EL PASO COUNTY REGIONAL TRANSIT INSTITUTIONAL OPTIONS ASSESSMENT STUDY Sponsored by: El Paso County Funding Support: Texas Department of Transportation Technical Assistance to the County: Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Michael J. Walk, TTI National RTAP Conference October 31, 2017 1
Agenda Project Overview Existing Conditions Service and Institutional Scenarios 2
Overall Project Scope Examine the feasibility of a seamless, countywide fixed-route transit system for all of El Paso county Identify alternatives for transit within travel corridors throughout El Paso county Service design Organizational structure Funding Assess potential to improve transit service for access to jobs, education, medical, shopping, personal business Research helps to lay the groundwork for county-wide transit AND helps to prepare local governments to embark on this journey. 3
Study Steps Stakeholder Engagement and Public Data Collection (continuous) Existing Conditions Analysis: Transit and Population Possible Service Scenarios Institutional / Organizational Options 4
EXISTING CONDITIONS: TRANSIT AND POPULATION 5
Sun Metro and El Paso County Transit Service Areas 6
Current Services El Paso County Transit County Bus Routes: Six scheduled, fixed-routes connecting urban and rural communities Sun Metro transfer centers Routes 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 by First Transit Route 84 is operated by Sun Metro Gold Route: Intercity bus service that operates between Las Cruces and El Paso. Vanpool: Program that matches commuter groups with similar origins and destinations, provides vans, and offers incentive for lower commuting costs 7
El Paso County Transit Routes 8
El Paso County Bus Routes El Paso County Routes Route 10 Anthony Canutillo Route 20 Montana Vista Route 30 Horizon Route 40 Fabens Tornillo Route 50 Mission Trail Route 84 EPCC Mission del Paso Hours of Service 12 Hours Weekday & Saturday 14 Hours Weekday & Saturday 13 Hours Weekday & Saturday 11 Hours Weekday & Saturday 9 Hours Weekday 7 Hours Saturday, Sunday and Holidays 12 Hours Weekday Operated by Sun Metro Average Frequency in Minutes 43 peak 91 off-peak 52 peak 55 off-peak Fare $1.50 $1.50 132 peak and off-peak $1.50 99 peak and off-peak $1.50 60 peak and off-peak $1.50 90 peak and off-peak $1.50 9
El Paso County Transit Riders 10
Transit Need Index (TNI) Based on population demographics, where is transit need? Demographic characteristics to identify areas of transit need: Population age 65 and older People with a disability Population below poverty level No vehicle available in household 11
Example: Population below Poverty Level 12
Transit Need Index 13
Transit Supply Index (TSI) Based on level of service, does current service meet transit need? Transit service characteristics to represent transit supply: Service geographic coverage Days of service Hours of operation Frequency (number of bus trips per day) 14
Transit Supply Index Shading represents population concentration, the darker the color the greater the population density. 15
Transit Gap: Transit Need Transit Supply 16
Population Concentration 17
Urban Area Growth 2000-2010 18
Job Density 19
Corridors Photographic Inventory 2 4 3 1 20
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Goals and Measures for Transit Service Goal Description Measure Rural Area Coverage Provide transit service to all residents in the rural areas of El Paso County Percent of rural population with transit access Urban Area Coverage Provide transit service to all residents in the urban areas of El Paso County Percent of urbanized county population with transit access Utility Improve the utility of transit to serve many passenger trip purposes Number of scheduled vehicle trips + demand-response revenue hours Effectiveness Improve the effectiveness of transit service Passengers per revenue hour Complement Sun Metro Improve connections between El Paso County and Sun Metro transit service Percent of routes serving nondowntown Sun Metro transfer centers and presence of pulsed-timed transfers 22
Transit Service Guidelines Where possible, avoid one-way loops. Where possible, direct routing preferred; avoid routing deviations for low-ridership areas. Where possible, frequency should correspond with the level of population and commercial density along the route. Prioritize areas with higher population and commercial density for fixed or flexible transit. Providing direct routing to transfer centers and time schedules to facilitate transfers. Establish bus stops and passenger amenities commensurate with bus stop typologies. 23
Transit Service Considerations: One-Way Loops 24
Transit Service Considerations: Land-Use Patterns and Road Network Pockets of development Separated by large, undeveloped areas Connected by limited, sometimes circuitous road network 25
Current Service 26
Scenario #1 Rural General Public Demand Response 27
Scenario #2 Baseline Flexible Local Bus 28
Scenario #3 Flexible Local Bus + Rural GPDR 29
Scenario #4 Fixed Route Local Bus + ADA Paratransit 30
Scenario #5 Enhanced Flexible Local Bus + Rural GPDR 31
Transit Service Scenarios Performance Measures Scenario Rural Area Coverage Urban Area Coverage Utility Effectiveness Complement Sun Metro Do any current passengers lose access? Ops Cost Estimate Current Service N/A $$ #1 Rural GPDR Yes Residents in urban area lose service #2 Baseline Flexible Route #3 Flexible Route + GPDR #4 Fixed Route + ADA Yes Paratransit #5 Enhanced Flexible Route + GPDR Yes. A few passengers lose service, because some routes are shortened to allow time for flex deviations 32 $$ $$ No $$$ A few passengers lose service, because some routes are shortened $$$ No $$$$
Organizational Options for Option Countywide Transit in El Paso County Possible Revenue Source County Mass Transit Authority Sales Tax Dedicated to Transit Regional Mobility Authority Local Government Corporation Vehicle Registration Fees Other Sources Local Government General Funds or other Local Revenue Interlocal Agreement Local Government General Funds or other Local Revenue 33
Feasibility of Sales Tax for Transit Sales Tax Rates by El Paso County Jurisdiction El Paso County (EPC) EPC Emergency District 2 City Transit Total Local Jurisdiction City of El Paso 0.5% 1.0% 0.5% 2.0% El Paso County 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% Anthony 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% 2.0% Borderland 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% Canutillo 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% Clint 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% 2.0% Fabens 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% Horizon City 0.5% 1.5% 2.0% San Elizario 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% 2.0% Socorro 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% 2.0% Tornillo 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% Vinton 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% 2.0% Westway 0.5% 0.5% 1.0% The combined rates of all sales and use taxes imposed by the taxing authority and all political subdivisions cannot exceed two percent. 34
Next Steps Work is continuing Additional data collection from public, including Perceptions and preferences of scenarios Perceived value of transit vs. potential costs Continued involvement of local governments and revenue options scenarios 35
Key Take-Aways Establish goals and measures before scenario building If crafting multiple scenarios, make scenario comparisons visually easy For transit expansion or start-up, need to make options as real as possible Narrative and hypotheticals not enough Need to show cost and build reasonable revenue assumptions to facilitate decision making 36