Transit at the Table II

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Transit at the Table II

• A Guide to Participation in Metropolitan
  Decisionmaking for Transit Agencies in Small and
  Medium-Sized MPOs

Presentation to Virginia Transit
Association Annual Meeting, Arlington,
Virginia May 21, 2008
Richard I. Roisman, AICP Senior Transportation
Planner Vanasse Hangen Brustlin,
Inc. rroisman_at_vhb.com
P. John Sprowls Community Planner Federal Transit
Administration john.sprowls_at_dot.gov
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What This Study is All About

• It all comes back to transit being in fact
  at the table in a meaningful way, participating
  over time in all of the MPOs business, and then
  making the case for access to funding other than
  FTA monies. Just showing up and asking for
  funding, even for a good project, is less likely
  to be successful.
• --Steven Gayle, Director, Binghamton (NY)
  Metropolitan Transportation Study

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Presentation Overview

• Introduction study purpose, methodology,
  findings
• Benefits of participation in the MPO process
• Improve transit agency staffing resources
• Improve transit agency influence
• Leverage additional funding opportunities
• Preparing for MPO designation
• Accessing the full study

Source Valley Transit Walla Walla, WA
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Study Purpose (1)

• Why does FTA need to sponsor this research?
  We get our projects accepted in the TIP
  Transportation Improvement Program and I am
  sure most agencies have no problem getting their
  specific projects allocated with the Federal
  funds they deserve.
• -- Unnamed Transit Manager

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Study Purpose (2)

• Effectiveness of coordination between transit
  agencies and decisionmaking and funding partners
  varies nationally
• Broad flexibility among funding programs and the
  legal requirement for a planning process are the
  minimum requirements, not the full range of
  opportunities
• Offer case studies and testimonial support for
  proactive, consistent transit agency
  participation in metropolitan planning process

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Study Purpose (3)

• Answer the question why should transit
  participate in the metropolitan planning process?
• Assess the experiences of public transportation
  operators working within the metropolitan
  transportation planning process in small and
  medium-sized regions
• Present success stories for peer exchange

population between 50,000 and 200,000
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Study History (1)

• In 2004, FTA published Transit at the Table a
  Guide to Participation in Metropolitan
  Decisionmaking, for large urbanized areas
• population greater than 200,000

Source FTA
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Study History (2)

• Transportation planning issues differ in small
  and medium-sized areas
• Transit issues different in small and
  medium-sized areas
• Planning process differs as well
• Need for a new study focused on small and
  medium-sized areas

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Differences in FTA funding process

• Area population gt 200K, TMA designation
• Transit operators direct recipients of FTA funds
• Area population gt 50K and lt 200K
• FTA formula funds distributed to state Governor
• Governor usually designates State Department of
  Transportation (SDOT) to make funding decisions
• Transit operators in small and medium sized areas
  must work with SDOT
• MPO must be actively engaged

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Study Audience

• Transit managers, staff and board members
• MPO staff and management
• MPO board members
• SDOT staff and management
• Elected officials

Kirby Plaza, Duluth, MN Source Duluth Transit
Authority

• Anyone interested in improving mobility and
  regional planning
• Special audience above groups in areas that may
  receive MPO designation following 2010 Census

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Study Methodology

• Anecdotal case studies from 18 small and
  medium-sized regions
• Response to email questionnaire and telephone
  interviews with
• Transit operator(s)
• MPO
• SDOT(s)
• Study regions selected based on feedback from FTA
  staff and Technical Working Group
• Sample designed to be geographically diverse

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Transit at the Table II Study Regions
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Study Findings

• Transit agency involvement with the MPO is
  important
• Increased transit participation in the MPO
  process can
• Improve transit agency staffing resources
• Improve transit agency influence
• Leverage additional funding opportunities
• Other regions can learn from the stories in the
  report

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Participation in the MPO Process Can Improve
Transit Agency Staffing Resources

• The MPO is an excellent forum for contact
  with officials who can help your agency, both
  with current operations and planning and future
  work or service expansion.
• -- Bill Wright, former Director, Saginaw (MI)
  Metropolitan Area Transportation Study

Sylvester Payne, GM/CEO of STARS Transit (L) Sara
Kristal-Brandon, Friends of STARS Bill Wright,
former Director, SMATS (R) Saginaw, MI Source
STARS Transit
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Case Study Coeur dAlene, Idaho

• Kootenai MPO designated in 2002
• No fixed route transit service at the time
• Demand response service only
• Staff and funding issues
• Native American Tribe (Schitsuumsh) provided
  transit link from urban area to casino
• Service started in early 1990s
• Approximately 400K / year, funded by casino
  revenues

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Case Study Coeur dAlene, Idaho (2)

• MPO staff limitations prevented adminstering
  fixed-route service
• Worked with Tribe, County, and non-profit to
  develop fixed-route transit
• Tribe provides local match for Section 5307 grant
• County receives FTA funds
• Non-profit administers contracts
• Transit and planning operations directed by MPO

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Improving Agency Resources Other examples

• Private transit management in conjunction with
  strong MPO ties
• MPO or City/County as transit planning staff if
  operator lacks resources
• Staff exchange between transit operator and MPO
• Co-location of offices
• Informal meetings

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Improve Transit AgencyStaffing Resources

• In order to provide and advance regional
  cooperation and improve the transportation
  planning process, regions need to get past turf
  issues that serve to circumvent the process.
• -- Roger Foster, General Manager, Cities
  Area Transit, Grand Forks, ND

Source Cities Area Transit
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Participating in the MPO Process Can Improve
Transit Agency Influence

• The transit operator can always be more
  involved with the process. They must keep the
  conversation going outside of meetingsand while
  this might be hard and time-consuming and
  engender the attitude that the transit agency
  cant afford such an effort, in reality they
  cant afford not to
• --Ron Epstein, Director, Transit Bureau, New
  York State Department of Transportation

New Bus, Ben Franklin Transit, Tri-Cities,
WA Source Ben Franklin Transit
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Case Study Cedar Rapids, Iowa

• Director of transit agency heavily involved in
  regional planning efforts
• Commissioned regional rail study to connect Cedar
  Rapids and Iowa City
• Worked with MPO to establish off-peak transit
  service to serve growing industrial park
• Initially single bus / shuttle service
• Service expanded to eight buses, over 50K
  unlinked trips (2006)

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Case Study Cedar Rapids, Iowa (2)

• Transit agency has created culture of cooperation
• Iowa DOT we are very impressed with Cedar
  Rapids willingness to take on innovative
  projects
• MPO very supportive of transit initiatives

Bus, Cedar Rapids, IA Source Five Seasons
Transportation
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Case Study Fort Smith, Arkansas

• Fort Smith Transit wanted to move early on United
  We Ride program
• Worked with MPO to identify membership and goals
  for new group of regional transit operators
• Fixed-route, demand response, and human services
  transportation
• Bi-State MPO provided three years of funding
• Planning and pre-implementation stages of River
  Valley Transportation Providers (RVTP)
  Coordination Plan

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Case Study Fort Smith, Arkansas

• Resulting work gained attention from Arkansas
  State Highway and Transportation Department
  (AHTD)
• AHTD used Fort Smith as demonstration for other
  Arkansas MPOs to implement United We Ride
• AHTD funded second phase of Fort Smith
  coordination plan

Ken Savage, Director, Fort Smith Transit Source
Fort Smith Transit
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Improving Agency InfluenceOther Examples

• MPO works with transit operator to select
  regional travel demand forecasting software
• Ability to model transit trips key selection
  factor
• Transit operator hires additional staff to ensure
  full coverage at MPO meetings
• Transit operator develops vision plan to engage
  MPO leadership on transit issues
• Resulted in several detailed studies

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Participation in the MPO Process Can Leverage
Additional Funding Opportunities

• CMAQ funds have been crucial to providing
  additional amenities. We used CMAQ funds to
  purchase and install bike racks on buses that
  have proven to be a fairly popular addition to
  our fleet.
• -- Ron Chicka, Director, Duluth-Superior
  (MN/WI) Metropolitan Interstate Committee

Source Duluth-Superior MIC
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Case Study Duluth, Minnesota

• Duluth Transit Authority (DTA) developed transit
  vision plan with MPO
• Long-range plan supported short-term studies
• DTA co-located new transit center with university
  student center
• Local match was CMAQ funds

Interior of Kirby Plaza, DTA Transfer
Center located on the campus of the University of
Minnesota Duluth (UMD) Source DTA
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Case Study Duluth, Minnesota

• Downtown transit study supported by new
  origin/destination survey funded by MPO and FTA

Downtown Duluth bus stop enhancement plan Source
DTA

• DTA and FTA funded construction of on-street
  super shelters with real-time bus information,
  heating, other amenities

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Case Study Portland, Maine

• PACTS MPO has funded transit capital projects
  with STP funds for the past 10 years
• Buses, signs, shelters
• Standing MPO transit committee established in
  2004

John Duncan, Director, Portland
Area Comprehensive Transportation Committee
(PACTS), Portland, ME Source PACTS
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Case Study Portland, Maine

• Transit committee recommended that 7 of STP
  funds be set aside for transit in the TIP
• Overall STP allocation formula revised every two
  years

Passenger ferries, Portland, ME Source
http//www.cascobaylines.com

• Resulting funds used for downtown transit center
  revitalization
• and ITS improvements for transit riders

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Additional Funding Opportunities Other Examples

• Local Colleges and Universities
• Dedicated funding source (with MPO support)
• Other federal agencies
• Business community

Richland County Transit Bus, Mansfield,
OH Source Richland County Transit
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Preparing for MPO Designation

• Several study areas received MPO designation
  following 2000 Census
• Many new areas may receive MPO designation
  following 2010 Census
• There is a learning curve
• Transit operators who previously received FTA
  funds directly will need to work with MPO and
  SDOT
• Developing relationships early is very important

Riders boarding a Regional Transit System (RTS)
bus, Gainesville, FL (Source RTS)
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Preparing for MPO Designation (2)

• Each agency must understand the others mission,
  activities, and processes
• Resources for planning are available
• Contact agencies in new MPO regions
• Contact agencies cited in this study
• Other FTA / FHWA resources on the web

Transfer Center, Missoula, MT Source Mountain
Line Transit
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Accessing the Full Study

• Available Summer 2008
• On the web
• http//www.fta.dot.gov/planning/metro/planning_env
  ironment_212.html

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Questions?
Mountain Line Transfer Center, Missoula, MT
(source Mountain Line)