Baltimore County Public Transportation Development Plan
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Baltimore County Public Transportation Transit Development Plan FINAL REPORT February 2016 Prepared for Maryland Transit Administration and Baltimore County By KFH Group, Inc. Bethesda, Maryland Table of Contents Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction ........................................................................................................................ ES-1 Existing CountyRide Services............................................................................................ ES-2 Transit Needs Analysis ...................................................................................................... ES-3 Issues and Opportunities for CountyRide .......................................................................... ES-4 Chapter 1 – Existing Services Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1-1 Review of Existing Public Transit System: CountyRide ..................................................... 1-2 Other Transportation Providers Serving Baltimore County ................................................ 1-15 Chapter 2 – Transit Needs Analysis Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 2-1 Review of Recent Plans .................................................................................................... 2-1 Demographic Analysis ....................................................................................................... 2-4 Service Area, Transit Generators and Activity Centers ..................................................... 2-18 Stakeholder and Rider Input .............................................................................................. 2-23 Chapter 3 –Issues and Opportunities for CountyRide Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3-1 Key Issues Identified for Improvement .............................................................................. 3-1 Challenges and Constraints............................................................................................... 3-3 Opportunities ..................................................................................................................... 3-4 Chapter 4 – Options and Alternatives for Improvement Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4-1 Shorter Term Improvement Options .................................................................................. 4-1 Longer-Term Improvements .............................................................................................. 4-16 Public Meeting ................................................................................................................... 4-20 Baltimore County TDP Table of Contents Chapter 5 - Plan Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 5-1 Service Plan ...................................................................................................................... 5-1 Title VI Analysis ................................................................................................................. 5-9 Implementation Schedule .................................................................................................. 5-10 Financial Plan for Operations ............................................................................................ 5-11 Capital Plan ....................................................................................................................... 5-11 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 5-16 Appendix A: Complete Rider Survey Results Baltimore County TDP Executive Summary Executive Summary: Baltimore County’s Transportation Development Plan for CountyRide INTRODUCTION CountyRide is the Locally Operated Transit System (LOTS) that serves Baltimore County, providing specialized transportation service for seniors and people with disabilities as well as general public service in the rural portions of the county. These services are funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), state grant programs administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) Office of Local Transit Support (OLTS), and local funds from Baltimore County. The Transportation Development Plan (TDP) is an important requirement for continuing to receive FTA and MTA funds. The TDP provides a multi-year plan for how the grant funds will be used efficiently and effectively. It documents transportation needs in the county, reviews existing transit services, provides alternative options for improving or expanding services to better meet transportation needs within the realities of fiscal constraints, and ultimately provides a 5-year plan to implement the recommended alternatives. The TDP planning process for Baltimore County’s CountyRide was initiated in June of 2015 and the final plan is being submitted in February 2016. CountyRide is a program of the Baltimore County Department of Aging, and TDP planning efforts were coordinated with staff of CountyRide and the Department of Aging as well as with MTA staff. Input from the Department of Aging’s Transportation Advisory Board was solicited at several points during the TDP process, and a public/community meeting was held in late November to present the recommended improvement options as the study neared conclusion. Revisions to the plan have been made, where appropriate, to respond to input and comments. Importantly, the planning process benefited from a survey of riders that generated over 170 responses and provided important information about CountyRide’s services. The survey also provided the opportunity for riders to suggest improvements they would like to see. This summary highlights the key elements of the TDP planning process. Baltimore County TDP ES-1 Executive Summary EXISTING COUNTYRIDE SERVICES CountyRide is operated on a demand response basis with advance reservations required. As a program of the Department of Aging, its services are designed predominantly to meet the specialized transportation needs of seniors and people with disabilities throughout the county. CountyRide also offers basic public transit in low density, rural areas of county. CountyRide has a fleet of 28 vehicles, 21 of which are used in peak period service. Service for seniors and persons with disabilities is referred to as SSTAP service, named after its funding source (Statewide Special Transportation Assistance Program). Service for the rural parts of the county is known as Section 5311 service, again, named for its funding source. The following mission statement is included in the CountyRide brochure: The Baltimore County Department of Aging strengthens lives by connecting individuals to community resources, programs and services. CountyRide serves Baltimore County citizens aged 60 and over, adults with disabilities aged 18-59, and rural residents. The performance of CountyRide was assessed using performance standards set by the MTA. Services are rated as “Successful,” “Acceptable,” or “Needs Review” based on how they perform in relation to the MTA’s measures. The cost per hour measure is Successful for both Section 5311 service and SSTAP service. The cost per mile measure is Acceptable for both Section 5311 service and SSTAP service. CountyRide’s cost per trip Needs Review for the 5311 service and is Acceptable for SSTAP. Passenger trips per hour, which is one of the more significant performance measures, Needs Review for both Section 5311 and SSTAP services. CountyRide uses the Trapeze PASS reservations, scheduling and dispatching software. There are questions as to whether this is the most appropriate software for the transportation program. A current county study is reviewing CountyRide’s use of Trapeze as part of a larger county technology study. CountyRide has received funding from the MTA to consider alternative technology that provides for rider payment by swipe card, eliminating payment by cash and ticket, and that may include a module for routing and scheduling. CountyRide has developed a partnership arrangement with a number of the medical facilities in the Baltimore region, whereby the facilities contribute financial support to Baltimore County TDP ES-2 Executive Summary CountyRide. These contributions are included as passenger revenues and help to demonstrate the community’s support for CountyRide. In addition to CountyRide, Baltimore County has various other transportation services, including MTA’s bus and rail services, the MARC commuter train, MTA’s ADA paratransit service known as Mobility and the Call-a-Ride same-day taxi/sedan service, and service from human service agencies and private providers including Greyhound, non-emergency wheelchair accessible services, and taxi and sedan services. TRANSIT NEEDS ANALYSIS The analysis of transit needs included both a demographic assessment using U.S. Census data to analyze and identify potential transit needs in the county and primary information obtained from stakeholder interviews and the rider survey. Demographic Assessment The assessment of the U.S. Census data looked at a range of demographic variables known to influence the need for transit such