HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-159-11/20/2001-AMENDING THE TRANSFORT SERVICE PLAN RESOLUTION 2001-159
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
AMENDING THE TRANSFORT SERVICE 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,on June 19,2001,the Council approved and adopted the Transfort Service Plan
which described 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,Council has directed the City Manager to include paratransit year-round evening
service, fixed route transit service for the western portion of Route 9, and the reduction of service
hours on Route 14 from 18 hours/day to 6 hours/day in the City's Proposed 2002-2003 Budget; and
WHEREAS,the aforesaid changes will provide the City the opportunity to apply for federal
funds; and
WHEREAS,the City Council has determined that it is in the best interest of the City that the
Transfort Service Plan be so amended.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT
COLLINS that the Transfort Service Plan,which is an element of the Transfort Strategic Operating
Plan, a copy of which is on file in the office of the City Clerk,be and hereby is amended as shown
on Exhibit "A" attached hereto and incorporated herein by this reference.
Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held this 20th day of November,
A.D. 2001.
Mayor '
ATTEST:
City Clerk
Exhibit A
City of Fort Collins
Executive Summary
TRANSFORT SERVICE PLAN
Amended
November 2001
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
This report is the-�raftAmen led Fittal'Service Plan for Transfort. This is the second final'step
in the Strategic Operating Plan process,following the Draft Existing Conditions Report that was
submitted in May 2000,theadaptionofthel l tteSezvicel'laninjune2001,and the Wditidnofpeak
hour service on Routes 9l and 14 and evening service all year for Dial-A-Ride duringthe City's 1002
2003 budget process. 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 onion 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 thisch the 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 t e 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.
• 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.
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• 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.
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Four Service Alternatives
Four scenarios were developed in consultation with City staff and
adopted:by,City Qoupcill in June 2001.
• 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 full transit grid and the Mason Street corridor
and budget growth at roughly twice the current budget.
• Scenario 1 is being amended to include peak hour bus service on Routes 9W and 14 and to
provide evening service on Dial-A-Ride,the City'sparatransit service,throughout the year.
• . In FY 2002 dollars,
Scenario 1's fixed route (Transfort)element would be similar to existing service,with
estimated annual operational costs at approximately$3,870,000. The Dial-A-Ride element
adds $160,000 annually.
• Scenario 2 which adds the Mason Street Corridor bus service is estimated at$4,760,000.
Scenario 3 begins the process of transitioning to a grid system with an estimated annual
operating cost of$5,790,000. Scenario 4 is estimated at$8,670,000,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'Ilan. 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{ncrease
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
' Estimates in FY 2002 dollars!
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• 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;
• Simplifying Route 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).
• Reducing service on Routes 9W and 14 to peak hour service.
• Enhancing evening demand service for Dial-A-Ride,the City's paratransit operation,by
providing the service all year instead of only when CSU is in session.
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 Travel Corridors called for in City Plan;
• Solving operational problems such as on-time performance of Transfort 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
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• Providing 30-minute service frequencies on Laporte and Elizabeth, eliminating less
productive service on W. Vine.
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 along the heavily traveled West Elizabeth corridor would be increased toheadways
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
. Implementation of the Ametded
Final Service Plan will take place in January 2002'
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