St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey May 16, 2012

St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey May 16, 2012 Committee Report

Introduction Study Survey Survey Surveyor Summary Table of Contents Executive Summary... ES-1 Section 1 ONE... 1-1 Section 2 TWO Methodology... 2-1 Section 3 THREE Questions... 3-1 Section 4 FOUR Results... 4-1 4.1 Question 1: Are you a resident of Duval County?... 4-1 4.2 Question 2: Where did your trip begin today?... 4-1 4.3 Question 2A: Did you come here via the Jacksonville Airport?... 4-2 4.4 Question 3: Where will your trip end today?... 4-4 4.5 Question 4: What is the purpose of your trip?... 4-7 4.6 Question 5: Is this the first time using the ferry today?... 4-8 4.7 Question 6: How often do you use the ferry in this direction?... 4-9 4.8 Question 7: How will you pay for the ferry?... 4-10 4.9 Question 8: Any suggestions on how to improve the ferry service?... 4-12 4.10 Question 9: Would you make this trip if the ferry were not here?... 4-13 Section 5 FIVE Observations... 5-1 Section 6 SIX... 6-1 St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey i

List of Tables, Figures and Appendices Tables Page Table 1 Surveys by Date... 2-1 Table 2 Origin and Destination Data... 4-6 Table 3 Trip Purpose by Direction... 5-1 Figures Figure 1 Study Area... 1-2 Figure 2 Ferry Route... 1-3 Figure 3 Survey Example... 3-2 Figure 4 Trip Origins by Zip Code... 4-3 Figure 5 Trip Destinations by Zip Code... 4-5 Charts Chart 1 Trip Origins... 4-1 Chart 2 Trip Destinations... 4-4 Chart 3 Number of Origin/Destinations by County... 4-6 Chart 4 Weekday vs. Weekend Trips by Purpose... 4-8 Chart 5 Trip Frequency by Trip Purpose... 4-10 Chart 6 Cash vs. Coupon by Trip Purpose... 4-11 Chart 7 Number of Suggestions by Category... 4-12 Chart 8 Number of Trip Related Comments by Category... 4-13 Chart 9 General Comments by Category... 4-14 Appendices Appendix A Comments on Ferry Service Appendix B Ferry Ridership Data St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey ii

Executive Summary In direct response to questions about whom, why, and when people utilize the St. Johns River Ferry, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) performed the St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey over four days (two weekdays and two weekend days) in March and April 2012. The information gained from the survey responses is intended to assist decision makers in understanding how the ferry is utilized today. With this valuable information, decision makers can formulate strategies based on better understanding of who will be affected. Presented below is a summary of the key findings of the survey. Additional detail and discussion follow in the report. 56 percent of survey respondents live in Duval County. 87 percent of survey respondents started or ended their trip in Duval or Nassau Counties. 7 percent of survey respondents started or ended their trip outside Duval, Nassau, Clay or St. Johns Counties. 34 percent of the trips started from home. 29 percent of the patrons surveyed were on a return ferry trip from earlier in the day. 50 percent of patrons making their first trip of the day planned to return the same day. 54 percent of weekday trips are work related. 36 percent of the weekday work trips surveyed were associated with BAE Systems, 64 percent of weekend trips are social/recreational in nature. 16 percent of weekend trips are tourism based. 1 percent of the survey respondents had come from the Jacksonville Airport. 20 percent of patrons use the ferry on a daily basis. 54 percent of patrons pay with cash on weekdays, 89 percent on the weekends. 64 percent of patrons making work trips pay with coupons. 61 percent of patrons stated they would continue to make the trip if the ferry service ended. 88 percent of the patrons surveyed were driving 2-axle vehicles. 3 percent of vehicles were identified as commercial vehicles. 3 percent of the patrons surveyed were in military uniform. Vehicle Occupancy was as follows: (average vehicle occupancy = 2 persons per vehicle) 1 person 2-3 persons 4 or more 40 percent 47 percent 13 percent St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey ES-1

SECTIONONE Introduction 1. Section 1 ONE Introduction The St. Johns River Ferry, also known as the Mayport Ferry, is located in northeast Duval County and connects the communities of Mayport and Fort George Island. The current ferry route dates to 1948 and crosses the St. Johns River approximately 2.5 miles from the river s end at the Atlantic Ocean. The ferry connects Ocean Street (S.R. A1A) on the south side to Heckscher Drive (S.R. A1A) on the north side. The ferry route is just less than one mile in length and the ferry takes approximately 10 minutes to traverse the river one way. The ferry service is operated by HMS Global Maritime, currently running one ferry, the Jean Ribault, with a capacity of 40 cars. At the time of this survey the ferry operated 6:00 AM to 7:15 PM Monday through Friday, and from 7:00 AM to 8:45 PM Saturday and Sunday, with trips from either side occurring every one-half hour. The closest alternative route, the Dames Point Bridge, was completed in 1989 and is approximately 11 miles from the existing ferry entrance in Mayport, via the Wonderwood Connector (S.R. 116). The bridge is also approximately 11 miles from the existing ferry entrance in Fort George Island via Heckscher Drive. The Jacksonville Port Authority announced it would no longer fund the ferry service after September 30, 2012. In direct response to many of the questions surrounding who, why, and when people utilize the ferry, the FDOT performed the St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey. The information gained from the survey responses is intended to assist decision makers in understanding how the ferry is utilized today. Figure 1, Study Area, highlights the study area. Figure 2, Ferry Route, shows in aerial format the ferry stations and route. St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 1-1

St. Johns Bluff Rd Kernan Blvd Hodges Blvd STUDY AREA Cedar Point Rd NOT TO SCALE New Berlin Rd!( 105 Fort George Island Blount Island Heckscher Dr Ocean St!( 9A INTERSTATE 295 Fort Carolina Rd St. Johns Bluff!( A1A Mayport Naval Station Maine St Merrill Rd Monument Rd McCormick Rd Mt. Pleasant Rd!( 116 Wonderwood Dr Mayport Rd Southside Blvd!( 113!( 10 Atlantic Blvd Givini Rd San Pablo Rd!( A1A 90 Beach Blvd FIGURE 1 STUDY AREA FIGURE X

NOT TO SCALE Mayport Fort George FIGURE 2 FERRY ROUTE FIGURE X

SECTIONTWO Study Methodology 2. Section 2 TWO Study Methodology The St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey was conducted using FDOT and private consultant surveyors. Patrons were queried directly while queued in the ferry parking lots. While this type of survey requires more labor to administer the survey, the method assured higher survey participation. The survey participation average was 79 percent over the four days the survey was performed. The weekday survey captured 75 percent, and the weekend captured 83 percent of all trips on the ferry. Surveys were administered in the parking area while patrons waited to board the ferry. Personnel were also administering surveys onboard the ferry at peak times to survey those trips that arrived at the ferry while loading operations were ongoing. Surveys utilized six to eight survey personnel on both sides of the river, with one, or at peak times, two survey personnel on the ferry to pick up last-minute arrivals that could not be surveyed in the ferry parking lots. The survey consisted of 11 questions, a comment section, and eight observations made by the personnel performing the survey. The survey also recorded the initials of the surveyor, the date, time of day, location of the surveyor, and the direction of travel. Table 1 summarizes the dates and times of the survey, and the number of surveys collected each day. Table 1 Surveys by Date Day Date Day of the Week Survey Times No. of Surveys No. of Vehicles* % 1 March 29, 2012 Thursday 6:00 AM - 7:15 PM 674 864 73.1% 2 April 1, 2012 Sunday 7:00 AM - 8:45 PM 971 1,028 88.3% 3 April 10, 2012 Tuesday 6:00 AM - 7:15 PM 703 822 77.3% 4 April 14, 2012 Saturday 7:00 AM - 8:45 PM 809 998 78.2% *Source of Data: Ferry Operator Weekday 1,377 1,686 75.1% Weekend 1,780 2,026 83.3% Recorded Response 3,025 3,712 79.6% Refused Survey 132 Total 3,157 Upon completion of all four surveys, each individual survey was entered into a database for organizing and querying purposes. This allowed the information to be tabulated using multiple questions. An example would be the generation of a table showing the number of surveys by weekday and weekend, by trip purpose. St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 2-1

SECTIONTHREE Survey Questions 3. Section 3 THR EE Survey Question s The survey was designed to capture information about the trips made by patrons of the ferry. In general the survey attempted to answer questions related to why people use the ferry (trip purpose), where they started the trip (origin), where they would end the trip (destination), and the frequency with which they make the same trip. Surveys were conducted on two weekdays and two weekend days to provide information on the trip characteristics of the weekday versus weekend patron. The survey also collected information with respect to the residency, payment methods, vehicle occupancy, and the type of vehicles driven by the patrons. Figure 3, Survey Example, presents the survey form as used in the field. In addition to the questions asked of the patrons, the interviewer s name, location, date and time of day and the last three digits of the license plate were recorded so that any questions concerning the data could be clarified later in the processing of the data. Patrons who refused to participate in the survey were recorded as refusals, and the last three digits of the license plate were recorded as a check to identify vehicles that were interviewed multiple times. Two comment fields were included in the survey to give patrons an opportunity to comment on ways to improve the ferry service, and to make any general comments they wished to include in the survey. These comments were reviewed and grouped by topic, and are included in Appendix A, Comments on Ferry Service. Information with respect to ridership is provided in Appendix B, Ferry Ridership Data. This information was used to determine the number of vehicles using the ferry on the days the survey was conducted. It also presents the trends in ridership over time. St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 3-1

SECTIONTHREE Survey Questions Figure 3 Survey Example St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 3-2

SECTIONFOUR Survey Results 4. Section 4 F OUR Survey R The following results were tabulated data collected in the field. Note that survey totals may differ slightly due to surveys where no response was recorded for a specific question. This can occur due to no response from the person surveyed, or a refusal to respond to the question. 4.1 QUESTION 1: ARE YOU A RESIDENT OF DUVAL COUNTY? Total Yes No 3,025 1,713 (56.6%) 1,312 (43.4%) Out of a total of 3,025 patrons that answered this question, over 56 percent responded that they were a resident of Duval County. 4.2 QUESTION 2: WHERE DID YOUR TRIP BEGIN TODAY? Home 1,013 33.6% Neighborhood 61 2.0% City 943 31.3% State 60 2.0% Other 678 22.5% Work/Employer 260 8.6% Recorded Responses 3,015 100.0% No Recorded Responses 10 Total 3,025 Out of a total of 3,015 patrons that answered this question, almost 34 percent responded that they started the trip from home. This was followed by 31 percent indicating a city. If the respondent stated that they started the trip from home, the interviewer asked for the zip code so that a summary of trips by zip code could be prepared. Chart 1 Trip Origins 2.0% 22.5% 8.6% 31.3% 33.6% Home Neighborhood City State Other Work/Employer 2.0% St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 4-1

SECTIONFOUR Survey Results Figure 4, Trip Origins by Zip Code, illustrates that the areas with the highest numbers of origins are along the beaches, the area immediately north and south of the river crossing, as well as the areas further south along the coast. An attempt was made to code all origins and destinations by zip code. Using the information provided by zip code, neighborhood, local destination, and city; approximately 90 percent of the origins/destinations were matched with a zip code. 4.3 QUESTION 2A: DID YOU COME HERE VIA THE JACKSONVILLE AIRPORT? Yes No Total 34 2,991 3,025 1.1% 98.9% 100% Thirty-four patrons responded that they had come to the ferry via the Jacksonville Airport. This represents just over 1 percent of the surveyed trips. St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 4-2

NOT TO SCALE Fernandina Beach 10 Jacksonville 10 295 95 Legend 4-10 Mayport Ferry 11-100 101-300 301-650 Units are surveys per zip code* St. Augustine 95 * For each survey the origin and destination were converted to zip codes. Responses for origin and destination were city, neighborhood, place of employment, state, or zip code. FIGURE 4 TRIP ORIGINS BY ZIPCODE FIGURE X

SECTIONFOUR Survey Results 4.4 QUESTION 3: WHERE WILL YOUR TRIP END TODAY? Home 672 22.4% Neighborhood 57 1.9% City 1,110 37.0% State 46 1.5% Other 795 26.5% Work/Employer 318 10.6% Recorded Response 2,998 100.0% No Recorded Response 27 Total 3,025 Out of a total of 2,998 patrons that answered this question, 37 percent responded that their trip would end in a city. This was followed by 26 percent indicating Other, and 22 percent stating they would end the trip at home. If the respondent stated that they were ending the trip at home, the interviewer asked for the zip code so that a summary of trips by zip code could be prepared. Chart 2 Trip Destinations 1.5% 26.5% 10.6% 37.0% 22.4% 1.9% Home Neighborhood City State Other Work/Employer The data shows that the areas with the highest numbers of destinations are along the beaches, the area immediately north and south of the river crossing, as well as the areas further south along the coast. This is illustrated in Figure 5, Trip Destinations by Zip Code. St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 4-4

NOT TO SCALE Fernandina Beach 10 Jacksonville 10 295 95 Legend 4-10 Mayport Ferry 11-100 101-300 301-650 Units are surveys per zip code* St. Augustine 95 * For each survey the origin and destination were converted to zip codes. Responses for origin and destination were city, neighborhood, place of employment, state, or zip code. FIGURE 5 TRIP DESTINATIONS BY ZIPCODE FIGURE X

SECTIONFOUR Survey Results Table 2 and Chart 3 present the origin and destination data for the ferry crossing by county within the region and for locations outside the region. Table 2 Origin and Destination Data County Origin Destination Total Duval 1,694 (61.3%) 1,798 (65.1%) 3,492 (65.8%) Nassau 687 (24.9%) 630 (22.8%) 1,317 (24.8%) St. Johns 141 (5.1%) 150 (5.4%) 291 (5.5%) Clay 25 (0.9%) 13 (0.5%) 38 (0.7%) Other 216 (7.8%) 172 (6.2%) 388 (7.3%) Total 2,763 (100.0%) 2,763 (100.0%) 5,526 (100.0%) Table 2 above shows that over 90 percent of the origins and destinations occur within Duval and Nassau County. The total represents surveys with both an origin and destination response. St. Johns County represents 5.5 percent of the trips, and Clay County less than 1 percent of the trips using the ferry. The balance (7 percent), are from locations outside the four primary counties. Chart 3 Number of Origin/Destinations by County 2,000 1,500 1,694 1,798 61.3% 65.1% 1,000 500-687 630 24.9% 22.8% 141 150 5.1% 5.4% 25 13 0.9% 0.5% 216 172 7.8% 6.2% Duval Nassau St. Johns Clay Other Origin Destination St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 4-6

SECTIONFOUR Survey Results 4.5 QUESTION 4: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR TRIP? Trip Purpose Total % Weekday % Weekend % Work/Employer 876 29.2% 687 53.7% 189 11.0% Shopping 82 2.7% 30 2.3% 52 3.0% NHB 82 2.7% 18 1.4% 64 3.7% Other 128 4.3% 85 6.6% 43 2.5% Social/Rec 1,391 46.4% 299 23.4% 1,092 63.6% Tourism 438 14.6% 161 12.6% 277 16.1% Recorded Response 2,997 100.0% 1,280 100.0% 1,717 100.0% No Recorded Response 28 Total 3,025 Trip purposes were separated into six categories: 1. Work/Employer trips are made to and from work. 2. Shopping trips. 3. Non-Home Based trips are made between locations outside the home. 4. Other, trips do not fall into the standard six categories. 5. Social/Rec is social and recreational trips. 6. For the purposes of this survey, Tourism has been defined as a trip made by a patron that clearly indicated that the purpose was Tourism or a trip that started or ended from outside the four county region that was specified by the patron as either Social/Rec or Tourism. Example 1: Example 2: Example 3: A trip that starts in Duval County and ends in Nassau County for social/recreation purposes is a Social/Rec trip. A trip that starts in Duval County and ends in Georgia for social/recreation purposes was coded as a Tourism trip. A trip that starts in St. Augustine and ends in Duval County, and the respondent indicated to the surveyor that they were from Georgia and in the area as a tourist, was coded as a Tourism trip. Out of a total of 2,997 patrons that answered this question, 46 percent responded that they were making a Social/Rec trip. This was followed by 29 percent making a Work/Employer trip, and 15 percent making a Tourism trip. The data were further separated by Weekday and Weekend surveys to determine the differences between weekday and weekend patrons. The table above shows that the primary trip purpose during the week is Work/Employer (53.7 percent) followed by Social/Rec at 23 percent. On the weekend, the patrons stated that almost 64 percent of the trips were Social/Rec, followed by 16 percent Tourism. Only 11 percent of the trips were work related on the weekend. St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 4-7

SECTIONFOUR Survey Results The chart below highlights the differences for the trip purposes recorded on the weekday versus the weekend surveys. 100.0% Chart 4 Weekday vs. Weekend Trips by Purpose 80.0% 60.0% 53.7% 63.6% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0% 11.0% 23.4% 12.6% 16.1% 2.3% 3.0% 1.4% 3.7% 6.6% 2.5% Work/Employer Shopping NHB Other Social/Rec Tourism Weekday Weekend 4.6 QUESTION 5: IS THIS THE FIRST TIME USING THE FERRY TODAY? Yes No Total 2,158 867 3,025 71.3% 28.7% 100.0% Out of a total of 3,025 patrons that answered this question, 71 percent responded that they were making a trip on the ferry for the first time that day. If the response was Yes, the surveyor followed up with the following question: Will you be making a return trip using the ferry today? Yes No Total 1,083 1,075 2158 50.2% 49.8% 100% In response to this question, 50 percent of the patrons that were on their first trip across the ferry that day stated they would be making the return trip on the ferry in the same day. St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 4-8

SECTIONFOUR Survey Results 4.7 QUESTION 6: HOW OFTEN DO YOU USE THE FERRY IN THIS DIRECTION? Total Percentage Work Shopping NHB Other Social/Rec Tourism Daily 579 20.4% 490 8 1 19 61 0 Weekly 599 21.1% 224 15 17 41 288 14 Monthly 638 22.5% 88 26 26 31 423 44 Yearly 689 24.3% 48 18 25 27 413 158 <Yearly 336 11.8% 15 9 9 5 131 167 Recorded Response 2,841 100.0% 865 76 78 123 1316 383 No Recorded Response 184 Total 3,025 Daily 56.6% 10.5% 1.3% 15.4% 4.6% 0.0% Weekly 25.9% 19.7% 21.8% 33.3% 21.9% 3.7% Monthly 10.2% 34.2% 33.3% 25.2% 32.1% 11.5% Yearly 5.5% 23.7% 32.1% 22.0% 31.4% 41.3% <Yearly 1.7% 11.8% 11.5% 4.1% 10.0% 43.6% Total 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Out of a total of 2,841 patrons that answered this question, 20 percent responded that they make the trip on the ferry daily. Of the daily patrons, almost 57 percent were making work-related trips. The highest frequency of Shopping trips (34 percent) occurs on a monthly basis. Social/Rec was split almost evenly between Monthly (32 percent) and Yearly (31 percent). Tourism trips are the least frequent type of trip, with 41 percent occurring yearly, and almost 44 percent occurring less than once per year. Chart 5 shows that frequency of Work trips reduces from Daily through Less Than Yearly, while the frequency of Tourism increases. St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 4-9

SECTIONFOUR Survey Results Chart 5 Trip Frequency by Trip Purpose 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% Daily Weekly Monthly Yearly <Yearly Work Shopping NHB Other Social/Rec Tourism 4.8 QUESTION 7: HOW WILL YOU PAY FOR THE FERRY? Trip Purpose Total Cash % Coupon % Work/Employer 863 307 35.6% 556 64.4% Shopping 81 63 77.8% 18 22.2% NHB 79 70 88.6% 9 11.4% Other 124 72 58.1% 52 41.9% Social/Rec 1,371 1,244 90.7% 127 9.3% Tourism 430 423 98.4% 7 1.6% Recorded Response 2,948 2,179 73.9% 769 26.1% No Recorded Response 77 Total 3,025 Weekday Weekend Cash Coupon Cash Coupon 695 584 1,499 193 54.3% 45.7% 88.6% 11.4% St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 4-10

SECTIONFOUR Survey Results Out of a total of 2,948 patrons that answered this question, 74 percent responded that they would be paying with cash, with the balance paying with coupons. When looking at the split between cash and coupons by trip purpose, the Work/Employer trip is the only purpose with over 50 percent of the transactions being made with coupons. The Work/Employer trips are the highest frequency trip on the ferry to use coupons, and most work trips occur daily, so this result is consistent with expectations. Similarly, the expectation that Tourism and Social/Rec trips use the ferry very infrequently on an individual basis is consistent with the high usage of cash to pay the fare. On a weekday versus weekend transaction type, the results reflect the high percentage of Work/Employer trips during the week, with a much higher coupon participation rate than the weekends, which are dominated by non-work related trips. Chart 6 shows the relationship of cash versus coupon by trip purpose based on all the surveys. 100.0% 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0% 35.6% 64.4% 77.8% Chart 6 Cash vs. Coupon by Trip Purpose 22.2% 88.6% 11.4% 58.1% 41.9% 90.7% 9.3% 98.4% Work/Employer Shopping NHB Other Social/Rec Tourism 1.6% Cash Coupon St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 4-11

SECTIONFOUR Survey Results 4.9 QUESTION 8: ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THE FERRY SERVICE? Category Surveys % Change the Schedule 103 25.2% Raise the Price 82 20.0% Lower the Price 25 6.1% Funding 57 13.9% Fee Collection Options 31 7.6% Amenities 27 6.6% Operations 49 12.0% Promotion 35 8.6% Total 409 100.0% Percent of Total Comments 14.5% Out of a total of 409 patrons that answered this question with a suggestion, the largest percentage suggested changing the schedule. Generally with less midday runs and longer evening hours. Raising the price to help offset the cost of operating the ferry was the second must popular suggestion. Chart 7 presents the number of responses by category. 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Chart 7 Number of Suggestions by Category A report containing all the comments and suggestions provided by patrons is included in Appendix A, Comments on Ferry Service. St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 4-12

SECTIONFOUR Survey Results 4.10 QUESTION 9: WOULD YOU MAKE THIS TRIP IF THE FERRY WERE NOT HERE? Yes No Total 1,841 1,184 3,025 61.0% 39.0% 100% Category Surveys % Must Make the Trip 199 28.8% Would Still Make the Trip 220 31.8% Would Make Less Trips 157 22.7% Would Not Make the Trip 89 12.9% Would Consider Moving 26 3.8% Total 691 100.0% Percent of Total Comments 24.5% The comments made regarding this question are more specific than the previous question and address changes in behavior if the ferry were taken out of service. 83 percent stated they would make the trip, must make the trip, or would make fewer trips. Thirteen percent stated they would not make the trip, and 4 percent said they would consider moving. Chart 8 presents the number of responses by category. Chart 8 Number of Trip Related Comments by Category 250 200 150 100 50 0 Must Make the Trip Would Still Make the Trip Would Make Less Trips Would Not Make the Trip Would Consider Moving St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 4-13

SECTIONFOUR Survey Results General Comments Comments made that did not relate to improving the ferry service or changes to behavior if the ferry were taken out of service were categorized as shown below. Over 55 percent of the patrons surveyed that made comments, stated that want the ferry service to continue. Twenty-eight percent stated that the ferry provided good service, with only 1 patron stating that the service was not good. Only four people made a comment specifically related to maintaining the ferry in support of the bike trail. Category Surveys % Keep the Ferry 950 55.4% Bike Trail 4 0.2% Good Service 482 28.1% Not Good Service 1 0.1% Other 279 16.3% Total 1,716 100.0% Percent of Total Comments 60.9% Chart 9 General Comments by Category 1000 800 600 400 200 0 Keep the Ferry Bike Trail Good Service Not Good Service Other A report containing all the comments is included in Appendix A, Comments on Ferry Service. St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 4-14

SECTIONFIVE Surveyor Observations 5. Section 5 F IVE Surveyor Ob servation s In addition to recording information based on the responses of the patrons, the surveyors were asked to collect information with respect to the direction of travel, vehicle occupancy, gender and estimated age of the patron participating in the survey, vehicle type, if the patron was in military attire, and the last three characters of the license plate. This section summarizes these data collected during the survey. Observation 1: Direction of Travel The number of surveys taken in each direction of travel was very balanced. Table 3 shows that in addition to the directionality of the trips being balanced, the trip purpose by direction is also very balanced. This supports the hypothesis that most of the trips on the ferry return via the ferry. North Table 3 Trip Purpose by Direction Work Shopping NHB Other Social/Rec Tourism 1,459 402 53 41 66 676 221 50.3% 27.5% 3.6% 2.8% 4.5% 46.3% 15.1% South 1,453 458 28 39 61 669 198 49.7% 31.5% 1.9% 2.7% 4.2% 46.0% 13.6% Total 2,912 860 81 80 127 1,345 419 100% 29.5% 2.8% 2.7% 4.4% 46.2% 14.4% Note: There were 113 unrecorded observations St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 5-1

SECTIONFIVE Surveyor Observations Observation 2: Vehicle Occupancy. Adult Teen Child Total 5,160 235 601 5,996 86.1% 3.9% 10.0% 100.0% Occupancy Surveys % 1 1,199 40.3% 2 1,100 37.0% 3 296 9.9% 3+ 380 12.8% Recorded Response 2,975 100.0% No Recorded Response 50 Total 3,025 The mix of persons in the vehicle being surveyed was collected to determine the average vehicle occupancy. The results show that a majority of the population using the ferry is adults, and that the average occupancy is two persons per vehicle. Observation 3: Gender of Respondent Male Female 74.2% 25.8% In most instances, the respondent was the driver of the vehicle. The observation suggests that most of the vehicles were driven by men. Observation 4: Age of the Respondent Male Female < 20 20-40 >40 Total 36 (1.5%) 1,235 (50.7%) 1,165 (47.8%) 2,436 (100.0%) 27 903 879 1,809 1.5% 49.9% 48.6% 100.0% 9 332 286 627 1.4% 53.0% 45.6% 100.0% St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 5-2

SECTIONFIVE Surveyor Observations The age of the respondent was estimated by the interviewer. Most respondents were estimated to be over 20 years old, with the 20-40 age group representing almost the same percentage of the population as the over 40 years old group. The distribution of males and females across age groups is similar in that the majority are within the 20-40 age group. Observation 5: Vehicle Type Pedestrian Bike Motorcycle Car/2-axle 3/4-axle Bus Commercial Total 22 102 135 2,595 6 1 81 2,942 0.7% 3.5% 4.6% 88.2% 0.2% 0.0% 2.8% 100.0% The largest vehicle type (88 percent) was the vehicle with two axles. Pedestrians, bikes and motorcycles, combined, represented 9 percent of the sample. Commercial vehicles were defined as having commercial signage on the vehicle. Commercial vehicles represented almost 3 percent of the sample. These data are consistent with records from the ferry operator that shows 2-axle vehicles dominate the ridership. Tractor trailers and other large vehicles are prohibited from using the ferry. Observation 6: Military Attire Yes No Total 90 3.0% 2,935 97.0% 3,025 This observation was included in the survey due to the large military presence on the south side of the river and the potential for military personnel to use the ferry. The survey found that there were very few persons (3 percent) in military attire using the ferry. Although this number is very small, it was observed that there were a large number of persons in civilian dress using the ferry to provide support functions to the military base. St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 5-3

SECTIONSIX Summary 6. Section 6 SIX Summary The survey results reveal some defined trends in whom, why and when people use the St. Johns River Ferry: Most people who use the ferry are Duval County residents. Most trips on the ferry begin or end in Duval County. On a weekday most of the ferry trips are for work purposes. On the weekend most trips are social/recreational trips. Tourism accounts for a smaller portion of trips than residents using the ferry for social/recreation purposes. Most patrons indicated they would make the trip even if ferry service were discontinued. Other trends evident from the surveyors interactions with the survey respondents are: Work-related trends BAE Systems, working privately and for the military, has facilities on both sides of the river and represented the largest single employer generating work trips on the ferry. There were 292 patrons who stated they were making a trip to or from a BAE facility. A notable number of work trips to both sides of the river indicated that if the ferry service were discontinued, they would look for work elsewhere or move to the same side of the river as their workplace. Recreational Trends Most of the social/recreational and tourism trips are directly related to Huguenot Park, Talbot Island, Amelia Island, and trips to beaches along the Atlantic. Many respondents indicated they may not make the trip to parks on the north side as often without the ferry service. A notable number of social/recreational and tourism trips were destined for Singleton s restaurant (68 surveys) and other seafood restaurants on the Mayport side of the river. Ferry Operations Notably more patrons commented that the fare should be raised to support the operation of the ferry than responded that the fare should be lower. Many patrons commented on longer ferry hours on the weekends, earlier ferry service on weekdays, and adding longer wait times between ferries running during off-peak hours. Patrons stated they would like alternative payment options to the cash and coupons currently collected. The ability to use credit cards and an annual pass were suggested. Overwhelmingly, patrons were very satisfied with the ferry service as it currently exists. St. Johns River Ferry Patron Survey 6-1