January 15, 2020

LAFAYETTE BOULEVARD MULTIMODAL STUDY UPDATE

Citizens Advisory Committee Presentation

Contact: lehane@gwregion.org

Study Scope

Multimodal Improvements– FRED Transit– Bike/Pedestrian– Fredericksburg Station Parking Capacity

Analysis– Infrastructure Improvements

Technical Data Driven– GIS– Travel Demand Modeling– Traffic Data

Phase 1: Transit (February 2020) Phase 2: Highway & Bike/Ped (on hold)

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Recap: Existing Conditions – Key Takeaways

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Lack of pedestrian connections at many bus stops

A number of bus stops are not paired by direction

F3 ridership along corridor is among highest in FRED system

Several bus stops have high ridership but no amenities

Fredericksburg Station nearing parking capacity

Potential for expanded VRE feeder service

Recap: Market Analysis – Key Takeaways

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Pockets of high transit need in each index along or in close proximity to the study corridor– Major destinations at each end– Pockets of population density along it

Potential for future transit travel between the Spotsylvania Ave area and Southpoint Centre

Significant potential for transit travel between southern Stafford County and the Spotsylvania County portion of the study corridor

Likely demand for 30-minute service along the study corridor

Service Scenarios

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Scenario 1– Shift F3 start times to the hour instead of

the half-hour (coordinate with D2)– Breaks connection with S5 at Lee’s Hill

Scenario 2– Add 2nd bus to F3 for 30 minute headway,

coordination with D2 and S5 Scenario 3

– Combine F3 and D2, F3 and a streamlined S5, overlap for 30 minute effective headway along Lafayette corridor

Scenario 4– Add VRE feeder route as overlay to F3

Scenario 5– Modify F3 to serve Fredericksburg

Station during peak hours

Scenario 6– Add weekend route to the corridor

Long-Term Recommendations

Scenario 1 – Shift F3 Start times to the hour

Shift F3 Start times to the hour – 7AM instead of 7:30AM

Allows for seamless transfer to D2 to reach US-17 corridor

Con: Breaks seamless transfer to S5 at Lee’s Hill

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Ridership is projected to increase slightly by 19 passengers

Shift in start times will have no impact on current operating cost

RoutesWeekday Service Span

Existing Scenario 1

D2 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM

F3 7:30 AM - 8:30 PM 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM

S5 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Current

Scenario Route Headway Ridership Revenue Hours

Riders/ Revenue Hour

Increase in Daily Ridership

Scenario 1 F3 60 131 13 10 N/A

Future

Scenario 1 F3 60 150 13 11.6 19

Scenario 2 – Two buses for a 30 minute headway

Allows for seamless transfer to D2 and S5 at the hour and half hour

Requires the purchase of an additional vehicle

Operating cost on F3 would nearly double

Ridership is projected to increase by 52 passengers

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Current

Scenario Route Headway Ridership Revenue Hours

Riders/ Revenue Hour

Increase in Daily Ridership

Scenario 2 F3 60 131 13 10 N/A

Future

Scenario 2 F3 30 183 25 7.3 52

2 new routes:– F3 A: combination of F3 and S5, remove one-way

loop on S5– F3 B: combination of F3 and D2– 60 minute headways– Overlap on Lafayette Blvd would create 30

minute headway– Ridership is projected to increase by 52

passengers– Operating cost would double over the

existing cost » Increase of $302,288 over existing $302,288

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Scenario 3 – Two new routes; Geico & Cosner’s Corner

Scenario 4 – VRE Feeder Route

Add VRE feeder route along Lafayette Boulevard and further into Spotsylvania County

Operate in the AM and PM peak periods– 4:35 AM – 7:05 AM– 4:55 PM – 7:25 PM

Provide connection to Route 208 commuter lot, Route 1 corridor and the Route 208 corridor

Ridership is projected to be approximately 112 daily riders

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Scenario 5 – VRE Feeder Route and service time extension

Extension in Spotsylvania County to serve the Route 208 Commuter Lot

Extension in the City of Fredericksburg to serve the Fredericksburg Train Station

Ridership will increase by a projected 85 riders

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Routes Scenario 5F3 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM

F3D 4:45 AM - 7:15 AM; 4:45 PM - 7:15 PM

Would be extended to serve the Fredericksburg train station during peak AM and PM periods

Scenario 6 – Saturday Service

Saturday service to the corridor– 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM

Connect corridor to Cosner’s Corner on the weekend

Connect existing weekend service currently serving downtown and the University of Mary Washington

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Recommended Implementation

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Scenario 3 in 2021Two new routes; overlap on Lafayette Boulevard

Scenario 4 in 2025VRE Feeder Route for AM and PM

Scenario 6 in 2030Saturday service along Lafayette Boulevard

Long Term Considerations

Spotsylvania Station VRE Feeder Route Deviate D5 to Centerport Parkway as it is

developed to meet future demand

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Capital Recommendations

New vehicles (see previous slides)

Stop amenities (shelters, benches)

New stops

Continuous sidewalks

Lee’s Hill Transit Center

Fredericksburg Train Station bus pull-in

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Stop Amenities Plans for 5 benches along the study corridor

– Lafayette Boulevard @ Wellington Woods Apartments– Lafayette @ Hillcrest Dr.– Old Greenwich Dr. @ Laundry– The Shops at Lee’s Hill @Weis– Lee’s Hill Transit Center

Additional amenities warranted at:– Lafayette @ Battlefield Center– Lafayette @ Littlepage St– Caroline @ Train Station– Princess Anne @ Train Station– Spotsylvania @ Friendly’s– Cost of $78,030 in FY2027

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New Stops

Improve the number of stop pairs– Lafayette @ Wellington Woods NB– Lafayette @ Sheetz SB– Lafayette @ Hill St/Thrift Store NB– The Shops at Lee’s Hill NB

New stop pairs at proposed developments– Telegraph Hill– Hudgins Road (Lafayette Village)

F3 C – new stop at Route 208 Commuter Lot F3 A – potential for 6 new stops on S5 portion

to increase pairing F3 E – potential for 6 new stops west of US – 1 Cost depends on amenities and Right of Way

(ROW)

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Continuous Sidewalks

Shared Use Path on west side – 2.8 miles Sidewalk on east side – 2.4 miles Sidewalks planned fronting Telegraph Hill and

Lafayette Village (Hudgins Rd) Could prioritize smaller segments:

– St Paul St to Thrift Store– Thrift Store to Falcon Dr– Falcon Dr/Spotsylvania Ave

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Lee’s Hill Transit Center

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Plans for new hub on Market Street New location would be better for F3A

recommendation (combining F3 and S5)

Current Location

Planned Location

Fredericksburg Station Bus Pull-In

Bus Pull-In was a SMART SCALE Round 3 funded project– Representation from Alternative 2 of the

Lafayette Blvd Traffic Study (2017)

Pedestrian staircase could improve west platform access

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Planned Bus Pull-In

Planned Platform Extension

Potential New Staircase

Planned Staircase

Planned Lafayette Bus Pull-In & Platform Extension

Transportation Demand Management Strategies

Marketing: 3-month campaign will be conducted as part of each scenario implementation, beginning one month before service implementation

Access to Transit: Parking, Ride-Hailing, Bicycle Parking, Technology Transit Incentives: fare-free two-week period recommended for the

implementation of new routes

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Fredericksburg Station

Potential for Route 208 commuter lot to serve as an overflow for the Fredericksburg Station once the VRE feeder route is implemented

Potential for the planned Commonwealth drive commuter lot to serve as an overflow for the Spotsylvania Station

Both potentials could mitigate shortages by 2050

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Next Steps

Approve Phase 1 Recommendations– Service Changes– Stop amenities– Other Infrastructure– Transportation Demand Management strategies

Phase 1: February 2020 Phase 2: Spring 2020

Potential SMART SCALE project for infrastructure improvements

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