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Public Transit:“Fixing a system in crisis”
St. Mary Baptist ChurchMay 10th, 2011
We face serious challenges… The transit system could run out of
funding either in September or October of 2011.
Chronic budget crises, under-funding and poor public perception have plagued the system.
The 2010 vote to create a dedicated revenue source for transit failed, 53% to 47%.
Who cares?
Traffic Congestion
Avg. delay per year
22 hours
Baton Rouge rank for congestion among mid-size U.S. cities (2010)?
U. S. Avg for Mid-size Cities
Baton Rouge 37 hours33rd
# of mid-size cities studied?
33
Little
Roc
k
Colum
bia
Baton
Rou
ge
Ralei
gh
Charlo
tte
Memph
is
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Traffic Delay per Capita
Projected Traffic CongestionFuturEBR projects traffic congestion will increase
to over 70 hours per year in 20 years
FuturEBR prediction of congested routes
in 20 years
(Not a pretty picture.)
Projected Traffic Congestion
Who cares?
Dr. Jeanne.
Mildred.
Student at a local university. Moving next to a bus route because her car is about to give out.
Retired PhD in Clinical Psychology. Recently visually impaired. Very limited ability to drive.
Receptionist at local hospital. Makes minimum wage and is a single mother. She and her daughter rely on public transit.
Jessica.
People who …
1) want less traffic congestion.2) need reliable transportation to get to work,
appointments, school, entertainment.3) need their employees to have reliable
transportation to work.4) would like to reduce overall transportation costs:
car insurance, gas, road repair, vehicle repair.5) want economic development:
$1 in transit investment = $35 in economic development.
Who cares?
Tens of thousands of Baton Rouge residents have limited or no access to cars.
People who are elderly, have disabilities, are low-income, students, young people.
Hundreds of thousands want options for transportation.
Percent of residents who “would use rapid transit if it were available”
16%
55%
Public transit is a popular idea in B.R.
Percent of residents who “ever use” transit system in Baton Rouge
But very few people use it…
70%Percent of residents who say there is a “good” or “great” need for improved public transportation
If the idea of transit is popular, why don’t more people use it?
Because the current system is not working.
Problem #1: Wait times are too long
Average wait time at a transit stop?
75 minutes
Problem #2: Overall travel times are too long.
Average total travel time (including waits)?
2 hours, 20 minutes
Problem #3: The route system is inefficient
“Spoke” route structure built for cities of 40 years ago.
Consider Essen to Bluebonnet5-10 minutes by car Over 2 hours by bus
#4: Poor service coverageMany highly developed areas are not
covered by transit system:O’Neal LaneCoursey Blvd.Essen & Siegan Lane
#5: Poor Signage and Stops Shelters are in poor condition or do not exist.
Poor and uninformative signage at bus stops: no route information; no time information.
How did it get this bad?
You get what you pay for…Baton Rouge vs. Peer cities: Transit funding per
resident
Peer Cities (2009)
$134
$32
Per capita funding
$84$84
$70
$86
$27
$59
Includes local taxes, fares and federal funding
Charlotte
Knoxville
Little Rock
Raleigh
Memphis
Peer City Average
Baton Rouge (2009)
Baton Rouge (2011)
You get what you pay for…High dependence on rider fares for funding
Percent of
Peer Cities (2009) funding from fares
Peer City Average
Baton Rouge (2011)
25%
14%
Akron, OHAlameda, CAAlbuquerque, NMAmes, IAAnn Arbor, MIAntioch, CAArlington, VAAsheville, NCAtlanta, GAAustin, TXBakersfield, CABatavia, OHBay City, MIBellingham, WABenton Harbor, MIBillings, MTBirmingham, ALBismarck, NDBloomington,
INBradenton, FLBremerton, WABrunswick, OHBuffalo, NYBurlington, WACanton, OHCedar Rapids, IAChapel Hill, NCCharleston, SCCharleston, WVCharlotte, NCCharlottesville, VAChicago, ILCincinnati, OHCleveland, OH
Colorado Springs, COColumbus, GAColumbus, OHCommerce, CAConcord, CACorpus Christi, TXCorvallis, ORCulver City, CACumberland, MDDallas, TXDavenport, IADavis, CADayton, OHDenver, CODetroit, MIDuluth, MNEl Paso, TXElk Grove, CAEverett, WA
Fairfield, CAFlagstaff, AZFlint, MIFond du Lac, WIFort Collins, COFort Myers, FLFort Smith, ARFort Wayne, INFort Worth, TXFredericksburg, VAGardena, CAGary, INGlendale, AZGrand Forks, NDGrand Rapids, MIGrand River, OH
Other cities with dedicated revenue for transit …
Granite City, ILGreat Falls, MTGreensboro, NCGretna, LAHanford, CAHesperia, CAHighland Falls, NYHolland, MIHouston, TXHuntington, WVIndianapolis, INIowa City, IAJackson, MIJacksonville, FLJefferson City, MO
Kalamazoo, MIKansas City, MOKent, OHLa Mirada, CALaCrosse, WILafayette, INLakeland, FLLancaster, CALansing, MILaredo, TXLargo, MDLas Cruces, NMLawrence, KS Lewisville, TXLexington, KYLivermore, CALogan, UTLompoc, CALong Beach, CA
Los Angeles, CAMedford, ORMiami, FLMinneapolis, MNMissoula, MTMoline, ILMontebello, CAMonterey, CAMurfreesboro, TNNapa, CANew Orleans, LANew York, NYNorwalk, CAOakland, CAOceanside, CAOlympia, WAOmaha, NE
Orange, CAOxnard, CAPeoria, ILPetaluma, CAPhoenix, AZPinole, CAPittsburgh, PAPompano Beach, FLPort Huron, MIPort Washington, WIPorterville, CAPortland, ORProvidence, RIRedondo Beach, CARichland, WARiverside, CARockville, MD
MORE cities with dedicated revenue for transit …
Sacramento, CASaginaw, MISalem, ORSan Antonio, TXSan Bernardino, CASan Carlos, CASan Diego, CASan Francisco, CASan Jose, CASan Juan, PRSanta Barbara, CASanta Clarita, CA
Santa Cruz, CASanta Fe, NMSanta Maria, CASanta Monica, CASanta Rosa, CASavannah, GAScottsdale, AZSeattle, WASioux City, IASouth Bend, INSpokane, WASpringfield, ILSt. Cloud, MNSt. Johns, MISt. Joseph,
MOSt. Paul, MNSt. Petersburg, FLStockton, CASugar Land, TXTampa, FLTempe, AZThousand Oaks, CAThousand Palms, CAToledo, OHTopeka, KSTucson, AZUnion City, CAUrbana, ILVallejo, CAValparaiso, IN
Vancouver, WAVentura, CAVisalia, CAWashington, DCWaterloo, IAWenatchee, WAWest Covina, CAWest Palm Beach, FLWheeling, WVWinston-Salem, NCWoodland, CAYakima, WAYoungstown, OH
STILL MORE cities with dedicated revenue for transit …
No dedicated funding
means losing millions in
federal match
funding and grants.
So how do we fix it?
4 Reform Proposals
Proposal A:
Basic Reform1. Decrease wait times from 75 minutes to 30 minutes.2. Increase service from 19 to 31 routes.3. Increase peak-hour buses from 32 to 42.4. Build 3 new transit hubs to replace “spoke” system with “grid” system.5. Overhaul bus stops, with new shelters, covers & benches.6. Add tracking to fleet, with exact arrival times accessible on cell phones.7. New signage with route and time info.8. Dedicated revenue source for transit.
Preliminary Estimates OnlyTotal Transit Budget: $25 million
Required from dedicated revenue source: $15m
Federal & Other Funds leveraged: $10m per year
Proposal B:
Ridership Expansion1. Decrease wait times from 75 minutes to 20 minutes.2. Increase service from 19 to 37 routes.3. Increase peak-hour buses from 32 to 57.4. Build 3 new transit hubs to replace “spoke” system with “grid” system.5. Overhaul bus stops: shelters & benches.6. Add tracking to fleet, with exact arrival times accessible on cell phones.7. New signage with route and time info.8. Dedicated revenue source for transit.9. 3 New Express Lines: a) Downtown to LSU, b) Florida Blvd. & c) Plank Rd. (servicing Airport).
Preliminary Estimates OnlyTotal Transit Budget: $29.9 millionRequired from dedicated revenue
source: $18.3 million
Federal & Other Funds leveraged: $11.6m per year
Proposal C: Broad “rider-of-
choice” appeal1. Decrease wait times from 75 to 15 minutes.2. Increase service from 19 to 39 routes.3. Increase peak-hour buses from 32 to 98.4. Build 3 new transit hubs to replace “spoke” system with “grid” system.5. Overhaul bus stops (shelters/benches).6. Add tracking to fleet, with exact arrival times accessible on cell phones.7. New signage with route and time info.8. Dedicated revenue source for transit.9. Bus Rapid Transit on Florida.10. Start-up for Street Car downtown to LSU.11. SIX New Express Service Lines for Florida Blvd, Airline Hwy, Scenic Hwy (serving Southern Univ), Plank Rd. (serving Airport), Acadian Thruway (serving BRCC) and O’Neal Lane.12. New Limited Stop Routes for Zachary/Baker, Denham Springs & Highland Rd.
Preliminary Estimate OnlyTotal Transit Budget: $55.4 million
Required from dedicated revenue source: $38.7millionFed & other funds leveraged: $16.7m
Proposal C: Broad “rider-of-
choice” appeal1. Decrease wait times from 75 to 15 minutes.2. Increase service from 19 to 39 routes.3. Increase peak-hour buses from 32 to 98.4. Build 3 new transit hubs to replace “spoke” system with “grid” system.5. Overhaul bus stops (shelters/benches).6. Add tracking to fleet, with exact arrival times accessible on cell phones.7. New signage with route and time info.8. Dedicated revenue source for transit.9. Bus Rapid Transit on Florida.10. Start-up for Street Car downtown to LSU.11. SIX New Express Service Lines for Florida Blvd, Airline Hwy, Scenic Hwy (serving Southern Univ), Plank Rd. (serving Airport), Acadian Thruway (serving BRCC) and O’Neal Lane.12. New Limited Stop Routes for Zachary/Baker, Denham Springs & Highland Rd.
Preliminary Estimate OnlyTotal Transit Budget: $55.4 million
Required from dedicated revenue source: $38.7millionFed & other funds leveraged: $16.7m
BUS RAPID TRANSIT Double click
image for video
Proposal D:
No Reform1. No dedicated revenue source or additional funding for transit.2. Current or declining level of service: • 75 minute wait times• 2hr 20min average trip time• Current state of stops,
signage and amenities.• Decrease routes from 19 to
17.• No weekend service.• Fare increases.• Reduction in service area by
50%.• Reduce peak buses from 32
to 26.
Total Transit Budget: $12 mAdditional revenue: $0
Additional Federal & other funds leveraged: $0m
It’s our choice…
PROPOSAL A
Basic Reform.
Total Budget: $25 million
Dedicated revenue: $15
million
PROPOSAL B
Ridership Expansion
PROPOSAL C
Broad “Rider-of-choice”
Appeal
PROPOSAL D
No Reform
Total Budget: $29.9 million
Dedicated revenue: $18.3
million
Total Budget: $55.4 million
Dedicated revenue:
$38.7million
Total Budget: $12 m
Dedicated revenue: $0.
Transit Meeting: May 2nd