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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 05/15/2001 - RESOLUTION 2001-72 APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE TRAN AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY ITEM NUMBER: 24 DATE: May 15, 2001 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL John Daggett STAFF: Thomas L. Frazier SUBJECT: I Resolution 2001-72 Approving and Adopting the Transfort Service Plan as an Element of the Transfort Strategic Operating Plan. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no immediate financial impact on the City. Implementation of future scenarios (2, 3, and 4) will require additional resources. Such financial impacts will be considered in the biennial budget process. Although the plan identifies targeted implementation dates, the City Council will have to determine the extent and timing of implementing transit improvements and making transit 110 investments. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Transfort Strategic Plan is a plan for the development of transit services in the Fort Collins urban growth area through 2010. Staff is asking City Council to adopt the Service Plan Element of the Transfort Strategic Plan as the city's guide to the implementation of transit services over the next nine years. After City Council adopts the Service Plan element of the Transfort Strategic Plan,staff and consultants will prepare an Operations Plan to assist staff in the implementation of the new service designs. Any service changes made in the Operations Plan,requiring new resources,will be addressed by Council during the budget process(es). The attached Service Plan Executive Summary briefly describes each of four transit service levels (scenarios). Each scenario should be viewed as a building block culminating in Scenario 4. The Service Plan represents the overall recommended service improvements for Transfort for the period covered by the Transfort Strategic Plan (2001 through 2010). This Strategic Plan will be used in updating the North Front Range Transportation & Air Quality Planning Council's Regional Transportation 2025 Plan. DATE: May 15, 2001 2 ITEM NUMBER: 24 BACKGROUND: The Transfort Strategic Plan process began in December 1999. The Transfort strategic planning process incorporates four primary stages: (1) An examination and analysis of existing conditions, (2) an identification and agreement on the values, goals, and objectives to govern future transit services, (3)the development of a service plan designed to achieve those goals and objectives, and (4) the preparation of an operational plan for use by City staff in implementing the service plan. Existing Conditions The analysis of existing Transfort services provided a wealth of data and information about the operation and performance of the bus system. This area included efforts to document and understand on-time performance, staffing, and boarding patterns. The analysis also examined various demographic conditions existing in the City such as housing density and an examination of the various markets currently using Transfort. Identification of Values. Goals. and Objectives During this stage in the planning process, the consultant team interviewed nearly one hundred individuals from a broad cross section of the community including City Council. This stage culminated with a discussion of the purpose of transit in Fort Collins. That discussion centered on the choice between providing a bus service designed to cover a geographic area(coverage) or one designed to maximize ridership (productivity). ( MaaBq Ew PaMla 'Gat an a ha X ` wwWMl' ,p tMrwll' nu a,' f , , Policy direction for the plan was set by City Council in early summer 2000. At that time, Council asked staff to develop a transit service plan that would enhance Transfort's productivity. Service Plan Development Staff initially developed four draft incremental service scenarios designed to increase the productivity of the Transfort bus system. Each draft scenario, and each subsequent iteration DATE: May 15, 2001 3 ITEM NUMBER: 24 (refinement), was modeled and analyzed to test that the proposed bus system designs enhanced Transfort productivity. Staff and City Council met in study session on February 17 for a review of the proposed draft service plan prior to sharing the plan with the public. Since that meeting further refinements to the Service Plan have been made. An extensive series of meetings have been held with City Boards and Commissions and the general public. Staff met with the Transportation Board, the Planning and Zoning Board, the Commission on Disabilities,the Senior Advisory Board,the Youth Advisory Board,and the Air Quality Advisory Board. In addition, staff held a series of public open houses and a public meeting at Fort Collins High School. Staff notified 5,500 affected properties (businesses and households) of the public process by mail. Announcements have been posted on all Transfort buses since March 1. A web site was also created and maintained by the City's Transportation Planning and IT staff at http://www.fcgov.com/transfort/plan-index.php over the course of the Transfort Strategic Plan process. RESOLUTION 2001-72 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE TRANSFORT SERVICE PLAN AS AN ELEMENT OF THE TRANSFORT STRATEGIC OPERATING PLAN WHEREAS, the process for the establishment of the Transfort Strategic Operating Plan commenced in December, 1999; and WHEREAS, in May,2000, the "Existing Conditions Report" was submitted to the Council identifying transit needs, opportunities and constraints, and service goals; and WHEREAS, the second step in the Transfort Strategic Operating Plan process is the development of the Transfort Service Plan,attached hereto,which service plan describes four service scenarios at three different levels of investment,which service scenarios are viewed by the Council as building blocks culminating in the fourth scenario, which scenarios,taken together,are designed to meet the City Council's goals for increased productivity and increased relevance of the system to the entire City and to Colorado State University; and WHEREAS,the City Council has determined that it is in the best interest of the City that the proposed Transfort Service Plan element of the Tranfort Strategic Operating Plan be approved and adopted. NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that the Transfort Service Plan, an element of the Transfort Strategic Operating Plan, a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference,be and hereby is approved and adopted. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held this 15th day of May,A.D. 2001. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk City of Fort Collins Executive Summary TRANSFORT DRAFT SERVICE PLAN Revised May 2001 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Introduction This report is the Revised Draft Service Plan for Transfom This is the second step in the Strategic Operating Plan process, following the Draft Existing Conditions Report that was submitted in May 2000. The purpose of the Strategic Operating Plan is to • Identify transit needs, opportunities and constraints, and service goals; • Prepare a service plan for the system; and • Develop an operating, implementation and funding plan to support the strategic plan. A key outcome of the existing conditions portion of the process was to determine the City's preferred split of resources between maximizing ridership (productivity) and providing transit access regardless of the numbers of riders using the bus system. City staff, based on Council recommendation, gave direction to enhance productivity on the Transfort system. This is the emphasis for this draft service plan. This document lays out four service alternatives at three different levels of investment. Ultimately,the recommended Scenario 4 is designed to meet the City Council's goals for: • increased productivity (ridership per dollar spent), and • increased relevance of the system to the entire city and the University. • Keys to a Productive System A high-productivity transit system has the following time-tested features: • Minimal duplication between routes,generally with parallel routes no less than one half- mile apart. • Convenient access to major centers of demand from all parts of the city. • Simple, straight routes that are easy to understand. • Direct, no-transfer service from all parts of the city to major centers of demand, to the extent feasible without creating duplication. • Convenient,fast transfers between routes to serve origin-destination pairs that cannot be served with a single bus. • Two-way service on all route segments, so that transit is competitive for a trip in both directions. • A service design focused on the high-density portions of the city (seven dwelling units per acre or greater),since these are the areas that generate trip demand in sufficient volume to support transit service. In practice, this requires focusing on apartments, and to a lesser • extent on mobile home parks,duplexes,and old neighborhoods where extensive reuse has increased the population density above what the dwelling-unit density would indicate. AtisoN JNYGAARD CONsuLnNGAsocj74ms I F$BRUARY2001 nANSFORT C77Y OF FORT Cbu1NS DRAFT SERVICE PLAN—SECOND REVISION • • Frequent services in the (relatively few) corridors where high-ridership service is possible, with minimal service for coverage-to parts of the city where current development will not generate high transit demand. • Simplicity in service design, so that it is easy to learn the system not just for the trip you make routinely, but also for trips anywhere in the service area. Transit Challenges Fort Collins has some obstacles to providing productive service as the system currently operates.These include: • The street and development patterns in Fort Collins have resulted in low-density growth and areas in which pedestrian access is limited. • The layout, orientation, and location of the existing CSU Transit Center, coupled with required transfers for through-travel, reduces the overall efficiency of the system. • Continuing growth on the south side of the urban growth area (UGA) has created new travel patterns that are not served by the current system. • The current route structure provides separate transit centers in the downtown and at the • University with largely separate systems of routes emanating from both. • The heavy reliance on timed transfers at all three transit centers requires unforgiving on- time performance. • Increasing traffic congestion has reduced roadway speeds in some areas at varying times of day, affecting transit schedules. • NELSON 1 JW"4RD CbNBULnNG ASSOCIATES 2 MBRU,4RY 2001 7$4NSFORT QTY OF FORT Cbujm DRAFT SERVICE PLAN—SECOND RE"SION Four Service Alternatives We have developed and refined four scenarios in consultation with City staff. • All four of the alternatives assume the relocation of the Colorado State University Transit Center to the Lory Student Center location on the north side of the University campus, south of Meldrum and Laurel. • Scenario 1 assumes no budget growth is required for its implementation. Scenario 2 assumes the implementation of transit service in the Mason Street corridor and assumes budget growth at one and one quarter times the current budget. Scenario 3 assumes the implementation of the Mason Street corridor coupled with other service enhancements and budget growth equal to slightly more than one and one half times the current budget. Scenario 4 assumes the implementation of a fill transit grid and the Mason Street corridor and budget growth at roughly twice the current budget. • The scenarios 2, 3, and 4 require cost increases over Scenario 1. In FY 2000 dollars, Scenario 1 would be similar to existing service,with estimated annual operational costs at approximately$3,390,000. Scenario 2 which adds the Mason Street Corridor bus service is estimated at$4,300,000. Scenario 3 begins the process of transitioning to a grid system with an estimated annual operating cost of $5,470,000. Scenario 4 is estimated at $7,370,000, showing a little more than double the resources to implement the alternative. • • The four scenarios should be viewed as the building blocks required to achieve a productive transit system for Fort Collins. Scenario 1: No Budget Growth, Minimal Redesign This first no-budget growth alternative is a short-term service improvement plan. Its focus is to provide modest modifications to the existing system. This scenario is illustrated in this report in Figure 2. Some of these changes can be implemented with limited disruption. However,full implementation of this alternative effects 37% of system service. Implementation of this alternative will improve the quality of Transfort operations as well as increase the productivity of the Transfort system. Model analysis estimates a 16% increase in system productivity. However,transit systems should expect a twelve to eighteen month adjustment period where some patrons are lost and new patrons begin using Transfort service. Transfort may experience an initial loss in ridership during this period, but expect to recover and increase ridership levels by the end of the period. Key changes to the existing service include • Providing two routes to service the area along portions of existing Route 4 that connects CSU with both downtown and the residential communities currently served by the route; • Providing service that enhances the travel connection between CSU and downtown; • • Straightening and simplifying Route 5, setting the framework for a grid-like operation on Lemay; 1VELCON I NVYGAARD CONSULTING AtSOCIAms 3 MBRUARY2001 TRANSFORT OTYOF FORT CULLINS DRAFT SERVICE FLAN—SECOND REVISION • • Simplifying Routes 7, eliminating unproductive detours, and focusing the route on both high density residential and high density employment areas,and • Eliminating low producing routes (Route 9, 10, and the Southside Shuttle) and utilizing those resources in more productive corridors (College Avenue and the north Mason corridor). Scenario 2: Minimal Redesign Plus Mason Street Corridor Service This alternative adds the Mason Street Corridor service to the improvements made in Scenario 1 above. plan. Implementation of this alternative will improve the quality of Transfort operations as well as increase the productivity of the Transfort system. Model analysis estimates a 38%increase in system productivity compared to the existing transit system. Its focus is to provide the "backbone" of a future highly productive transit system serving the Fort Collins community. This scenario is illustrated in this report in Figure 3. These changes can also be implemented with limited disruption, although they do represent significant improvements to the overall operation of the system.Implementation of this alternative will improve the quality of Transfort operations and the number of people riding the system. Key changes to the existing service include: • Providing high frequency two-way service along the Mason Street Corridor; • Connecting downtown, the Colorado State University campus, and the south College commercial areas with high quality transit access; • • Establishing the first of three Enhanced Trawl Corridors called for in City Plan; • Solving operational problems such as on-time performance ofTransfort buses by removing them from the congestion in the College corridor. Scenario 3: Transition to Grid Service This is an extensive redesign scenario,based on the principle of optimizing service within the existing service area and eliminating inefficiencies in previous service design.Implementation of this alternative continues to improve the quality of Transfort operations as well as increase the production of the Transfort system. Model analysis estimates nearly a doubling of ridership compared to existing Transfort service. Figure 4 in this report shows this proposed scenario. This scenario begins to put in place several improvements for the longer-term preferred 2010 Scenario: • Providing University access through the campus with frequent services around the periphery of CSU,within easy walking distance of major activity centers on campus; • Introducing crosstown services via Route 2; • Improving service on the West Elizabeth corridor, • Maintaining the level of service frequency in the Mason Corridor; • Restoring service levels along West Prospect to the University; • Maintaining the improved simplified routing identified in Scenario 1 for Route 5. • Maintaining the current level of night service;and • Providing 30-minute service frequencies on Laporte and Elizabeth, eliminating less • productive service on W. Vine. NELSON 11VYGA4w CONSULTING AuoaAm 4 F$BRUARY2WJ Scenario 4: Proposed Route System - 2010 Transit System • While Scenario 1 provides simple modifications to the existing service, Scenario 2 adds the Mason Corridor. Scenario 3 begins the transition to a productive grid design by providing a more extensive redesign of the system based on longer-term service improvements. The improvements position Transfort for continuing growth in Fort Collins that are consistent with long-range goals. Thus, Scenario 3 is a foundation for the preferred system, Scenario 4,requiring significant budget growth. Implementation of this alternative continues to improve the quality of Transfort operations as well as increase the production of the Transfort system. Model analysis estimates more than two and a quarter the ridership when compared to existing Transfort service. Figure 5 in this report shows the proposed Scenario 4. The emphasis of this preferred alternative is on frequency: • Assumes the functionality of the Mason Street Corridor, including the relocation of the Southside Transit Center to Mason Street, at a yet undetermined location between Horsetooth and Swallow; • Route 1 would be the backbone service on the Mason Street corridor, with an all-day frequency of every 7.5 minutes. During peak hours during the CSU school year, service along the entire corridor from downtown to Harmony would be every 3-4 minutes; • Every 30 minutes,buses traveling the Mason Corridor would continue to Loveland. Other Route 1 connections would be made to the east along Harmony Road and to Front Range Community College; • Efficiencies on Routes 5 and the crosstown grid of Route 2, identified under Scenario 3, would be maintained with greater frequency; • New routes would provide greater coverage and frequency,with 30-minute service along Timberline, Lemay, Shields and Taft Hill; • Service alongthe heavily traveled West Elizabeth corridorwould be increased to headways of 7.5 minutes; • New access points would be developed along Mason Street; • New developments and offices along Centre and Research are served by frequent north- south service; • General public dial-a-ride service would be available around the outer edges of the UGA, allowing fixed route resources to be dedicated to higher ridership areas. Next Steps Once the City has reviewed and approved the Service Plan,we will develop the Operating Plan for Transfort to use to guide the implementation of the Service Plan. The Operating Plan will include other changes and modifications identified by the City of Fort Collins. • NE/soMNYGAARD CoNsumwGAssoc/ATEs FEBRUARY2001 Figure 1: Fort Collins Transfort N Existing Fixed Route System W E Eby Frequency) s Willox a oc Conifer d Lincoln —_ ILL:.H.S. c`3 z z W vne _ N' EYne v•.. Ole i 01 Cheriaeo LaB21tew W Mountain _ F4ik v E Mulberry W Mulberry .. — !n►. . o Lau z u W Elizabeth WRRt � d �n E Elizabeth Centre Constitution W P•kin City Park W ProspectE Prospect E StuartLi ,o a 0 � W Stuart. � 2 3 4 - 7 � EPIC 1 = , Center for Senior Center Advanced N • •Technology d ci 0 -' 1 ?W Drake 1 <° W Swallow Foothills �,e • F`��� ashion Ma 11 o' Fort Collins o �o� H.S. v • a= d N ti W Horsetooth E Horsetooth ol� 1 1 7,SSS, ♦Bow 01 co 1 Hewlett-Packard WHarmon ............w Go.r...���� [F]Tont Range Community College w E W J Trilby Legend All Day Routes O Transit Center (by Midday frequencies) 20 Minutes Major Roads County Rd 32 30 Minutes Highways 60 Minutes OWnues to Loveland gJg®#`/y000rd 411110111111DIND• Peak Only Service consulting associates 0 0.5 1 mile Figure 2: Fort Collins Transfort N Scenario 1: Minimal Redesign W E S Wlllox a Conifer 00 Lincoln S° o J.H.S. • a LU s $ z W Vlne °► 14, _, E Vine N Laporte W Mountain Olive 7, ,15 Magnolia a W Mulberry 11 E Mulberry 1 O R e Z W Elizabeth W e: E EU loop Constitution O,. In City Park = W Prospect bti E Proaped. Y Vol Stuart EPIC• Center for V Advanced . o Technology a E Senior Center y J y W Drake Rd y d t; s ,Q Foothills Fashion Mall Fort Collins H.S. OE Monro • �. �� t..y �+ W Horsetooth EHo Squar y W Harmon •Hewlett-Packard PFEtRange o Timberwood Community College c� Trilby Legend All D Routes � T Transit Center (by Midday frequencies) 20 Minutes Major Roads County Rd 32 _ 30 Minutes Highways 60 Minutes Cdntinues to Loveland M INS,me Peak Only 0 0.5 1 mile — consulting associates ■ ■ S rvice Area Analysis Implementation of Scenario1 G C a West Vine Drive Poudre High Down Mulberry Street GSU Q West Prospect East Prospe t z EAC V C a Q R s A Senior Center io3 > M Drake ad £ 1- Rocky Mtn High Hoi3etooth Road ort Collins High I West tHarmony Road East Harmony Road Front a ommu Ilege Go N Map Layers =City Limits Major Fort Collins Streets =Current Service Area =New service Area 0 .4 .8 1.2 Miles Figure 3: Fort Collins Transfort N Scenario 2: Minimal Redesign W E with Mason S wfoX Conifer z w Lincoln o J.H.S. w a LL. • �' 8, a °' W Vine 14,15 z E Vine z v • ■ T I Lapora ' W Mounbm F<�o 2,3,416, !Ogw W Ilul 7,11115 ■agnolia_ ' . E Mulberry 0i z W m --...L rth !W Ellzabeth E Eli Constitution in City Park I FYW Prospect E Prospect .�. _ VI tuart EPIC• Center for Advanced Senior Center, Technology ' E 1= J N W Drake Rd s '" i I � a y N fi 3 Foothills Fashion Mall s Fort Collins H.S. ro • Z N! y s_..-.. W Horsebooth I I i ' .,.i M,5,5,7,FT,FRCC BOa�a N W Harmony •Hewlet6Packard 1]iiF7rontngs I Community College ;` Timberwood j i I � i M,FRCC i i Trilby Legend All Day Routes O Transit Center (by Midday frequencies) 20 Minutes Major Roads County Rd 32 30 Minutes Highways 60 Minutes Consnues to Loveland •�• Peak Only 8,YPEN 0 0.5 1 mile consulting associates Figure 4: Fort Collins Transfort N Scenario 3: Transition to Grid W E Extensive Redesign with Mason S t R Country Club_ i � ! Willox • u a m2 Conifer Lincoln • J.H.S. 8, t; W Vine W Z E Vine ec t' �i Laporte W Mountain E; F�'c v ONve o McDlna Frontage d W Mulberry 3 E Mulberry -- -- Z CityPark C Plum rth ± Sherry Dr W Elizabeth daftI 0 South Pleasant Acres Lake �i W Prosped i E P o' i Z` EPIC 3 � Raintree Centre _�; a E •Center for (3 ? : E er Advanced N ' E, J U'' W Drake Technd yi w 1 ' j ; I Foothills c Fashion i o :Mall i Fort Collins d ( N W Horsetooth E Hometooth __ M,2,5,6,12,20,FRCC s �b o W Harmony _ _ * Hewlett-Packard i I i Front Range ': E Community College i .F i 3 - i i t ( i 'i s Trilby! i Legend , All Day Routes © Transit Center (by Midday frequencies) 10 Minutes Major Roads 15 Minutes Highways 30 Minutes County Rd 32' 60 Minutes •• Peak Only Contnues to Loveland elsa�lay�aar� consulting associates 0 0.5 1 1.5 Miles Figure 5: Fort Collins Transfort Proposed Route System Douglas N Scenario 4: 2010 Transit System W E t s 1 1 I Cou*YAI ►_.__. 1 t � l r u { y j a j i = Conifer i m ' Lincoln 01 ' J.H.S. 28, — t 5,6,8,9 0 WVine co; z EW ._-.1 .. -.._-...- .�. .. ..........� _._ ._._,..._. o t i i t I Laporte E Olive l W Mountain_.— 3,6 W Mulberry___ E Mulberry Frontage W Laurel City Park W Elizabeth easily i 1 ji W Prospect Lake E Pros t; EPIC 40 3 o ig, d Raintree Senoc Center far c `E W Dreke Advanced TecMd ' �I Drake � I � Foothills ; o Fashion $ Fort Collin H.S. to E Horoetooth eap— e w _.`L__ he Square M,2,3,5,6,9,21 0' C t arig4c t°' W Hannon j HeuJett-Packed Frort Range $# ber,"f1w Community College � I O Keenlarp i County Rd 36 t s t Legend __._..__ __ . ___T�" - _._.:...__.__._. 6 All Day Routes © } i @y Midday frequencies) Transit Center 'LocatimofnewSoATransitcenter l at Mason and Florsemoti+is appro+nnats. t 7.5Minutes d cornaes to Loveh-W i 15 Minutes Major Roads ! i 30 Minutes Highways i Peak Only Urban Growth Area General Public DialARide coniultin associates Service Area 8 i i 0 0.5 1 1.5 Miles C'Ity ■Transi SyStul I I t.. CO 12% I&MIZI DR , . J Z' E VINE DR v _ W MULBERRY ST E M ; .. RRfiY W PROSPECT RD E F RO6PECT RD WE) RD E DRAKE apt E n OOTH RO F- CO camrWYRd n 0) a � � CO co � z -ob 1.111 TRILBY R� . . a 2020 City Plan Transit T Transit Center Feeder Routes N Enhanced Transportation Corridors Urban Growth Area High Frequency Routes Major Streets w _Iie__ E 71T