March 21, 2014 Aloha-Reedville Transportation Action Transit Service Enhancements Issue TriMet has identified opportunities to enhance transit service in the Aloha-Reedville study area and other areas of northern Washington County through its Westside Service Enhancement Plan. While TriMet has faced significant funding challenges in recent years, the agency is now in a position to gradually restore and enhance service as revenue and the economy improve. Initial priorities will focus on restoring 15-minute frequencies to existing “frequent service” routes. Subsequent actions will upgrade other bus routes to frequent service, add entirely new bus routes, and plan for high-capacity transit along TV Highway. Recommendations for transit service enhancements in Aloha-Reedville, which would take place gradually over the next 20 years, include the following: Restoring frequent service to MAX light rail and the #57 TV Highway / Forest Grove bus line Upgrading the #52 Farmington/185th bus line to frequent service Increased frequency and route extension of the #88 Hart/198th bus line Enhanced, more efficient bus service on TV Highway New north-south bus service on 170th Avenue New east-west bus service on Baseline Road Washington County’s role in supporting transit service in Aloha-Reedville is to improve the safety and convenience of accessing transit through investments in pedestrian crossings, sidewalks, bike lanes, accessways, street lighting and other infrastructure. Several such efforts will be underway in the next five years, including safety improvements on TV Highway, complete reconstruction of 198th Avenue, and planning for pedestrian crossings along 185th Avenue, 170th Avenue and Baseline Road. The county also plans to reserve right-of-way for a westbound business access and transit (BAT) lane on the north side of TV Highway, in anticipation of future high capacity transit in the TV Highway corridor. Recommendations 1. Support implementation of TriMet’s Westside Service Enhancement Plan, including: a. Restoring frequent service to MAX light rail and the #57 TV Highway / Forest Grove bus line b. Upgrading the #52 Farmington/185th bus line to frequent service c. Increased frequency and route extension of the #88 Hart/198th bus line Department of Land Use & Transportation · Planning and Development Services Long Range Planning 155 N First Avenue, Ste. 350 MS 14 · Hillsboro, OR 97124-3072 phone: (503) 846-3519 · fax: (503) 846-4412 · TTY: (503) 846-4598 · www.co.washington.or.us Long Range Planning Issue Paper No. 33 Transit Service Enhancement March 21, 2014 Page 2 of 6 d. Enhanced, more efficient bus service on TV Highway e. New north-south bus service on 170th Avenue f. New east-west bus service on Baseline Road 2. Improve the safety, comfort and convenience of accessing transit through investments in pedestrian crossings, sidewalks, bike lanes, accessways, street lighting and other infrastructure along and connecting to transit routes. Funded near term projects include: a. TV Highway at 185th and 192nd Avenues Safety Project (ODOT-led project scheduled for 2015) b. Highway 8 Safety and Access to Transit Project (TriMet-led project scheduled for 2016-18) c. 198th Avenue MSTIP project (Washington County project scheduled for 2018-19) d. Pedestrian Arterial Crossings on 185th Avenue, 170th Avenue and Baseline Road (federally-funded Washington County project with planning and engineering scheduled for 2015-16) e. Sidewalks on 178th Avenue from Johnson Street to TV Highway (Washington County Gain Share project scheduled for 2015) 3. Through the Transportation System Plan, reserve right-of-way for a future business access and transit (BAT) lane along the north side of Tualatin Valley Highway. 4. Coordinate bus stop improvements on the south side of Tualatin Valley Highway with the railroads (Union Pacific and Portland & Western) because these bus stops are located in the railroad right-of-way and may not be licensed. 5. Convene a work group with the intent of pursuing a high capacity transit alternatives analysis for the Tualatin Valley Highway corridor. 6. Partner with TriMet on bicycle parking initiatives at transit stops, including Quatama, Willow Creek and Elmonica light rail stations, and at the intersection of TV Highway and 185th Avenue. Performance Indicator Number of "frequent service" TriMet routes Number of north-south transit routes Number of major bus stops (100+ daily weekday boardings) with shelters and benches Number of secure, public bicycle parking spaces (secure racks, lockers, etc) at transit stops. Lead Agency or Organization TriMet Long Range Planning Issue Paper No. 33 Transit Service Enhancement March 21, 2014 Page 3 of 6 Background Aloha-Reedville is currently served by four bus lines and three MAX Blue Line light rail stations, all operated by TriMet. Bus service includes: #52 – Farmington/185th #57 – TV Highway / Forest Grove (the highest ridership bus line in Washington County) #59 – Walker (weekday peak period only) #88 – Hart/198th Transit is a critical component of the transportation system in Aloha-Reedville. Approximately 7% of Aloha-Reedville residents use transit to get to work or school, greater than the county average.1 Aloha-Reedville also contains concentrations of typically transit-dependent households including low income, minority, non-English speaking, youth and senior populations. Furthermore, transit is an efficient mode of travel that can help reduce vehicle travel demand on area roadways, cut vehicle emissions and support a healthy lifestyle. Throughout the Aloha-Reedville planning process, community members – particularly students, older adults, and people engaged through outreach efforts by the Center for Intercultural Organizing and Centro Cultural – have requested better transit service and safer access to transit in Aloha-Reedville. The following actions would help meet these goals. Transit Service Improvements In September 2013 TriMet released its Westside Service Enhancement Plan, a series of recommendations to increase transit service frequency, realign bus routes to better match demand, and establish several new transit lines in northern Washington County. It is the first of several service enhancement plans that TriMet will complete for different parts of the Portland region. While funding challenges remain, TriMet is now poised to gradually restore and enhance transit service. As worded in the document, implementation of the recommendations “will occur incrementally as TriMet’s revenues increase with an improved economy and favorable labor contract.”2 The timing and character of transit service in Aloha-Reedville will also be affected by the pace and intensity of development in neighboring South Hillsboro. Several service improvements and new transit routes are proposed in Aloha-Reedville: Restoring frequent service to routes that previously had it, including MAX Blue Line and the #57 TV Highway / Forest Grove bus line. Frequent service is defined as 15 or fewer minutes between arriving transit vehicles at a given stop. Frequent service on the #52. The #52 Farmington/185th bus line would be upgraded to 15-minute headways all day, seven days a week. The route currently has near-frequent service on weekdays. Increased frequency and route extension of the #88. The #88 Hart/198th bus line would see peak period service headways improved to 15 minutes and off-peak service of 1 US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2011 5-Year Estimates, Table B08101, Aloha Census Designated Place and Washington County. 2 TriMet, Westside Service Enhancement Plan, p. 12, September 2013. Long Range Planning Issue Paper No. 33 Transit Service Enhancement March 21, 2014 Page 4 of 6 20 to 30 minutes, compared to 40 minutes today. The route would also be extended northwestward to reach employment areas in north Hillsboro. Enhanced bus service on TV Highway. TV Highway is envisioned as a high-capacity transit corridor. Until a detailed alternatives analysis is pursued to determine the form and function of high capacity transit in the corridor, TriMet seeks to enhance existing #57 bus service in the interim. This may be accomplished through express service, queue jumps, bus pull-outs, consolidated or relocated stops, traveler information at bus stops and other smaller-scale improvements. New north-south bus service on 170th Avenue. An extension of the existing #67 bus line would connect Bethany, Aloha-Reedville, south Beaverton and Tigard. The route would support expected job growth at Nike World Campus and surrounding employment areas, and connect to growing residential and commercial areas near Progress Ridge. New east-west bus service on Baseline Road. A continuous east-west bus route on Baseline and Jenkins roads between Hillsboro and Beaverton would serve neighborhoods and commercial areas along those roads and provide an additional level of transit access in places where MAX stations are too distant to reach on foot. Access to Transit Improvements Washington County has an important supporting role in providing safe walking and bicycling connections to transit. Features such as pedestrian crossings, sidewalks, bike lanes, accessways, street lighting and other infrastructure can improve the safety and convenience of accessing transit while potentially attracting new riders. TriMet recognizes these partnership opportunities in the Westside Service Enhancement Plan and identifies particular locations where pedestrian improvements would benefit transit access: TV Highway