AGENDA #9
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Proposed Triangle Regional Consolidation/Implementation Plan
DATE: November 24, 2003
The adoption of the attached resolution would reject the Triangle Region Transit Consolidation Implementation proposal to consolidate Chapel Hill Transit with the Triangle Transit Authority. The resolution would also authorize the Town Manager to explore areas of expanded collaboration with the Triangle Transit Authority to determine whether there might be benefits worth pursuing in specific functional areas.
In March, 2003 the Town Council approved funding to participate in a study of potential strategies for consolidating transit services in the Research Triangle Region. The firm of AECOM Consult began work in April, 2003 on a draft Consolidation/Implementation Proposal and completed a draft Report in May, 2003. The total cost of developing the proposal was $400,000. The North Carolina Department of Transportation provided $320,000 and Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Triangle Transit Authority and Chapel Hill each provided $16,000.
On May 8, 2003 AECOM Consult presented the draft proposal to the Town Council. The final Transit Consolidation/Implementation Plan was completed in July, 2003 and copies of the Plan were distributed to the Council in early August.
On September 8, 2003 the Council referred the Consolidation proposal to the Transportation Board and Public Transit Committee for review and comment.
The Council discussed the Consolidation proposal at a work session on November 10, 2003.
Electronic copies of the Consolidation proposal are available on CD in the Planning Department and the Plan can be viewed from a link available on the Town of Chapel Hill website at http://townhall.townofchapelhill.org. Additional copies of the report are available for Council members on request.
We have attached the summary from the Consolidation/Implementation proposal for your review. (Attachment 1) The summary provides an overview of the main elements of the proposal, including, pre-consolidation steps, consolidation stages and schedule, funding and governance.
DISCUSSION
The Key Issues section below addresses the issues raised during the Council’s November 10, 2003 worksession and provides an assessment of possible areas of collaboration with the Triangle Transit Authority.
We have prepared the table below to compare the operating characteristics of the public transit systems included in the Consolidation proposal. We have not included data from the Town of Cary, which only operates a demand response system. We believe this information may be helpful in the Council’s discussion.
|
|
September, 2003 Average Daily Fixed Route Ridership |
September, 2003 Monthly Total Ridership |
2002-2003 Total Ridership |
2002-2003 Total Actual Transit Vehicle Miles |
2002-2003 Rider per mile ratio |
|
Chapel Hill Transit |
27,592 |
537,244 |
4,589,559 |
1,883,680 |
2.44 |
|
Triangle Transit Authority |
2,609 |
54,789 |
667,231 |
2,676,883 |
0.25 |
|
Durham Area Transit |
13,297 |
353,798 |
4,050,164 |
2,327,536 |
1.74 |
|
Capital Area Transit |
12,013 |
300,328 |
3,228,469 |
2,314,531 |
1.39 |
|
NCSU Wolfline |
9,961 |
210,454 |
1,779,349 |
515,902 |
3.45 |
The following issues were raised during the Council work session on November 10, 2003.
Several Council Members were concerned about the proposed governance of a consolidated regional transit system.
Comment: The proposed Consolidation proposal suggests that the existing Triangle Transit Authority Board would act as the administrative body overseeing the operation of the consolidated regional transit system. We believe that the Triangle Transit Authority Board was created for a specific purpose, to provide regional transit services within Orange, Durham and Wake Counties. It was intended to oversee transit services, primarily fixed guideway systems, that would be funded from regional revenue sources. We do not believe that the current Board structure is appropriate to oversee the existing operations of the municipal transit systems. The existing Transit Authority Board has 10 voting members, with Chapel Hill having one vote.
The Chapel Hill Transit system serves the Town of Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Town of Carrboro. Funding is provided through negotiated agreements of the key partners, with additional support from the State and Federal Transit Administration. Decisions about services are made after a negotiation process that involves all the partners. We believe the ability to retain control over services through the present system of governance is superior to that offered in the Consolidation proposal.
Several Council Members raised the issue of maintaining responsiveness to transit patrons and the key partners, the University and the Town of Carrboro.
Comment: The Town of Carrboro and the University are integral partners in the Chapel Hill Transit system. Chapel Hill transit staff regularly coordinates with their counterparts from both Carrboro and the University on day to day questions and concerns. Slight revisions to route schedules and stops are also regularly implemented through this coordination. Beginning in January and continuing through the adoption of annual budgets there are regular discussions among all three partners on new or revised transit services. There are also regular contacts required to finalize the Chapel Hill Transit schedule brochure, including review of proposed schedules and maps. During July and August this collaboration requires close coordination among Chapel Hill, Carrboro and University staffs.
It is uncertain whether this collaboration could be maintained under a consolidated regional transit system. Although some administrative and operational staff would continue to be housed in Chapel Hill under a consolidated system, it is anticipated that those functions that would have to respond to specific rider complaints or implement adjustments to transit schedules or routes would be housed at a central location. Decisions on modifying or adding service would ultimately be dependent on the regional administrator and the Triangle Transit Authority Board.
We also note that the success of Chapel Hill Transit has supported the Town’s efforts to minimize roadway construction. The Town’s ability and willingness to provide high quality transit services has been an important element in our success in convincing the North Carolina Department of Transportation that roadway expansions can be minimized.
A Council Member asked about the degree to which Chapel Hill Transit currently coordinates with the Durham Area Transit system and the Triangle Transit Authority.
Comment: Chapel Hill Transit has coordinated with both Durham Area Transit and the Triangle Transit Authority in several areas.
-Transit managers meetings: Chapel Hill Transit staff, including the Transit Director, has met regularly with other transit managers from around the Triangle to discuss improved coordination and cooperation. These meetings were organized and scheduled by the Triangle Transit Authority. Over the past year this group has not met on a regular basis.
-Coordination of Chapel Hill Transit bus routes with Triangle Transit Authority service: Chapel Hill Transit has regularly coordinated with the Triangle Transit Authority on route schedules. We have modified our schedules when necessary to ensure that passengers using Chapel Hill Transit to connect with Triangle Transit service can do so in a convenient manner.
-Service to New Hope Commons: Chapel Hill Transit provided Saturday service to the New Hope Commons Shopping Center for several years. The Chapel Hill service was coordinated with Durham Area Transit service to ensure connections between the two communities. In 2002 Chapel Hill Transit discontinued this service to avoid duplication of service provided by the Triangle Transit Authority.
-Trip Planner Software: Chapel Hill Transit has participated in the development and implementation of the Trip Planner software. We have provided staff resources to update and integrate data on Chapel Hill Transit service in the regional database and participated in the testing of the system prior to deployment. We will continue to support this effort and will modify the regional database when necessary to reflect changes in Chapel Hill Transit service.
-Regional Call Center: Chapel Hill Transit has provided $15,000 towards the development and maintenance of the Regional Call Center. We continue to provide resource information to help make this regional effort successful.
-Interface of trip planning with Chapel Hill Passenger Information Center: As Chapel Hill Transit begins to design and implement a real-time transit passenger information system for use at high volume transit stops in the system, we will incorporate elements of the Triangle Transit trip planner to provide transit users with expanded information.
.
Concerns were raised about Chapel Hill Transit’s ability to ensure a continuation of federal and State transit funding.
Comment: While it is anticipated that individual agreements will be prepared between individual jurisdictions and the Triangle Transit Authority, we note that the allocation of federal transit formula funds will continue to be approved by the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee. We believe that the Transportation Advisory Committee should continue to allocate federal transit funding in a manner that reflects the needs of the local transit systems and supports the implementation of the adopted 2025 Regional Transportation Plan. We also believe that the Transportation Advisory Committee should monitor the consolidation process and development of agreements.
The Consolidation proposal also recommends that the Triangle Transit Authority be identified as the designated recipient for all federal funds previously provided to local transit operators. Under the existing federal funding arrangement Raleigh, Durham, Cary and Chapel Hill are all designated recipients. While we do not object to other jurisdictions relinquishing their designated recipient status as part of a Memorandum of Agreement for consolidation, we believe the Town would continue to maintain its designated recipient status, allowing federal funds to be provided directly to Chapel Hill Transit.
A question was raised about the process for expanding existing municipal transit services to adjacent areas and how that was intended to be addressed under the Consolidation proposal.
Comment: It is anticipated that each transit entity would negotiate and execute a separate Memorandum of Agreement with the Triangle Transit Authority, spelling out the contractual and financial obligations for each party. Under that system, in which each local government would pay the Triangle Transit Authority to operate existing transit service within the municipal boundaries, it is unclear how the additional cost of extending existing transit service would be accommodated.
For example, if it is determined that extensions of existing Chapel Hill Transit service into southwest Durham County, (outside existing Chapel Hill municipal limits), were warranted, the incremental cost of that service would need to be provided. Under the current structure of transit service within the region, either Chapel Hill, the City of Durham or the Triangle Transit Authority could provide funding for this service. The proposed Consolidation proposal does not address how these additional services would be funded.
Council Members expressed interest in identifying areas in which there might be opportunities for consolidation of efforts which could benefit Chapel Hill, the University and Town of Carrboro. We have reviewed the entire proposal and believe that there are several areas of possible collaboration that merit further exploration to determine whether there would be advantages for the Chapel Hill Transit System, the key partners and the citizens served.
Consolidation Proposal: The Consolidation proposal includes the organization of a marketing group that would provide services to individual operating systems.
Comment: Chapel Hill Transit currently works directly with local media to undertake marketing activities. The current Chapel Hill Transit budget includes funding for a part time marketing position. We have proposed to combine this position with the funding from the Active Living By Design grant to create a full time marketing position that would develop marketing programs to promote public transit and related issues of mobility, health and lifestyle issues. We believe that basic marketing functions should be retained within the current Chapel Hill Transit organization.
We also believe that there may be some benefits to Chapel Hill Transit through collaboration with the Triangle Transit Authority in the following areas:
· Production and printing of customer timetables and schedules
· Development of system maps and other print pieces
· Planning and negotiating promotions and advertising of services
b. Service Planning Function
Consolidation Proposal: Consolidate all service planning activities in a central organization.
Comment: Transit planning in Chapel Hill is a cooperative process that integrates transit considerations with local knowledge of pedestrian and bicycle issues and includes close coordination with the Town’s land use planning efforts. We think this integrated approach to transit planning has been successful and we do not believe that the Chapel Hill Transit would be well served by centralizing transit planning with the Triangle Transit Authority. We note that Chapel Hill Transit currently coordinates its transit services with the Triangle Transit Authority transit service linking the Town with Durham and the Research Triangle Park. Recently, Chapel Hill Transit revised its bus schedules to accommodate changes in the Triangle Transit Authority service operating in the Town. We expect this coordination to continue in the future.
c. Capital Development Functions
Consolidation Proposal: Creation of a regional transit capital development group at the Triangle Transit Authority.
Comment: Other than the development of a new transit operations facility, we do not anticipate pursuing major transit capital development projects in the foreseeable future. We believe that if additional transit capital projects are pursued by the Town, that the Town Council should oversee the planning, design and construction of those facilities.
d. Major Procurement Functions (including sales of advertising)
Consolidation Proposal: Consolidate the purchase of equipment, including buses, and related spare parts.
Comment: Chapel Hill Transit is currently part of a Triangle region wide purchasing consortium, organized through the Institute for Transportation Research and Education, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation, that allows the Town the option of purchasing major equipment as part of larger contracts that include other Triangle region transit providers. In some cases these contracts involve transit systems from across North Carolina. We recognize that the proposed consolidated procurement system would differ from the current system by establishing a specific purchasing program to serve all the participating agencies. Such joint purchasing could be beneficial.
We recognize that there might be increased benefits from a centralized approach to the sale of advertising.
e. Bus Stops, Signs, and Shelters Maintenance
Consolidation Proposal: Consolidate the provision and maintenance of passenger facilities such as bus stops and shelters.
Comment: We believe that there may be possible benefits to Chapel Hill Transit from a collaborative approach to bus stop construction and maintenance.
f. Regional System Graphics, Image, Service Name and Route Numbering
Consolidation Proposal: Revise the current bus route naming and number system as necessary to improve regional travel. Develop unified color graphics schemes, uniforms, signage and vehicle colors.
Comment: We believe that a coordinated regional approach to graphics, service naming and route numbering might provide benefits to transit riders and is an area in which further collaboration is possible. In these discussions we would want to ensure that the identity of Chapel Hill Transit was maintained.
g. Customer Service Policies and Procedures
Consolidation Proposal: Develop region-wide customer service policies and procedures.
Comment: Chapel Hill Transit currently has customer service policies that reflect the goals and objectives of the community served. We believe that we should monitor the development of the regional policies and evaluate elements of the regional policies that might be useful for Chapel Hill Transit.
h. Merge Demand Response Eligibility Databases and Policies
Consolidation Proposal: Merge eligibility data and policies for demand responsive services.
Comment: We believe the development and adoption of eligibility policies and maintenance of databases should continue to be undertaken within Chapel Hill Transit to meet local community objectives.
i. Marketing Materials
Consolidation Proposal: Develop maps, logo, schedules and other materials.
Comment: Chapel Hill Transit produces a schedule book in August, prior to the beginning of each new service year. For the past two years increased demand and minor route changes have required the printing of additional schedule books in December. The development of this schedule book and related route maps requires close coordination between various divisions within Chapel Hill Transit and with our partners at the University and Carrboro. We believe that there may some opportunities for increased collaboration in the development and production of marketing materials as long as these materials can be provided in a cost effective and timely manner.
j. Farebox Repair and Paint and Body Shop
Consolidation Proposal: Provide specialized maintenance services such as farebox and body shop maintenance in one location.
Comment: We believe a centralized approach to paint and body shop repairs might provide benefits to Chapel Hill Transit as long as they can be done in a cost effective and timely manner.
NEXT STEPS
If the Council directs the staff to explore areas of possible collaboration we will contact the Triangle Transit Authority and begin discussions. We also suggest that Council ask the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee to monitor the possible consolidation of other local transit providers in the Urban Area and ensure an equitable distribution of federal transportation funds to Chapel Hill Transit.
RECOMMENDATION
Manager’s Recommendation: That the Council adopt the attached resolution which would eject the consolidation proposal and authorize discussions with the Triangle Transit Authority on possible collaboration in specific functional areas to determine whether there might be benefits worth pursuing. Results of these discussions would be reported to the Council, the Public Transit Committee and Transportation Board.
The areas include:
The resolution also requests that the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee monitor the development of a consolidated transit system to ensure the implementation of the 2025 Regional Transportation Plan and ensure that federal transportation funds for transit are distributed equitably to Chapel Hill.
Advisory Board Recommendations:
Transportation Board Recommendation: The Transportation Board has reviewed the Proposal and their comments are provided in Attachment 2. The Board believes that Chapel Hill Transit service would not be enhanced by the proposed consolidation. The Board supports efforts to improved coordination and cooperation with other transit providers and suggests that Chapel Hill continue to monitor the consolidation process.
Public Transit Committee Recommendation: The Public Transit Committee’s recommendations and comments are discussed in Attachment 3. The Committee does not support implementing the proposed consolidation of Chapel Hill Transit with the Triangle Transit Authority as outlined in the Triangle Regional Transit Consolidation/Implementation Plan. The committee recognizes that increased regional coordination and collaboration might be beneficial to Chapel Hill Transit.
The Committee received a memorandum from University representatives summarizing the University’s concerns regarding the Triangle Regional transit Consolidation/Implementation Plan (Attachment 4).
ATTACHMENTS
A RESOLUTION REJECTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE TRIANGLE REGION TRANSIT CONSOLIDATION/IMPLEMENTATION PLAN TO CONSOLIDATE CHAPEL HILL TRANSIT WITH THE TRIANGLE TRANSIT AUTHORITY AND AUTHORIZING THE TOWN MANAGER TO WORK WITH THE TRIANGLE TRANSIT AUTHORITY TO IDENTIFY AREAS OF POSSIBLE COLLABORATION WITH CHAPEL HILL TRANSIT (2003-11-24/R-15)
WHEREAS, the Triangle J Council of Governments has completed a proposed Triangle Region Transit Consolidation/Implementation Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Town of Chapel Hill has reviewed the Plan and received recommendations from the Town Transportation Board and the Public Transit Committee.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council rejects the recommendations of the Triangle Transit Regional Consolidation/Implementation Plan to consolidate Chapel Hill Transit with the Triangle Transit Authority.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council identifies the following areas for possible collaboration between the Triangle Transit Authority and Chapel Hill Transit and directs the Town Manager to begin discussions with the Triangle Transit Authority on possible collaboration in these areas.
BE IT RESOLVED that the Council directs Chapel Hill Transit to continue efforts at coordination with other transit providers in the Triangle Region and enhance that coordination when possible.
BE IT RESOLVED that the Council requests that the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Transportation Advisory Committee monitor the consolidation of local transit systems as proposed in the Plan to ensure future implementation of the 2025 Regional Transportation Plan and ensure continued equitable distribution of federal transportation funding for public transit to Chapel Hill.
This the 24th day of November, 2003.