using data from the MDTs, identify high ridership boarding and alighting locations to target for additional passenger amenities.
Focus the Sunshine Bus webpage to expand its ability to communicate with area citizens, businesses and organizations.
Identify and implement design enhancements throughout the transit system.
Continue to comply with workplace safety standards and train staff and management.
Provide timely and accurate information to Sunshine Bus employees about service, fare and/or other changes that will impact the community.
GOAL 2 - MOBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY: Provide mobility and access to meet current and evolving mobility market needs and opportunities, and to improve the economy.
Objectives
Continue to develop public transportation services that address the mobility needs of transit dependent customers. Encourage the use of public transportation by all residents of St. Johns County and municipalities within. Develop public transportation services to address additional mobility needs and opportunities, including areas located outside the existing transit coverage area. Decrease barriers to mobility and accessibility. Ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and identify ways to make the transit system more accessible.
Strategies
Maintain and enhance public transportation service within the existing transit coverage area consistent with mobility market needs and opportunities.
Continue providing service to major community destinations including medical and healthcare facilities, shopping, government services and jobs.
Complete the comprehensive operations analysis to assist with defining market needs and opportunities and identifying viable services.
Provide greater accessibility to transit by placing bus stops, as appropriate, throughout the St. Augustine Urbanized Area; and at other appropriate locations outside of the St. Augustine Urbanized Area.
Develop public transportation services with a focus on serving large employment sites and major employment centers.
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Increase level of service, where feasible, including service frequency, service hours and Sunday service.
Consider universal design when making purchasing decisions for transportation infrastructure and equipment capital investment purchases.
Develop public transportation service with a focus on reducing traffic congestion and serving tourist attractions.
Identify flexible service delivery options best suited to the St. Johns County marketplace.
GOAL 3 – INTERAGENCY AND REGIONAL COORDINATION: Enhance and improve multimodal coordination and connectivity to promote travel efficiencies and effectiveness.
Objectives
Continue the cooperative culture between St. Johns County, the Council on Aging and other mobility service partners. Coordinate transportation services and facilitate connections across jurisdictional boundaries and/or between public transportation modes and services. Continue to actively participate in state, regional and local coordination efforts to maintain consistency between St. Johns County programs and initiatives and other plans and programs.
Strategies
Work cooperatively with the Cities of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach and the Town of Hastings.
Continue to coordinate with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority in planning for coordinated cross- county services such as express bus and park and ride facilities.
Coordinate with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority in examining the potential for public transit service within the northern half of St. Johns County.
Coordinate with the regional workforce board, CareerSource, to identify transit service partnerships and arrangements with major employers.
Work cooperatively with the North Florida TPO to ensure coordinated regional transportation planning and programming, and consistency with the LRTP.
Participate in regional public transit coordination activities such as meetings and activities of the Northeast Florida Regional Mobility Coalition, the Northeast Florida Regional Council and the Northeast Florida Regional Transportation Commission.
Monitor and plan for cross-county mobility needs with Flagler, Putnam and other neighboring counties.
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Continue to work cooperatively with FDOT and to maintain consistency with the Florida Transportation Plan.
GOAL 4 – EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY: Provide an Effective and Efficient Public Transportation System.
Objectives
Identify methods to operate more effective and efficient service, while maintaining and increasing ridership levels. Encourage paratransit riders to use the deviated fixed-route service, for those who are able to ride the deviated fixed-route service. Implement service enhancements that will attract additional riders, including those who are not dependent on public transportation. Increase passenger revenues per mile and per hour.
Strategies
Using results from the comprehensive operation analysis (COA), identify and modify deviated fixed- route bus lines that do not meet COA performance evaluation measures.
Using results from the comprehensive operation analysis (COA), identify appropriate service standards for each transit service type [deviated fixed-route, park and ride facilities, paratransit, cross-county service, etc.]
Continue to monitor evolving and innovative technology and service delivery trends.
Continue to investigate ways to decrease travel times and wait times.
Improve level of service provided across the transit system, including more frequent service, expanded hours of operation and Sunday service.
Continue to pursue and incorporate technological advancements, such as real-time information, that will enhance effectiveness and efficiency.
Optimize funding for Sunshine Bus from both new and existing sources.
Periodically assess the fare structure and its ability to support and enhance new services and system components.
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GOAL 5 – QUALITY OF LIFE: Enhance economic prosperity, livability and environmental sustainability within the service area.
Objectives
Support economic development initiatives. Pursue the development of transit-friendly land use policies and land development criteria. Ensure that Future Land Use Maps and other comprehensive plan components support the development of public transit service.
Strategies
Enhance access to public transit through the use of bicycle and pedestrian systems and park and ride lots.
Develop services designed to link employment opportunities with affordable and workforce housing.
Develop public transportation services with a focus on serving employment sites.
Develop public transportation service with a focus on reducing traffic congestion and serving tourist attractions.
Continue to monitor evolving land use and transportation development conditions across the county.
GOAL 6 – EDUCATION AND TRAINING: Inform the community on the value of a quality public transit system and develop a highly qualified Sunshine Bus workforce.
Objectives
Enhance the image and visibility of transit in the community.
Develop ongoing outreach programs designed to educate the public about available transportation alternatives. Enhance staff recruitment, retention and development efforts. Strategies
Develop marketing programs with the goal of maintaining and increasing market penetration and developing new market segments for services. Expand and enhance partnerships throughout the County and region.
Utilize regional travel training programs.
Establish and maintain initiatives to attract and retain qualified employees.
Provide timely and accurate information to employees about service, fare and/or other changes that will impact the community.
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GOAL 7 – CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS: Establish the appropriate infrastructure necessary to maintain and expand fixed-route and paratransit services in the future.
Objectives
Acquire vehicles and associated equipment for fleet replacement and expansion. Establish designated bus stops with signage and shelters as appropriate. Continue to monitor and enhance bus facility capacity and equipment needs. Establish bus pull outs, passenger amenities and other infrastructure in cooperation with property owners.
Strategies
Maintain an average bus fleet age and condition that is consistent with industry standards.
Continue to monitor and enhance infrastructure needs.
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9.0 TDP Alternatives and Strategies Recommended transit service enhancements for the next ten years were determined based on public and stakeholder input, an evaluation of transit needs and consideration of financial resources anticipated to be available. Table 9.1 summarizes modified and new service characteristics for the recommended ten-year TDP. Capital improvements such as vehicle purchases are expected to be implemented consistent with the implementation of these service improvements. Transit enhancements included in the ten-year TDP include: modifications to existing bus routes, new bus routes (new service), and capital improvements. Figures 9.1 - 9.3 illustrate TDP service enhancements.
Table 9.1 Ten-Year Service Enhancements
Modified or New Service Bus Implementation Weekday Service Enhancement Weekday Days of Line Year Service Frequency Service Span
First Five Years (Years 2017 - 2021) Orange, Blue, Increase weekday Every 100 Add up to 1 Red 2018-2019 --- frequency and service span minutes 2 hours and Green Extend Green Line to Sea Every 100 Add up to 2 Green 2018 --- Grove Main Street Area minutes 2 hours Monday Add new St. Augustine/St. Every 30 3 New 2018 15 hours to Augustine Beach Line minutes Sunday Split Purple Line; Extend to Durbin Park and Nocatee Every 150 Add up to 4 Purple 2021 --- Town Center; Increase minutes 2 hours weekday frequency Add new Outlet Monday Every 150 5 New Mall/World Golf Village 2021 13 hours to minutes Line Saturday 6 Teal Restructure Teal Line 2021 ------
Second Five Years (Years 2022 - 2026) Monday All Add Sunday Service 2024 ------to Sunday
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9.1 Ten-Year TDP Service and Capital Enhancements (Deviated Fixed Route) Several service and capital enhancements are proposed over the TDP’s ten-year horizon as described below. Implementation details for these improvements (found in Table 9.1 and the Financial Plan, Section 10) serve as a monitoring program to track performance over the next five to ten years.
Additionally, completion of an on-going comprehensive operations analysis is expected during the first year of the TDP. It is recommended that these TDP service enhancements be reviewed for consistency with findings of the comprehensive operations analysis.
9.1.1 Modifications to Existing Bus Routes Increase Service Levels - Public involvement feedback from existing riders, agency stakeholders, bus drivers/staff and the general public indicate that better service levels are needed to improve customer service and to help attract new riders. Additionally, better service levels are expected to attract additional customers. The ten-year TDP includes more frequent service on weekdays, improved service hours and Sunday service. Modify the Green Line – An extension of the Green Line to the Sea Grove Main Street area is proposed. This extension will provide transit service to additional government services and offices such as the Anastasia Library and Post Office, and the St. Augustine Beach City Hall. It will also provide additional transit coverage to surrounding residential areas. Reconfigure the Purple Line – Reconfigure the Purple Line to primarily serve the US 1 corridor and provide more direct service to and from Jacksonville. Additionally, extending the Purple Line to serve the first phase of the Durbin Park retail center and the Nocatee Town Center is proposed. The extensions to Durbin Park and Nocatee could initially occur for selected bus runs, during certain times of the day. Split the Teal Line – Split the Teal Line into two portions: an urban and a rural portion that connect with each other in the Elkton area, near SR-207. A transfer would be required to travel between the two portions. This change would decrease total run times in the urban area as the urban piece would be shorter, potentially attracting additional riders. The rural piece would continue to serve Hastings and Flagler Estates. Over time the County could explore opportunities to extend the rural portion to Putnam County.
9.1.2 Addition of New Bus Routes (new service) New St. Augustine/St. Augustine Beach Service – As part of the comprehensive operations analysis, the addition of a new bus route connecting St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach is being developed. This new bus route would improve service to residents as well as visitors. The route is currently proposed to operate daily every 30 minutes, including Sunday. According to TBEST forecast results, the majority of new ridership will occur on this new route. It is recommended that the addition of this new circulator route be reviewed for consistency with findings of the comprehensive operations analysis. New Outlet Mall/World Golf Village Service - The addition of a new bus route to serve the Outlet Mall and World Golf Village area is proposed. This bus route would provide additional service to the West St. Augustine area, along Duval Street, Masters Drive and Woodlawn Road. It would begin and end at Seabridge Square and serve destinations such as the Solomon Calhoun Community Center, St. Johns River State College, Public Safety Campus of the First Coast Technical Institute and County Government Complex. It would also provide additional transit coverage to surrounding residential areas. The extension to the World Golf Village area, along
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SR-16 and 9 Mile Road/International Golf Parkway will provide service to several destinations including large employers and Glenmoor (an assisted living facility and health center).
9.1.3 Capital Improvements Vehicle replacement and purchase of new vehicles for increased/new services – In addition to replacing vehicles, vehicle purchases will be consistent with the implementation of TDP service improvements. Continue designating official bus stops in the more urbanized areas of the system as well as at other key locations, as appropriate - The deviated fixed-route system will continue to incorporate fixed stops along portions of routes where it is safe for buses to stop. The installation of approximately 100 bus stop signs is anticipated over the next couple of years as the Sunshine Bus Company continues to convert much of the system from the current flag down system. Following the installation of these bus stops, bus stop signs will continue to be installed or replaced at an average of 20 per year over the next three years. Continue installing bus shelters and other bus stop amenities throughout the system - Continue installing bus shelters at an average of 5 per year over the next 5 years, as needed. Continue coordinating with JTA to construct a park and ride bus bay and amenities - Continue coordinating with JTA to construct a park and ride location within the County Government Complex serving express bus service between St. Johns County and Jacksonville.
9.2 Paratransit Services TD services will continue to be provided at current levels. Over the next ten years, County and SJCCOA staff will implement strategies to train and encourage paratransit bus riders (those who are able) to utilize the deviated fixed-route system. The SJCCOA anticipates beginning to purchase Sunshine Bus passes and issuing them to TD eligible individuals for use on the deviated fixed-route system.
9.3 Additional Study and Coordination Evaluate new transit services in northern St. Johns County – During the TDP development process public transportation needs and interests were identified for the northeast and northwest areas of the County, such as the Ponte Vedra and Fruit Cove areas. The provision of transit services to these areas will require additional coordination between St. Johns County, JTA, CareerSource, large employers and potentially other stakeholders. Specific services, as well as service delivery and funding arrangements will need to be determined. Evaluate the need for an additional bus maintenance and/or storage facility - Due to problems with transmissions as well as engines requiring replacement, maintenance for some Sunshine Bus vehicles has been costly in recent years. In addition, the capacity of the current bus facility (on Old Moultrie Road) is increasingly not sufficient for the existing vehicle fleet. The SJCCOA has discussed the need for another vehicle lift and more space for vehicles. As the transit system transitions to providing a greater level of service, covering more areas of the County and operating more vehicles in maximum service, the County and SJCCJOA will need to evaluate and address bus facility requirements.
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Figure 9.1Existing and Future Bus Routes
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Figure 9.2 TDP Bus Routes
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Figure 9.3 TDP Level of Service
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10.0 Financial Plan The TDP’s financial plan includes cost and revenue estimates for transit enhancements over the ten-year period of 2017 - 2026. Estimates represent order of magnitude estimated costs for both operating and capital improvements. Applying current service characteristics and anticipated revenues, the financial plan, utilized a TDP financial planning tool (developed by FDOT) to produce Tables 10.1 through 10.8. Proposed service enhancements are shown to occur over the ten-year TDP and are described in Section 9.0 of the TDP document. The implementation of these service improvements will depend on actual funding availability, recommendations from the on-going comprehensive operations analysis and actual service plans.
Table 10.1 displays capital and operating assumptions. Cost estimates are adjusted using a 3% annual inflation rate for operating and capital costs. Cost estimates reflect Sunshine Bus Company costs as reported to the National Transit Database (NTD) costs. FY 2014 was the most recent data year available during plan development.
Tables 10.2 and 10.3 depict service and implementation characteristics, respectively, for both the deviated fixed-route and demand response service. In Table 10.2, annual operating costs for existing deviated fixed route services are developed from existing annual service hours and cost data reported to the NTD. Costs to implement proposed service increases to deviated fixed route service are based on estimated annual service hours to operated proposed transit services. Costs to maintain existing demand response service are based on existing annual service hours as well as cost data reported to the NTD and SJCCOA billing rate information.
Using the information contained in Tables 10.1 through 10.3, Table 10.4 (Operating Costs for Transit Improvements) calculates operating costs over the ten-year period for the existing system and proposed enhancements. Table 10.5, Capital Needs and Costs, depicts cost estimates for capital enhancements.
Table 10.6, TDP Costs and Revenues by Source, indicates costs and revenues for the ten-year period, and Tables 10.7 and 10.8 provide summaries for TDP costs and revenues annually through 2026. Revenues identified are based on information from County and SJCCOA staff for FY2016 and FY 2017, and represent federal, state, and local sources. As shown, total costs are approximately $52.3 million over the ten years. Revenues are estimated to be only $35.1 million over the same time period, resulting in an estimated shortfall of $17.1 million in unfunded needs. The vast majority of unfunded needs are from increases in deviated fixed route service as well as maintaining demand response services.
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Table 10.1 Capital and Operating Assumptions Cost for Assumption Notes/Source 2016
Fixed-Route Operating Cost per Revenue Hour 40.18 2014 National Transit Database, St. Johns County
Fixed-Route Operating Cost per Revenue Mile $1.94 2014 National Transit Database, St. Johns County
Demand Response Operating Cost per Revenue Hour $63.00 2014 National Transit Database, St. Johns County
Demand Response Operating Cost per Revenue Mile $4.46 Avg. of COA rate and 2014 NTD
Van Pool Operating Cost per Revenue Hour $0 Does Not Apply
Van Pool Operating Cost per Revenue Mile $0 Does Not Apply
Other Mode Operating Cost per Revenue Hour $0 Does Not Apply
Other Mode Operating Cost per Revenue Mile $0 Does Not Apply
FDOT Inflation Factors, Transportation Costs Operating Costs Inflation Rate 3.0% Reports
Capital Cost Inflation Rate 3.0% FDOT Construction Cost Index
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Table 10.2 Service Characteristics
Headway (minutes) Revenue Hours Revenue Miles Annual Days of Service Annual Annual Annual Service Type/Mode Description Operating Hours Miles Weekday Saturday Sunday Weekday Saturday Sunday Weekday Saturday Sunday Weekday Saturday Sunday Cost
Maintain Existing Deviated Fixed Route Service Route #1 - Orange Maintain Existing Fixed Route 130 130 0 10.00 9.00 0 171 145 0 255 52 0 3,018 51,238 $121,263 Route #2 - Blue Maintain Existing Fixed Route 130 130 0 10.00 9.00 0 122 105 0 255 52 0 3,018 36,453 $121,263 Route #3 - Red Maintain Existing Fixed Route 130 130 0 10.00 9.00 0 130 115 0 255 52 0 3,018 39,130 $121,263 Route #4 - Green Maintain Existing Fixed Route 130 130 0 10.00 9.00 0 224 196 0 255 52 0 3,018 67,231 $121,263 Route #5 - Purple Maintain Existing Fixed Route 215 215 0 12.00 11.00 0 327 287 0 255 52 0 3,632 98,434 $145,934 Route #6 - Teal Maintain Existing Fixed Route 235 295 0 12.00 7.00 0 306 154 0 255 52 0 3,424 85,980 $137,576 Route #7 - Connector Maintain Existing Fixed Route 50 50 0 23.00 20.00 0 443 392 0 255 52 0 6,905 133,240 $277,443 Maintain Existing Demand Response Service Existing Demand Response Maintain Existing Service 60 60 60 125 24 0 1295 252 0 255 52 0 343,329 $1,531,247
Improvements to Deviated Fixed Route Service Modify Orange Increase Frequency 100 130 0 13.34 9.00 0 228 145 0 255 52 0 3,870 65,680 $155,485 Modify Blue Increase Frequency 100 130 0 13.34 9.00 0 162 105 0 255 52 0 3,870 46,770 $155,485 Modify Red Increase Frequency 100 130 0 13.34 9.00 0 150 115 0 255 52 0 3,870 44,230 $155,485 Modify Green SeaGrove Ext./Increase Freq. 100 130 0 13.34 9.00 0 310 232 0 255 52 0 3,870 91,137 $155,485 Split Purple - Avenues Mall Avenues Only/Increase Freq. 150 215 0 12.00 11.00 0 350 229 0 255 52 0 3,632 101,171 $145,934 Split Teal - Urban Split Teal - Urban/Inc. Freq. 235 295 0 6.60 3.85 0 168 85 0 255 52 0 1,883 47,289 $75,667 Split Teal - Rural Split Teal - Rural/Inc. Freq. 235 295 0 5.40 3.15 0 138 69 0 255 52 0 1,541 38,691 $61,909 Modify Purple (Avenues Mall) Extend to Nocatee 150 215 0 5.16 5.16 0 103 103 0 255 52 0 1,584 31,701 $63,650 Modify Purple (Avenues Mall) Extend to Durbin 150 215 0 1.68 1.68 0 35 35 0 255 52 0 516 10,610 $20,723 New Route - Outlets/WGV Add New Service 150 215 0 16.02 16.02 0 321 321 0 255 52 0 4,918 98,658 $197,611 New Route - St. Aug./ Beach Add New Service 30 30 30 48.90 48.90 48.90 975 975 975 255 52 58 17,849 355,875 $717,153 Modify Orange Add Sunday 100 130 130 13.34 9.00 9.00 228 145 145 255 52 58 4,392 74,090 $176,459 Modify Blue Add Sunday 100 130 130 13.34 9.00 9.00 162 105 105 255 52 58 4,392 52,860 $176,459 Modify Red Add Sunday 100 130 130 13.34 9.00 9.00 150 115 115 255 52 58 4,392 50,900 $176,459 Modify Green Add Sunday 100 130 130 13.34 9.00 9.00 310 232 232 255 52 58 4,392 104,619 $176,459 Modify New Purple Add Sunday 150 215 215 18.84 18.84 18.84 488 367 367 255 52 58 6,877 164,771 $276,302 Modify Connector Add Sunday 50 50 50 23.00 20.00 20.00 443 392 392 255 52 58 8,065 155,976 $324,052 Modify Outlets/WGV Add Sunday 150 215 215 16.02 16.02 16.02 321 283 283 255 52 58 5,847 113,054 $234,945 Teal - Urban Add Sunday 150 295 295 6.60 3.85 3.85 168 85 93 255 52 58 2,107 52,655 $84,639 Teal - Rural Add Sunday 150 295 295 5.40 3.15 3.15 138 69 62 255 52 58 1,724 42,268 $69,250
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Table 10.3 Service Implementation Plan
Annual Implementation Service Type/Mode Description Operating 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Year Cost 2016 Maintain Existing Deviated Fixed Route Service Route #1 - Orange Maintain Existing Fixed Route 2017 $121,263 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Route #2 - Blue Maintain Existing Fixed Route 2017 $121,263 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Route #3 - Red Maintain Existing Fixed Route 2017 $121,263 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Route #4 - Green Maintain Existing Fixed Route 2017 $121,263 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Route #5 - Purple Maintain Existing Fixed Route 2017 $145,934 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Route #6 - Teal Maintain Existing Fixed Route 2017 $137,576 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Route #7 - Connector Maintain Existing Fixed Route 2017 $277,443 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Maintain Existing Demand Response Service Existing Demand Response Maintain Existing Service 2017 $1,531,247 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Improvements to Deviated Fixed Route Service Modify Orange Increase Frequency 2018 $155,485 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Modify Blue Increase Frequency 2018 $155,485 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Modify Red Increase Frequency 2019 $155,485 No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Modify Green SeaGrove Ext./Increase Freq. 2018 $155,485 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Split Purple - Avenues Mall Avenues Only/Increase Freq. 2021 $145,934 No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Split Teal - Urban Split Teal - Urban/Inc. Freq. 2021 $75,667 No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Split Teal - Rural Split Teal - Rural/Inc. Freq. 2021 $61,909 No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Modify Purple (Avenues Mall) Extend to Nocatee 2021 $63,650 No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Modify Purple (Avenues Mall) Extend to Durbin 2021 $20,723 No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes New Route - Outlets/WGV Add New Service 2021 $197,611 No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes New Route - St. Aug./ Beach Add New Service 2018 $717,153 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Modify Orange Add Sunday 2024 $176,459 No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Modify Blue Add Sunday 2024 $176,459 No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Modify Red Add Sunday 2024 $176,459 No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Modify Green Add Sunday 2024 $176,459 No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Modify New Purple Add Sunday 2024 $276,302 No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Modify Connector Add Sunday 2024 $324,052 No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Modify Outlets/WGV Add Sunday 2024 $234,945 No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Teal - Urban Add Sunday 2024 $84,639 No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Teal - Rural Add Sunday 2024 $69,250 No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes
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Table 10.4 Operating Costs for Transit Improvements Annual Description Operating 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Total Service Type/Mode Cost 2016 Maintain Existing Deviated Fixed Route Service $1,046,006 $1,077,386 $1,109,708 $1,142,999 $1,177,289 $1,212,608 $1,248,986 $1,286,455 $1,325,049 $1,364,801 $1,405,745 $12,351,024
Route #1 - Orange Maintain Existing Fixed Route $121,263 $124,901 $128,648 $132,508 $136,483 $140,577 $144,795 $149,138 $153,613 $158,221 $162,968 $1,431,852 Route #2 - Blue Maintain Existing Fixed Route $121,263 $124,901 $128,648 $132,508 $136,483 $140,577 $144,795 $149,138 $153,613 $158,221 $162,968 $1,431,852 Route #3 - Red Maintain Existing Fixed Route $121,263 $124,901 $128,648 $132,508 $136,483 $140,577 $144,795 $149,138 $153,613 $158,221 $162,968 $1,431,852 Route #4 - Green Maintain Existing Fixed Route $121,263 $124,901 $128,648 $132,508 $136,483 $140,577 $144,795 $149,138 $153,613 $158,221 $162,968 $1,431,852 Route #5 - Purple Maintain Existing Fixed Route $145,934 $150,312 $154,821 $159,466 $164,250 $169,177 $174,253 $179,480 $184,865 $190,410 $196,123 $1,723,156 Route #6 - Teal Maintain Existing Fixed Route $137,576 $141,704 $145,955 $150,333 $154,843 $159,489 $164,273 $169,202 $174,278 $179,506 $184,891 $1,624,473 Route #7 - Connector Maintain Existing Fixed Route $277,443 $285,766 $294,339 $303,169 $312,264 $321,632 $331,281 $341,220 $351,456 $362,000 $372,860 $3,275,989 Maintain Existing Demand Response Service $1,531,247 $1,577,185 $1,624,500 $1,673,235 $1,723,432 $1,775,135 $1,828,389 $1,883,241 $1,939,738 $1,997,930 $2,057,868 $18,080,656 Existing Demand Response Maintain Existing Service $1,531,247 $1,577,185 $1,624,500 $1,673,235 $1,723,432 $1,775,135 $1,828,389 $1,883,241 $1,939,738 $1,997,930 $2,057,868 $18,080,656
Improvements to Deviated Fixed Route Service $3,599,606 $0 $1,255,688 $1,463,261 $1,507,159 $2,207,936 $2,274,174 $2,342,399 $4,559,874 $4,696,670 $4,837,570 $25,144,731
Modify Orange Increase Frequency $155,485 $0 $164,954 $169,902 $174,999 $180,249 $185,657 $191,226 $196,963 $202,872 $208,958 $1,675,781 Modify Blue Increase Frequency $155,485 $0 $164,954 $169,902 $174,999 $180,249 $185,657 $191,226 $196,963 $202,872 $208,958 $1,675,781 Modify Red Increase Frequency $155,485 $0 $0 $169,902 $174,999 $180,249 $185,657 $191,226 $196,963 $202,872 $208,958 $1,510,827 Modify Green SeaGrove Ext./Increase Freq. $155,485 $0 $164,954 $169,902 $174,999 $180,249 $185,657 $191,226 $196,963 $202,872 $208,958 $1,675,781 Split Purple - Avenues Mall Avenues Only/Increase Freq. $145,934 $0 $0 $0 $0 $169,177 $174,253 $179,480 $184,865 $190,410 $196,123 $1,094,308 Split Teal - Urban Split Teal - Urban/Inc. Freq. $75,667 $0 $0 $0 $0 $87,719 $90,350 $93,061 $95,853 $98,728 $101,690 $567,401 Split Teal - Rural Split Teal - Rural/Inc. Freq. $61,909 $0 $0 $0 $0 $71,770 $73,923 $76,141 $78,425 $80,778 $83,201 $464,237 Modify Purple (Avenues Mall) Extend to Nocatee $63,650 $0 $0 $0 $0 $73,788 $76,001 $78,281 $80,630 $83,049 $85,540 $477,289 Modify Purple (Avenues Mall) Extend to Durbin $20,723 $0 $0 $0 $0 $24,024 $24,745 $25,487 $26,252 $27,039 $27,850 $155,397 New Route - Outlets/WGV Add New Service $197,611 $0 $0 $0 $0 $229,085 $235,958 $243,036 $250,328 $257,837 $265,572 $1,481,817 New Route - St. Aug./ Beach Add New Service $717,153 $0 $760,827 $783,652 $807,162 $831,377 $856,318 $882,007 $908,468 $935,722 $963,793 $7,729,326 Modify Orange Add Sunday $176,459 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $223,532 $230,238 $237,145 $690,916 Modify Blue Add Sunday $176,459 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $223,532 $230,238 $237,145 $690,916 Modify Red Add Sunday $176,459 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $223,532 $230,238 $237,145 $690,916 Modify Green Add Sunday $176,459 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $223,532 $230,238 $237,145 $690,916 Modify New Purple Add Sunday $276,302 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $350,011 $360,511 $371,326 $1,081,849 Modify Connector Add Sunday $324,052 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $410,499 $422,814 $435,498 $1,268,811 Modify Outlets/WGV Add Sunday $234,945 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $297,621 $306,549 $315,746 $919,916 Teal - Urban Add Sunday $84,639 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $107,218 $110,435 $113,748 $331,401 Teal - Rural Add Sunday $69,250 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $87,724 $90,356 $93,067 $271,146
Projected Annual Operating Costs - Existing Fixed Route $1,077,386 $1,109,708 $1,142,999 $1,177,289 $1,212,608 $1,248,986 $1,286,455 $1,325,049 $1,364,801 $1,405,745 $12,351,024 Service Projected Annual Operating Costs - Existing TD Service $1,577,185 $1,624,500 $1,673,235 $1,723,432 $1,775,135 $1,828,389 $1,883,241 $1,939,738 $1,997,930 $2,057,868 $18,080,656
Projected Annual Operating Costs - Proposed Additional $0 $869,743 $933,230 $961,227 $1,316,961 $1,356,470 $1,397,164 $1,730,621 $1,782,540 $1,836,016 $12,183,972 Fixed Route Service Projected Annual Operating Costs - Proposed Additional $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 TD Service
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Table 10.5 Capital Needs and Costs
Unit Cost 10-Year Capital Needs 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2015 Need
Deviated Fixed Route Vehicle Requirements Replacement Buses - Maintain Service (20 pass.) $100,000 24 2 $212,180 2 $218,545 2 $225,102 2 $231,855 2 $238,810 2 $245,975 3 $380,031 3 $391,432 3 $403,175 3 $415,270 Modify Orange $100,000 1 0 $0 1 $109,273 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Modify Blue $100,000 1 0 $0 0 $0 1 $112,551 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Modify Red $100,000 1 0 $0 0 $0 1 $112,551 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Modify Green $100,000 1 0 $0 1 $109,273 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Split Purple - Avenues Mall $100,000 1 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 1 $119,405 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Split Teal - Urban $100,000 1 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 1 $119,405 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Split Teal - Rural $100,000 0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Modify Purple (Avenues Mall) $100,000 0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Modify Purple (Avenues Mall) $100,000 0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 New Route - Outlets/WGV $100,000 1 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 1 $115,927 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 New Route - St. Aug./ Beach $100,000 3 0 $0 3 $327,818 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Total 34 2 $212,180 7 $764,909 4 $450,204 3 $347,782 4 $477,621 2 $245,975 3 $380,031 3 $391,432 3 $403,175 3 $415,270 Other Revenue Vehicles Demand Response Replacement Buses - Maintain Existing $75,000 11 2 $159,135 1 $81,955 1 $84,413 1 $86,946 1 $89,554 1 $92,241 1 $95,008 1 $97,858 1 $100,794 1 $103,818 Vans for Existing Demand Response Service $50,000 10 1 $53,045 1 $54,636 1 $56,275 1 $57,964 1 $59,703 1 $61,494 1 $63,339 1 $65,239 1 $67,196 1 $69,212 Spare Vans $0 0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Total 21 3 $212,180 2 $136,591 2 $140,689 2 $144,909 2 $149,257 2 $153,734 2 $158,346 2 $163,097 2 $167,990 2 $173,029 Support Vehicles Replacement Cars - Maintain Existing Service $30,000 4 0 $0 0 $0 1 $33,765 0 $0 1 $35,822 0 $0 1 $38,003 0 $0 1 $40,317 $0 Replacement Vans/Trucks - Maintain Existing Service $0 0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Cars for New Service $30,000 0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Vans/Trucks for New Service $0 0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Total 4 0 $0 0 $0 1 $33,765 0 $0 1 $35,822 0 $0 1 $38,003 0 $0 1 $40,317 0 $0 Other Transit Infrastructure Stop Signs $2,500 160 50 $132,613 50 $136,591 20 $56,275 20 $57,964 20 $59,703 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Benches $750 0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Shelters $15,000 60 10 $159,135 10 $163,909 5 $84,413 5 $86,946 5 $89,554 5 $92,241 5 $95,008 5 $97,858 5 $100,794 5 $103,818 New Park and Ride Lots $200,000 1 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 1 $245,975 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Software Purchase/Installation Update $5,000 3 1 $5,305 0 $0 1 $5,628 0 $0 1 $5,970 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 AVL Unit Updates $0 0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Bus Shelter Amenities $1,000 10 1 $1,061 1 $1,093 1 $1,126 1 $1,159 1 $1,194 1 $1,230 1 $1,267 1 $1,305 1 $1,344 1 $1,384 Administrative Expenses $68,000 10 1 $72,141 1 $74,305 1 $76,535 1 $78,831 1 $81,196 1 $83,631 1 $86,140 1 $88,725 1 $91,386 1 $94,128 Preventive Maintenance $100,000 10 1 $106,090 1 $109,273 1 $112,551 1 $115,927 1 $119,405 1 $122,987 1 $126,677 1 $130,477 1 $134,392 1 $138,423 Security equipment $2,775 0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Storage space $50,000 0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 0 $0 Total 254 64 $476,344 63 $485,171 29 $336,527 28 $340,827 29 $357,022 9 $546,064 8 $309,092 8 $318,365 8 $327,916 8 $337,753
Vehicle Cost for Maintain Existing Vehicles $424,360 $355,136 $399,556 $376,764 $423,889 $399,709 $576,380 $554,529 $611,482 $588,299 Infrastructure Cost $476,344 $485,171 $336,527 $340,827 $357,022 $546,064 $309,092 $318,365 $327,916 $337,753 Total Cost - Maintain Existing Veh/Other Infra. $900,704 $840,307 $736,083 $717,591 $780,910 $945,773 $885,472 $872,893 $939,398 $926,052 Vehicle Cost for Additional/New Service $0 $546,364 $225,102 $115,927 $238,810 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Total Capital Cost $900,704 $1,386,671 $961,185 $833,518 $1,019,721 $945,773 $885,472 $872,893 $939,398 $926,052
177 | P a g e
Table 10.6 TDP Costs and Revenues by Source
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 10-Year Total
Source % Operating Capital TOTAL Operating Capital TOTAL Operating Capital TOTAL Operating Capital TOTAL Operating Capital TOTAL Operating Capital TOTAL Operating Capital TOTAL Operating Capital TOTAL Operating Capital TOTAL Operating Capital TOTAL Operating Capital TOTAL Maintain Existing Deviated Fixed Route Service $1,077,386 $688,524 $1,765,910 $1,109,708 $703,716 $1,813,424 $1,142,999 $595,394 $1,738,393 $1,177,289 $572,681 $1,749,970 $1,212,608 $631,654 $1,844,261 $1,248,986 $792,039 $2,041,025 $1,286,455 $727,126 $2,013,581 $1,325,049 $709,797 $2,034,846 $1,364,801 $771,408 $2,136,209 $1,405,745 $753,023 $2,158,768 $12,351,024 $6,945,362 $19,296,387 FTA 5307 49% $655,500 $451,055 $1,106,555 $730,000 $453,716 $1,183,716 $515,000 $337,894 $852,894 $530,450 $307,456 $837,906 $546,364 $316,680 $863,044 $562,754 $326,180 $888,935 $579,637 $335,966 $915,603 $597,026 $346,045 $943,071 $614,937 $356,426 $971,363 $633,385 $367,119 $1,000,504 $5,965,053 $3,598,538 $9,563,591 FTA 5310 6% $111,507 $0 $111,507 $111,507 $0 $111,507 $114,852 $0 $114,852 $118,298 $0 $118,298 $121,847 $0 $121,847 $125,502 $0 $125,502 $129,267 $0 $129,267 $133,145 $0 $133,145 $137,140 $0 $137,140 $141,254 $0 $141,254 $1,244,318 $0 $1,244,318 FTA 5316 (Remaining JARC) 0% $40,000 $0 $40,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $40,000 $0 $40,000 State Block Grant 12% $0 $0 $0 $0 $257,500 $0 $257,500 $265,225 $0 $265,225 $273,182 $0 $273,182 $281,377 $0 $281,377 $289,819 $0 $289,819 $298,513 $0 $298,513 $307,468 $0 $307,468 $316,693 $0 $316,693 $2,289,777 $0 $2,289,777 Local General Revenue 10% $172,411 $0 $172,411 $172,411 $0 $172,411 $177,583 $0 $177,583 $182,911 $0 $182,911 $188,398 $0 $188,398 $194,050 $0 $194,050 $199,872 $0 $199,872 $205,868 $0 $205,868 $212,044 $0 $212,044 $218,405 $0 $218,405 $1,923,953 $0 $1,923,953 Developer Contributions 1% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $100,000 $0 $100,000 $100,000 $0 $100,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $200,000 $0 $200,000 STP 14% $0 $137,469 $137,469 $250,000 $250,000 $0 $257,500 $257,500 $0 $265,225 $265,225 $0 $273,182 $273,182 $0 $281,377 $281,377 $0 $289,819 $289,819 $0 $298,513 $298,513 $0 $307,468 $307,468 $0 $316,693 $316,693 $0 $2,677,246 $2,677,246 Farebox Revenue 6% $97,968 $0 $97,968 $95,790 $0 $95,790 $98,664 $0 $98,664 $101,624 $0 $101,624 $104,672 $0 $104,672 $107,812 $0 $107,812 $111,047 $0 $111,047 $114,378 $0 $114,378 $117,810 $0 $117,810 $121,344 $0 $121,344 $1,071,109 $0 $1,071,109 FTA 5339 1% $0 $100,000 $100,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $100,000 $100,000 Other State 1 (P&R/Intermodal Lots) 1% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $250,000 $250,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $250,000 $250,000 Total Revenues 100% $1,077,386 $688,524 $1,765,910 $1,109,708 $703,716 $1,813,424 $1,263,599 $595,394 $1,858,994 $1,298,507 $572,681 $1,871,189 $1,234,462 $589,862 $1,824,324 $1,271,496 $857,558 $2,129,054 $1,309,641 $625,784 $1,935,426 $1,348,930 $644,558 $1,993,488 $1,389,398 $663,895 $2,053,293 $1,431,080 $683,811 $2,114,892 $12,734,209 $6,625,783 $19,359,993 Surplus/Shortfall $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $120,600 $0 $120,601 $121,218 $0 $121,218 $21,855 -$41,792 -$19,937 $22,511 $65,519 $88,029 $23,186 -$101,342 -$78,156 $23,881 -$65,239 -$41,357 $24,598 -$107,513 -$82,916 $25,336 -$69,212 -$43,876 $383,185 -$319,579 $63,606 Existing Demand Response $1,577,185 $212,180 $1,789,365 $1,624,500 $136,591 $1,761,091 $1,673,235 $140,689 $1,813,924 $1,723,432 $144,909 $1,868,342 $1,775,135 $149,257 $1,924,392 $1,828,389 $153,734 $1,982,124 $1,883,241 $158,346 $2,041,587 $1,939,738 $163,097 $2,102,835 $1,997,930 $167,990 $2,165,920 $2,057,868 $173,029 $2,230,898 $18,080,656 $1,599,821 $19,680,477 TD Commission 62% $704,516 $0 $704,516 $704,516 $0 $704,516 $725,651 $0 $725,651 $747,421 $0 $747,421 $769,844 $0 $769,844 $792,939 $0 $792,939 $816,727 $0 $816,727 $841,229 $0 $841,229 $866,466 $0 $866,466 $892,460 $0 $892,460 $7,861,769 $0 $7,861,769 FTA 5307 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 STP 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 FTA 5310 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 AHCA/DCA 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Local General Revenue 5% $104,078 $0 $104,078 $60,000 $0 $60,000 $60,000 $0 $60,000 $60,000 $0 $60,000 $60,000 $0 $60,000 $60,000 $0 $60,000 $60,000 $0 $60,000 $60,000 $0 $60,000 $60,000 $0 $60,000 $60,000 $0 $60,000 $644,078 $0 $644,078 Developer Contributions 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Farebox Revenue 4% $50,000 $0 $50,000 $50,000 $0 $50,000 $51,500 $0 $51,500 $53,045 $0 $53,045 $54,636 $0 $54,636 $56,275 $0 $56,275 $57,964 $0 $57,964 $59,703 $0 $59,703 $61,494 $0 $61,494 $63,339 $0 $63,339 $557,955 $0 $557,955 Other State 2 (Medicaid Brokers) 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 State Block Grant 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 FTA 5311 14% $132,000 $0 $132,000 $165,528 $0 $165,528 $170,494 $0 $170,494 $175,609 $0 $175,609 $180,877 $0 $180,877 $186,303 $0 $186,303 $191,892 $0 $191,892 $197,649 $0 $197,649 $203,579 $0 $203,579 $209,686 $0 $209,686 $1,813,617 $0 $1,813,617 FTA 5339 14% $0 $212,180 $212,180 $0 $150,000 $150,000 $0 $154,500 $154,500 $0 $159,135 $159,135 $0 $163,909 $163,909 $0 $168,826 $168,826 $0 $173,891 $173,891 $0 $179,108 $179,108 $0 $184,481 $184,481 $0 $190,016 $190,016 $0 $1,736,046 $1,736,046 Total Revenues 100% $990,594 $212,180 $1,202,774 $980,044 $150,000 $1,130,044 $1,007,645 $154,500 $1,162,145 $1,036,075 $159,135 $1,195,210 $1,065,357 $163,909 $1,229,266 $1,095,518 $168,826 $1,264,344 $1,126,583 $173,891 $1,300,474 $1,158,581 $179,108 $1,337,688 $1,191,538 $184,481 $1,376,019 $1,225,484 $190,016 $1,415,500 $10,877,419 $1,736,046 $12,613,465 Surplus/Shortfall -$586,591 $0 -$586,591 -$644,456 $13,409 -$631,047 -$665,590 $13,811 -$651,779 -$687,358 $14,226 -$673,132 -$709,778 $14,653 -$695,126 -$732,872 $15,092 -$717,780 -$756,658 $15,545 -$741,113 -$781,158 $16,011 -$765,146 -$806,392 $16,492 -$789,901 -$832,384 $16,986 -$815,398 -$7,203,237 $136,225 -$7,067,012 Increase (Proposed Deviated Fixed Route) $0 $0 $0 $869,743 $546,364 $1,416,107 $933,230 $225,102 $1,158,332 $961,227 $115,927 $1,077,155 $1,316,961 $238,810 $1,555,771 $1,356,470 $0 $1,356,470 $1,397,164 $0 $1,397,164 $1,730,621 $0 $1,730,621 $1,782,540 $0 $1,782,540 $1,836,016 $0 $1,836,016 $12,183,972 $1,126,203 $13,310,175 STP 11% $0 $0 $0 $0 $362,531 $362,531 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $362,531 $362,531 FDOT Service Development 63% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $500,000 $0 $500,000 $500,000 $0 $500,000 $500,000 $0 $500,000 $500,000 $0 $500,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $2,000,000 $0 $2,000,000 Farebox Revenue 0% $0 $0 $0 $4,210 $0 $4,210 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $4,210 $0 $4,210 State Block Grant 8% $0 $0 $250,000 $250,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $250,000 $0 $250,000 FTA 5339 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 FTA 5307 10% $0 $0 $0 $104,500 $46,284 $150,784 $0 $129,433 $129,433 $0 $40,575 $40,575 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $104,500 $216,292 $320,792 Developer Contributions 7% $0 $0 $0 $237,000 $0 $237,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $237,000 $0 $237,000 Local General Revenue 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 Total Revenues 100% $0 $0 $0 $595,710 $408,815 $1,004,525 $0 $129,433 $129,433 $0 $40,575 $40,575 $500,000 $0 $500,000 $500,000 $0 $500,000 $500,000 $0 $500,000 $500,000 $0 $500,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $2,595,710 $578,823 $3,174,533 Surplus/Shortfall $0 $0 $0 -$274,033 -$137,549 -$411,582 -$933,230 -$95,669 -$1,028,899 -$961,227 -$75,352 -$1,036,580 -$816,961 -$238,810 -$1,055,771 -$856,470 $0 -$856,470 -$897,164 $0 -$897,164 -$1,230,621 $0 -$1,230,621 -$1,782,540 $0 -$1,782,540 -$1,836,016 $0 -$1,836,016 -$9,588,262 -$547,380 -$10,135,642 Total Costs $2,654,571 $900,704 $3,555,275 $3,603,951 $1,386,671 $4,990,622 $3,749,465 $961,185 $4,710,649 $3,861,949 $833,518 $4,695,467 $4,304,704 $1,019,721 $5,324,424 $4,433,845 $945,773 $5,379,618 $4,566,860 $885,472 $5,452,333 $4,995,408 $872,893 $5,868,302 $5,145,271 $939,398 $6,084,668 $5,299,629 $926,052 $6,225,681 $42,615,652 $9,671,386 $52,287,039 Total Revenues $2,067,980 $900,704 $2,968,684 $2,685,462 $1,262,531 $3,947,993 $2,271,245 $879,327 $3,150,572 $2,334,582 $772,391 $3,106,973 $2,799,819 $753,771 $3,553,590 $2,867,014 $1,026,384 $3,893,398 $2,936,224 $799,675 $3,735,900 $3,007,511 $823,666 $3,831,177 $2,580,936 $848,376 $3,429,312 $2,656,565 $873,827 $3,530,391 $26,207,338 $8,940,652 $35,147,990 Surplus/Shortfall -$586,591 $0 -$586,591 -$918,489 -$124,140 -$1,042,629 -$1,478,220 -$81,857 -$1,560,077 -$1,527,367 -$61,127 -$1,588,493 -$1,504,884 -$265,950 -$1,770,834 -$1,566,831 $80,611 -$1,486,220 -$1,630,636 -$85,797 -$1,716,433 -$1,987,897 -$49,228 -$2,037,125 -$2,564,334 -$91,022 -$2,655,356 -$2,643,064 -$52,226 -$2,695,290 -$16,408,314 -$730,734 -$17,139,048
Page 1 of 1 St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
Table 10.7 Ten-Year TDP Cost Summary
Alternatives 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Total
Maintain Existing Deviated Fixed Route Service $ 1,765,910 $ 1,813,424 $ 1,738,393 $ 1,749,970 $ 1,844,261 $ 2,041,025 $ 2,013,581 $ 2,034,846 $ 2,136,209 $ 2,158,768 $ 19,296,387 Existing Demand Response $ 1,789,365 $ 1,761,091 $ 1,813,924 $ 1,868,342 $ 1,924,392 $ 1,982,124 $ 2,041,587 $ 2,102,835 $ 2,165,920 $ 2,230,898 $ 19,680,477 Increase (Proposed Dev. Fixed Route) $ - $ 1,416,107 $ 1,158,332 $ 1,077,155 $ 1,555,771 $ 1,356,470 $ 1,397,164 $ 1,730,621 $ 1,782,540 $ 1,836,016 $ 13,310,175 TOTAL EXPENSES $ 3,555,275 $ 4,990,622 $ 4,710,649 $ 4,695,467 $ 5,324,424 $ 5,379,618 $ 5,452,333 $ 5,868,302 $ 6,084,668 $ 6,225,681 $ 52,287,039
Table 10.8 Ten-Year TDP Revenue Summary
Revenue Sources 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Total
Federal FTA 5307 $ 1,106,555 $ 1,334,500 $ 982,327 $ 878,481 $ 863,044 $ 888,935 $ 915,603 $ 943,071 $ 971,363 $ 1,000,504 $ 9,884,383 FTA 5316 (Remaining JARC) $ 40,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 40,000 FTA 5310 $ 111,507 $ 111,507 $ 114,852 $ 118,298 $ 121,847 $ 125,502 $ 129,267 $ 133,145 $ 137,140 $ 141,254 $ 1,244,318 FTA 5311 $ 132,000 $ 165,528 $ 170,494 $ 175,609 $ 180,877 $ 186,303 $ 191,892 $ 197,649 $ 203,579 $ 209,686 $ 1,813,617 STP $ 137,469 $ 612,531 $ 257,500 $ 265,225 $ 273,182 $ 281,377 $ 289,819 $ 298,513 $ 307,468 $ 316,693 $ 3,039,777 FTA 5339 $ 312,180 $ 150,000 $ 154,500 $ 159,135 $ 163,909 $ 168,826 $ 173,891 $ 179,108 $ 184,481 $ 190,016 $ 1,836,046 State State Block Grant $ - $ 250,000 $ 257,500 $ 265,225 $ 273,182 $ 281,377 $ 289,819 $ 298,513 $ 307,468 $ 316,693 $ 2,539,777 TD Commission $ 704,516 $ 704,516 $ 725,651 $ 747,421 $ 769,844 $ 792,939 $ 816,727 $ 841,229 $ 866,466 $ 892,460 $ 7,861,769 Other State 2 (Medicaid Brokers) $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Other State 1 (P&R/Intermodal Lots) $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 250,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 250,000 FDOT Service Development $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 500,000 $ 500,000 $ 500,000 $ 500,000 $ - $ - $ 2,000,000 Local and Private Farebox Revenue $ 147,968 $ 150,000 $ 150,164 $ 154,669 $ 159,309 $ 164,088 $ 169,011 $ 174,081 $ 179,303 $ 184,682 $ 1,633,274 Local General Revenue $ 276,489 $ 232,411 $ 237,583 $ 242,911 $ 248,398 $ 254,050 $ 259,872 $ 265,868 $ 272,044 $ 278,405 $ 2,568,031 Developer Contributions $ - $ 237,000 $ 100,000 $ 100,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 437,000
TOTAL REVENUE $2,968,684 $3,947,993 $3,150,572 $3,106,973 $3,553,590 $3,893,398 $3,735,900 $3,831,177 $3,429,312 $3,530,391 $35,147,990 TOTAL COST $3,555,275 $4,990,622 $4,710,649 $4,695,467 $5,324,424 $5,379,618 $5,452,333 $5,868,302 $6,084,668 $6,225,681 $52,287,039 TOTAL UNFUNDED NEEDS -$586,591 -$1,042,629 -$1,560,077 -$1,588,493 -$1,770,834 -$1,486,220 -$1,716,433 -$2,037,125 -$2,655,356 -$2,695,290 -$17,139,048
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APPENDICES TO THE
ST. JOHNS COUNTY TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT PLAN,
2016 MAJOR UPDATE
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
APPENDIX A: PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PLAN (PIP)
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan Major Update, 2017 - 2026
Public Involvement Plan
January 7, 2016
Prepared by
St. Johns County 2017-2026 TDP, Public Involvement Plan
Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ...... 1 1.1 PIP Requirements and Guidelines ...... 1 1.2 Related Requirements ...... 2 2.0 Public Involvement Plan Activities ...... 3 2.1 Inter-Agency and Regional Coordination ...... 3 2.2 St. Johns County Board of Commissioners ...... 3 2.3 Stakeholder Meetings ...... 3 2.4 Public Perception Questionnaire/Survey ...... 5 2.5 Transit Passenger Survey ...... 5 2.6 Bus Operators and Operating Staff...... 5 2.7 Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Analysis ...... 5 2.8 Public Meeting ...... 5 2.9 Additional Community Outreach and Involvement Opportunities ...... 6 3.0 Public Involvement Comment Implementation ...... 7 4.0 Public Involvement Schedule ...... 7
List of Tables
Table 2-1: Inter-Agency Coordination Summary ...... 3 Table 2-2: Public Involvement Opportunities Summary ...... 6 Table 4-1: Preliminary TDP Public Involvement Schedule ...... 8
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St. Johns County 2017-2026 TDP, Public Involvement Plan
1.0 INTRODUCTION
St. Johns County, in cooperation with its contractor, the St. Johns County Council on Aging, Inc. (SJCCOA), is in the process of developing its ten-year Transit Development Plan (TDP) major update. Each transit agency in Florida that receives state transit block grant funding, including the St. Johns County Sunshine Bus Company, is required to prepare a TDP to ensure that the provision of public transportation service is consistent with the travel needs and mobility goals of the local communities served by the transit system. By establishing a strategic focus and mission, the TDP can guide the transit system’s future development to meet the needs of the community.
A major update to the TDP is conducted every five years with minor updates conducted annually. This major update will cover years 2017 through 2026. The major update to the TDP will include recommendations for service changes, potential funding sources, and a ten year implementation program.
The TDP Public Involvement Plan (PIP) for St. Johns County has been developed as part of the TDP to provide numerous opportunities for public participation and to facilitate consensus building for this planning study. The public involvement efforts described in this PIP provide support and basis for completing components of the TDP. The PIP places a particular emphasis on collecting input from current transit riders, stakeholders and the general public, as well as facilitating intergovernmental coordination.
1.1 PIP Requirements and Guidelines The St. Johns County TDP PIP is consistent with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) TDP requirements for public participation (Florida Administrative Code: Rule 14-73.001). Specific FDOT requirements for the TDP public involvement process include:
Obtain public involvement plan approval from FDOT at the initiation of the TDP development process;
Solicit comments from the regional workforce board (i.e., CareerSource);
Advise FDOT, CareerSource, and the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) of all TDP related public meetings;
Provide FDOT, CareerSource, and the North Florida TPO an opportunity to review and comment during the development of 1) mission, goals, and objectives, 2) alternatives, and 3) ten-year implementation program; and
Establish time limits for receipt of comments.
The results of the public involvement activities will be used in development of the ten-year plan as part of the major TDP update.
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St. Johns County 2017-2026 TDP, Public Involvement Plan
1.2 Related Requirements The TDP PIP supports efforts to promote inclusive public participation within St. Johns County, Florida. St. Johns County is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of its transit services without regard to race, color, and national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Additionally, to consider Limited English Proficiency (LEP) individuals, the TDP will complete an analysis of four factors:
Determine the number or proportion of LEP individuals eligible to be served or likely to be served by transit;
Determine the frequency with which LEP individuals come in contact with transit;
Determine the relative importance of transit provided by St. Johns County to people’s lives; and
Assess the available resources to the transit system.
Finally, in an effort to identify and address the needs of low-income and minority populations in making transportation decisions, TDP public involvement activities will support the county’s outreach to low- income and minority communities. For example, the use of TDP informational items and/or surveys/questionnaires will include efforts to coordinate with community, social service and/or other organizations that serve low-income and minority populations. Examples may include churches, community centers, the County Health Department, WorkSource, Department of Children and Families, and public libraries. Community coordination may include outreach to the Local Coordinating Board for the Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged whose board consists of stakeholders from the community who work with St. Johns County disadvantaged populations, including the low-income and minority populations they serve.
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St. Johns County 2017-2026 TDP, Public Involvement Plan
2.0 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PLAN ACTIVITIES
The TDP utilizes a multi-faceted approach for engaging the public and key stakeholders through various activities and meeting forums. The approach for TDP public involvement is focused in three areas:
Inter-agency and regional coordination; Specific TDP related public engagement efforts; and Inclusive collateral engagement through other community outreach and involvement opportunities.
2.1 Inter-Agency and Regional Coordination During development of the TDP, St. Johns County will work closely with inter-governmental agencies within northeast Florida in an effort to ensure maximum public and stakeholder involvement. Coordination with local, regional and state government agencies will allow for ongoing public input and recommendations. In particular, development of the TDP will engage the following governmental agencies:
FDOT; North Florida TPO; Cities of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach, and potentially other local communities; Regional workforce board (CareerSource); and Other local and regional partners.
Table 2-1, on the following page, provides a summary of inter-agency coordination.
2.2 St. Johns County Board of Commissioners The St. Johns County Board of Commissioners is the governing body which creates policies and oversees the administration of St. Johns County. The TDP will be considered by the St. Johns County Board of Commissioners for formal adoption prior to its submittal to FDOT (i.e., prior to September 1, 2016).
2.3 Stakeholder Meetings Development of the TDP will include stakeholder coordination in one-on-one and/or group discussions at various stages in the plan development to offer stakeholders with an opportunity to provide input to the plan. Key stakeholders will include staff representatives from the following: St. Johns County, SJCCOA/Sunshine Bus, City of St. Augustine, City of St. Augustine Beach, the North Florida TPO, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, the regional workforce board, FDOT District Two, and potentially other representatives such as local officials, community leaders and the County’s Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board. It is anticipated that no more than three (3) stakeholder group meetings will occur during the course of plan development, as follows: 1) development of mission, goals and objectives; 2) service alternatives development; and 3) ten-year implementation program. In addition to a core group of stakeholders that will participate in stakeholder meetings, an effort will be made to engage additional stakeholders, such as Flagler College and the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, to obtain their opinions/feedback on transit needs and assistance with interviewing and/or surveying their students/faculty/staff.
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St. Johns County 2017-2026 TDP, Public Involvement Plan
Table 2-1: TDP Inter-Agency Coordination Summary
Agency/ Function Purpose Stakeholder The Department seeks to improve economic vitality throughout the state by facilitating the mobility of people Informational/ FDOT and goods while preserving the quality of communities Input/ TDP and the environment. FDOT staff will review and provide Approval input on the TDP to assure it meets State requirements. Regional transportation planning agency composed of representatives from local government and governmental transportation authorities. Public participation is a vital element of the North Florida TPO which provides opportunities to become more actively involved in North Florida Informational/ transportation planning. North Florida TPO staff will be TPO Input involved in the review of the TDP through invitations to stakeholder and public meetings, and presentations to the TPO’s TCC (Technical Coordinating Committee), CAC (Citizens Advisory Council) and TPO Board of Directors. Administrative local authorities within the region including City of St. county, city, and municipal governments. Supports and Augustine, St. represents the current and future needs of the Augustine communities for which they govern. During the TDP Informational/ Beach & Other process coordination with the City of St. Augustine, St. Input Local Augustine Beach and potentially other local jurisdictions Communities will occur to ensure coordination of land use and transportation within St. Johns County and the region. Local public agency that provides workforce-related services in Northeast Florida. Connects job seekers with job opportunities and training to develop the local Informational/ workforce. During the TDP process, TDP development CareerSource Input will involve Worksource staff (i.e., CareerSource) in identifying needs and gaps for providing transportation to WorkSource customers. Administrative inter-county agencies within the region which support and represent the current and future needs of the communities for which they govern. Other regional partners include agencies such as the Northeast Florida Other Regional Transportation Commission (NEFRTC), Informational/ Regional Northeast Florida Regional Council (NEFRC), and transit Input Partners providers in surrounding counties, such as the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). Coordination with regional agency staff will take place during TDP development to coordinate transit services during the transportation planning process.
As required by Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C. 14-73.001), FDOT, WorkSource and the North Florida TPO will be advised of TDP public meetings and will be given an opportunity to review and comment on
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St. Johns County 2017-2026 TDP, Public Involvement Plan
the TDP during the development of the TDP’s mission, goals, objectives, alternatives, and ten-year implementation program.
2.4 Public Perception Questionnaire/Survey The TDP public involvement process will comprise efforts to obtain input from the general public to assist with identifying transit needs. Potential methods include utilizing: 1) copies of a hard copy questionnaire/survey distributed/collected at a pre-arranged community sponsored event (such as a farmer’s market); 2) an online questionnaire/survey with outreach assistance from the project’s key agency stakeholders who will e-mail the questionnaire/survey link to their community contacts and include the questionnaire/survey link on their websites; and/or 3) copies of a hard copy questionnaire/survey distributed to/collected from libraries, social/human service agencies, colleges and/or businesses that have clients/employees with transit needs. Potential public input methods will involve assistance from the project’s key stakeholders (discussed in Section 2.3 of this TDP PIP) to distribute/collect questionnaires/surveys, outreach to others regarding the questionnaire/survey, and/or otherwise help facilitate public input.
2.5 Transit Passenger Survey The project’s consultant, England-Thims & Miller, Inc. (ETM), will administer an On-Board Transit Survey to collect input from customers riding the Sunshine Bus deviated fixed route system. The primary purpose of the survey will be to collect data about customer travel activity, including general origin and destination information, and transit needs. A minimum of 60 completed surveys will be collected. 2.6 Bus Operators and Operating Staff Collect input from Sunshine Bus’ bus operators and other key operating staff utilizing potential methods such as questionnaires/surveys, interviews and/or focus group meetings. 2.7 Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Analysis Complete a Limited English Proficiency (LEP) analysis, similar in effort to LEP analysis completed for previous TDP updates, using the four-factor framework of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s LEP guidance (summarized in Section 1.2 of this TDP PIP). In addition to the four-factor LEP analysis, efforts will be made to consider the needs of LEP populations during the development of the TDP, including efforts to interview one or more social service or community organizations that serve LEP populations. 2.8 Public Meeting St. Johns County will hold one (1) public meeting to inform the public and receive feedback on key components of the TDP. The meeting will be publicly advertised with a notification no less than 28 days before the meeting. The county will strive to maximize attendance at the meeting by posting the information on the St. Johns County and Sunshine Bus websites and social media sites. Additionally, some of the project’s key stakeholders (stakeholders are discussed in Section 2.3 of this TDP PIP) may post information on their websites and social media sites, and e-mail individuals on their mailing lists. FDOT, North Florida TPO and WorkSource will be notified directly of the meeting. The publicly advertised meeting will be held to present the draft TDP including: public involvement efforts; vision, mission and goals; service enhancement recommendations; and implementation schedule. This meeting is expected to be held June 2016 in a location accessible by transit with notices posted on all Sunshine Bus Company buses.
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St. Johns County 2017-2026 TDP, Public Involvement Plan
A comment form will be distributed at the meeting. Comments received at the meeting (and up to two weeks after the meeting) will be considered for incorporation into the final TDP. Additional meeting materials may include presentations, presentation boards and other tools and informational resources used to inform the public and gather public input.
2.9 Additional Community Outreach and Involvement Opportunities Additional opportunities to provide information and collect input during development of the TDP may take the form of many different forums and outlets already set in place by St. Johns County. Examples of community outreach methods that St. Johns County and the SJCCOA may employ to provide the public access to information and encourage participation in the transportation planning process may include: public meetings, publications/public notices, website and social media. Table 2-2 provides an overview of the various public involvement opportunities that St. Johns County may utilize to engage the public during development of the TDP.
Table 2-2: Public Involvement Opportunities Summary Public Involvement Function Purpose Opportunities Provides board members and citizens an opportunity to receive information and comment on plan development and Board of Informational/ recommendations. St. Johns County’s Board of County Commissioner Input/ Plan Commissioner regular meetings are held on the first and third Adoption Meeting Tuesdays of each month at 9 a.m. in the St. Johns County Auditorium. Informational/ Input/ Assist Stakeholder Provides stakeholders with an opportunity to provide input to the with community Meetings plan. outreach and input Public and Stakeholder Collects information from key stakeholder including bus operators Input Questionnaire/ and the general public. Survey Transit Collects information from current transit riders using an on-board Passenger Input survey format. Survey TDP Public Provides participants an opportunity to openly communicate and Meeting and become fully engaged in the transportation planning process. Public Meetings Informational materials and project background are provided to Informational/ for Other educate the public of proposed plans. St. Johns County will hold Input Transportation one (1) publicly advertised public meeting, toward the end of the Projects TDP development process. Informs the general public and customers via a variety of written materials including individual route schedules, rider alerts and a Publications / system map. The county may publish information in local Informational Public Notices newspapers and post transit information on bus stop displays located at major bus transfer points and transit facilities, at bus stops and in buses. St. Johns County and the SJCCOA maintain websites to provide Informational/ Website the community with easily accessible up-to-date information. The Input
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St. Johns County 2017-2026 TDP, Public Involvement Plan
Public Involvement Function Purpose Opportunities websites offer the public an outlet for involvement to contact the county and/or Sunshine Bus, learn about services, and provide input. St. Johns County may utilize these websites to post surveys and other TDP materials, and to post the draft TDP for public review and comment. These website addresses are: http://www.co.st-johns.fl.us/ and http://www.sunshinebus.net/. St. Johns County maintains and monitors comments on its social media pages and may utilize these methods to post surveys and Informational/ Social Media other TDP materials, and to post the draft TDP for public review Input and comment.
3.0 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT COMMENT IMPLEMENTATION
As a result of public involvement efforts, written comments and recommendations received from TDP outreach opportunities are logged, maintained and considered for incorporation into the TDP. Matrices of all TDP public involvement activities include information such as date, location, project/event subject and the number of participants/attendees. Supporting documentation consist of sign-in sheets, meeting discussion summaries and comments received. Requests received from the public are forwarded to the appropriate St. Johns County or SJCCOA staff for follow-up and resolution. Comments received at the TDP public meeting (and up to two weeks after the meeting) will be considered for incorporation into the final TDP report.
4.0 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT SCHEDULE
Table 4-1 contains a preliminary TDP public involvement plan schedule. Timeframes for meetings and other public involvement activities are approximate and subject to change.
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St. Johns County 2017-2026 TDP, Public Involvement Plan
Table 4-1: Preliminary TDP Public Involvement Schedule
Public Involvement Activity Timeframe
Submit Public Involvement Plan to FDOT December 2015
Draft Survey Instruments/Stakeholder Questionnaires December 2015 - January 2016
Conduct/Summarize Stakeholder and Bus Operator Interviews January - February 2016
Stakeholder Group Meeting #1 - Needs, Vision, Goals & Objectives January 2016
Collect/Summarize General Public Input and Implement On-Board February - March 2016 Transit Survey
Stakeholder Group Meeting #2 – Transit Strategies and Alternatives March 2016
Stakeholder Group Meeting #3 – Implementation Program April 2016
Public Meeting Notification/Advertisement May 2016
Public Meeting (public comments received up to two weeks after the June 2016 meeting)
North Florida TPO TCC, CAC and Board Presentations June – August 2016
Board of Commissioners Presentation and Adoption August 2016
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APPENDIX B1: STAKEHOLDER/AGENCY QUESTIONNAIRE
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan (TDP)
Stakeholder Questionnaire
Name and Title: Date:
Agency/Business/School Name:
Sunshine Bus
1. Are you currently aware of St. Johns County’s public transit system (Sunshine Bus) and its services?
2. Do you use Sunshine Bus? If so, why? If not, what would encourage you to use Sunshine Bus?
Major Destinations
3. What are the major destinations within your St. Johns County community? Please use specific names of places and/or street locations, if you can. (Major destinations may include office parks, hospitals or other medical centers, retail centers, government centers, colleges/universities or tourist destinations, for example.)
4. What are the major destinations outside of your community (or outside of the county) where people are traveling to/from your area?
1 February 17 – March 4, 2016 St. Johns County Transit Development Plan (TDP)
Stakeholder Questionnaire
Transit Needs and Local Funding
5. Is there a need for more transit service in core areas of the county currently served by Sunshine Bus? (More service refers to additional routes, more buses, longer hours, more days of the week, etc.). Which is more important for Sunshine Bus: new/extended bus routes OR more frequent buses on existing routes? Please explain your answers.
6. Is there a need for transit service in other areas of St. Johns County, not currently served by Sunshine Bus? If yes, what areas and why?
7. Is there a specific facility or site within St. Johns County, not currently served by Sunshine Bus that would benefit from public transportation? If yes, what facility or site, and why?
2 February 17 – March 4, 2016 St. Johns County Transit Development Plan (TDP)
Stakeholder Questionnaire
8. Is more regional transportation needed to connect St. Johns County with surrounding counties (such as Duval, Flagler, Putnam, Clay or other surrounding counties)? If yes, which counties and why.
9. Changing conditions within the community can affect the existing transit market, as well as offer new opportunities to serve potential customers. Are there any specific trends that you think will affect public transportation needs over the next 10 years? (For example, socioeconomic, transportation, land use, urban design patterns, policy, funding, technological and/or other changes.)
10. Public transportation seldom comes close to being paid for through user fares. What types of local funding sources should be used to continue or increase transit service in the future? (For example private partnerships, advertising revenues, fare increases, ad valorem tax, sales tax, gas tax)
3 February 17 – March 4, 2016 St. Johns County Transit Development Plan (TDP)
Stakeholder Questionnaire
Transit Priorities and Goals
11. What should be the highest priority for public transportation services in St. Johns County?
12. As you consider your answers to the prior questions, what would you suggest are appropriate goals for future public transportation service in St. Johns County (over the next 10 years)?
Goals may address themes such as: access to jobs, access to services, ability to connect to other types of transportation (multimodal connections), cross-county connections, convenience, quality of service, ability to travel (mobility), ability to make transportation choices, frequency of service, hours of service, days of service, bus stops, bus stop signs, bus shelters, bike racks, safety, security, effectiveness and efficiency, image, information, customer service, funding, intergovernmental coordination, regional coordination, environment, energy, health, economy, education/training, marketing and communication.
4 February 17 – March 4, 2016 St. Johns County Transit Development Plan (TDP)
Stakeholder Questionnaire
13. Additional Comments.
Thank you for completing this Stakeholder Questionnaire!
Please return your completed questionnaire by March 4, 2016 to April Bacchus: [email protected] Or ETM, Attn: April Bacchus, 14775 Old Saint Augustine Road, Jacksonville, FL 32258 Or faxed to 904-646-9485, Attn: April Bacchus.
5 February 17 – March 4, 2016 St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
APPENDIX B2: STAKEHOLDER QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES
(Under Separate Cover, Available Upon Request)
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APPENDIX C: STAKEHOLDER GROUP MEETINGS
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St. Johns County Transit Development Plan (TDP), Major Update Stakeholder Group Meeting Notes
Date/Location of Meeting: January 28, 2016/St. Johns County Permit Building - Conference Room 1
Attendees: St. Johns County: Gary Mackey, Rebecca Dennis St. Johns County Council on Aging (COA): Becky Yanni, Ed Clark, and George Hesson City of St. Augustine: Xavier Pellicer City of St. Augustine Beach: Max Royle, Joe Howell Town of Hastings: Pam Stevens St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau: Richard Goldman Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA): Liz Peak North Florida TPO: Wanda Forrest Northeast Florida Regional Transportation Commission (RTC): Joe Stephenson Northeast Florida Regional Council: Lindsay Haga FDOT: Janell Damato ETM (England-Thims & Miller, Inc.): April Bacchus
Subject: TDP Process, Existing Conditions, Needs and Goals ______
Meeting Purpose The purpose of this meeting was to introduce the scope for the TDP Major Update; discuss general requirements, process and schedule for the TDP; review draft, preliminary existing conditions; and begin to identify needs and goals.
Meeting Summary Following is a summary of items discussed.
TDP Requirement, Process and Schedule 1. Discussed TDP requirements, process and schedule. 2. The TDP must be adopted by the St. Johns County Board of Commissioners and submitted to FDOT by September 1, 2016. 3. Interviews with key elected officials will be included as part of the TDP’s development process. 4. Lindsay Haga suggested that periodic TDP updates be presented to the St. Johns County Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board’s (TD LCB) regular, quarterly meetings to provide additional review and comment opportunities from stakeholders (and particularly a regional workforce board representative, as required by the TDP). 5. Gary Mackey added that the St. Johns County TDP must address the deviated fixed route bus service, as well as the paratransit bus service that the county provides. 6. Reviewed a map of incorporated communities in St. Johns County, St. Augustine Urbanized Area, World Golf Village urban cluster area, and Jacksonville Urbanized Area in St. Johns County; and discussed funding requirements related to federal funding the county receives to provide public transit service. a. There is a relationship between areas currently served by public transportation and the funding sources for Sunshine Bus. St. Johns County currently receives federal Urbanized Area Formula Program (5307) and Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC, 5316) funds to provide public transportation, in addition to other funding sources. St. Johns County’s urbanized area funding is
St. Johns County TDP, Major Update (01.28.16) ETM #: 12234-09 Page 2
designated for public transportation serving the St. Augustine Urbanized Area. JARC, 5316 funding is for public transportation to and from jobs and activities related to employment. b. It was noted that 5316 funds the operation of the Sunshine Bus, Purple Route. c. As with St. Johns County, a portion of Clay County is in the Jacksonville Urbanized Area. Janell Damato and Liz Peak provided some background related to the use of Jacksonville Urbanized Area 5307 funds in Clay County. JTA’s 5307 funds help pay for public transportation capital needs in Clay County. Additionally, JTA provides public transportation service to portions of Clay County via an interlocal agreement. JTA contributes to the Duval County portion of the service and Clay County contributes to the Clay County portion. d. As additional background information, it was mentioned that JTA previously provided bus service into Ponte Vedra Beach. Although the service was utilized it did not have sufficient ridership to continue. Additionally, years ago the Sunshine Bus previously served Jacksonville Beach.
Existing Conditions 7. Draft, preliminary existing conditions information, including various demographic, employment, commuting, land use and transportation GIS maps and/or tables, was presented by ETM and discussed by meeting attendees. 8. There was a theory that the relatively higher Limited English Proficiency (LEP) areas shown on the maps may be attributed to Hispanic workers and Haitian (creole) residents potentially in the St. Augustine Oaks. ETM will also confirm the Census data associated with the LEP maps. 9. The TDP’s public involvement component will collect input from the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. 10. St. Johns County’s TDP should address potential regional connections to and from other counties. a. It was mentioned that there are currently a lot of paratransit trips to Flagler Estates. There was additional discussion that the only access to Flagler Estates is from St. Johns County. b. Ed Clark reported that Flagler County recently finished a TDP and expects to provide deviated fixed route bus service in about two years. 11. Richard Goldman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau, emphasized the importance of tourist related data to the TDP development process. ETM will coordinate with Mr. Goldman to include this data. He also participated in the state’s Florida Transportation Plan development process, which is almost complete.
Transit Needs and Goals Discussion 12. The development of a transit vision and mission along with goals and objectives are part of the process to develop the TDP. These items should consider the needs of the community and be consistent with other relevant plans and programs, such as the Florida transportation Plan, the North Florida TPO LRTP, local government comprehensive plan(s) and other regional transportation goals and objectives. 13. Meeting attendees were encouraged to suggest needs and goals for public transportation in St. Johns County. Six themes were offered as a guide for discussion: accessibility and connectivity; mobility; safety and security; effective and efficient; environment, energy, health and economy; and education, communication and marketing. 14. To collect additional stakeholder input, ETM will follow up this discussion with a Stakeholder Questionnaire that will be e-mailed to meeting attendees. 15. Notes of the needs and goals discussion follow: a. Shift paratransit riders to the deviated fixed route service, for those who are able to ride the deviated fixed route service. Paratransit service is more expensive than the fixed route service. In order to transition more paratransit riders over to fixed route, the transit service will need to be more accessible.
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b. The deviated fixed route service needs to be more convenient, and operate with better (i.e., more convenient) frequency of service. c. The transit system needs to better serve the evolving population. Population growth and demographic change has occurred over the past few years and is still occurring. d. Due to limited funding availability, it was suggested that service expansion to new areas and increased frequency on existing routes can be in conflict with each other; and that the TDP development process will need to identify priorities. e. It was also mentioned that the need for service expansion or increased frequency may vary area by area. f. The Teal Route is a very long route. A potential solution could be to split the Teal Line, forming a Hastings-Putnam-Flagler Estates connector to serve the rural areas and connect to a shortened Teal Line in the Elkton area. g. It was mentioned that the county will begin another study soon, occurring concurrently with the TDP process. The second study will take a more in depth examination of potential route needs and changes. It will be a separate effort, but coordinated with the TDP as much as possible. h. Suggestion that the TDP process consider potential future nodes/growth areas that are occurring within the county. i. Suggestion that the TDP process consider assisted living facilities. ETM will follow up with the county regarding proposed assisted living developments and the COA regarding those already served. j. Suggestion that transit improvements may offer an alternative to the infrastructure needs/requirements that are part of the standard growth management/concurrency process. It was mentioned that standard concurrency has been eliminated in St. Augustine. k. Mention that different demographic groups may have varying needs. For example, the needs of seniors are different than the needs of younger millennials. l. Mention of technology applications that will help improve customer service. The Sunshine Bus system is currently live on Google Maps which is necessary for technologies such as NEXTBus that provide real-time arrival information. Sunshine Bus is also part of the region’s One Call/One Click Trapeze software system that is helping to improve cross county coordination, and coordination between multiple agencies. m. Suggestion for bike racks at all bus stops. Discussion of bike racks: where are they located and are there additional location that need bike racks. n. Discussion of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) related to bike racks and other transit amenities at improved bus stops. Gary reported that the federal ADA legislation requires that transit amenities at improved bus stops have bus stop pads, which can be expensive to install. Bus stop pads are not required at existing locations that are only marked by a sign. o. There was a suggestion to install any required amenities over a period of time. p. It was mentioned that FTA funds can be used to install sidewalks.
Next Steps 1. Continue public involvement efforts, including sending stakeholder questionnaires to meeting attendees, and coordinating with Lindsay Haga to present to St. Johns County TD LCB Meeting(s). 2. Continue technical analysis and definition of vision, mission, goals & objectives. 3. Existing conditions follow-up items from the meeting: a. Confirm the data associated with the LEP maps. b. Coordinate with Richard Goldman to collect tourist related information/data. c. Include Hastings Future Land Use Map
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d. Include a map of DRIs located within the county. Coordinate with the county on any additional or more specific growth areas to consider. e. Coordinate with Rebecca Dennis and Ed Clark regarding assisted living locations.
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St. Johns County Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board Quarterly Meeting
Thursday, March 3, 2016 1
Northeast Florida Regional Council St. Johns County Commission State of Florida Transportation Brian D. Teeple, Hon. Rachael Bennett, Chair Disadvantaged Commission Chief Executive Officer David Darm, Chairman
M I N U T E S
The quarterly meeting of the St. Johns County Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board was held on Thursday, March 3, 2016, at the Sunshine Bus Facility, 2595 Old Moultrie Road, St. Augustine, Florida. Chair Bennett called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. with the following in attendance: Joseph McDermott, Warren Butler, Joe Stephenson, DeWeece Ogden, Jeff Aboumrad, Janell Damato, Ed Clark, Becky Yanni, Greta Larkin, April Bacchus and Lindsay Haga (NEFRC). Chair Bennett welcomed everyone and asked for a roll call to establish a quorum. It was established that a quorum was present.
Chair Bennett asked for review of the December 3, 2015 draft minutes. Mr. Stephenson motioned approval, seconded by Mr. McDermott and the minutes were unanimously approved.
Ms. Haga provided an update to the TDSP to reflect current grants. This was approved unanimously under a motion by Mr. Butler with a second by Mr. Stephenson.
Ms. Larkin and Mr. Clark provided the CTC quarterly report. The quarterly statistics are on track to mirror last year. The Mobile Data Terminals will enhance route management. Four buses with MDT have been added to the fleet. The TDSP must be revised to address Rider Qualification standards listed in state statute. Changes and expansion of the Teal Line were discussed.
Ms. Bacchus, ETM Transportation Planner and consultant to the COA, presented the Major Update of the Transit Development Plan asking for input from the LCB as it relates to transit needs. The LCB asked for the questionnaire to be resent by email again so they can complete it.
Mr. Stephenson shared a proposal for support of a Transit Planning 4 All grant application which will further regional mobility by creating a Regional Mobility Council. The LCB agreed to support the application and Chair Bennett a letter of support, after motion by Mr. Butler, second by Mr. McDermott and with unanimous support of the LCB.
Member Reports: Mr. McDermott from Veterans Services mentioned the Gainesville office has some potential scheduling changes, not final yet. Jeff Aboumrad with DOE Vocational Rehabilitation explained his role. Mary Ann Holanchach representing K12 shared her role as a former LCB member and that her client base of Headstart could benefit from public transportation.
Meeting adjourned at 3:15pm, and was followed by a tour of the transit center.
The next LCB meeting is scheduled for September 1, 2016 at 2:00 p.m., with a public hearing immediately following, will be held at the St. Johns County Council on Aging River House, 180 Marine Street, St. Augustine, Florida.
1
St. Johns County Transit Development Plan (TDP), Major Update Stakeholder Group Meeting Notes
Date/Location of Meeting: April 26, 2016/St. Johns County Permit Building - Conference Room 1
Attendees: St. Johns County: Gary Mackey, Rebecca Dennis St. Johns County Council on Aging (COA): Becky Yanni, Ed Clark, and George Hesson City of St. Augustine: Martha Graham, Xavier Pellicer City of St. Augustine Beach: Joe Howell North Florida TPO: Wanda Forrest CareerSource NEFL – First Coast Workforce Development, Inc.: Marc Albert Northeast Florida Regional Transportation Commission (RTC): Joe Stephenson FDOT: Janell Damato ETM (England-Thims & Miller, Inc.): April Bacchus CUTR (Center for Urban Transportation Research): Rob Gregg, Kevin Salzer
Subject: Stakeholder Feedback, Intro to Comprehensive Operations Analysis and Transit Discussion ______
Meeting Purpose The purpose of this meeting was to review stakeholder feedback received and summarized to date, introduce the Comprehensive Operations Analysis (COA) and obtain stakeholder group feedback related to transit market and service topics.
Meeting Summary Following is a summary of items discussed.
Summary of TDP Stakeholder Feedback 1. Reviewed stakeholder feedback received and summarized to date, including five elected official interviews, thirteen completed and returned stakeholder agency/entity questionnaires and on board transit surveys (i.e., survey of bus riders). 2. During the month of March 2016, interviews were held with Mayor Tom Ward, Commissioner Jeb Smith, Commissioner Rachael Bennet, Commissioner Margaret England and Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline. 3. Reviewed a summary of priorities and goals expressed by elected officials, including: a. Connect residents to their jobs and other important services such as medical related destinations b. Provide public transit service to government services, such as libraries and post offices c. Connect the major destination points within downtown St. Augustine and the St. Augustine Beach areas to parking areas outside of the congestion. d. Move people in outlying areas into the St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach areas. e. Provide transit for tourism/special events f. Resolve transportation issues within the St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach areas (i.e., inadequate parking and failing road capacity) g. Connect people to destinations along A1A Beach Road h. Service efficiency, effectiveness and innovation i. Reserve transit corridors for the future j. Encourage land use regulations that are more supportive of transit k. Share more transit service information with the community to help increase ridership
St. Johns County TDP, Major Update (04.26.16) ETM #: 12234-09 Page 2
4. Stakeholder questionnaires expressed transit needs within St. Johns County as well as the need to connect to/from other areas. Key areas within the county include: St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach area, the outlet malls, growth areas (northeast, northwest, World Golf Village, for example), the southwest area (Hastings, Flagler Estates, Armstrong and Elkton) and high food stamp participation areas (St. Augustine and southeast St. Johns County). Key areas outside of the county are located within Jacksonville/Duval County as well as Putnam, Flagler and Clay Counties. Gainesville was also mentioned. Reverse commuting was also mentioned as a need. 5. Summary of Transit Service Needs as expressed by elected official and stakeholder agencies/entities include: a. More frequent service and expanded hours b. Sunday service c. New or modified bus routes d. Special needs: Universal design 6. Reviewed responses related to one question from the on board transit survey: Are there areas that you need new or additional transit service? Approximately, 64% of survey respondents answered, “No.” For those indicating “Yes” various comments were provided including: specific neighborhoods (Kings Estate and Whispering Wood) and roadways (A1A North, Wildwood Drive, SR-16, SR-207), Northern St. Johns County, Duval County, Palm Coast, as well as Sundays, later times and better Saturday frequency on the Teal Line. 7. Joe Stephenson suggested additional outreach to northern St. Johns County. 8. Discussed that much of northern St. Johns County is located in the Jacksonville Urbanized Area. 9. Mention that Sunshine Bus previously served Ponte Vedra Beach, World Golf Village and Jacksonville Beach. 10. Discussed that Clay County is investigating potential ways they can directly obtain federal funding for transit. Currently, federal funding they receive through JTA is for capital purposes only.
Introduction to Comprehensive Operations Analysis (COA) 11. Kevin Salzer and Rob Gregg from CUTR introduced the COA effort that has recently begun. The COA will involve an in depth analysis of Sunshine Bus routes and address potential short term improvements, while the TDP’s focus is more broad addressing a ten year period. Topics discussed: CUTR’s Background CUTR’s approach to COAs St. Johns County COA tasks Advisory Committee Role Schedule / Next Steps
Transit Discussion 12. Reviewed and discussed potential markets for Sunshine Bus: Traditional transit market - generally dependent on transit Single occupancy vehicle (SOV)/commuter market - generally able to choose whether or not to use transit Tourism/special event market St. Johns County population growth areas 13. Discussed federal funding requirements associated with providing transit service for tourism. a. The route has to be a public transportation route, available for anyone to use.
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b. The route cannot be limited to one weekend, but would have to be a seasonal route. Janell Damato mentioned another community that uses 5311 to operate a seasonal flex route (deviated fixed route). c. The Sunshine Bus is forbidden from providing charter service unless it’s advertised on a federal website. If a private sector firm wants to provide the service then the council on aging cannot. d. An equity analysis would have to be completed. 14. Millennials, students were mentioned. 15. Given federal funding requirements, a transit route serving tourists would potentially need to involve additional or different funding. 16. Identify the potential partnerships involved. 17. A special independent district was mentioned as a potential funding alternative.
Next Steps Continue TDP tasks, including: online survey, complete situational appraisal, refine goals & objectives, and transit strategies/alternatives
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APPENDIX D1: ON-BOARD TRANSIT SURVEY INSTRUMENT
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SUNSHINE BUS COMPANY 2016 CUSTOMER SURVEY
Please help us improve our bus service by sharing information about your trip and your opinions. Participation is completely voluntary, and your responses will not in any way identify you personally. Thank you.
1. WHERE DID YOU COME FROM BEFORE YOU GOT ON THE BUS FOR THIS TRIP? (CHECK ONLY ONE) 1. Home 3. School/College 5. Shopping/Errands 7. Other (Specify) 2. Work 4. Doctor/Dentist 6. Visiting/Recreation
2. WHERE ARE YOU GOING ON THIS TRIP? (CHECK ONLY ONE) 1. Home 3. School/College 5. Shopping/Errands 7. Other (Specify) 2. Work 4. Doctor/Dentist 6. Visiting/Recreation
3. HOW DID YOU GET TO THE BUS STOP FOR THIS TRIP? (CHECK ONLY ONE) 1. Walked 0-3 blocks 3. Drove 5. __Bicycle 7. __Taxi 2. Walked more than 3 blocks 4. Was dropped off 6. ____Transfer from route _____ 8. ___Other (Specify)
4. HOW WILL YOU GET TO YOUR FINAL DESTINATION? (CHECK ONLY ONE) 1. Walk 0-3 blocks 3. Drive 5. __Bicycle 7. __Taxi 2. Walk more than 3 blocks 4. Will be picked up 6. ____Transfer to route ______8. ___Other (Specify)
5. DO YOU SPEAK ANY OTHER LANGUAGE(S) BESIDES ENGLISH AT HOME? (CHECK ONLY ONE)
1. Yes 2. No 3. If yes, which language(s) ______(please specify)
6. HOW OFTEN DO YOU RIDE SUNSHINE BUS? (CHECK ONE)
1. 3 or more days a week 2. 1-2 days a week 3. Once or twice a month 4. A few times a year
7. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN RIDING SUNSHINE BUS? (CHECK ONE)
1. First time 2. Less than one year 3. One to three years 4. More than three years
8. WHAT IS YOUR GENDER? 1. Male 2. Female
9. WHAT IS YOUR AGE? (CHECK ONLY ONE) 2. No 1. 17 years or under 3. 25 to 34 years 5. 45 to 54 years 7. 60 to 64 years
2. 18 to 24 years 4. 35 to 44 years 6. 55 to 59 years 8. 65 years or older
10. WHAT IS YOUR ETHNIC HERITAGE? (CHECK ONLY ONE) 1. White 3. Asian 5. Other (Specify) 2. Black/African American 4. Native American 1. Hispanic 2. Non Hispanic
11. WHAT WAS THE RANGE OF YOUR TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME FOR 2015? (CHECK ONLY ONE) 1. Less than $10,000 3. $20,000 to $29,999 5. $40,000 to $49,999 6. $50,000 or more 2. $10,000 to $19,999 4. $30,000 to $39,999
12. HOW WOULD YOU MAKE THIS TRIP IF NOT BY SUNSHINE BUS? (CHECK ONLY ONE) 1. Drive 3. Bicycle 5. Taxi 7. Other (Specify)
2. Ride with someone 4. Walk 6. Would not make trip
PLEASE CONTINUE ON BACK OF SURVEY
13. ARE THERE AREAS THAT YOU NEED NEW OR ADDITIONAL TRANSIT SERVICE? (CHECK ONLY ONE)
1. Yes 2. No If yes, what areas? ______(please specify)
14. WHAT FARE DID YOU PAY FOR THIS TRIP? (CHECK ONLY ONE)
1. Cash Fare One-way - $1.00 3. Reduced Fare One-way $ .50 5. Regular Fare Monthly Unlimited Pass - $30.00 2. Unlimited Day Pass - $3.00 4. Reduced Day Pass $ 1.50 6. ___Reduced Fare Monthly Unlimited Pass - $15.00
VERY NEUTRAL VERY 15. HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH EACH OF THE FOLLOWING? SATISFIED UNSATISFIED (CIRCLE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH)
A. Overall satisfaction with Sunshine Bus 5 4 3 2 1 B. How often buses run 5 4 3 2 1 C. Ability to get where you want to go 5 4 3 2 1 D. Ease of transfer between buses 5 4 3 2 1 E. Value of service you get for what you pay 5 4 3 2 1 F. Bus driver courtesy 5 4 3 2 1 G. Bus driver safe driving 5 4 3 2 1 H. Bus is on time 5 4 3 2 1 I. Ease of using route and schedule info 5 4 3 2 1 J. Convenience of routes 5 4 3 2 1
K. Cleanliness/Safety of buses and bus stops 5 4 3 2 1 L. Sunshine Bus' telephone customer service 5 4 3 2 1
16. WHAT WOULD MAKE SUNSHINE BUS BETTER?
THANK YOU FOR COMPLETING THIS SURVEY. If you have additional comments, please write them in the space below, at the bottom of this form.
St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
APPENDIX D2: ON-BOARD SURVEY RESPONSES
(Under Separate Cover, Available Upon Request)
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Q1. Where did you come from before you got on Q2. Where are you going on this trip? Q3. How did you get to the bus stop for this trip? the bus for this trip? Other 10 Other 1 Other 4 Visiting/Recreation 4 Taxi 1 Transfer from route 3 Visiting/Recreation 1 Shopping/Errands 21 Shopping/Errands 11 Bicycle 4 Doctor/Dentist 6 Doctor/Dentist 0 Was Dropped off 6 School/College 5 School/College 2 Drove 4 Work 13 Work 4 Walked more than 3 blocks 16 Home 51 Home 18 Walked 0-3 blocks 47
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 5 10 15 20 25 0 10 20 30 40 50 Number of Responses Number of Responses Number of Responses
Q4. How will you get to your final destination? Q5. Do you speak any other language(s) besides Q6. How often do you ride Sunshine Bus? English at home? Other 1 A few times a year 8 Taxi 4 Transfer to route 16 No 62 1-2 times a month 4 Bicycle 6 Will be picked up 3 1-2 days a week 16 Drive 2 Walk more than 3 blocks 11 Yes 21 3+ days a week 56 Walk 0-3 blocks 36
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Number of Responses Number of Responses Number of Responses
Q7. How long have you been riding? Q8. What is your gender? Q9. What is your age?
65+ 17 More than three years 40 60-64 8 Female 41 55-59 15 One to three years 21 45-54 14 35-44 13 Less than one year 20 25-34 9 Male 42 18-24 7 First time 1 17 years or under 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 40 41 41 41 41 41 42 42 42 42 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 Number of Responses Number of Responses Number of Responses
Q10. What is your Ethnic Heritage? Q10B. What is your Ethnic Heritage? Q11. Total Household Income, 2015
Non Hispanic 5 $50,000+ 2 Hispanic 5 Non Hispanic 6 $40,000-$49,999 3 Other 7 $30,000-$39,000 6 Native American 1 $20,000-$29,999 10 Asian 3 Hispanic $10,000-$19,999 Black/African American 16 5 23 White 45 Less than $10,000 32
0 10 20 30 40 50 4 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Number of Responses Number of Responses Number of Responses Q12. How would you make this trip if not by Q13. Are there areas that you need new or Q14. What fare did you pay for this trip? Sunshine Bus? additional transit service?
Other 0 Reduced Fare Monthly Unlimited $15.00 20 Wouldn't make trip 9 No 47 Regular Fare Monthly Unlimited $30.00 7 Taxi 28 Reduced Day Pass $1.50 6 Walk 10 Reduced Fair One-way $.50 15 Bicycle 11 Ride with someone 13 Yes 26 Unlimited Day Pass $3.00 6 Drive 4 Cash Fare One Way $1.00 21
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 0 10 20 30 40 50 0 5 10 15 20 25 Number of Responses Number of Responses Number of Responses
Q15A. Overall satisfaction Q15B. How often buses run Q15C. Ability to get where you want to go
Very Satisfied 48 Very Satisfied 25 Very Satisfied 36
Satisfied 17 Satisfied 20 Satisfied 24
Neutral 11 Neutral 16 Neutral 12
Unsatisfied 1 Unsatisfied 10 Unsatisfied 5
Very Unsatisfied 0 Very Unsatisfied 7 Very Unsatisfied 1
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Number of Responses Number of Responses Number of Responses
Q15D. Ease of transfer between buses Q15E. Value of service you get for what you pay Q15F. Bus driver courtesy
Very Satisfied 35 Very Satisfied 58 Very Satisfied 46
Satisfied 26 Satisfied 12 Satisfied 19
Neutral 7 Neutral 5 Neutral 11
Unsatisfied 3 Unsatisfied 1 Unsatisfied 1
Very Unsatisfied 2 Very Unsatisfied 0 Very Unsatisfied 1
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0 10 20 30 40 50 Number of Responses Number of Responses Number of Responses
Q15G. Bus driver safe driving Q15H. Bus is on time Q15I. Ease of using route and schedule info
Very Satisfied 57 Very Satisfied 33 Very Satisfied 39
Satisfied 16 Satisfied 26 Satisfied 22
Neutral 2 Neutral 11 Neutral 9
Unsatisfied 0 Unsatisfied 6 Unsatisfied 5
Very Unsatisfied 0 Very Unsatisfied 2 Very Unsatisfied 2
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 Number of Responses Number of Responses Number of Responses Q15J. Convenience of routes Q15K. Cleanliness/Safety of buses and bus stops Q15L. Sunshine Bus' telephone customer service
Very Satisfied 30 Very Satisfied 55 Very Satisfied 38
Satisfied 25 Satisfied 18 Satisfied 15
Neutral 15 Neutral 4 Neutral 8
Unsatisfied 7 Unsatisfied 0 Unsatisfied 6
Very Unsatisfied 0 Very Unsatisfied 1 Very Unsatisfied 2
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Number of Responses Number of Responses Number of Responses Transfer Comments (Questions 3 and 4) Bus Line Bus Line # % of surveys % of transfers Red Green 5 6.0% 62.5% Orange Red 2 2.4% 25.0% Orange Purple 1 1.2% 12.5%
8 9.5% 100.0%
Note: Transfers shown represent total transfers between the two bus lines shown (i.e., both from and to directions). For example, five survey respondents inidcated that they either transferred from the Red Line to the GreenLline or from the Green Line to the Red Line. Question 13
Bus Line Are there areas that you need new or Survey # Name additional transit service?
1 Red Kings Estate 11 Orange Palm Coast 13 Orange Whispering Wood More times a day on US-1. Every 30 minutes 16 Orange would be good for students (south/north) 27 Orange Later hours 35 Green Sundays 36 Green A1A North, IGA? or 16A? 42 Teal Later service times 44 Teal Need full day on Saturday, Teal line 45 Teal Teal - Not enough Saturday runs 57 Purple northern county 62 Blue Palm Coast 66 Blue into neighborhoods 67 Blue closer times between buses? 68 Connector further jacksonville area 72 Connector Jacksonville Beach 76 Connector SR 16/SR 207 buses st. augustine outlet mall work there, st. 78 Connector augustine beaches 84 Connector Wildwood Drive Bus Line Survey # Q16 Comments Name
Fire xxxxx & xxxxx, most drivers are great. These 2 have no clue what customer service is about. I don’t know his name 1 Red but he's old, doesn’t listen/hear, arrogant & should not be in public service. On bus driver courtesy some drivers are great (xxxx) & some drivers by pass people at bus stop. Get rid of 2 Red selfrighteous xxxxx. 7 Red Great Service for tourists. Wish stops were easier to locate. 11 Orange Sunday Service 12 Orange Sunday Service 13 Orange O.K. 14 Orange Rider not allowed to board with only 3 bags; Customer service is needed. Theres a lot of students and people that wanted to go from SR207 to US1 - Crossing the bridge, and there is no 16 Orange availability of bus to do this transfer even to Cobblestone or US1 17 Orange Have more routes like Volusia Street 18 Orange Have bus service on Sundays for monthly riders who work. 20 Orange All good 21 Orange More frequent service to and from outlet mall More Routes, call out stops, late hours, thank you. Would be nice if you look for at bus stop for us or ask if we are 23 Orange waiting for the bus and not pass us at the stop. 24 Orange More buses on each line. The Sunshine bus would better fit my needs if it ran later, as well as on Sundays. Otherwise I find it to be an excellent 27 Orange service. 29 Orange More drivers I guess. 30 Orange Run on Sundays. 33 Green Sunshine bus is good enough for me. 34 Green Buses run more often. 35 Green For more frequent bus schedules to run more hours after 10:20 AM 12:30PM after 5:05PM. For Sunday bus service. First and foremost for most of the bus drivers to take some customer courtesy classes or something. All but a few are opinionated (unprofessional), rude, pick favorite, discriminate (allow for some not for others), say very inappropriate things at times. I take public transportation everywhere I go and the bus drivers for Sunshine Bus Company by far have the worst customer care in the most unprofessional way. In any other city this would not be tolerated and St. Johns County should have a higher standard than this. Please do something about this. It is a disgrace at times. Thank 36 Green you. 38 Green Personally an addition of times of stops 39 Green Can't read blinking lights. Use colors to indicate line. 41 Teal Its ok very convenient and satisfied wherever. Thanks I am a new media designer and have thought of a few creative ways that I could help improve Sunshione bus service 42 Teal and overall customer experience. I would love to discuss them; my phone number is 904-xxx-xxxx xxxxxxxx The teal line is a great asset to the community of Hastings/ Flagler Estates. Bus driver courtesy depends on the driver, 44 Teal better for the bus to be late than early Sunshine bus is wonderful to have in our community. I'm not familiar with the different bus stops on US-1 (locations 45 Teal of stops). 49 Teal Run Teal line more frequency. 52 Teal Stop on time. 53 Purple Need more bus stops/need bus to run 24 hrs./daily Bus Line Survey # Q16 Comments Name
54 Purple time buses run/later hours 57 Purple later buses and more routes 58 Purple sunshine clean 62 Blue bus stop bench at sea bridge 63 Blue bus stop rest area 64 Blue need more informative/helpful bus drivers. Need more shelters/benches, especially at Seabridge Square 65 Blue for the purple line to be restored to the old schedule. 66 Blue tone (sound) to tell people inside the bus that a stop is coming up. Earlier and later hours. 68 Connector xxxxx 69 Connector buses coming more often 1. evening buses in seasons when daylight is long, 2. Color flags or other way to identify bus in distance, where more than a line goes by - often flagging wrong bus, 3. trash cans at all designated stops, 4. Soothing music, no radio, or rock music played low (to allow reading, etc.), 5. Personally, a line to Jacksonville Beach would make family visits easier, even if used infrequently, 6. And, a late bus is better than one that goes by early, so you are on time but miss 72 Connector it. Thanks and God Bless 73 Connector stop racism. Equal rights. Stop being selfish against blacks. bus benches at stops US1, I have a toddler, it get difficult standing in the side of the road, more buses on state road 76 Connector 16 and state road 207 would help with getting places and waiting less 77 Connector I love the bus purple line - route that goes from sea bridge and ends at St. Aug. outlet malls. Another route where those going to Jax 78 Connector can transfer to a second purple line at outlet malls to Avenues mall. maybe if there was a bus more often on US1 sometimes if I have an appt. that last an hour I have to wait a while or 80 Connector miss the next bus cause its too soon. 81 Connector later running buses, Sunday buses 83 Connector paint back of bus stop sign yellow. Bus route color on back of bus. 84 Connector music St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
APPENDIX E1: BUS OPERATOR/STAFF QUESTIONNAIRE
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COA/Sunshine Bus Staff Questionnaire Transit Development Plan (TDP) Major Update (2017 – 2026)
Please answer the following questions to help improve the system. Responses and feedback will be summarized in a report – the report will not link your responses with your name.
1. What is your job at the Council on Aging (COA)/Sunshine Bus?
Bus Driver (For which routes/services? ______)
Customer Service or Dispatch Other______
2. The following is a list of possible complaints Sunshine Bus passengers may voice to bus operators or other COA employees. Please mark the FIVE complaints you hear most often from passengers/customers.
Bus doesn’t go where I want Bus is not comfortable
Need more frequent service on existing routes Bus is not clean
Bus is late Passengers cannot get information
Bus leaves the stop too early Bus schedule too hard to understand
Earlier hours on existing routes Not enough bus shelters or benches
Need more evening/night service Need Sunday service
The route is too long or takes too much time (Which route(s)? ______)
Safety/Security concern
Other______ Other ______
3. Do you think the complaints you hear most often about Sunshine Bus are valid? Yes No
Please explain: ______
______
4. What complaints do you hear about the paratransit system?
______
______
5. Do you know of any safety or security issues with the Sunshine Bus or paratransit system? Please explain.
Sunshine Bus: ______
Paratransit: ______
PLEASE ANSWER THE QUESTIONS ON THE OTHER SIDE
6. In your opinion, what is most important for Sunshine Bus over the next 10 years? (CHECK UP TO THREE)
Replace flag down system with designated bus stops
Attract more riders
Encourage more paratransit riders to ride Sunshine Bus
More frequent service (Start with which routes? ______)
Bus service to other areas of St. Johns County (Which areas? ______)
Bus service to ANOTHER COUNTY (Where to? ______)
Shuttle service for local beach and/or tourist attractions
Identify sustainable funding source(s) for public transit
Park and Ride lot for residents going to Jacksonville
Park and Ride lot for tourist/residents going to downtown St. Augustine & St. Augustine Beach attractions
Promote local policies to encourage the use of transit as an acceptable way to reduce congestion
Other______
Other______
7. Do you think the County Government Center is a good place for a park and ride lot? Yes No
Why/Why not? ______
8. Should the Purple Line operate express buses with fewer stops at certain times of the day? Yes No
Why/Why not? ______
9. Should the Teal Line operate express buses with fewer stops at certain times of the day? Yes No
Why/Why not? ______
10. Should the Connector Line operate express buses with fewer stops at certain times of the day? Yes No
Why/Why not? ______
COA/Sunshine Bus Staff Questionnaire – TDP Major Update (2017 – 2026) Page 2
11. Please indicate any strengths and weaknesses you may be aware of, and any suggestions that will help improve service, for the following routes and services.
Any Common Complaints?
Any run times or segments Suggestions to help improve Strengths that are difficult to maintain? service or on-time performance?
Other weaknesses?
Purple
Line
Teal Line
Connector
Line
Orange
Line
Blue Line
Green Line
Red Line
Paratransit
Service
12. Provide any additional comments that could help improve the system (use the back of this page, if needed)
______
______
______
NAME (Optional):______
THANK YOU!!
COA/Sunshine Bus Staff Questionnaire – TDP Major Update (2017 – 2026) Page 3 St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
APPENDIX E2: BUS OPERATOR/STAFF QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES
(Under Separate Cover, Available Upon Request)
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Q1. What is your job?
Other 4.5%
Customer Service or Dispatch 4.5%
Bus Driver 90.9%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% 100.0% % of Responses (N=22)
Q3. Are the Sunshine Bus complaints you hear most often valid?
No 36.8%
Yes 63.2%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% % of Responses (N=19) Q2. Frequent Complaints
Bus is not clean 0.0%
Bus is not comfortable 0.0%
Safety/Security concern 0.0%
Earlier hours on existing routes 0.0%
Other 2.9%
Bus leaves the stop too early 4.3%
Bus is late 4.3%
Passengers cannot get information 5.7%
The route is too long or takes too much time 5.7%
Bus doesn’t go where I want 10.0%
Need more frequent service on existing routes 10.0%
Need more evening/night service 10.0%
Not enough bus shelters or benches 14.3%
Need Sunday service 14.3%
Bus schedule too hard to understand 18.6%
0.0% 2.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.0% 14.0% 16.0% 18.0% 20.0% % of Responses (N=70) Q6. Ten Year Priorities
Encourage more paratransit riders to ride Sunshine Bus 0.0%
P&R for St. Augustine/St. Augustine Beach attractions 2.1%
P&R for residents going to Jacksonville 4.3%
Other 6.4%
Shuttle service for local beach and/or tourist attractions 6.4%
Identify sustainable funding source(s) for public transit 8.5%
Bus service to ANOTHER COUNTY 8.5%
Attract more riders 8.5%
Bus service to other areas of St. Johns County 10.6%
More frequent service 10.6%
Local policies to encourage transit to reduce congestion 12.8%
Replace flag down system w/designated bus stops 21.3%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% % of Responses (N=47) Q7. Do you think the County Government Center is a good place for a park and ride lot? Q8. Should the Purple Line operate express bus with fewer stops at certain times of the day?
No 29.4% No 16.7%
Yes 83.3% Yes 70.6%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0% % of Responses (N=18) 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% % of Responses (N=17)
Q9. Should the Teal Line operate express bus with Q10. Should the Connector Line operate express fewer stops at certain times of the day? bus with fewer stops at certain times of the day?
No 62.5% No 60.0%
Yes 37.5% Yes 40.0%
0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% % of Responses (N=16) % of Responses (N=15) Q5. Safety/Security Issues Questionnaire # Q5A Sunshine Bus Safety/Security Issues Q5B Paratransit Safety/Security Issues 2 No Yes Need to have cameras 6 Yes Riders want to pass in front of the bus before we leave No None 9 Yes Bike racks obstruct driver view No 10 Yes Drunks are a safety issue No 11 Yes Money boxes on new buses No 12 Yes Bikes on rack block view; lights at night No 13 Yes Yard security, unable to screen passengers/packages No 18 Yes Stopping in turn lanes and on very streets (SR207) No St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
APPENDIX F: ONLINE PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY RESPONSES
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St. Johns County Transportation 2016 Last Modified: 07/07/2016
1. Do you live in St. Johns County?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Yes 352 88% 2 No 50 12%
Total 402 2. What is your HOME zip code?If you work, what is your WORK zip code (or city)?
Home Zip Code: Work Zip Code:
32086 32084 32084 32084 32084 32092 32204 32086 32084 32033 32084 32084 32084 32084 32084 32086 32084 32084 32086 32095 32085 32080 32084 32033 32085 32084 32084 32148 32084 32086 32084 32086 32084 32084 32084 32145 32084 32092 32084 32033 32084 32033 32084 32086 32084 32086 32084 32095 32084 32086 32084 32080 32086 32086 32084 32086 32084 32080 32084 32086 32084 32092 32084 32259 32084 32259 32085 32086 32084 32086 32084 32080 32084 32033 32084 32092 32084 32084 32084 32131 32084 32084 32084 32092 32084 32086 32084
32084 32084
32084 32085
32084 32084
32095 32085
32084 32084 32145 32084
32086 32084 32092 32043 32086 32084 32092 32092 32092 32092 32092 32092 32055 32084 32080 32084 32092 32137 32084 32259 32084 32084 32080 32084 32259 32202 32084 32259 32084 32084 32084 32080 32084 32080 32085 32092 32145 32145 32092 32092 32086 32084 32092 32084 32259 32084 32084 32086 32084 32092 32216 32033 32084 32092 32092 32216 32092 32092 32092 32084 32084 32084 32092 32095 32084 32092 32258 32084 32086 32084 32084 32092 32224 32095 St Augustine 32080 32084 32084 32086 32080 32084 32095 32080 32092 32258 32086 32086 32092 32084 This table has more than 100 rows. Click here to view all responses 3. Do you work outside of your home?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Yes 307 82% 2 No 67 18%
Total 374 4. How do you usually travel to work?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Drive myself 284 93% 2 Carpool/Ride or drive with someone 5 2% 3 Public transportation 6 2% 4 Taxi 0 0% 5 Bicycle 4 1% 6 Walk 3 1% 7 Other (specify) 2 1%
Total 304
Other (specify)
home office, various job sites Home office 5. Would you use public transportation in St. Johns County if it was available to you?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Yes 138 37% 2 Maybe 137 37% 3 No 98 26%
Total 373 6. Of the choices below, where do you MOST need public transportation?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 St. Augustine/St. Augustine Beach area 158 59% 2 Northwest (Julington Creek, Fruit Cove, Durbin Creek and/or northwest CR-210 areas) 27 10% 3 Northeast (Nocatee, Ponte Vedra Beach and/or Palm Valley area) 20 7% 4 World Golf Village area 18 7% 5 Southwest (Hastings and Flagler Estates area) 15 6% 6 Other (specify) 31 12%
Total 269
Other (specify)
Woodlawn Road Area Vilano Beach, North Beach, South Ponte Vedra, Ponte Vedra Beach DOWN TOWN AREA kings estate 207, 312, Hilltop Road...... Kings Estate area downtown Elkton, SR 207 To Jacksonville to jacksonville Vilano Bch into town Murbella None Orangedale County Road 13 South to Downtown St Augustine Mass Public Transit everywhere downtown st augustine West Augustine Need to CONNECT these, not just one All the above Must drive all to meet with clients. Live in WGV, Work in Nocatee, Play in St. Aug. A connection to all three would be ideal. Not for me Downtown not really, drive by myself Jacksonville I cannot use public transportation for work as I am a Realtor, and must have my car I would use it for recreation. I'm a realtor so I have to drive my own car for work. city of St. Aug - City of Jax downtown sr 16 Us1 South to 312 area and downtown, nights weekend events Vermont hights 7. Of the choices below, where do you MOST need public transportation?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Connecting St. Augustine area with the southwest (Hastings and Flagler Estates area) 49 19% Connecting St. Augustine area with the northwest (Julington Creek, Fruit Cove, Durbin Creek and/or 2 41 16% northwest CR-210 areas) Connecting St. Augustine area with the northeast (Nocatee, Ponte Vedra Beach and/or Palm Valley 3 41 16% areas) 4 Connecting St. Augustine area with World Golf Village area 21 8% 5 Other areas (please specify) 103 40%
Total 255 8. Which option BEST describes why you would use public transportation in St. Johns County?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 I prefer not to drive 15 6% 2 I cannot drive due to an injury, disability or impairment 8 3% 3 I like having a variety of transportation options 56 21% 4 Vehicle(s) in my household are used by other family members 13 5% 5 Transit is cheaper than other transportation options 8 3% 6 To avoid driving in heavy traffic and/or parking conditions 98 37% 7 I don’t have a valid driver’s license 0 0% 8 I support transit for others and am willing to try it for myself 49 18% 9 I don’t have a working vehicle or valid registration 3 1% 10 Other (specify) 16 6%
Total 266
Other (specify)
I never drove & I am 74 years old To have available when my vehicle is being repaired and/or to cut down on wear and tear on my vehicle
We may have to sell our vehicles. Flagler Hospital save $ & the environment Unless I can't drive in the future I would use public transport rarely Saves parking fees and vehicle expence it would eliminate so many cars on the road transit is cheper, I support transit for others, I prefer not to drive, I like variety of options. Better for the environment to reduce the amount of cars on the road ecology Our employees need it!!! None To be part of the solution. Reduce traffic and parking. transport of handicapped husband Cut down the traffic 9. What are the two areas of St. Johns County you MOST need connected by public transit?
Area 1: Area 2:
St Augustine St Augustine beach Beaches and Downtown Outlet Mall Downton St. Aug and Beaches Beach Flagler Hospital US 1 SOUTH US 1 NOTRH st. augustine City of St. Augustine City of St. Augustine Beach DOWNTOWN BEACHES Downtown Beaches Flagler Estates St. Augustine city beach Downtown Beaches St Augustine Anastasia Island Julington Creek St Augustine St. Augustine Fruit Cove Downtown St. Augustine St. Augustine Beach Downtown 312/US1 32145 32259 Flagler Estates Northwest 32145 32095 Ponte Vedra Nocatee World Golf Village Hastings Hastings Beach City of St. Augustine Greater St. Augustine area St Augustine St Augustine Beach Downtown Northeast county areas NE Region 16/95 area Hastings Downtown St Augustine SOUTH END EASTEND 210 Downtown st augustine My home (WGV area) Downtown St Augustine Wards creek Downtown northwest county downtown SR 16 to downtown St Augustine SR16 to St Augustine Rd (Jax) Woodlawn Rd near Heritage park all downtown downtown beaches Hastings Flagler Estates St. Augustine Beach Downtown St. augustine Fruit Cove Jacksonville downtown St. Augustine North Beach Anastasia Island Crescent Beach Downtown St. Augustine Orangedale St Johns Hastings St. Augustine
St. Augustine South St. Johns County
Julington creek St augustine
32145
St Augustine Golf Village area
Dontown St. Augustine WGV area US1 South SR 16 Publix Store
Orangedale 210 Downtown beaches Flagler Estates Beaches South county Near downtown - mainland & beach Hastings US 1 South Downtown St. Augustine St. Augustine Beach Downtown Beaches Downtown St Augustine The malls St. Augustine south Downtown DOWN TOWN WEST OF TOWN Julington Creek St. Augustine Beach St. Augustine High School/FCTC Hastings Flagler Estates st. augustine beach st. augustine WILDWOOD DRIVE COLLINS AVE St. Augustine City Fruit Cove/Duval County Line 32080 32095 kings estate beach Downtown St Augustine Beaches Saint Johns Saint Augustine Beaches Airport Northeast St. Augustine palm coast spuds Northwest East St. Augustine Ponte Vedra The city to the beach In and around the cities Town Center Downtown St. Augustine/St. Augustine Beach St. Augustine/Flagler Hospital complex 312 , south U.S. 1, 207, Wildwood area to downtown and to South library/county facility on U.S. 1 312 , south U.S. 1, 207, Wildwood area to beaches Julington creek ponte vedra Hastings St. Augustine Ponte Vedra Northwest 210 Area St Augustine Downtown & Anastasia Island Ponte Vedra or Outlet Malls Orangedale World Golf downtown St. Augustine 32084 32080 World golf Downtown st augustine Elkton Downtown St. Augustine St augustine Ponte vedra Downtown St. Augustine St. Augustine Beach St Augustine Nocatee Downtown US-1 South North city to downtown North city to shopping malls on S.R. 16 from anywhere into St. Augustine from anywhere to the beaches . Augustine City and Beach metro areas U. S. 1 South Downtown Hastings/Elkton Downtown St Augustine South of SR 312 This table has more than 100 rows. Click here to view all responses 10. Do you need public transportation between St. Johns County and other counties?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Yes 98 28% 2 Maybe 89 25% 3 No 169 47%
Total 356 11. If yes, which counties?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Duval County/Jacksonville 158 87% 2 Clay County 33 18% 3 Alachua County/Gainesville 27 15% 4 Putnam County 43 24% 5 Nassau County 5 3% 6 Flagler County 49 27% 7 Baker County 2 1% 8 Other (specify) 8 4%
Other (specify)
Mayo Clinic Miami, Orlando, Tampa orange Everywhere jax airport Miami-Dade Miami-Dade PUTNAM 12. How familiar are you with the following transportation services operated by the St. Johns County Council on Aging?
# Question I have used it I have heard of it, but not used I never heard of it Total Responses
1 Sunshine Bus Company (Transit routes available to the general public) 14% 77% 9% 351 2 Paratransit (Door-to-door service available to those that qualify) 3% 43% 54% 336 13. For which type of trip would you likely use public transportation on a regular basis if there were service that met your travel needs?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Work 137 50% 2 School (K – 12) 17 6% 3 College 19 7% 4 Medical 49 18% 5 Shopping/Errands 124 45% 6 Beaches or Historic St. Augustine area attractions 187 68% 14. What three (3) conditions would MOST encourage you to use public transportation? (Click only three)
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Frequent service (vehicles run often) 193 56% 2 Low/Affordable fares 111 32% 3 Express service/few stops during peak travel periods 48 14% 4 Good information/Training on how to ride 16 5% 5 Routes that serve the areas I need to go to 177 51% 6 Bike racks at bus stops or on transit vehicles 16 5% 7 Sunday service 8 2% 8 Bus shelters/benches at bus stops 12 3% 9 Early morning or late evening/night service 68 20% 10 Convenient transfers between bus routes 27 8% 11 Bus stops within ¼ mile of my home and destination 70 20% 12 Clean and safe bus stops and vehicles 50 15% 13 On-time vehicles 48 14% 14 Comfortable seats/ride 10 3% 15 Nothing would encourage me to use public transportation 54 16% 15. An effective public transportation system is important for the economy.
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Strongly Agree 222 65% 2 Somewhat Agree 93 27% 3 Somewhat Disagree 8 2% 4 Strongly Disagree 7 2% 5 Not sure 13 4%
Total 343 16. Public transportation should be improved to reduce congestion.
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Strongly Agree 230 67% 2 Somewhat Agree 84 24% 3 Somewhat Disagree 13 4% 4 Strongly Disagree 7 2% 5 Not sure 9 3%
Total 343 17. An effective public transportation system is important for the environment.
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Strongly Agree 209 61% 2 Somewhat Agree 85 25% 3 Somewhat Disagree 20 6% 4 Strongly Disagree 11 3% 5 Not sure 18 5%
Total 343 18. There is a need for additional or improved public transportation within St. Johns County.
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Strongly Agree 241 70% 2 Somewhat Agree 62 18% 3 Somewhat Disagree 8 2% 4 Strongly Disagree 4 1% 5 Not sure 27 8%
Total 342 19. I would support increased taxpayer funding of public transportation serving St. Johns County.
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Strongly Agree 120 35% 2 Somewhat Agree 109 32% 3 Somewhat Disagree 28 8% 4 Strongly Disagree 49 14% 5 Not sure 35 10%
Total 341 20. Into which of the following ranges does your age fall?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Under 18 1 0% 2 18-24 7 2% 3 25-34 38 11% 4 35-44 66 19% 5 45-54 74 22% 6 55-59 46 13% 7 60-64 48 14% 8 65-74 52 15% 9 75+ 10 3%
Total 342 21. How many working vehicles are in your household?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 None 7 2% 2 1 69 20% 3 2 187 55% 4 3 or more 79 23%
Total 342 22. Into which of the following ranges does your total annual household income fall?
# Answer Bar Response %
1 Less than $10,000 3 1% 2 $10,000 to $29,999 22 6% 3 $30,000 to $49,999 57 17% 4 $50,000 to $69,999 56 16% 5 $70,000 or more 142 42% 6 I prefer not to disclose 62 18%
Total 342 St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 1 Do You Live in St. Johns County? "Do you live in St. Johns County?"
Home Zip Code Would Use Public Transit? 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=372) (N=105) (N=61) (N=48) (N=41) (N=25) (N=11) (N=11) (N=10) (N=60) (N=136) (N=135) (N=97) Yes 90 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 35 88 91 90 No 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 65 12 9 10 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% All numbers in the tables are percentages.
Table 2 Home Zip Code of Respondent "What is your home zip code?"
Home Zip Code Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=374) (N=105) (N=61) (N=48) (N=41) (N=25) (N=11) (N=11) (N=10) (N=62) (N=136) (N=135) (N=98) 32084 28 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 34 30 19 32086 16 0 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 24 20 32092 13 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 10 20 32080 11 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 0 10 13 11 32259 7 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 0 12 5 2 32033 3 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 0 4 1 5 32082 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 0 4 2 2 32095 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 3 2 3 All Others 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 17 13 16 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05). St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 3 Work Zip Code of Respondent "What is your home zip code?"
Home Zip Code* Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=374) (N=105) (N=61) (N=48) (N=41) (N=25) (N=11) (N=11) (N=10) (N=62) (N=136) (N=135) (N=98) 32084 45 61 67 27 41 20 55 0 50 29 35 50 56 32082 7 2 0 2 0 8 0 73 0 19 10 2 8 32080 6 6 7 0 32 0 0 0 10 0 7 5 7 32086 5 7 11 0 7 0 0 9 0 2 5 7 3 32085 2 1 0 0 2 4 9 0 20 2 1 3 2 32092 2 0 0 8 0 4 9 0 0 0 1 1 3 32202 2 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 5 3 1 0 32258 2 0 0 4 0 4 0 9 0 3 2 1 1 All Others 30 24 15 58 17 48 27 9 20 40 36 29 19 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05).
Table 4 Does the Respondent Work Outside of the Home? "Do you work outside of your home?"
Home Zip Code* Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=369) (N=105) (N=61) (N=48) (N=41) (N=25) (N=11) (N=11) (N=10) (N=57) (N=136) (N=135) (N=97) Yes 82 75 87 63 83 84 91 100 100 93 75 81 91 No 18 25 13 38 17 16 9 0 0 7 25 19 9 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05). St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 5 How Respondents Usually Travel to Work "How do you usually travel to work?"
Home Zip Code Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=300) (N=79) (N=53) (N=30) (N=34) (N=21) (N=10) (N=11) (N=10) (N=52) (N=102) (N=110) (N=88) Drive myself 94 92 98 100 91 95 100 91 90 92 85 98 100 Carpool/Ride or drive 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 9 0 4 3 1 0 with someone Public transportation 2 1 0 0 3 5 0 0 10 4 6 0 0 Bicycle 1 4 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 Walk 1 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05).
Table 6 Would the Respondent Use Public Transportation If It Was Available? "Would you use public transportation in St. Johns County if it was available to you?"
Home Zip Code* Would Use Public Transit? 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=369) (N=105) (N=61) (N=48) (N=41) (N=25) (N=11) (N=11) (N=10) (N=57) (N=136) (N=135) (N=97) Yes 37 44 15 29 32 64 45 55 40 40 100 0 0 Maybe 37 38 52 29 41 28 9 27 30 32 0 100 0 No 27 18 33 42 27 8 45 18 30 28 0 0 100 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05). St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 7 Where Does the Respondent Most Need Public Transportation? (1) "Of the choices below, where do you MOST need public transportation?"
Home Zip Code* Would Use Public Transit? 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=268) (N=84) (N=40) (N=28) (N=30) (N=23) (N=6) (N=9) (N=7) (N=41) (N=135) (N=133) (N=0) St. Augustine/St. Augustine Beach area 61 80 80 21 90 13 17 11 57 56 56 66 NA Northwest (Julington Creek, Fruit Cove, Durbin Creek and/or northwest 10 4 0 25 3 70 0 0 0 2 13 8 NA CR-210 areas) Northeast (Nocatee, Ponte Vedra Beach and/or Palm Valley area) 8 1 0 0 0 13 0 89 14 20 11 5 NA World Golf Village area 7 1 0 50 7 0 0 0 29 0 7 7 NA Southwest (Hastings and Flagler Estates area) 6 2 13 0 0 0 50 0 0 15 5 7 NA To Jacksonville 1 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 NA Other comments** 4 7 5 4 0 0 33 0 0 0 5 3 NA None of the above 2 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 4 NA Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% NA All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05). **Other comments: Mass Public Transit everywhere I would use it for recreation. I'm a realtor so I have to drive my own car for work. 207, 312, Hilltop Road...... Kings Estate area City of St. Aug - City of Jax downtown Us1 South to 312 area and downtown, nights weekend events SR16 Need to CONNECT these, not just one Kings Estate Woodlawn Road Area County Road 13 South to Downtown St Augustine Vermont Heights St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 8 Where Does the Respondent Most Need Public Transportation? (2) "Of the choices below, where do you MOST need public transportation?"
Home Zip Code* Would Use Public Transit? 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=254) (N=79) (N=37) (N=27) (N=27) (N=23) (N=6) (N=9) (N=6) (N=40) (N=133) (N=121) (N=0) Connecting St. Augustine area with the southwest (Hastings and Flagler 19 16 43 4 7 9 67 0 0 28 14 25 NA Estates area) Within St. Augustine 19 27 22 0 44 0 0 0 17 18 22 17 NA Connecting St. Augustine area with the northeast (Nocatee, Ponte Vedra 17 23 5 0 11 9 0 56 33 28 18 16 NA Beach and/or Palm Valley areas) Connecting St. Augustine area with the northwest (Julington Creek, Fruit Cove, Durbin Creek and/or 17 5 3 37 11 65 17 0 17 18 19 14 NA northwest CR-210 areas) Connecting St. Augustine area with World Golf Village area 8 5 3 48 0 0 17 0 33 0 9 7 NA South/Southeast to Downtown 2 4 3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 NA All of the above 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 NA Other areas** 12 13 16 7 15 13 0 44 0 5 11 13 NA None of the above 2 1 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 3 0 3 NA No needs indicated 3 6 0 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 4 2 NA Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% NA All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05). **Other comments: Davis Shores/downtown/US1 & 312 area Jacksonville The Shores to St. Augustine Vilano to downtown and Anastasia Island Connecting Ponte Vedra with Jacksonville Ponte Vedra Beach area trips for handicapped husband to md office Connecting destinations within Ponte Vedra Beach, Palm Valley and Nocatee areas; and connecting NE SJC with NW SJC Connecting Northwest to PVB Ponte Vedra to Jacksonville, Neptune and Atlantic Beach Live in WGV, Work in Nocatee, Play in St. Aug. A connection to all three would be ideal. I'm not certain - will require more thought than this survey allows. Drive all over to meet with clients. Connecting to Duval County/Jacksonville St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 9 What Two Areas Would Respondents Like to See Connected by Public Transportation? "What are the two areas of St. Johns County you MOST need connected by public transit?" Respondents typed in the two areas they would most like to see connected by public transportation. The table shows percentages based on the total number of respondents. For example, 16.5% of the survey respondents would need public transportation between Downtown St. Augustine and the St. Augustine Beach area. 200 respondents provided this information on the survey.
Area 2 St. Augustine St. Downtown Beaches/ Northeast Northwest Augustine Jacksonville St. Anastasia SR16/ Ponte Vilano North St. St. Johns St. Johns Julington Fruit West St. Flagler South/US1 Crescent Orangedal /Duval World Golf Area 1 Total Augustine Island Outlet Mall Vedra Hastings Beach Augustine County County Creek Cove Augustine Estates Elkton South Beach e Palm Coast County Village Downtown St. 36.5% 2.5% 16.5% 0.5% 2.0% 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% 1.0% 0.5% 1.5% 1.5% 0.5% 3.5% 1.5% 2.5% 0.5% Augustine St. Augustine Beaches/Anastasia 8.0% 3.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1.5% 0.5% Island SR16/Outlet Mall 3.0% 1.0% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% Ponte Vedra 7.5% 2.5% 1.0% 1.5% 1.0% 1.0% 0.5% Hastings 5.5% 2.0% 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% 1.0% 0.5% Vilano Beach 1.0% 0.5% 0.5% North St. Augustine 2.0% 1.0% 0.5% 0.5% Northeast St. Johns 3.5% 1.0% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% County Northwest St. Johns 2.0% 2.0% County Julington Creek 3.5% 1.0% 0.5% 1.0% 0.5% 0.5% Fruit Cove 1.0% 0.5% 0.5% West St. Augustine 2.0% 1.0% 1.0% Flagler Estates 2.0% 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% Elkton 1.0% 0.5% 0.5% St. Augustine 10.5% 4.0% 2.0% 0.5% 3.0% 0.5% 0.5% South/US1 South Crescent Beach 1.0% 1.0% Orangedale 1.5% 1.0% 0.5% Palm Coast 0.5% 0.5% Jacksonville/Duval 1.5% 1.0% 0.5% County World Golf Village 5.0% 3.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% Other comments 1.5% 1.5% Total 100% 29.0% 23.5% 2.0% 6.0% 1.0% 1.0% 5.0% 3.5% 6.0% 1.0% 1.5% 2.0% 1.5% 0.5% 7.0% 0.5% 3.0% 3.5% 0.5% 2.0% Table 9b What Two Areas Would Respondents Like to See Connected by Public Transportation? "What are the two areas of St. Johns County you MOST need connected by public transit?" The table shows combined percentages from Table 9, based on the total number of respondents. Responses from Table 9 were combined into larger geographic areas. For example, 4% of the survey respondents would need public transportation between the St. Augustine (Area 1) and Northeast (Area 2) areas of the county. 200 respondents provided this information on the survey.
Area 2
World SR16/ St. North- South- North- Golf Outlet Area 1 Total Augustine east west west Village Mall Other
St. Augustine 59.0% 44.5% 4.0% 1.5% 2.5% 0.5% 1.0% 5.00%
Northeast 11.0% 5.0% 3.5% 0.0% 1.5% 0.0% 0.5% 0.50%
Southwest 8.5% 4.5% 0.5% 1.0% 2.0% 0.0% 0.5% 0.00%
Northwest 6.5% 4.0% 1.0% 0.0% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0% 1.00% World Golf Village 5.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4.0% 0.0% 0.5% 0.5% 0.00%
SR16/Outlet Mall 3.0% 1.5% 0.0% 0.0% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0% 1.00%
Other 7.0% 3.0% 0.5% 0.0% 1.0% 1.5% 0.0% 1.00% Total 100.0% 66.5% 9.5% 3.0% 8.5% 2.0% 2.0% 8.5% St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 10 Why Respondents Would Use Public Transportation in St. Johns County "Which option BEST describes why you would use public transportation in St. Johns County?"
Home Zip Code* Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=265) (N=84) (N=40) (N=28) (N=29) (N=23) (N=6) (N=9) (N=7) (N=39) (N=133) (N=132) (N=0) To avoid driving in heavy traffic and/or parking conditions 37 29 55 32 45 30 33 33 57 36 33 41 NA I like having a variety of transportation options 21 29 5 18 14 35 0 11 14 26 24 17 NA I support transit for others and am willing to try it for myself 18 20 25 18 24 0 33 11 14 15 14 23 NA I prefer not to drive 6 2 5 7 7 9 0 22 0 8 8 3 NA Vehicle(s) in my household are used by other family members 5 4 8 4 0 13 17 11 0 3 5 5 NA Transit is cheaper than other transportation options 4 4 0 7 3 13 0 0 0 3 4 4 NA I cannot drive due to an injury, disability or impairment 3 2 3 11 3 0 0 0 0 3 5 2 NA I don’t have a working vehicle or valid registration 2 4 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 NA Better for the environment 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 14 3 2 1 NA To reduce traffic 1 2 0 0 0 0 17 0 0 0 2 0 NA Other comments** 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 5 1 5 NA Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% NA All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05). **Other comments: I never drove & I am 74 years old Unless I can't drive in the future I would use public transport rarely. We may have to sell our vehicles. Transport of handicapped husband Our employees need it!!! Flagler Hospital To have available when my vehicle is being repaired and/or to cut down on wear and tear on my vehicle. St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 11 Do Respondents Need Public Transportation to Other Counties? "Do you need public transportation between St. Johns County and other counties?"
Home Zip Code* Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=354) (N=99) (N=59) (N=46) (N=39) (N=24) (N=11) (N=11) (N=10) (N=55) (N=129) (N=127) (N=98) Yes 27 21 17 30 13 71 9 55 20 38 47 22 9 Maybe 25 28 32 20 21 13 36 18 30 22 25 42 3 No 48 51 51 50 67 17 55 27 50 40 29 36 88 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05).
Table 12 To Which Counties Do Respondents Need Public Transportation? "If yes, which counties?" Multiple responses accepted. Home Zip Code* Would Use Public Transit? 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=181) (N=45) (N=29) (N=23) (N=13) (N=20) (N=5) (N=8) (N=5) (N=33) (N=92) (N=77) (N=12) Duval County/Jacksonville 88 89 79 100 69 100 100 100 80 82 93 84 67 Flagler County 27 36 52 13 31 0 20 0 20 27 22 29 58 Putnam County 24 29 34 4 15 0 80 0 60 30 22 25 33 Clay County 18 16 17 35 8 20 0 0 60 12 17 17 25 Alachua County/Gainesville 15 31 21 9 23 0 20 0 0 3 14 16 17 Nassau County 3 2 7 0 0 5 0 0 0 3 3 3 0 Baker County 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 Other counties 3 7 7 0 0 0 0 13 0 0 4 1 8 All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05). St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 13 Familiarity with the Sunshine Bus Company "How familiar are you with the following transportation services operated by the St. Johns County Council on Aging?"
Home Zip Code* Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=350) (N=96) (N=59) (N=46) (N=39) (N=24) (N=10) (N=11) (N=10) (N=55) (N=127) (N=125) (N=98) I have used it 14 21 15 9 10 21 20 0 10 7 28 9 3 I have heard of it, but not used 77 78 85 74 87 54 80 82 90 69 62 84 88 I never heard of it 9 1 0 17 3 25 0 18 0 24 10 7 9 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05).
Table 14 Familiarity with Paratransit Service "How familiar are you with the following transportation services operated by the St. Johns County Council on Aging?"
Home Zip Code Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=335) (N=90) (N=56) (N=44) (N=37) (N=24) (N=10) (N=11) (N=10) (N=53) (N=121) (N=117) (N=97) I have used it 3 7 4 0 3 4 10 0 0 0 5 3 2 I have heard of it, but not used 43 39 45 45 41 58 30 73 50 38 53 38 38 I never heard of it 53 54 52 55 57 38 60 27 50 62 42 60 60 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05). St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 15 For Which Type of Trips Would Respondents Use Public Transportation? "For which type of trip would you likely use public transportation on a regular basis if there were service that met your travel needs?" Multiple responses accepted. Home Zip Code* Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=349) (N=97) (N=59) (N=45) (N=39) (N=24) (N=11) (N=11) (N=10) (N=53) (N=129) (N=125) (N=95) Beaches or Historic St. 53 62 49 40 59 54 9 82 50 53 65 60 28 Augustine area attractions Work 39 35 41 22 33 75 45 36 40 47 57 44 8 Shopping/Errands 35 47 31 33 28 33 18 36 10 34 56 39 2 Medical 14 14 12 13 10 21 27 18 20 11 22 15 2 College 5 3 5 2 5 13 9 0 10 9 9 6 1 School (K – 12) 5 3 7 2 5 13 9 9 0 2 6 6 0 None of the above 21 18 32 36 23 4 45 0 20 11 0 9 67 All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05). St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 16 What Conditions Would Most Encourage Respondents to Use Public Transportation? "What three (3) conditions would MOST encourage you to use public transportation?" Multiple responses accepted. Home Zip Code Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=343) (N=95) (N=58) (N=46) (N=38) (N=24) (N=11) (N=11) (N=10) (N=50) (N=128) (N=121) (N=94) Frequent service (vehicles run often) 56 62 43 50 61 71 36 82 60 52 79 53 29 Routes that serve the areas I need to go to 52 58 38 61 47 54 27 64 70 48 63 63 22 Low/Affordable fares 32 33 31 28 29 25 18 18 30 48 33 39 22 Bus stops within ¼ mile of my home and 20 21 19 22 24 17 18 18 10 20 19 26 15 destination Early morning or late evening/night service 20 23 28 11 16 13 27 27 20 16 24 26 5 Nothing would encourage me to use public 16 13 21 22 26 4 27 0 10 10 0 3 53 transportation Clean and safe bus stops and vehicles 15 12 24 15 3 13 27 18 40 10 12 19 13 On-time vehicles 14 16 14 11 11 25 9 9 0 16 15 17 9 Express service/few stops during peak 14 9 14 13 8 42 36 18 30 6 16 17 6 travel periods Convenient transfers between bus routes 8 11 7 2 8 8 9 9 0 10 12 7 4 Good information/Training on how to ride 5 2 3 4 3 8 9 9 10 8 5 5 3 Bike racks at bus stops or on transit 5 5 3 7 5 0 0 18 0 4 8 3 2 vehicles Bus shelters/benches at bus stops 3 3 3 2 5 4 0 0 0 6 4 5 1 Comfortable seats/ride 3 2 2 0 5 4 0 9 0 6 2 3 4 Sunday service 2 2 3 0 5 0 0 0 0 4 3 2 1 All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05). St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 17 Agreement with Statements About Public Transportation "Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following five statements about transportation."
Net: Strongly or Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly Not Total Somewhat Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Sure (N=342) Agree There is a need for additional or improved public transportation within St. Johns 70 18 2 1 8 100% 89% County. Public transportation should be improved 67 25 4 2 3 100% 92% to reduce congestion. An effective public transportation system 65 27 2 2 4 100% 92% is important for the economy. An effective public transportation system 61 25 6 3 5 100% 86% is important for the environment. I would support increased taxpayer funding of public transportation serving St. 35 32 8 14 10 100% 67% Johns County. All numbers in the tables are percentages. St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 18 Age of Respondent "Into which of the following ranges does your age fall?"
Home Zip Code* Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=340) (N=94) (N=59) (N=45) (N=38) (N=24) (N=10) (N=11) (N=10) (N=49) (N=126) (N=120) (N=94) 18-24 2 1 2 0 3 4 0 0 0 4 2 3 0 25-34 11 9 8 9 11 13 0 18 20 20 14 11 7 35-44 19 18 24 7 8 46 20 9 20 27 25 17 15 45-54 22 14 24 29 32 13 30 27 40 18 13 22 33 55-59 14 13 10 13 18 0 40 27 10 14 11 13 18 60-64 14 12 17 24 24 8 10 0 10 6 13 15 14 65-74 15 31 15 11 3 13 0 18 0 6 16 17 13 75+ 3 3 0 7 3 4 0 0 0 4 5 3 0 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05).
Table 19 Number of Working Vehicles in the Household "How many working vehicles are in your household?"
Home Zip Code Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=341) (N=95) (N=59) (N=45) (N=38) (N=24) (N=10) (N=11) (N=10) (N=49) (N=127) (N=120) (N=94) None 2 2 0 2 5 0 0 0 10 2 5 1 0 1 20 28 15 7 21 13 30 36 10 22 24 27 7 2 55 53 58 60 42 63 40 27 60 63 56 51 57 3 or more 23 17 27 31 32 25 30 36 20 12 16 22 35 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05). St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Table 20 Annual Household Income of Respondent "Into which of the following ranges does your total annual household income fall?"
Home Zip Code Would Use Public Transit?* 32084 32086 32092 32080 32259 32033 32082 32095 St. St. Aug World Golf St. Aug St.Johns Elkton Ponte Palencia- All Total Augustine Southeast Village Beach (Northwest) Vedra Airport Others Yes Maybe No (N=280) (N=80) (N=49) (N=32) (N=33) (N=20) (N=9) (N=10) (N=8) (N=39) (N=108) (N=100) (N=72) Less than $10,000 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 1 2 0 $10,000 to $29,999 8 11 2 9 6 10 0 10 0 10 12 8 1 $30,000 to $49,999 20 21 24 16 12 15 11 20 38 26 25 22 11 $50,000 to $69,999 20 23 29 6 15 15 11 10 13 28 19 20 22 $70,000 or more 51 44 45 69 64 60 78 60 50 33 44 48 65 Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% All numbers in the tables are percentages. *Statistically significant differences (p<.05). St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
32084 - St. Augustine
If public transportation was seen as a trendy way to get around town, it would be used by a much wider base and actually alleviate traffic issues rather than just be a useful tool for people who can't afford a personal car. For instance, in DC, the metro s a way for people of all income levels to get around because it travels to places you want to go and it is generally clean and safe - of course it is DC so it's dicey in some spots but in general I used it with my friends to go out and about and never thught twice about it. I would never ride on a bus that was dingy or only used by by people who can't afford to travel any other way... I want to see other people who are using it that look like me - young, professional, local - because it's convenient and ffordable and popular. If you set up a system that caters only to the poorest needs it will only be used by that demographic. I use taxis and Uber to get downtown on the weekends and would gladly pay $5 to a bus/trolley/other if it picked up close to my huse and dropped off in several places downtown. In Ocean City MD the buses make loops and you can pay $2 to ride the bus all day, it's affordable for families, they can hop on and off and it reduces drunk driving drastically. I would think the initiative ould be accomplished without increasing taxes if it had the right look and then was marketed heavily to tourists and advertising inside the vehicle was promoting area attractions. Buses don't run frequently enough.
I would understand transportation for tourists, but we have sufficient transportation for the local folks.
For public transport to work, it has to be convenient. That means not having wait more than 15 minutes. The vehicles need to be attractive also. Check out the trolley/bus system in St. Pete/Tampa as an example. I recently spent time on Treasure Island andused their shuttle to get around the island. There was a great trolley system that connected Ybor City and the aquarium. I recognize that's a much larger area but there's ideas that could be taken for a smaller town.I also believe the county needs to suport the city of St. Augustine on satelite parking and shuttle systems. The main reason the city is experiencing so much congestion is because of the development of the county. It's only right that the county help pay for the solution. light rail to Jacksonville would be the most used service for my household St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
32084 - St. Augustine
I am a realtor, so cannot use public transportation for work as I'm in and out of my car most days, ferrying prospective buyers around, but I would use it to get to the Amphitheater, farmers' markets, downtown for events, etc., after work. I think it's ecessary to have it to assist locals, the elderly, and handicapped so they can enjoy downtown. I grew up here and recall the bus service we had in the 50's and 60's (and probably beyond - for a while). And then there also used to be a shuttle downtown. Now the trailer trains (along with the golf carts, three wheeled little "cars", scooters, segways, Ghost Tour buses, etc.) have a lock on downtown transportation for the tourists, but there is noting for locals. A brain-injured friend of mine in his 50' (who had to move away) used to take the Sunshine Bus. The transfers between routes were onerous. I haven't kept up with their schedules, but they made transportation difficult for him; he could no longer drive or ride a bike so had to walk or take the us. I would love to bring my 92-year old mother (and some of her friends) downtown to eat, church or events, but there is no convenient parking or even loading zones on the main streets downtown for the elderly or handicapped. Mother used to be presidet of the Woman's Exchange, but there's no place for me to unload her to get her in there to participate in their luncheons or special presentations. Tourists are the priority, they fill up the parking garage (along with Flagler students), so that residets can't feel certain that, after having driven to town, can find parking spaces left in there. And that's IF they can afford to pay the $12 to park there for an evening. I know there's a parking card that residents can purchase, but I don't know the deails. Our business is rare in that we have our own parking lot downtown, so I personally rarely have to worry with parking - and I'm healthy enough to be able to walk to most places downtown. Regarding the I do not understand why the county wants to develop a transit system. I think they should work with the Sunshine Bus system. The has been working well these years when our city or county would not or could not provide a system. I have a medical appointment this morning at Baptist South. I used Google Maps to see how long it should take me to drive there and now they include public transportation times. It would take an astonishing 4 hours and 40 minutes via public transportationvs 30 minutes in a car. Unless that time can be greatly reduced, we'll never get people using public transportation for trips like this. Better public transportation would greatly help with mobility in St. Augustine and also St. Johns County. The Yellow Bus is not the answer. I think it is a great service for those that need the transporation to get to jobs, medical appts and shopping. I would hate to see it go away as it is much needed and appreciated. Ensure to find ways to survey the residents who truly must have public transportation to get to their jobs, get groceries, etc. In our household it isn't a need, we are gratefully privileged; however, for some it is imperative to their livelihoods. For ou income bracket, increased public transportation would encourage us to frequent downtown businesses more often if there was a park & ride trolley or bus system, water taxis from Vilano, etc. Also, we have many friends who live in St. Aug & commute to Jax rea daily- reliable, clean, affordable transportation could improve their quality of life & protect the environment. Keep up the great work with the mobility initiative! Improved routes in downtown and beaches and reduced headways will encourage ridership. Partnerships - private and public need to fund the improved services, do not think property taxes should fund, increase local option sales tax to fund public portion oftransit. St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
32084 - St. Augustine
In one of the earlier questions, you ask if I would use public transportation. Since the question came right after two questions about my transportation to work, I almost answered "no" because I thought you were referring to whether or not I would use pulic transportation to commute to work, which would not be practical for me, since I have to travel as part of my job. My problem with the current bus service is, I live too far off San Marco to be able to use it. Frankly, I don't know how this can be solved, unless a lot is provided to park my car so I can then use public transportation, but I don't see how this would evr work. My job requires use of a personal automobile for frequent trips to and from office & different destinations almost daily. Even if I did not have commitments for appointments that require driving a personal automobile of a particular day, it is extremely ulikely that public transportation would get me where I need to go at the appointed time. I just want you to know that my particular job and its requirements for getting to & from destinations is unpredictable for the most part - and these "trips" would hadly ever align to a public transportation route or to any pickup/dropoff scheduled times.However, I do believe and understand that an efficient and comprehensive public transportation program that is affordable for the user and offers options for routes schedules, destinations, etc. is vitally important for the community and those who rely upon various modes of public transportation. It would be so wonderful/useful if there was public transportation to Jax airport. For me, and I think many other St. Augustine/SJC residences, this would be a wonderful addition to our community.I recently took the Jacksonville transit authority - JTAbus from the Jax airport to downtown Jax where I had to transfer to another JTA bus to the Avenue Mall where I was able to catch the Sunshine bus. This took 2.5 hours which does not include wait time... I had to wait 1.5 hours for the sunshine bus connecion. So that's 4 hours total to get home to St. Augustine. Cost: $4. I did this as an experience on bus travel to and from the airport. It's very necessary for the people in our community to have transportation, perhaps it would encourage more people to look for employment rather than staying home as I am told by them they cannot work because they have no transportation. Long needed.
Less weekly festivals at "City Events Field" North City traffic congestion. On big event days you can leave home, but cannot return after necessary trips for medical or shopping needs. Return field to local sporting activities for children and adults.Lessrevenue, but less congestion for increased resident mobility. I think children should ride the schoolbus or walk to & from home. Parents "parked" right on the streets waiting for school to dismiss so they can pick up their kids is my biggest transportation issue. Getting around town during morning drop off isn't qite as bad...but almost. NEVER saw this phenomenon until moving to St Johns County! The Sunshine Bus is a great asset but poorly understood by the general public. But for those who depend on it it is a lifesaver! St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
32084 - St. Augustine
We are close to gridlock, and getting closer each season.
TX for asking for public input. I do believe public transportation, if people like myself find it efficient and easy enough to use, will make a difference on the traffic congestion in our fair city. The existing routes or schedules do not fit my, or my family's needs; therefore, we use our personal vehicle We need to reduce traffic downtownand provide effective public transportation.....no parking lotsdowntown! The area would be best served with a rail based downtown circulator and a regional connection to Jacksonville via commuter rail. The of St.Augustine need this. It is long over due!
We have the tour trains that already do what is needed. Why not tap into them to provide a resident fee/pass. Stop building housing complexes...we already have more people than our infrastructure can support... Absolutely need shuttle service from Jacksonville to here, to bring people down on the weekend.
Service need to be available for citizens and tourists that need public transportation and to help reduce traffic congestion. With the growth of this county I feel we need more transit service from the Sunshine bus on Woodlawn road there are 3 new developements San Salito Coquina ,And Heritage park many people do not drive also there are not sidewalks to walk to a bank or grocry store also the free bus for seniors is only for low income so if you are a middle class you need to rely on taxis or friends for DR Appts or Grocery shopping where if we had some puplic transportation we could have that .This county is growing rapidlyAnd we need better mobility all the growth has brought in new tax dollars & with better transit the county will also prosper This will be the 4th mobility/transportation survey I've completed in 2016. Lots of talk and very little action. Residential streets should not be used as "feeder roads" for access for those coming from outside city limits or for short cuts. This destroys the quality of life in these neighborhoods, causes accidents - as in our neighborhood and damage to landscaping.Speeding by those cutting through is not controllable by speed and stop signs or the speed humps that have been installed. It is impossible for city police to patrol these streets all the time. Perhaps the county can arrange for some sheriff officers to ptrol, in addition to city police, since the cut through's include large numbers of people who live at Vilano Beach and beyond - outside the city limits? Please see the traffic counts and speed reports taken on Nelmar Ave over the period of one week, alredy taken by the city and disseminated to residents. St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
32084 - St. Augustine
Re the survey: asking about which routes the respondent "MOST needs" implies the question is for people who lack independent transportation (generally the low income and/or those with DUIs). This may reflect an embedded bias on the part of the researches. Asking about what routes people "prefer" may side step this problem. Access to consistent and timely service.
The only people who would use public transportation are low income individuals. The reason most people don't want to take the Sunshine Bus or other transportation is because they would have to share it with the homeless and other unsavory people. Since t. Johns is one of the most affluent counties in the state, it would benefit a very small segment of the population (who bare the lower tax burden). The real issue is traffic congestion on US 1 due to the historic section of St. Augustine, in conjunctin with the parking issues within the city, which cause extreme backup on US 1 during the weekends and holidays. I do not claim to be an expert in civil engineering, but that's where the solution has to start. I foresee even bigger problems within the couty as the IGP area becomes more commercial and traffic increases in that area. Unfortunately, our infrastructure has not kept up with the sudden boom in population. The US 1/ 312 intersection is a nightmare, along with King/Ponce. 32086 - St. Augustine Southeast
I truly believe that more people would be able to lift themselves out of poverty if we target the areas that are most in need of assistance with transportation ie: hastings and Putnam county In order to support the merchants downtown and keep our city's reputation, we need to come up with a better way to have the visitors enjoy their time here and not be concerned about their transport of getting around. It would be good to have a "park and ide" facility in three of the incoming roads to St. Augustine. What other city can you go to and not worry about moving safely through their town?Cindy Stewart The congestion downtown and on US 1 is getting worse everyday. Less vehicles downtown and more transportational trolleys or buses. Downtown congestion is largely impacted by the trolley trains driving 5 mph on King St and San Marco in order to give the tours to people despite the 25 mph speed limit. The carriages are just as bad and cause the same problem not to mention the BOL goin up during rush hour traffic. St Johns County transportation should be integrated and compliment a broader transportation network especially with Jacksonville/Duval County. A good example is Denver, Colorado where light rail, buses and street cars are thoroughly integrated and supportseveral surrounding counties and municipalities. I have recently used this system and was very impressed with how the system provides service to the airports, downtown Denver and numerous residential/commercial hubs in the region. Any county transit solution should be coordinated and work efficiently and effectively with any that may be implemented to serve the City of St. Augustine. St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
32086 - St. Augustine Southeast
I have never needed to use public transportation, however if I had to (due to having no vehicle of my own), I would. Good transportation desperately needed.
I would also like to see more safe bike paths. Especially on Kings Estate Blvd. There seems to be a number of people in that area who really rely on their bikes for transportation and it is very unsafe on that road. Perhaps a better bus system in this are would help as well. thank you. Satellite parking to downtown for shopping, eating, and special events.
Public transportation would be helpful, but the buses need to move at the speed limit and not impede traffic. Traffic is already very congested and when vehicles do not travel at the speed limit it makes getting through town/US1 difficult especially when ights are not timed correctly. Planners need to consider TWO new bridges in the St. Johns County area.1) Connect Pablo Island north of vilano and south of GTM NERR to the mainland.2) Connect Anastasia Island south of SR312 bridge and north of SR206.This would relieve a great deal oftraffic from growing population in the area.ALSO - consider electric trains using EXISTING roadbeds (ie US 1) to transport masses efficiently north and south / east and west along major corridors. Disney does it and most every airport in the country uss skyway transports. Of primary importance is a convenient and reliable shuttle system between downtown St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach. My family doesn't get to enjoy town any more due to traffic and parking.
MOST LOCALS JUST WANT TO DRIVE DOWNTOWN WHEN THEY WANT TO.
With no metropolitan area to work with, how would public transportation ever support itself?
32092 - World Golf Village
A beach line running from JAX/JTA-Ponte Vedra-Vilano-St.Augustine-Crescent Beach-Marineland- Flagler/DAB on 7 days a week would go far in reducing congestion and opening our recreation areas to more people. Public transportation seems to be a staple in thriving cities. It reduces parking issues, traffic and increases environment awareness and accessibility. I'm not sure how effective it would be considering how spread out St. John's County is, but I would upport a realistic endeavor that did not involve heavy taxes. I believe public transportation is urgently needed in St. John's County to relieve the terrible traffic congestion. I live in a rural area of the county and would rarely use it, but might if I was going to be in the downtown area for most of the day. St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
32092 - World Golf Village
We do not go to downtown St A as often anymore because it has become difficult to find parking close to restaurants & other areas. The parking garage is too expensive to be that far away and not run frequent shuttles, at least for this area (would be a brgain in NYC or DC!) Public transport would be a good option. We use public transport often when we travel both internationally and to larger domestic cities. Stop building infrastructure after the houses have already been built. All we do is play catchup and the residents suffer because of poor foresight. Bike Lanes with all newly built or resurfaced roads!
Offer special parking/transportation for those who live and pay taxes in St. Johns. Make it more convenient for those of us that are a part of this community to use our amenities Would boost economy and should be affordable. Would be nice to go downtown st Augustine and not pay excessive parking fees. Public transportation is effective in densely populated communities. St Johns County is not dense enough for public transportation to be economical or effective Definitely need it to Jax &St.Aug.
Frequently running buses throughout the county would alleviate the traffic and parking problems in St. Augustine and provide a great service to rural areas not currently serviced. A route along CR 13 along the St. Johns River and to and from St. Augustinevia CR 214 would serve the growing population of older residents retiring in that area and provide stimulus for development of the areas directly west of downtown. Routes connecting the Mill Creek shopping/medical/recreational area also would be beneficia to residents along CR 13 S. Transportation is needed for the lower income families in St. Johns County that is accessible, affordable and travels between counties. This is also a great need for families involved in Dependency Court in our county who need to travel to visit with chilren who may have been removed from their custody and also desperately need access to service providers in the county that can assist with reunification of our families in crisis. Transportation opportunities are needed in St. Johns County for seniors, students, and adults.
In the area I live the biggest transportation problem is at the schools. I am amazed that parentsdrive their children to school even though bus transportation is available.( my neighbors do this) Bus transportation seems to be a good idea only for those ho do not have automobiles or for some reason can not obtain a licence to drive. A major factor that keeps our family from using public transportation is our child. We have a small toddler that requires a car seat. Also, the typical crowd I see using public transportation is not a crowd I'd like to be around, simply for my safety. 32080 - St. Augustine Beach St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
32080 - St. Augustine Beach
Public transportation is not the answer to the problems in the county. IT IS TOO MUCH GROWTH/HOUSING PROJECT BEING APPROVED As the city of New York does, rental bikes available through out the hotspots of the city would be grand. Pick one up at the bridge of Lions and return it at other areas throughout the city to save the walking or driving looking for a parking spot. Put thm at the VIC, the fort, The Lightner, The distillery. People would enjoy the sights at a slower pace then cars and a faster pace than walking. Use quarters to release the bike and once returned to a bike station it would relock itself. Public transportation is currently a disaster, especially in tourism-heavy areas like downtown St. Augustine. The state of public transportation is even worse for those with disabilities, making it even harder for them to get around, which shouldn't be th case considering our Deaf and Blind school. Adequate bus service available and many of my disadvantaged clients use it. Downtown needs tourist public transit from satellite parking. Revisit the multi modal center across from the Airport considered years ago by the City & County
Shuttles running up and down Anastasia Blvd. for a nominal fee would greatly reduce traffic on the Island going into town. Drop people off on the island side of the bridge. Run shuttle from St. Augustine Beach to foot of the Bridge . Limits on hours of tour-trolly / trains along with carriages in order to reduce traffic congestion during peak hours Public transit should recognize the distinction between needs of tourists transportation needs and the residents; both may be served from transit but require different approach. A great transportation plan that can help reduce congestion in the downtown area would be beneficial to residents and tourists. There should be additional public transportation service on summer holiday weekends (Memorial Day and Labor Day) and on the July 4th holiday for people who want to go to the beach at St. Augustine Beach, the County's pier park and the City's Splash Park. The sunshine bus does a good service, but is essentially useless. At peak tourism times it is literally impossible to find parking for work or play and as a resident of the city I find it ridiculous that I'm unable to enjoy the city I work so hard to livein. A REAL public transport system is direly needed here. As St. Augustine's workers in the tourism/service industry move farther into the country to escape rising housing costs, how will they get to work in the shops and hotels downtown if there is no plce to put the vehicle in which they traveled from Palatka? Traffic should be routed around downtown and the downtown area should be walking ONLY. There also needs to be an additional parking garage. The COA has no business running the Public Transportation system. The COA is stealing the Federal Funds that are to only be used on Public Transportation. County Administrator Michael Wanchick is derelict in his duties for failing to personally audit the unding. Tom Reynolds, the smartest person in the room when it comes to Public Transportation. St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
32080 - St. Augustine Beach
SOMETHING has to be done about the gridlock, traffic congestion and lack of parking in the downtown area. More bus route's and more buses or trolleys is the answer. People cannot take mass transportation when there are limited routes and limited hours.nd stop advertising for more tourists! We have enough & can't handle the throngs that we already have. Sue the advertising $$$ to buy more buses & bus drivers. Public transit is BADLY needed in SJC. Traffic is bad & is impacting commerce around the eastern part of the county. It is time to do this. It is time to take the flack of the teaparty and the other people who think money is everything and FUND PUBLIC TRASIT. This is a brave and wise move.This is part of the sustainable growth model and is a very good investment for the county's future and quality of life. I would love to take a bus to work (from crescent beach to downtown). I checked the three things tat I feel are important (go where I go, runs frequently enough, and is on time). On weekends, what a treat it would be to take the bus service somewhere and not have to get in one's car if we don't have to. Remember: the roads aren't getting LESS crowde. Traffic is not going to get any better than it is now. Public transit can be a big part of this answer.So a BIG YES to public transit. Thank you and I hope we move towards it. Public transit for tourists is the critical need. Special routes need to be set up for "tourists only" so indigent riders don't have to ride together with tourists. The county government should pay for this service through the bed tax collections. 32259 - Northwest St. Johns County
I think it would be helpful to have public transportation from the Northwest area (Julington Creek) to St. Augustine Beach and downtown St. Augustine. There is never any parking at the beach and I don't want to pay $10 for the parking garage to visit downown. It's time for the county to cooperate with Duval county to consider public transit for commuter travel from Northern St. Johns County to downtown Jacksonville. The reality is that many households in the northern part of the county commute to Jacksonville With residential areas growing rapidly, commuter vehicle congestion will continue to be a burden on northern St. Johns County roads until an alternate form of transportation is made available. Public transit to Duval county will also encourage economic rowth and development deeper south into St. Johns County. Need connection to Duval county, Jax downtown and St Augustine.
I think that downtown St Augustine should be closed to vehicles except local residents of the downtown area. Instead parking garages should be located on the periphery of the city and transportation provided to the downtown area. Park and ride areas would encourage people to ride. Parents should not be allowed to take children to or pick children up from school during normal school hours or charge them. These 2 suggestions would alivate traffic,rage,pollution and save people money if successful it will pay for itself. St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
32259 - Northwest St. Johns County
At the very least, St. John's should have around the clock transportation connecting St. Augustine with Jacksonville. The area has grown too big to not have reliable and consistent public transportation. And with tourism on the rise in St. Augustine, tourst need to get around efficiently - connections should be made for both airports (JIA and Northeast Regional), downtown Jacksonville, and Historic St. Augstine. I support the JTA merging with the Sunshine Bus Company to create a more cohesive regional trasit system like what was planned with the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Commission some years ago. With Jax becoming a major shopping destination, why not connect tourist areas to the TC - more money for the economy. And last, I'm tired of sitting n traffic, on my commute home. The traffic is getting worse -- I'd rather take transit so someone else can fight the traffic for me. Public transit should include rail. A light rail system running in harmony along the CSX or FEC lines would greatly reduce the ADT up and down St Johns County. City of St St Augustine is over crowded. No more events!!!!
Give us some bus service, particularly NW SJC
32033 - Elkton Area wider two lane roads and fewer roundabouts. and more bike paths away from the roads
The county is growing at an increasing rate and we fear it will turn into another Miami type city and lose its uniqueness in the very near future. If there was a train or express bus / van from City of St. Aug (or Rt 16/95) up to downtown Jax, I'd use it every day. If the Sunshine Bus Company would follow some of what you laid out here they could improve their product. Better advertisement to let public know they are there. TV, radio and newspaper, they need to get their service better known to the public. Need to more clearly define bus stops and need shelters for people waiting, more frequent routes and coordinated routes during peak times prior to and after work to help our motel, service industry workers 32082 - Ponte Vedra
Not only public transportation is need but adequate parking for accessability to those who may drive.
Increase walkability and bike paths, specifically along Solana Road, would increase the health and well-being of the community. Widening roads has proven to increase traffic and congestion. Please invest in a reliable public transit option that connect o walkable pathways and bike-friendly communities. St Johns County's lush, green landscape seems to be dwindling rapidly. I would also like to see more bike racks, better bike access and more greenways St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
32082 - Ponte Vedra
Need transportation services for wheelchair bound individuals including helping individual get out of the house in a wheelchair and get out of the bus to MD office(s) and transport back and help getting into house from the bus when individual is in a wheechair. Area too scattered to support a transit system.If there was a need for it and it was viable,someone would step up to the plate. These systems are extremely expensive and rapidly get out of control when you start them. They are a political nightmare and ill eat up a budget faster then you can say all aboard. You have no idea how much subsidy you will need. I do not believe there is one system in America that is self sufficient!!!! and I was in the bus business in NY with approx. 1700 buses in my control All funded by tax payers and we were transporting in excess of 250,000 per day. An improvement that can be completed right away that does not cost money are to improve the light cycles on A1A. The light at Target is way to frequent a red light, it is 95% of the time I come off JTB to get that darn light. Go back to having three lane until the Mobil gas station, it helps to move the traffic along. Also please get a trolley that has a stop at the Sawgrass Publix in Ponte Vedra and goes to JAX Beach, Neptune and Atlantic Beach and one that goes into Nocotee. Thank you! 32095 - Palencia/Airport Area
Need a parking area at the Saint Augustine Airport and shuttle service from there to downtown. Shuttles need to run between the two day and night. Could capture north of city traffic and reduce congestion. Nocatee, Palencia, Kensington, Las Calinas, EagleCreek, WGV communities, all generate significant vehicle trips and parking that could be significantly reduced. Cordova Palms coming soon?? Tourism in St. Augustine is an impact on all of St. Johns County. Off site parking and shuttles into the Historic District should be of mutual concern and discussion between the two government bodies. A solid partnership in identifying areas to park and suttle services for visitors into the area would be advantageous to all St. Johns County residents. Needs to service downtown during weekends and nights from outlying areas with available parking to decrease congestion and combat unavailable parking, with frequent drop spots for the elderly who cannot walk distances All Other Zip Codes
Keep the public informed about progress on implementation of mass transit St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
All Other Zip Codes
Having been a resident of SJC for over 35 years, I've seen traffic and parking conditions go from decent to abysmal. I still can't believe that cars get so horribly backed up around the Bridge of Lions, sitting there and spewing toxic, greenhouse gas fume, so that one little pleasure boat can pass. The expensive parking in the downtown area sucks. US 1 has gone from a pleasant ride to dangerous and over-congested big city conditions. And yet, in the true spirit of the idiotic political belief in "perpeual growth," the county and city commissions continue to support developers and continue to encourage more and more people and businesses to move here. Perpetual growth is unsustainable in every sense of the word, and that philosophy has led to our curret transportation nightmare. Instead of a Transit Development Plan, why don't you reframe your goals into more of a Transit De- evolution Plan? Stop building new sub-divisions. Stop chopping down woods and displacing even more native animals. Don't we hve enough shopping malls? It's your children and grandchildren that will inherit the earth you degraded. Smarten up. Let's create a society, not a market. I have little hope that your plan will do any good. The big-monied interests and the politician they control wouldn't allow the change that really needs to take place. SJC, like the rest of this country, is circling the drain. See you in hell. I am in Human Resources and we are located in Ponte Vedra Beach. It is difficult to fill our open positions due to the lack of transportation. Better transportation in St. Johns County would alleviate that and get people back to work! Much needed especially for students trying to reach the Tech College off Collins avenue
Provide transit service to low income and tourist areas first. Tourists will boost ridership and reduce parking and congestion downtown. This would also free up parking downtown for locals. A couple of park and ride type lots at the edges of downtown woul also be nice. Then serve the lower income areas of West King to Holmes, SR 16 out to Holmes, 207 out to Holmes, Holmes, 312 from AIA to 207 and US1 from Walmart to Airport. Tourists will not ride if the service is not frequent enough and does not run lon hours. I think an app with bus tracking is a must for a new system. Limited service beyond this area is not dense enough and probably wouldn't have high ridership. Not that there aren't those that could use reliable but less frequent service. A strong ral connection to other cities would be nice too and using the existing station north of downtown is not ideal and not an option with out good bus service. I have a lot of friends that work in the st johns county area and the all have issues getting to work as the have no car and no public transport to st johns county from Duvall county the last bus stop in Duvall is near the Publix food store in Jacksonvill beach then its the walk to any where in Ponte Vedra is long and driving is becoming a nightmare their are a lot of accidents daily it seems I do be leave this could help Employing the right people is extremely challenging with the lack of needed public transportation in Ponte Vedra Beach. The sunshine bus provides a great service for the community.
I teach at FCTC. There are always people who cannot come to school because of transportation. We need more buses available to bring students here in a timely manner. St. Johns County Transportation Survey - July 2016
Appendix A - Respondent Comments "What additional comments do you have about transportation in St. Johns County?"
Note: The comments are printed as they were typed by respondents on the online survey. The comments are sorted by the respondent's home zIp code.
All Other Zip Codes
Small, efficient, on time and regular, with a unique style and nice bus stops would be excellent.
Florida drivers are terrible. I see and pass accidents every day I go to work. Improved and well known public transportation would hopefully keep these bad or reckless drivers off the road. I would prefer driving behind a slow bus then someone driving in etween to lanes. Based on past knowledge of how much new programs increase taxes I wouldn't mind at all if I knew it was keeping my drive to and from home safer. Would also give my younger siblings the ability to go into town and actually get some life exerience and a feeling of independence and freedom. Big opportunity for an extensive water taxi service (Vilano, Shipyards, FSDB, Lighthouse, SR 16, etc)Commuter rail to JaxStreetcar from Airport to beaches via downtown To plan for future expansion in SJC, St. Augustine needs to begin public transportation now. I predict that it will be widely used. I filled this out for myself. Currently my husband is disabled but has not been approved by SS yet. He has severe vision loss and cannot legally drive so even if he could drive (he has brain damage from a stroke.) he would be unable to do so. So he would ave no way to get to that job out there somewhere that will hire a person such as himself who is a hazard to himself and others due to his disabilities. St. Johns County Government Page 1 of 4
(/index.aspx) St. Johns County Government
Elected Officials, Divisions, Departments, & Information | P: (904) 209-0655 | TF: 1-877-475-2468 | E: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Surveys St. Johns County Transit Development Plan Public Opinion Survey – St. Johns County is completing a Transit Development Plan. This survey is part of the plan's process to evaluate public transportation conditions and needs and consider potential ways to enhance mobility and access for residents and employees. The survey will be available through Sunday, June 26, 2016. Take the brief survey at www.sjctransitstudy.com (http://www.sjctransitstudy.com) Parks and Recreation Survey – The Parks and Recreation Department is updating its Master Plan to guide the future of parks, nature preserves, beach areas, athletic facilities, and recreation programs and services within the County. To effectively formulate a Master Plan that meets the needs of the community, the Department is seeking public input through an online survey. Residents will have an opportunity to share how they enjoy County parks, recreation facilities, and beaches, and provide input on potential future projects. For more information, please call 904.209.0322. Take the Survey (http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/StJohnsParks) FYI Vilano Beach Fishing Pier Closed – The Vilano Beach Fishing Pier, 260 Vilano Rd., will be closed for safety enhancements through spring 2017. For more information, please call 904.209.0333. Vilano Beach Pier Project (http://webappserver1.co.st- johns.fl.us/bcc/PublicRelations/PressReleasesRepo/Media/VilanoFishingPierClosedforRepairs052516.pdf)
http://www.sjcfl.us/ 6/14/2016 St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
APPENDIX G: PUBLIC COMMENT/MEETING MATERIALS
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St. Johns County Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board Quarterly Meeting
Thursday, March 3, 2016 1
Northeast Florida Regional Council St. Johns County Commission State of Florida Transportation Brian D. Teeple, Hon. Rachael Bennett, Chair Disadvantaged Commission Chief Executive Officer David Darm, Chairman
M I N U T E S
The quarterly meeting of the St. Johns County Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board was held on Thursday, March 3, 2016, at the Sunshine Bus Facility, 2595 Old Moultrie Road, St. Augustine, Florida. Chair Bennett called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. with the following in attendance: Joseph McDermott, Warren Butler, Joe Stephenson, DeWeece Ogden, Jeff Aboumrad, Janell Damato, Ed Clark, Becky Yanni, Greta Larkin, April Bacchus and Lindsay Haga (NEFRC). Chair Bennett welcomed everyone and asked for a roll call to establish a quorum. It was established that a quorum was present.
Chair Bennett asked for review of the December 3, 2015 draft minutes. Mr. Stephenson motioned approval, seconded by Mr. McDermott and the minutes were unanimously approved.
Ms. Haga provided an update to the TDSP to reflect current grants. This was approved unanimously under a motion by Mr. Butler with a second by Mr. Stephenson.
Ms. Larkin and Mr. Clark provided the CTC quarterly report. The quarterly statistics are on track to mirror last year. The Mobile Data Terminals will enhance route management. Four buses with MDT have been added to the fleet. The TDSP must be revised to address Rider Qualification standards listed in state statute. Changes and expansion of the Teal Line were discussed.
Ms. Bacchus, ETM Transportation Planner and consultant to the COA, presented the Major Update of the Transit Development Plan asking for input from the LCB as it relates to transit needs. The LCB asked for the questionnaire to be resent by email again so they can complete it.
Mr. Stephenson shared a proposal for support of a Transit Planning 4 All grant application which will further regional mobility by creating a Regional Mobility Council. The LCB agreed to support the application and Chair Bennett a letter of support, after motion by Mr. Butler, second by Mr. McDermott and with unanimous support of the LCB.
Member Reports: Mr. McDermott from Veterans Services mentioned the Gainesville office has some potential scheduling changes, not final yet. Jeff Aboumrad with DOE Vocational Rehabilitation explained his role. Mary Ann Holanchach representing K12 shared her role as a former LCB member and that her client base of Headstart could benefit from public transportation.
Meeting adjourned at 3:15pm, and was followed by a tour of the transit center.
The next LCB meeting is scheduled for September 1, 2016 at 2:00 p.m., with a public hearing immediately following, will be held at the St. Johns County Council on Aging River House, 180 Marine Street, St. Augustine, Florida.
1 St. Johns County Transit Development Plan, 2016 Major Update (DRAFT)
APPENDIX H: ADDITIONAL EXISTING CONDITIONS TABLES AND FIGURES
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APPENDIX H. ADDITIONAL EXISTING CONDITIONS TABLES AND FIGURES
Developments of Regional Impact DRI PUD Total Approved Total Built Total Remaining Approved DRIs Resolution Ordinance Residential Office Retail Industrial Residential* Office** Retail** Industrial** Residential Office Retail Industrial Aberdeen 2003-62 2004-21 2,018 40,000 60,000 0 1,035 0 0 0 983 49% 40,000 100% 60,000 100% 0 Ashford Mills (Shearwater) 2006-64 2006-119 2,633 30,000 250,000 0 0 0 0 0 2,633 100% 30,000 100% 250,000 100% 0 Durbin Crossing 2003-61 2004-7 2,498 70,000 100,000 0 1,516 0 0 0 982 39% 70,000 100% 100,000 100% 0 Julington Creek 1993-159 2012-27 6,097 120,000 351,950 0 4,001 52,405 185,913 0 2,096 34% 67,595 56% 166,037 47% 0 Marshall Creek (Palencia) 2009-370 2009-66 2,774 300,000 300,000 0 1,050 19,500 182,150 0 1,724 62% 280,500 94% 117,850 39% 0 Nocatee 2001-30 2002-46 14,636 4,208,000 1,000,000 250,000 5,134 87,324 69,850 4,800 9,502 65% 4,120,676 98% 930,150 93% 245,200 RiverTown 2004-45 2005-100 4,500 100,000 300,000 0 527 0 0 0 3,973 88% 100,000 100% 300,000 100% 0 Saint Johns 1998-126 2007-03 7,200 2,493,000 583,000 2,464,000 172,745 154,861 75,755 7,200 100% 2,320,255 93% 428,139 73% 2,388,245 Silverleaf Plantation 2006-65 2006-117 10,700 300,000 1,140,000 330,000 0 0 0 0 10,700 100% 300,000 100% 1,140,000 100% 330,000 Twin Creeks 2014-157 2006-3 3,680 700,000 989,000 1,950,000 0 0 0 0 3,680 100% 700,000 100% 989,000 100% 1,950,000 World Commerce Center 2012-157 2004-48 1,156 2,171,488 1,261,000 453,900 625 82,229 0 368,229 531 46% 2,089,259 96% 1,261,000 100% 85,671 Totals>>> 57,892 10,532,488 6,334,950 5,447,900 13,888 414,203 592,774 448,784 44,004 10,118,285 5,742,176 4,999,116
In St. Johns County, total Built figures for DRI projects based on WATS Master Query and Annual Reports. * Built totals based on platted single family lots and approved multi family construction plans. ** Built totals for some developments pre-WATS are not current to date. Some non-residential built totals reflect sq. ft. under MDPs. *** All non-residential development is expressed in square feet except for Flagler Center industrial development, which is expressed in acres. Sources: St. Johns County Planning Division, 2014; Northeast Florida Regional Council, 2015; ETM, 2015
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APPENDIX H. ADDITIONAL EXISTING CONDITIONS TABLES AND FIGURES
Critical and Deficient Roadway Segments
(Mi.) UTILIZED STATUS VOLUME ROADWAY FROM/TO LENGTH VOLUME LINK SERVICE CR 5A (Old Moultrie Rd) Southpark Blvd. to SR 312 0.37 219.9% DEFICIENT 1,440 Race Track Rd. Bartram Park Blvd to Bartram Springs Pkwy 1.49 217.4% DEFICIENT 1,600 CR 210 Greenbriar Rd. to Cimarrone Blvd. 2.26 212.9% DEFICIENT 1,440 Race Track Rd. St. Johns Pkwy to Bartram Park Blvd 1.44 201.1% DEFICIENT 1,600 SR 16 SR 9 (I-95) to Inman Rd. 0.34 162.6% DEFICIENT 3,200 CR 5A (Old Moultrie Rd) Kings Estate Road to Lewis Point Road 0.37 138.7% DEFICIENT 1,440 SR 13 Race Track Rd. to Duval Co. Line 0.71 131.1% DEFICIENT 3,580 Alternate CR 210 CR 210 W. to SR 5 (US 1) N 0.95 126.8% DEFICIENT 1,310 Kenton Morrison Rd. Four Mile Rd. to SR 16 0.47 125.8% DEFICIENT 1,440 CR 5A (Old Moultrie Rd) Lewis Point Road to Southpark Blvd. 0.77 124.2% DEFICIENT 1,440 Four Mile Rd. Holmes Blvd. to SR 16 0.85 120.6% DEFICIENT 1,150 SR 16 SR 13 to CR 16A 1.66 120.0% DEFICIENT 1,600 CR 210 (Palm Valley Rd) E/W CR 210A (Roscoe Blvd) to Mickler Rd. 1.36 119.5% DEFICIENT 1,920 SR 207 Cypress Links Blvd. to SR 9 (I-95) 0.59 118.3% DEFICIENT 3,200 SR 9 (I-95) CR 210 to Duval Co. Line 2.82 112.1% DEFICIENT 9,190 Woodlawn Rd. SR 16 to Heritage Park Drive (N) 1.47 109.6% DEFICIENT 1,150 SR A1A Marlin Ave. to Duval Co. Line 0.56 109.5% DEFICIENT 4,880 Longleaf Pine Pkwy Roberts Rd to Veterans Pkwy 4.08 109.3% DEFICIENT 1,440 CR 210 (Palm Valley Rd) N/S Canal Blvd. to SR A1A 1.43 108.0% DEFICIENT 1,440 Wildwood Dr. SR 5 (US 1) to Deerchase Drive 1.13 108.0% DEFICIENT 1,650 Holmes Blvd. SR 207 to CR 214 1.75 106.8% DEFICIENT 2,250 Holmes Blvd. CR 214 to Four Mile Rd. 1.61 102.3% DEFICIENT 2,110 CR 214 (W. King St) Volusia St. to Palmer St. 0.94 101.6% DEFICIENT 1,440 SR 16 International Golf Pkwy to CR 2209 0.76 100.7% DEFICIENT 1,600 Roberts Rd. SR 13 to Longleaf Pine Pkwy 2.69 100.2% DEFICIENT 1,440 SR A1A St. Aug. Limits (N) to SR A1A (Cstl. Hwy.) 1.03 99.8% CRITICAL 1,600 CR 210 Leo Maguire Parkway to SR 9 (I-95) 0.81 98.7% CRITICAL 5,390 CR 210 (Palm Valley Rd) N/S Mickler Rd. to Canal Blvd. 1.98 98.4% CRITICAL 1,660 CR 210 SR 9 (I-95) to C.E. Wilson Road 0.40 97.8% CRITICAL 3,520 SR 312 CR 5A to SR 5 (US 1) 0.20 97.5% CRITICAL 3,580 SR A1A CR 210A (Solana Rd) to Marlin Ave. 1.20 96.8% CRITICAL 4,880 CR 210 W. Alternate CR 210 to Valley Ridge Blvd 0.93 96.1% CRITICAL 1,460 SR 9 (I-95) International Golf Pkwy. to CR 210 5.96 95.1% CRITICAL 9,190 SR 5 (US 1) Wildwood Dr. to CR 5A 1.02 94.9% CRITICAL 4,430 CR 210 W. C.E. Wilson Road to Alternate CR 210 1.98 94.5% CRITICAL 3,200 Longleaf Pine Pkwy Veterans Pkwy to Tollerton Ave 0.63 93.4% CRITICAL 1,520 Race Track Rd. Bishop Estates Rd. to Veterans Pkwy 1.02 92.1% CRITICAL 3,580 CR 210 CR 2209 to Leo Maguire Parkway 1.22 92.0% CRITICAL 4,090 SR 9 (I-95) SR 207 to SR 16 6.68 90.3% CRITICAL 7,710 SR 5 (US 1) Shores Blvd.(S) to Wildwood Dr. 1.70 90.2% CRITICAL 3,860
Source: St. Johns County Transportation Analysis Spreadsheet, Published date: 07/1/2015 (Revised 8/18/2015)
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APPENDIX H. ADDITIONAL EXISTING CONDITIONS TABLES AND FIGURES
PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION PROVIDERS ABRAXI TAXI AFFORDABLE TAXI AFFORDABLE TRANSPORTATION AVALON CARRIAGE SERVICE BEACHSIDE BUGGIES INC BOBBY D'S ECO TAXI CASTILLO CAB C.B. HINSON, INC. JACKRABBIT PEDICAB INC/COLIN C CAMPBELL COURTESY SHUTTLE COUNTRY CARRIAGES DAVID ALLEN BASS TAXI COMPANY DAVINCI TRANSPORTATION LLC ECO RIDE TAXI LLC GHOST AUGUSTINE LTD CO (HEARSE) GHOST AUGUSTINE LTD. CO. (1) GHOST HEARSE GREEN TAXI ST AUGUSTINE CORP GREENSHAWS LLC HEATHER'S EXECUTIVE RIDES HOPPERS LLC I'D RIDE THAT ISLAND AIRPORT SHUTTLE JOHN REBMAN JUST FOR TIPS MY CAB PEDAL POWER TAXI AND TOURS PEDICAB OF ST AUGUSTINE PRIMERA COSTA QBC ENTERPRISES INC R & R RIDES RIDES TAXI LLC ROBERT STEVENS RYAN I SPINELLA SAINT AUGUSTINE TRANSPORTATION GROUP LLC SAX SHUTTLE LLC SAX TAXI INC SOUTHERN CARRIAGES ST AUGUSTINE CAR & LIMOUSINE LLC ST AUGUSTINE EXPRESS TAXI CAB LLC ST AUGUSTINE GOLD TOURS, LLC ST. AUGUSTINE PEDICAB CO. YELLOW CAB OF JACKSONVILLE GROUP LLC Source: City of St. Augustine, 2016 197 | P a g e
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APPENDIX I: FAREBOX RECOVERY RATIO
Current Farebox Recovery Ratio (FRR)
Sunshine Bus’s deviated fixed-route farebox recovery ratio (FRR) for FY 2014 was 10.5%, which represents an increase from the prior fiscal year’s FRR (see Table I). Between FY 2013 to FY 2014 the FRR increased by 7.3%, from a FRR of 9.8% to 10.5%. Compared to the past four years, FY 2010 through FY 2014, Sunshine Bus’s FY 2014 FRR is the highest.
Table I. Annual FRR (Deviated Fixed Route Bus)
% Change % Change 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (2010-2014) (2013-2014) Operating $870,494 $982,489 $1,132,809 $1,026,566 $932,598 7.1% -9.2% Expense Farebox $90,620 $92,956 $98,017 $100,327 $97,766 7.9% -2.6% Revenues Farebox 10.4% 9.5% 8.7% 9.8% 10.5% 0.7% 7.3% Recovery Ratio Source: National Transit Database (NTD), FY 2010 – FY 2014
Strategy for Increasing FRR
Sunshine Bus is planning to implement the following strategies to enhance efficiency, increase ridership and ultimately increase its FRR.
Complete the comprehensive operations analysis (COA) to assist with defining market needs and opportunities and identifying viable services. Using results from the COA to identify and modify deviated fixed-route bus lines that do not meet COA performance evaluation measures. Increase ridership by implementing service improvements such as increasing average frequency. Continue to pursue and incorporate technological advancements, such as real-time information, that will enhance effectiveness and efficiency. Implement strategies to train and encourage paratransit bus riders (those who are able) to utilize the deviated fixed-route system. The SJCCOA anticipates beginning to purchase Sunshine Bus passes and issuing them to TD eligible individuals for use on the deviated fixed-route system. Optimize funding for Sunshine Bus from both new and existing sources. Periodically assess the fare structure and its ability to support and enhance new services and system components.
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