Coordinated Public Transit & Human Services Transportation Plan for Southeast NH Region Approved by Strafford Regional Planning Commission on 3/16/12 Celebration of the Startup of the North Bus Service in Wakefield, NH Prepared by Rockingham Planning Commission 156 Water Street Exeter, NH 03833 (603)778-0885 Strafford Regional Planning Commission 150 Wakefield Street, Suite 12 Rochester, NH 03867 (603) 004-3500 This report was funded in part through grant(s) from the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. The views and opinions of the agencies expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U. S. Department of Transportation. COORDINATED PUBLIC TRANSIT & HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION PLAN SOUTHEAST NH REGION 2012 UPDATE TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 OVERVIEW/BACKGROUND .................................................................................................. 1-1 1.1 Introduction/Purpose ............................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 Plan Structure .......................................................................................................................... 1-2 2.0 STATE AND FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION INITIATIVES .......................................... 2-1 2.1 Statewide Coordination Plan ................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 Citizens Advisory Committee & New Hampshire Long Range Transportation Plan ............. 2-2 2.3 Department of Health and Human Services ............................................................................ 2-3 2.4 Federal Initiatives .................................................................................................................... 2-3 2.5 Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Structure and Function ..................................... 2-4 3.0 REGIONAL PLANNING FOR COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION ............................... 3-1 3.1 History/Background ................................................................................................................ 3-1 3.2 Current Planning Efforts ......................................................................................................... 3-1 3.3 Public Participation and Outreach ........................................................................................... 3-3 3.4 Goals and Objectives for Regional Coordinated Service ........................................................ 3-3 4.0 TRANSIT-DEPENDENT POPULATION AND SERVICE NEED ....................................... 4-1 4.1 Data Sources and Limitations ................................................................................................. 4-1 4.2 Demographic Profile ............................................................................................................... 4-1 4.3 Coordinated Plan Target Populations – Socio-Economic Indicators ...................................... 4-6 4.3.1 Elderly ........................................................................................................................... 4-6 4.3.2 Disabled ....................................................................................................................... 4-12 4.3.3 Income and Poverty ..................................................................................................... 4-16 4.3.4 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Recipients ................................................ 4-22 4.3.5 Auto Availability ......................................................................................................... 4-26 4.3.6 Other Transit-dependent Populations .......................................................................... 4-28 4.4 Typical Transit Destinations and Fixed Routes .................................................................... 4-28 4.5 Regional Transit Need Estimate ............................................................................................ 4-32 4.6 Findings from UNH Social Work Survey ............................................................................. 4-36 4.7 Survey of Town & City Welfare Directors ........................................................................... 4-37 4.8 Survey of Health and Human Service Agencies Not Operating Transportation Services .... 4-38 5.0 PROFILE OF EXISTING SERVICES ..................................................................................... 5-1 5.1 Fixed-Route Services .............................................................................................................. 5-1 5.2 Demand-Response Services .................................................................................................... 5-3 5.3 Recently Implemented & Proposed Service Expansions ........................................................ 5-7 5.4 Overview of Service Gaps....................................................................................................... 5-8 5.5 Strategies to Address Gaps in Service ..................................................................................... 5-8 5.6 Key Findings from the Demand Response Provider Survey ................................................. 5-10 6.0 TRANSPORTATION SERVICE COORDINATION ............................................................. 6-1 6.1 History ..................................................................................................................................... 6-1 6.2 Reasons for Transportation Coordination ............................................................................... 6-1 6.3 Benefits of Coordination ......................................................................................................... 6-2 6.4 Costs of Coordination ............................................................................................................. 6-2 6.5 Coordinated Transportation Model ......................................................................................... 6-2 6.6 Southeast NH Region Coordination Summary ....................................................................... 6-4 7.0 FUNDING SOURCES ................................................................................................................ 7-1 7.1 Department of Transportation Programs ................................................................................. 7-1 7.2 Department of Health and Human Services Programs ........................................................... 7-4 7.3 Other Sources of State and Federal Funds .............................................................................. 7-5 7.4 Local Sources .......................................................................................................................... 7-6 7.5 Private Sources ........................................................................................................................ 7-7 8.0 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................. 8-1 8.1 Progress Since Adoption of 2007 Coordinated Plan ............................................................... 8-1 8.2 Findings on Transportation Need and Coordination Opportunities ........................................ 8-2 8.3 Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 8-4 8.4 Conclusion............................................................................................................................... 8-9 APPENDICES APPENDIX A - Survey Instruments Appendix A-1 Provider survey instrument Appendix A-2 Welfare Officer survey instrument Appendix A-3 Non-Provider partner agency survey instrument Appendix A-4 UNH Social Work Department Survey instrument APPENDIX B - Coordinated Plan Public Notices APPENDIX C - Application Packet for Regional Coordination Council Designation (includes Memorandum of Understanding) APPENDIX D - Operating Standards for Coordinated Transportation Services APPENDIX E - Comments Received from the Second Public Comment Period APPENDIX F - Comments from the First Public Comment Period LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ACT ........................... Alliance for Community Transportation ADA .......................... Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 BEAS ......................... Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (NH DHHS) CMAQ ....................... Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality Program COAST ...................... Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation CTAA ........................ Community Transportation Association of America CTPP ......................... Census Transportation Planning Package EFH ........................... Endowment for Health FHWA ....................... Federal Highway Administration FTA ........................... Federal Transit Administration FTA Section 5307 – Urban Formula Transit Grants FTA Section 5310 – Capital Grants for Elderly and Disabled Transit FTA Section 5316 – Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) Program FTA Section 5317 – New Freedom Program JARC ......................... Jobs Access Reverse Commute Program (FTA) MBTA ....................... Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority MPO .......................... Metropolitan Planning Organization MSA .......................... Metropolitan Statistical Area NEMT ........................ Medicaid Non-Emergency Medical Transportation NHDHHS .................. New Hampshire