report of the intermodal passenger transportation .intermodal passenger transportation subcommittee

ReportoftheIntermodalPassenger

TransportationSubcommittee

CitizensAdvisoryCommitteeTransportationFundingTaskForce

July21,2008

ReportoftheIntermodalPassengerTransportationSubcommittee

PublicAct221of2007,createdtheTransportationFundingTaskForcetoreviewtheadequacyofsurfacetransportationandaeronauticsserviceprovisionandfinanceinMichigan.Thetaskforcesmissionappliestoroads,transit,&aviationItissupportedbyMichiganDepartmentofTransportation(MDOT)staffandassistedbyCitizensAdvisoryCommittee(CAC).Theprimaryfocusofthetaskforceistoexaminealternativestotheportionoftransportationfundingthathasfueltaxesasasourceandtosuggestorrecommendalternativerevenuecollectionsystemsfundedthroughuserpaymethodsormethodsotherthanuserpaymethods.Thetaskforceshallincludeananalysisofthefeasibilityofalternativemethods.Thetaskforcemaymakerecommendationsforimplementationofpilotprogramstotestfeasiblealternativestoreplacetheportionoftransportationfundingthatcomesfromfueltaxes.ThetaskforceshallmakeapreliminaryrecommendationonpilotprogramsbyOctober31,2008.ThefollowingmembersoftheCitizensAdvisoryCommitteetotheTransportationFundingTaskForceservedontheCACIntermodalPassengerSubcommittee:

LindaM.AtkinsonGeneralPublicChanning,MI

GretchenD.Driskell,CACChairMichiganMunicipalLeague

Saline,MI

SylvesterPayne,IntermodalPassengerSubcommittee,ChairMichiganPublicTransitAssociation

Freeland,MI

KirkT.SteudleMichiganDepartmentofTransportation

Lansing,MI

EXECUTIVESUMMARY ____________________________________________________________ 1

Introduction ________________________________________________________________________ 1

OverallSummaryofResults ___________________________________________________________ 2

SECTIONONE:LOCALTRANSIT,INTERCITYBUSANDPASSENGERRAIL ______________ 6

SystemOverview(existing) ____________________________________________________________ 6

LocalTransit ........................................................................................................................................... 6

IntercityBus............................................................................................................................................ 7

IntercityPassengerRail......................................................................................................................... 7

CurrentTrends______________________________________________________________________ 8

EconomicandOtherLifeBenefits _______________________________________________________ 9

EconomicBenefits.................................................................................................................................. 9PublicTransportationinMichiganasanEconomicDevelopmentTool_________________ 9AttractingMillennialKnowledgeWorkers ________________________________________ 11LocalBusSystemBenefits ______________________________________________________ 12LocalRailSystemBenefits ______________________________________________________ 12

IntercityPassengerRailBenefits ...................................................................................................... 15

QualityofLifeBenefits ...................................................................................................................... 16

EnvironmentalBenefits...................................................................................................................... 16

CongestionMitigation ....................................................................................................................... 17

LeveragingAdditionalFederalFunds.............................................................................................. 17

CurrentStateFunding _______________________________________________________________ 18

ComprehensiveTransportationFund .............................................................................................. 18

StateTransitFundingThroughouttheU.S. ..................................................................................... 18

InvestmentScenarios ________________________________________________________________ 19

AssumptionsforInvestmentScenarios ............................................................................................ 20

StateversusLocalRevenues .............................................................................................................. 21

InvestmentScenariosOverview ........................................................................................................ 22

CurrentInvestmentLevel(i.e.,DoNothing)................................................................................... 23

GoodInvestmentLevel....................................................................................................................... 25

BetterInvestmentLevel ...................................................................................................................... 26

ModebyModeAnalysis:LocalTransit,IntercityBusandPassengerRail ______________________ 28

LocalTransit ......................................................................................................................................... 28

ReportoftheIntermodalPassengerTransportationSubcommittee

CurrentLocalTransitInvestment________________________________________________ 29GoodLocalTransitInvestment__________________________________________________ 31BetterLocalTransitInvestment _________________________________________________ 32$692.9MillionStateRevenues,LeveragingBetween$189.9Millionand$496.9MillioninFederalFunds. _______________________________________________________________ 32

INTERCITYBUS.................................................................................................................................. 34CurrentIntercityBusInvestment ________________________________________________ 35$2.2MillioninStateRevenuesLeveragingupto$2.2MillioninFederalFunds _____________ 35GoodIntercityBusInvestment __________________________________________________ 36$8.7MillioninStateRevenues;Leveragingupto$2.5MillioninFederalFunds _____________ 36BetterIntercityBusInvestment__________________________________________________ 37

INTERCITYPASSENGERRAIL........................................................................................................ 37CurrentPassengerRailInvestment ______________________________________________ 39GoodPassengerRailInvestment ________________________________________________ 40BetterPassengerRailInvestment ________________________________________________ 41

ConclusionsLocalBus,IntercityBusandPassengerRail __________________________________ 43

SECTIONTWO:CARPOOLPARKINGLOTPROGRAMANDBICYCLEANDPEDESTRIANTRANSPORTATION _______________________________________________________________ 44

CarpoolParkingLotProgram__________________________________________________________ 44

Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... 44

InvestmentScenarios........................................................................................................................... 44CurrentCarpoolParkingLotInvestmentLevel ____________________________________ 45GoodCarpoolParkingLotInvestmentLevel ______________________________________ 45BetterCarpoolParkingInvestmentLevel _________________________________________ 46BestCarpoolParkingLotInvestmentLevel _______________________________________ 46

LocalAgencyCapitalNeedsBicycleandPedestrianTransportation __________________________ 48

Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... 48

InvestmentAssumptions.................................................................................................................... 48

InvestmentScenarios........................................................................................................................... 49CurrentBicycleandPedestrianInvestmentLevel(i.e.,DoNothing) __________________ 50GoodBicycleandPedestrianInvestmentLevel ____________________________________ 50BetterBicycleandPedestrianInvestmentLevel____________________________________ 52BestBicycleandPedestrianInvestmentLevel _____________________________________ 52

APPENDIXA: TheComprehensiveTransportationFundAPPENDIXB: LocalBus,IntercityBusandPassengerRailMapsAPPENDIXC: PublicTransportationinMichigan:AnEconomicDevelopmentToolWhose

TimeHasCome

ExecutiveSummaryES1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Introduction AsdirectedbytheMichiganTransportationFundingTaskforce,theIntermodalPassengerSubcommitteeoftheCitizensAdvisoryCommitteemetoverthepastseveralmonthstosolicitinformationfromMichigansbusinesses,organizations,citizenry,governmentalentities,transitproviders,andvariousstakeholdergroupsonMichigansintermodalpassengertransportationsystem.Overthistimeperiod,fivepublicmeetingswereheldtoresearchandcollectdataontheneedsineachofthefollowingareas:

IntercityBus Intercity/InterstatePassengerRail LocalTransit CarpoolLots BicycleandPedestrianTransportation.

Thepurposeofthisreportistodescribethecurrentstateinvestmentlevelinthesefivepassengertransportationmodesanddescribetheneedsassociatedwithagoodandbetterlevelofinvestment.SectionOneprovidestheresultsforthefollowingpassengertransportationmodes,whicharesupportedwithstatefundingfromtheComprehensiveTransportationFundandfederaltransitfunds,primarilyawardedbytheFederalTransitAdministration.

IntercityBus Intercity/InterstatePassengerRail LocalTransit

BothappendicespertaintoSectionOne.AppendixAprovidesinformationabouttheComprehensiveTranspor