blue ribbon commission on east baton rouge public transit
DESCRIPTION
Final Recommendations. Blue ribbon commission on east baton rouge public transit. June 15 th , 2011. Mayor Holden asked the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) to develop a comprehensive list of transit-related recommendations by June. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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 IdentificationRefine and Discover
SolutionsFormalize Options
Make Recommendations Draft Proposal
• Overview of mission
• Introductions
• 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
213
The Blue Ribbon Commission is comprised of business, civic and religious leaders of East Baton Rouge Parish
Raymond Jetson (Chair) Star Hill Baptist Church
Nancy McPherson (Vice-Chair) AARP
David Aguillard Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge
Jay Campbell Associated Grocers, Inc.
John Carpenter* Office of the Mayor-President
Homer Charles* Together Baton Rouge
Helena Cunningham National Housing Consultant Services
Dr. Myrtle Dorsey Baton Rouge Community College
Cassie Felder Cassie Felder and Associates, LLC/Forum 35
Bill Holman Baton Rouge General Medical Center
Joseph Lands Transit Patron
Dr. Kofi Lomotey Southern University
Meg Mahoney* Baton Rouge Area Chamber
Dr. Mike Martin Louisiana State University
Ralph Ney Embassy Suites
Graham Thompson Whitney Bank, retired
Ann Forte’ Trappey Forte’ and Tablada, Inc./BRAC Transportation IssueCouncil
Mike Walker* Baton Rouge Metro Council
Leroy Watts Liberty Bank and Trust
Carmen Weisner National Association of Social Workers
Ronald 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 obstacles
1. 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 grants
5. 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