PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 2018 Regional Transportation Plan Regional Transit Strategy A strategy for providing better transit service in the greater Portland region June 29, 2018 oregonmetro.gov/transit Metro respects civil rights Metro fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that requires that no person be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin under any program or activity for which Metro receives federal financial assistance. Metro fully complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act that requires that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination solely by reason of their disability under any program or activity for which Metro receives federal financial assistance. If any person believes they have been discriminated against regarding the receipt of benefits or services because of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, they have the right to file a complaint with Metro. For information on Metro’s civil rights program, or to obtain a discrimination complaint form, visit www.oregonmetro.gov/civilrights or call 503-797-1536. Metro provides services or accommodations upon request to persons with disabilities and people who need an interpreter at public meetings. If you need a sign language interpreter, communication aid or language assistance, call 503-797-1700 or TDD/TTY 503-797-1804 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays) 5 business days before the meeting. All Metro meetings are wheelchair accessible. For up-to-date public transportation information, visit TriMet’s website at www.trimet.org. Metro is the federally mandated metropolitan planning organization designated by the governor to develop an overall transportation plan and to allocate federal funds for the region. The Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation (JPACT) is a 17-member committee that provides a forum for elected officials and representatives of agencies involved in transportation to evaluate transportation needs in the region and to make recommendations to the Metro Council. The established decision-making process assures a well-balanced regional transportation system and involves local elected officials directly in decisions that help the Metro Council develop regional transportation policies, including allocating transportation funds. Regional Transportation Plan website: oregonmetro.gov/rtp Regional Transit Strategy web site: oregonmetro.gov/transit The preparation of this strategy was financed in part by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration. The opinions, findings and conclusions expressed in this strategy are not necessarily those of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration. TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................... i Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Metro’s Role ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Policy Context .................................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Planning and Public Engagement Process ..................................................................... 10 1.4 Document Organization ................................................................................................. 14 Chapter 2: Our Current Transit System ......................................................................................... 15 2.1 Our region continues to grow and change .................................................................... 15 2.2 The role of transit in our region ..................................................................................... 17 Chapter 3: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities ......................................................................... 27 3.1 Implementing Climate Smart Strategy Goals ................................................................. 27 3.2 History of Racial Exclusion and Bias ............................................................................... 27 3.3 Economic Growth........................................................................................................... 29 3.4 Aging Infrastructure ....................................................................................................... 30 3.5 New Technology............................................................................................................. 30 3.6 Affordability ................................................................................................................... 30 3.7 Changing Travel Behavior .............................................................................................. 31 3.8 Public Health .................................................................................................................. 32 3.9 Aging Population ............................................................................................................ 33 3.10 Public Funding ................................................................................................................ 34 Chapter 4: Regional Transit Vision and Policies ............................................................................. 35 4.1 Regional Transit Vision ................................................................................................... 35 4.2 Regional Transit Network Map and Functional Classifications ...................................... 40 4.3 Regional Transit Policies ................................................................................................ 44 Chapter 5: Strategies and Actions .................................................................................................. 60 5.1 Strategies ....................................................................................................................... 61 5.2 Regional Transit Strategy Actions .................................................................................. 66 Chapter 6: Transit Investments ...................................................................................................... 69 6.1 2018 RTP Transportation Investment Priorities ............................................................ 70 6.2 Regional Transit Investment Priorities ........................................................................... 73 Chapter 7: Monitoring and Measuring Progress ........................................................................... 79 7.1 Performance-Based Planning ......................................................................................... 79 7.2 Regional Transportation performance and findings ...................................................... 83 7.3 Regional transit performance and findings ................................................................... 87 7.4 High Capacity Transit (HCT) Assessment and Readiness Criteria ................................ 108 Chapter 8: Implementation ......................................................................................................... 111 8.1 Transit funding ............................................................................................................. 111 8.2 Transit planning and programs .................................................................................... 113 8.3 Transit Projects and Project Development .................................................................. 122 8.4 Next Steps .................................................................................................................... 132 TABLES AND FIGURES Table 4.1: Effects of Land Use Strategies on Transit Service 39 Table 4.2: Enhanced Transit treatments 52 Table 5.1: Regional Transit Strategy Actions 67 Table 6.1: Transit service provided by Investment Strategy 74 Table 6.2: Transit capital improvements by RTP Investment Strategy 76 Table 6.3: Transit Operating Capital Improvements by RTP Investment Strategy 77 Table 6.4: Transit Safety and Access Improvements by RTP Investment Strategy 78 Table7.1 RTP System Evaluation Measures and RTP Goals 81 Table 7.2: Daily person miles traveled per person 88 Table 7.3: Daily vehicle miles traveled per person 88 Table 7.4. Daily transit miles traveled per person 88 Table 7.5: Active transportation mode share within the MPA 93 Table 7.6: Access to travel options – access to transit 96 Table 7.7: Change in Total Number of jobs accessible by transit for 2027 and 2040 constrained scenarios 102 Table 7.8: Draft Comparison of Climate Smart monitoring targets by Investment Strategy 107 Table 7.9: High Capacity Transit (HCT) Assessment and Readiness Criteria 110 Table 8.1: Enhanced Transit Concept (ETC) projects 118 Table 8.2: Transit projects in the RTP Strategic Investment Scenario 131 Figure 1.1: RTP Modal and Topical Plans within Statewide Planning Hierarchy 1 Figure 1.2: Metro 2040 Growth Concept Map 3 Figure 1.3 2009 High Capacity Transit System Plan Map 6 Figure 1.4: 2018 Regional Transportation Timeline 13 Figure 2.1: Metro