The Town of Fort Erie Transit Route and Service Plan Phase I and II Final Draft Report September 1, 2016 Transit Consulting Network 283 Golf Road, Keswick. Ontario L4P 3C8 Town of Fort Erie Project Team Project Team Kelly Walsh, Director, Infrastructure Services Carla Stout, Transit Program Manager Transit Consulting Network Project Team Principal and Project Manager Wally Beck, C.E.T., President, Project Manager Technical Team Vince Mauceri, Senior Technical Support Béatrice Schmied, Accessibility and AODA Nabil Ghariani, P.Eng., Senior Technical Support Kim Laursen, Technical Support The Town of Fort Erie: Transit Route and Service Plan – Phase I and II Table of Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Small Community Transit Environment ........................................................................................ 3 1.3 Work Plan Overview ..................................................................................................................... 4 2. Phase I: Existing Transit Environment ................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Summary of Background Information .......................................................................................... 5 2.2 Description of Fort Erie Transit Service......................................................................................... 7 2.2.1 Communities Served ............................................................................................................. 7 2.2.2 Route and Service Design ...................................................................................................... 8 2.2.3 Bus Stops and Flag Stop Program ......................................................................................... 8 2.2.4 Fort Erie Transit Integration with Specialized Transit ........................................................... 8 2.2.5 Summary of Fort Erie Transit Service .................................................................................... 9 2.3 Transit Report Card and Peer Review ........................................................................................... 9 2.3.1 2010-2014 Fort Erie Transit Report Card .............................................................................. 9 2.3.2 2014 Fort Erie Transit Peer Review ....................................................................................... 9 2.3.3 Assessment of Fort Erie Transit Performance ..................................................................... 11 2.3.4 Summary of Report Card and Peer Review ......................................................................... 15 3. Community Engagement .................................................................................................................... 16 3.1 Stakeholder Meetings ................................................................................................................. 16 3.1.1 Public Stakeholders ............................................................................................................. 16 3.1.2 Council Member Meeting ................................................................................................... 19 3.1.3 Summary of Stakeholder Consultations.............................................................................. 21 3.2 On-line Public Transit Survey ...................................................................................................... 21 3.2.1 Respondent Information ..................................................................................................... 21 3.2.2 Transit Dependency ............................................................................................................ 22 3.2.3 Reducing Auto Dependency ................................................................................................ 23 Summary of Comments ...................................................................................................................... 24 4. Phase II: Transit Route and Service Plan ............................................................................................. 25 4.1 Transit Policy Framework ............................................................................................................ 25 4.1.1 Goals and Objectives ........................................................................................................... 25 4.1.2 Transit Service Standards .................................................................................................... 26 4.1.3 Transit Service Level Policies ............................................................................................... 26 4.1.4 Land Use Planning and Transit ............................................................................................ 27 1 Transit Consulting Network The Town of Fort Erie: Transit Route and Service Plan – Phase I and II 4.2 Route and Service Alternatives ................................................................................................... 31 4.3 Recommended Transit Route Concepts ..................................................................................... 33 4.3.1 Route East (#1) .................................................................................................................... 34 4.3.2 Route West (#2) .................................................................................................................. 35 4.3.3 Route North (#3) ................................................................................................................. 36 4.4 Five-year Transit Route and Service Plan .................................................................................... 37 4.4.1 Transit Priorities .................................................................................................................. 38 4.4.2 Five-year (2017-2021) Transit Service Expansion Plan ....................................................... 38 4.5 Transit Ridership Growth Plan .................................................................................................... 42 4.5.1 Branding Transit .................................................................................................................. 42 4.5.2 Expanding the Client Base ................................................................................................... 42 4.5.3 Transit Technology .............................................................................................................. 43 4.5.4 Bus Fare Pricing Strategy .................................................................................................... 44 4.5.5 Bus Stop Infrastructure ....................................................................................................... 44 4.5.6 Town Site Bus Terminal ....................................................................................................... 45 4.5.7 Increasing Public Transit Services ....................................................................................... 45 4.5.8 Community Liaison .............................................................................................................. 46 4.6 Five-Year Transit Operating Budget ............................................................................................ 47 4.6.1 Variable and Fixed Operating Costs .................................................................................... 47 4.6.2 Future Transit Ridership and Revenues .............................................................................. 47 4.6.3 Future Dedicated Gas Tax ................................................................................................... 48 4.6.4 Specialized Transit ............................................................................................................... 48 4.6.5 Proposed 2017-2021 Transit Operating Budget ................................................................. 49 4.6.6 Transit Service Plan Summary ............................................................................................. 50 4.7 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................... 51 Appendix A Online Questionnaire 2 Transit Consulting Network The Town of Fort Erie: Transit Route and Service Plan – Phase I and II 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background The Town of Fort Erie wishes to assess transit needs and review its route realignment to improve options for providing transit service. A 2011 study evaluating Fort Erie transit service resulted in numerous changes made based upon the study recommendations. However, community growth, concerns related to on-street accessibility, levels of services in outlying areas, and access to health and human services require a reassessment of the transit route needs. Additionally, the Regional Municipality of Niagara is looking for potential options for delivery of inter-municipal transit services in the Niagara region. The intent is to work in collaboration with the local municipal transit systems, including Fort Erie Transit. Fort Erie Transit currently offers one conventional fixed route, operating Mondays to