New Britain-Bristol Division Comprehensive Service Analysis FINAL REPORT JUNE 2018 IN ASSOCIATION WITH Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation (including its participating agencies) and the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication are those of the Capitol Region Council of Governments and do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Connecticut Department of Transportation and/or the U.S. Department of Transportation. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...........................................................................................................................1 Overview .............................................................................................................................................................. 1 Process .................................................................................................................................................................. 1 Key Findings......................................................................................................................................................... 2 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................................... 6 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................ 1-1 Guiding Principles ........................................................................................................................................... 1-2 2 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................. 2-1 Review of Previous Studies ........................................................................................................................... 2-1 Existing Services .............................................................................................................................................. 2-2 Market Analysis ............................................................................................................................................ 2-10 Public Involvement ........................................................................................................................................ 2-30 3 SERVICE ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES ........................................................................................ 3-1 Route Profiles ................................................................................................................................................... 3-1 Transit Survey .................................................................................................................................................. 3-3 4 DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICE SCENARIOS ..................................................................................... 4-1 Scenario 1 ........................................................................................................................................................ 4-1 Scenario 2 ........................................................................................................................................................ 4-4 Public Feedback .............................................................................................................................................. 4-6 5 PREFERRED SERVICE SCENARIO .................................................................................................. 5-1 Summary ........................................................................................................................................................... 5-1 Route 501 Arch Street/Meriden .................................................................................................................. 5-7 Route 502 W. Main Street/Tunxis Community College .......................................................................... 5-8 Route 503 Corbin Avenue............................................................................................................................. 5-9 Route 505 Hart Street/Stonegate Apts ................................................................................................... 5-10 Route 506 Farmington Avenue .................................................................................................................. 5-11 Route 507 Oak Street/Slater Road ......................................................................................................... 5-12 Route 510 Rocky Hill Avenue/Berlin Turnpike ........................................................................................ 5-13 Route 512 S. Main Street/Webster Square ........................................................................................... 5-14 Route 541 Bristol Local ................................................................................................................................ 5-15 Route 542 Southington ................................................................................................................................ 5-16 Route 543 Bristol-Unionville ....................................................................................................................... 5-17 Service Characteristics by Phase ............................................................................................................... 5-18 Public Feedback ............................................................................................................................................ 5-20 Revenue Hour and Vehicle Estimates ........................................................................................................ 5-21 Paratransit Service Coverage .................................................................................................................... 5-28 | i 6 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS .......................................................................................................... 6-1 Capital Improvements .................................................................................................................................. 6-1 Subsidized On-Demand Services .............................................................................................................. 6-5 7 NEXT STEPS ................................................................................................................................ 7-1 APPENDICES APPENDIX A REVIEW OF PREVIOUS PLANNING STUDIES APPENDIX B PUBLIC COMMENTS APPENDIX C SURVEY RESULTS APPENDIX D ROUTE PROFILES | ii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1 | Transit Potential ....................................................................................................................................... ES-4 Figure 2 | Ridership Heat Map ................................................................................................................................ ES-5 Figure 3 | Existing Local System .............................................................................................................................. ES-7 Figure 4 | Preferred Service Scenario, Phase 1................................................................................................... ES-8 Figure 5 | Preferred Service Scenario, Phase 2................................................................................................... ES-9 Figure 6 | Preferred Service Scenario, Phase 3................................................................................................. ES-10 Figure 7 | Implementation Timeline ....................................................................................................................... ES-12 Figure 8 | CTtransit New Britain-Bristol Fixed-Route Services ............................................................................. 2-2 Figure 9 | Existing Local System ................................................................................................................................ 2-3 Figure 10 | Other CTtransit Services within the Study Area ................................................................................ 2-5 Figure 11 | Fare Prices, CTtransit Local Service ..................................................................................................... 2-6 Figure 12 | Fare Prices, Commuter Express Service .............................................................................................. 2-6 Figure 13 | Average Weekday Ridership by Route ............................................................................................. 2-7 Figure 14 | Service Effectiveness by Route (Passengers per Revenue Vehicle Hour) ..................................... 2-7 Figure 15 | Ridership Heat Map ............................................................................................................................... 2-8 Figure 16 | Population Density ................................................................................................................................ 2-12 Figure 17 | Employment Density .............................................................................................................................. 2-14 Figure 18 | Major Employers in the Study Area (500 or more employees) .................................................. 2-15 Figure 19 | Transit Potential