AGENDA #6
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Follow-up Report on Proposed V Route Transit Service Within Southern Village
DATE: May 29, 2002
This memorandum is written as a follow-up to the Council meeting on November 26, 2001, that discussed the petitions submitted regarding the V route bus service in Southern Village.
The attached resolutions provide options for the Council’s consideration.
Adoption of Resolution A would reconfigure the Transit Service V Route in Southern Village and change the hours of service to eliminate the mid-day trips between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The Manager recommends adoption of Resolution A.
Adoption of Resolution B would maintain the existing V Route in Southern Village with a 30-minute change in the beginning and ending times. The Transportation Board recommends the adoption of Resolution B.
Adoption of Resolution C would reconfigure the transit service V Route to provide the service with a small bus “feeder” service that would connect with other bus service at the Park and Ride Lot.
In November 2001, the Council discussed the V Route service within Southern Village. Several petitions were submitted both in favor of and opposed to bus service in the residential area of Southern Village. (Please see Attachment 6.)
The Council did not direct a change of the V Route at that time, but directed the Transportation Board and staff to work with the homeowners of Southern Village to evaluate the options and make recommendations to the Council.
In March 2002, the Transportation Board reviewed the minutes of the Council meeting as well as the letters and e-mails concerning the V Route. On March 23, the Transportation Board spent the morning riding the current V route in the full size bus, and several optional routes in a smaller bus.
On April 23, the Transportation Board held a forum to receive comments on the V Route in Southern Village. The staff presented 3 alternative small bus “feeder” routes for consideration. The “feeder” type of service would collect riders from the route in a small bus and would meet with the large bus at the Park and Ride lot.
Citizen comments at the forum included:
On May 7, 2002, the Transportation Board recommended that the Town continue operation of the V Route unchanged, with the exception of starting the service 30 minutes later in the morning and ending it 30 minutes later in the evening. (Please see Attachment 3.)
On May 21, 2002, postcard notices were mailed to 758 residences and businesses in Southern Village with notification of the May 29 Council meeting regarding transit service in Southern Village. The notices gave information of the date, time, and place of the meeting as well as instructions on how to preview the agenda materials from the Town’s web site. (Please see Attachment 7.)
The provision of public transit service to Southern Village has been part of overall planning for the site since the adoption of the Southern Small Area Plan in 1992 as a component of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.
The Town of Chapel Hill annexed the Southern Village area on July 1, 2001. Annexation requires the Town to provide major municipal services to the annexation area on substantially the same basis and in the same manner as such services are provided within the rest of the municipality prior to annexation. The current route was designed to meet the Chapel Hill Service Standard of a bus stop within ¼ mile of 90% of the Chapel Hill households and to provide a level of transit service similar to that provided town wide.
The V Route begins service in Southern Village at 6:16 a.m., with service every 30 minutes in the peak times and hourly service in the off-peak times, and ends service at 9:01 p.m. in Southern Village. The current route runs between Meadowmont and Southern Village by way of the University campus.
The bus enters Southern Village on Arlen Park Drive, turns right on Parkside Circle, right on Edgewater Circle, left on Parkview Crescent, left on Highgrove Drive, left on Brookgreen Drive, left on Aberdeen Street, right on Copperline Drive, right on Kildaire Road, left on Market Street, into the Park and Ride lot, right on Main Street, and left on 15-501.
This route provides service to the northeast section of homes, the pool and clubhouse, the commercial area of the development, a section of Southern Village Apartments, the Park and Ride lot, and departs on Main St. The current configuration was designed to provide transit services within ¼ mile of as many residents of Southern Village as possible.
This option would maintain the existing V Route in Southern Village, with service beginning 30 minutes later in the morning and ending 30 minutes later in the evening. (Please see map Attachment 1.)
Advantages:
This option would:
· Afford a large number of residents of Southern Village bus service within ¼ mile of their residence.
· Provide consistency, which allows for familiarity and continues to serve established riders.
· Connect to the Triangle Transit Authority for travel to Research Triangle Park, Raleigh, and Durham.
· Provide direct service to portions of campus not served by the N/S Route such as the Law School, Student Union, and the Bell Tower area.
· Provide service from the central part of campus to Southern Village in the evening for students who have night classes.
Disadvantages:
This option would:
· Continue the large bus traveling on residential streets.
· Continue the lightly used trips in the mid day.
This option would reroute the bus closer to the commercial and high-density residential areas. Specifically, the route that would enter Southern Village on Main Street: turn right on Market Street, right on Greenview Drive, left on Parkside Circle, left on Edgewater Circle, left on Brookgreen Drive, right on Market St. right into the Park and Ride lot, right out of the Park and Ride lot, right on Main Street, and left on 15-501. This route would continue to use a standard size bus, but would operate only during the peak periods. (Please see map Attachment 2.)
Advantages:
This option would:
· Be accessible to many residents with a short walk to the stops.
· Connect to the Triangle Transit Authority for travel to Research Triangle Park, Raleigh, and Durham.
· Provide direct service to portions of campus not served by the N/S Route such as the Law School, Student Union, and the Bell Tower area.
· Concentrate service in the commercial and high-density residential areas.
· Remove mid-day lightly used service.
· Result in cost reduction of $62,000 through reduction of service hours. We believe these funds will be needed for other transit adjustments during the next fiscal year.
Disadvantages:
This option would:
This option would provide a small (15 passenger) bus that would circulate through Southern Village and connect with the N/S Route at the Park and Ride lot. (Please see Attachment 5.)
Advantages:
This option would:
Disadvantages:
This option would:
This option would provide a small (15 passenger) bus that would circulate through Southern Village and connect with the V Route at the Park and Ride Lot.
Advantages:
This option would:
Disadvantages:
This option would:
Manager’s Recommendation: That the Council adopt Resolution A, which would establish a new configuration for the V Route in Southern Village, and eliminate off-peak service.
Resolution C would adopt Option 3a or 3 b, if the Council desires.
1. Southern Village – Bus Route – Current V Route (p. 9).
2. Southern Village – Bus Route – Option 2 (p. 10).
3. Summary of Transportation Board Action (p. 11).
4. E-mails and Correspondence Regarding the V Route (begin p. 4-1).
5. April 17, 2002 Memorandum to Transportation Board, Forum on V Route April 23, 2002 (begin p. 5-1).
6. November 26, 2001 Agenda Item, Report on V Route Transit Service (begin p. 6-1).
7. Meeting Notice (p. 7-1).
RESOLUTION A
Manager’s Recommendation—Option 2
A RESOLUTION TO RECONFIGURE THE TRANSIT SERVICE V ROUTE AND SCHEDULE IN SOUTHERN VILLAGE (2002-05-29/R-8a)
WHEREAS, a route has been proposed that would enter Southern Village on Main Street: right on Market Street, right on Greenview Drive, left on Parkside Circle, left on Edgewater Circle, left on Brookgreen Drive, right on Market St. right into the Park and Ride lot, right out of the Park and Ride lot, right on Main Street, and left on 15-501; and,
WHEREAS, the ridership on the V Route diminishes between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.; and,
WHEREAS, the N/S Route provides transit service to the Park and Ride lot in Southern Village during the mid-day; and,
WHEREAS, there is a cost savings associated with elimination of mid-day V Route service to Southern Village;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill hereby establishes a reconfiguration of the V Route for transit services in Southern Village and eliminates V Route service between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., as described in this resolution.
This the 29th day of May, 2002.
WHEREAS, meeting the Chapel Hill Service Standard of a bus stop within ¼ mile of 90% of the Chapel Hill households is a goal of the Town of Chapel Hill; and,
WHEREAS, the present route configuration helps in the attainment of this service standard; and,
WHEREAS, the Transportation Board reviewed the existing service, the citizen concerns, additional routing options, and recommends maintaining the existing V Route with the service starting 30 minutes later in the morning and continuing 30 minutes later in the evening;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the V Route retains the same routing in Southern Village as in the current schedule with a 30-minute time adjustment in the morning and evening.
This the 29th day of May, 2002.
RESOLUTION C
Options 3a and 3b
A RESOLUTION TO RECONFIGURE THE TRANSIT SERVICE V ROUTE IN SOUTHERN VILLAGE TO PROVIDE THE BUS SERVICE WITH A SMALL BUS “FEEDER” SERVICE THAT WOULD CONNECT WITH EITHER THE N/S ROUTE OR THE V ROUTE AT THE PARK AND RIDE LOT (2002-05-29/R-8c)
WHEREAS, some of the citizens residing in the Southern Village area have requested that the Council modify the V Route in a manner that reconfigures the route using a small bus that picks up passengers in the residential areas of Southern Village and transports them to the Park and Ride lot in Southern Village; and,
WHEREAS, the N/S Route currently picks up passengers in the Southern Village Park and Ride Lot at 15 and 30 minute intervals; and,
WHEREAS, the V Route could be continued and could pick up passengers at the Southern Village Park and Ride Lot; and,
WHEREAS, the “feeder” bus would remove the large bus from the residential area of Southern Village;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill that the Council hereby reconfigures the transit service in Southern Village to a “feeder” type service that connects with either the N/S Route or the V Route at the Park and Ride Lot with the exact configuration to be determined by the Town Manager.
This the 29th day of May, 2002.
