Transportation Development

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Transportation Development

• How do we get rubber on the road? ..and other
  burning questions.

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Identification of Need

• Who? (Characteristics)
• Low income, seniors, disabled, children, general
  public, any special requirements?
• What? (Trip Purpose)
• Work, adult education and training, medical
  appointments, meeting basic needs, shopping,
  recreation, inter-modal connections, senior
  nutrition access

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More Questions

• Where (origins and destinations)
• Identify common origins and destinations (this is
  more specific than from home to work actual map
  locations)
• When (time of day)
• Is the need varied (medical appointments) or the
  same every day (commute), or changes because of
  shift rotation?

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Developing Solutions - How

• Solutions are the answer to the question how.
  How can a specific need be met for a particular
  element of the population?
• Often this results in a favored method, vanpool,
  carpool, demand response, fixed route service.
• Make sure you know what assets already exist.
  Maybe you are addressing just a small gap between
  two existing systems. Maybe coordination of
  systems could solve the problem.

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Involve Consumers

• If we build it, will you ride?
• Springdale and Suncrest examples

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Wheres the Money?

• Consolidated Grant Process State
• Formula Allocation from FTA to State and to
  Transit Agencies
• Limited Discretionary Funding from FTA
• Brief History of JARC earmarks
• 1999-2001 WorkFirst Transportation Initiative
• Barriers included no license or insurance
• Used vehicle sales and loans were not approved
  uses through WSDOT
• By 2005, earmarks were replaced with allocations
  to states and transit systems.

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State Consolidated Grant Process

• Distributes State Funds
• Rural Mobility
• Paratransit Special Needs
• Distributes Federal Funds
• 5310-Seniors and Disabled
• 5311-Rural Public
• JARC Employment and Higher Ed
• New Freedom-Beyond ADA

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State Priorities

• Coordination of services to stretch funding
• ACCT
• Preservation of service
• Service to Unserved/Underserved
• Options that encourage shared ridership rather
  than single occupant vehicles.

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• Are Needs Already Identified to Address our Local
  Problem?

Maybe
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Coordinated Transit Human Services Transportation
Plan

• First plans were submitted in January of 2007.
  All projects seeking funding through state
  consolidated grant program must be ranked by
  local CTHSTPs
• Process required to develop a plan
• Convene Stakeholder Groups
• Gather Data and Information
• Identify Unmet Transportation Needs
• Develop Transportation Alternatives

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Stakeholders

• Agency Council on Coordinated Transportation
  (Local Coalitions)
• Area Agencies on Aging
• Assisted Living Communities
• City Councils
• Community Action Agencies
• Community Colleges
• County Officials
• Public (and riders)

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Stakeholders (Continued)

• DSHS (CSO)
• Foundations
• Group Homes
• Hospitals and Health Care Providers
• Local Medicaid Brokers and providers
• School Districts
• Employers
• Non-Profit Transportation Providers

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Stakeholders (Continued)

• Other Non-Profit Organizations
• Nursing Homes
• Private transportation operators
• Public transit district
• Regional Transportation Planning Organizations
• Retired Senior Volunteer Programs
• Taxicab Operators
• Tribal Governments
• Work First Local Planning Areas

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Data and Information

• Origins and destinations for people with special
  transportation needs
• Use maps where feasible
• Existing Transportation Services
• Hours of operation
• Service area/boundaries
• Type of service
• Fares

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Identify Unmet Transportation Needs

• Gaps in service
• Identify duplication
• Identify social services that are providing
  transportation to clients. Find out if they are
  willing to coordinate to leverage funds.
• Using GIS/maps can help inform the public and
  assist planners in developing transportation
  alternatives.

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Develop Transportation Alternatives

• Offer prioritized solutions to meet the unmet
  needs. (Prioritization first comes from the
  community and stakeholder input).
• Identify how coordination will be utilized within
  the transportation alternatives.

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Updates

• The plan must be updated during the current state
  biennium. It will need to be completed by about
  May of 2010 in order to be available to
  transportation service developers for the next
  round of grant applications (August 2010). It is
  not clear what the update schedule will look like
  in the surface transportation reauthorization.

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Project Ranking for Consolidated Grant Process

• The RTPO has the responsibility for ranking
  transportation projects submitted in the
  Consolidated Grant Process.
• The RTPO ranks the projects using the priorities
  set by the community within the plan.

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Public Participation

• The public can participate in the stakeholder
  meetings.
• In the first planning process, we used a
  combination of public survey results (especially
  to obtain origins/destinations) as well as
  inviting the public to the stakeholder meetings.
• United We Ride Framework for Action (focus
  groups, surveys, needs assessments, public
  notices)

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Questions?

• Kelly Scalf, Planning and Transportation Division
  Director
• 1-800-776-9026