AGENDA #17d

BUDGET WORKING PAPER

TO:                  W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

FROM:            Roger Waldon, Planning Director

                        Mary Lou Kuschatka, Transportation Director

SUBJECT:       Programs Designed to Increase Transit Use

DATE:             April 27, 2005

This budget working paper responds to the request by the Community Design Commission to include funds in the 2005-2006 budget to create programs and policies that encourage the use of public transit in high density developments.

BACKGROUND

The Town currently provides transit service along the major transportation corridors within Chapel Hill, including concentrations of high density developments. The service standard for Chapel Hill Transit sets a quarter mile area around current fixed route service. Areas within the quarter mile area are considered served by public transit. The attached map shows the transit service coverage using this standard for the Chapel Hill/Carrboro service area. Those areas not included in the fixed route service area are provided access to transit service through demand response services that link them to the existing transit lines.

DISCUSSION

Chapel Hill Transit currently works closely with our transit partners, the University of North Carolina and Carrboro, to provide adequate levels of transit service to high density concentrations within the service area. The University has on ongoing marketing program designed to encourage student, faculty and staff to utilize existing public transit services. Chapel Hill Transit has recently hired a staff member who will be responsible for marketing transit service to the Chapel Hill/Carrboro community. We also work with the Triangle Transit Authority to coordinate transit services and outreach efforts to encourage greater use of public transit.

The Council has adopted policies designated to increase transit use in higher density areas, including goals in the 2000 Comprehensive Plan to expand public transit and the inclusion of a transit oriented development district in the 2004 Land Use Management Ordinance.  In 2002, the Council adopted a fare free policy for public transit services which has resulted in significant increases in transit ridership.

The Council reviewed on April 25, 2005, a memorandum reviewing the status of the Town’s Transportation Management Program, which requires employers to cooperate with the Town to promote alternative modes of transportation. We believe that this ongoing program could be utilized to a greater degree to market public transit services to a segment of the Chapel Hill population which survey data suggests does not utilize public transit services. The memorandum suggested that we could support expanded outreach and marketing through an annual fee for all sites requiring the development of a transportation management plan.

RECOMMENDATION

We believe that the existing outreach and promotional efforts of the University of North Carolina and the ongoing development of a more active marketing effort by Chapel Hill Transit will focus on higher density developments. We believe that these efforts, which have resulted in increased transit use in the past, can be expanded to reach new target markets.  The continued implementation of the Town’s 2000 Comprehensive Plan goals for transportation and the Land Use Management Ordinance will also support efforts to expand transit use in higher density areas.