BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION ON EAST BATON ROUGE

PUBLIC TRANSIT

June 15th, 2011

Final Recommendations

Mayor Holden asked the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) to develop a comprehensive list of transit-related recommendations by June The BRC was charged with the following items relative to the

future of transit in East Baton Rouge Parish:

Gathering extensive community input regarding the prioritization of FuturEBR projects in order to prepare a phased implementation plan over the immediate-term (24 months)

Estimating the costs of the prioritized FuturEBR projects and examine, first, the sustainability of transit funding in Baton Rouge to support those immediate-term projects and, second, consider alternative and sustainable revenue sources that may be necessary to fund the projects

Analyzing and determining the best mechanism by which to present a transit-related ballot initiative to the East Baton Rouge voters

Consider all other factors that the BRC deems significant to successful FuturEBR project implementation and the sustainability of Baton Rouge transit

The Blue Ribbon Commission operated under a three-phased timeline in order to meet the June deadline

March 24th

April 7th

April 21st

May 5th May 18th

June 2nd

IntroductoryMeeting Problem Identification Refine and Discover

Solutions Formalize Options Make Recommendations

Draft Proposal• Overview of

mission• Introduction

s• Discussion

of workplan and resources

• Review current FuturEBR study

• Meet with transit leaders

• Collect BRC opinions & recommendations

• Conduct/Review comparative cities & benchmark

Deliverable: • Set of problems facing

transit• Relative scale of

problem’s impact• Initial estimate of

resources required for each

• Refine problems - Solicit public / community

opinion- Meet with: transit leaders;

city/ state leaders• Develop initial

recommendations- Solicit BRC input- Solicit input from transit

and community leaders- Examine funding options &

develop funding strategy- Draft recommendations

and align with problems/issues

• Formulate 3 options• Define option pro/cons • Develop

implementation plans for each including

- Funding- Election strategy- Timeline

• Align on recommended option

• Draft formal proposal to Mayor

Deliverable: • Initial set of

recommendations & solutions aligned with each problem

Deliverable: • Three options (one

recommended) in formal proposal to Mayor/Council

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The Blue Ribbon Commission is comprised of business, civic and religious leaders of East Baton Rouge Parish

Raymond Jetson (Chair) Star Hill Baptist ChurchNancy McPherson (Vice-Chair) AARPDavid Aguillard Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton RougeJay Campbell Associated Grocers, Inc.John Carpenter* Office of the Mayor-President Homer Charles* Together Baton RougeHelena Cunningham National Housing Consultant ServicesDr. Myrtle Dorsey Baton Rouge Community CollegeCassie Felder Cassie Felder and Associates, LLC/Forum 35Bill Holman Baton Rouge General Medical CenterJoseph Lands Transit PatronDr. Kofi Lomotey Southern UniversityMeg Mahoney* Baton Rouge Area ChamberDr. Mike Martin Louisiana State UniversityRalph Ney Embassy SuitesGraham Thompson Whitney Bank, retiredAnn Forte’ Trappey Forte’ and Tablada, Inc./BRAC Transportation IssueCouncilMike Walker* Baton Rouge Metro CouncilLeroy Watts Liberty Bank and TrustCarmen Weisner National Association of Social WorkersRonald Williams 4th District Missionary Baptist Assn / Midcity Community Fellowship*Ex-Officio Member

The Blue Ribbon Commission Phase I Committee on Problem Identification analyzed five categories of transit obstacles1. Inefficiency of System & Route Design

Long wait times & time consuming transfers Unpredictable and unreliable on-time performance Existing service area not always based on ridership potential Poor “internal connectivity”

2. Public Perception Perception is that current transit system is not an option for most citizens Low per-capita ridership compared to peer cities

3. Transportation Design & Amenities Shelters are in poor condition or do not exist Poor and uninformative signage at bus stops

4. Funding: Structure & Amount Absence of dedicated funding source makes Baton Rouge a national outlier,

limits system expansion, and risks losing federal match funding and grants5. Governance

Accountability: need for single transit entity responsible for leadership, vision & performance

The Phase II committee proposed 3 alternatives to address the most pressing transit concerns in East Baton Rouge (1/4) Proposal A: Basic Reform

Decrease wait times from 75 minutes to 30 minutes Increase service from 19 to 31 routes Increase peak buses from 32 to 42 Build 3 new transit hubs to replace “spoke” system

with “grid” system Overhaul bus stops with new shelters, covers &

benches Add tracking to fleet, with exact arrival times

accessible on cellular phones New signage with route and time information Dedicated revenue source for transit

The Phase II committee proposed 3 alternatives to address the most pressing transit concerns in East Baton Rouge (2/4) Proposal B: Ridership Expansion

Decrease wait times from 75 minutes to 20 minutes Increase service from 19 to 37 routes Increase peak buses from 32 to 57 Build 3 new transit hubs to replace “spoke” system with

“grid” system Overhaul bus stop shelters and benches Add tracking to fleet, with exact arrival times accessible on

cellular phones New signage with route and time information Dedicated revenue source for transit 3 new Express Lines:

Downtown to LSU Florida Blvd. Plank Road (with service to Airport)

The Phase II committee proposed 3 alternatives to address the most pressing transit concerns in East Baton Rouge (3/4) Proposal C: Broad “Rider-of-Choice” Appeal

Decrease wait times from 75 minutes to 15 minutes Increase service from 19 to 39 routes Increase peak buses from 32 to 98 Build 3 new transit hubs Overhaul bus stop benches and shelters Add tracking to fleet, with exact arrival times accessible on cellular phones New signage with route and time information Dedicated revenue source for transit Bus Rapid Transit on Florida Blvd. Start-up for streetcar from downtown to LSU 6 new Express Service Lines for Florida Blvd., Airline Highway,

Scenic Highway (serving Southern University), Plank Road (servicing Airport), Acadian Thruway (servicing BRCC) and O’Neal Lane

New limited-stop routes for Zachary/Baker, Denham Springs and Highland Road

The Phase II committee proposed 3 alternatives to address the most pressing transit concerns in East Baton Rouge (4/4)

After receiving survey input from over 1,000 respondents, the BRC determined that Proposal B (Ridership Expansion) most closely represented the will of the public COST: ~$18.3 MILLION/YEAR

ADDITIONAL REVENUES

The Phase III committee evaluated potential Transit Proposal B funding mechanisms (1/2) Revenue generating sources identified

by the BRC: Sales Tax

Citywide Parishwide

Property Tax Citywide Parishwide

Transit District Economic Development District

The Phase III committee evaluated potential Transit Proposal B funding mechanisms (2/2)With assistance from City-Parish and others, the BRC concluded that

the creation of transit district was the most viable transit funding option for East Baton Rouge Parish

Tax proposal that includes both sales and property taxes, generating approximately $18 million annually Will likely require less than .3% sales tax and under 4 mills

property tax Requires enabling legislation giving additional taxing authority,

since City/Parish is at constitutional limit for local sales tax Requires a local election to create a dedicated revenue source

for transit through the Capital Area Transit District (election likely to be held in the Fall of 2012)

Areas not included in the transit district may “opt in” through an election process

Final Recommendations

Recommendation 1 – Implement BRC Proposal B/B+ (Ridership Expansion)

Recommendation 2 – Support New Public Transit Board Member Nominating Process and Criteria

Recommendation 3 – Overhaul Existing Public Transit Legislation, Reforming Governance Structure and Creating New Capital Area Transit District

Recommendation 4 – Create a Dedicated Revenue Source for Transit

Recommendation 5 – Launch Public Engagement Campaign and Election Drive

Recommendation 1 - Implement BRC Proposal B/B+ (Ridership Expansion) Decrease wait times from the current average of 75 minutes to 15-20

minutes Build 3 new transit hubs to replace “spoke” system with “grid” system Overhaul bus stops, with new shelters and benches Add GPS tracking to fleet, with exact arrival times accessible on cell phones Overhaul all signage for transit stops, providing detailed route and time

information Increase service from 19 to 37 routes, expanding to high-demand areas that

currently are not served (eg. O’Neal Lane, Coursey Blvd., Essen and Siegen Lane)

Increase peak-hour buses from 32 to 57 Create 3 New Express Lines: Downtown to LSU; Florida Blvd (from Airline to

Downtown); Plank Road (with service to Airport)

Recommendation 2 - Support New Public Transit Board Member Nominating Process and Criteria Criteria should include requirements that board

members constitute a diverse representation from the following categories: Riders and consumers who rely on public transit as their

primary means of transportation Leaders from organizations that have a vested interest in a

robust transit system (such as higher education and health care facilities) or have a large constituency of transit users

Executives from not-for-profit, human service organizations Other business leaders with related executive experience

in areas such as transportation or civil engineering

Recommendation 3 – Overhaul Existing Public Transit Legislation, Reforming Governance Structure and Creating New Capital Area Transit District

Support an amendment to existing public transit legislation, which will include reform of the board-member nominating process and criteria, system performance standards and the creation of and capacity to generate revenue through transit sub-district Legislation should include the ability for the Capital Area Transit Service

to levy a sales tax (excluding food and drugs) and/or an ad valorem property tax within the boundaries of the sub-district

Adopt Capital Area Transit District boundaries to include areas currently served and expected to be served by mass transit, in accordance with the analysis of the FuturEBR Transit Report

Areas not included in the Transit District as originally drafted can “opt in” subsequently through an election process, to allow for growth of the transit system as population density and ridership demands expand

Proposed Capital Area Transit District

Proposed Capital AreaTransit District (with routes)

Recommendation 4 – Create a Dedicated Revenue Source for Transit

Under enabling legislation of the Capital Area Transit District, hold election to create a dedicated revenue source

Dedicated revenue source should produce approximately $18 million annually, allowing for a total transit budget of approximately $29.9 million (including federal match funding, rider fares, and other revenue sources)

Cease dependence on $3 million in Metro Council funding for core operational costs Recommend use of funding for pedestrian infrastructure improvements

connected to transit system Proposed revenue source should include a combination of sales and

property taxes, with the proposed sales tax at about .25% of a cent and the proposed property tax below 4 mills Exact rates will depend on precise yield estimates from Transit District

Recommendation 5 – Launch Public Engagement Campaign and Election Drive

Hold large-scale public engagement and media campaign, engaging all elected officials, Metro Council districts, businesses, neighborhood associations, constituent organizations and citizens about the Transit Reform proposals and the new vision for transit.

Other Recommendations

Foster implementation of “complete streets” principles Infrastructure designed and operated to enable safe, attractive,

and comfortable access and travel for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and public transport of users

Explore fee-for-service relationships and other long-term revenue options with school system, major non-profits, and other transit stakeholders

Assure ongoing accountability and timely implementation of entire transit reform package