Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program
- Peer Program Report -
Austin, TX:
Partnerships Between Public Transit and MPOs in
Job Accessand Health and Human Services Transportation
Peer-to-Peer Exchange
May 23, 2002
Participants:
- Sherry Ways
FTA, Washington DC - Ashby Johnson
FHWA, Washington DC - Tisha Weichmann
Volpe, USDOT - Lyle Nelson
Brazos Transit District - Paulette Sheldon
The Gulf Coast Center- Connect Transit Program - Lydia Abebe
Houston-Galveston MPO - Nancy Noonan
Maryland Transit Administration - Maureen DeCindis
Maricopa Association of Governments, Arizona - Barbara Maley
North Central Texas Council of Governments
SUMMARY
This report summarizes the results of a peer to peer exchange arranged under the auspices of the Metropolitan Capacity Building (MCB) Program. The exchange provided the opportunity for representatives of transit operators and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) from across the country to discuss their successful partnerships within the transportation planning process. The peer to peer exchange session was conducted at the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) Conference and Expo in Austin, Texas.
THE TRANSIT PERSPECTIVE
Maryland Transit Administration
Brazos Transit District, Texas
Connect Transit, Texas
Maryland Transit Administration
Maryland has six regional councils and five MPOs. MPOs submit their plans to the Maryland Transit Administration which acts as a liaison. There are currently five MPOs in Maryland with another four anticipated to be designated as a result of the 2000 Census. These activities require a lot of coordination with MPOs and for some staff, this is their primary responsibility. The Job Access and Reverse Commute Program (JARC) has been a catalyst for successful collaboration effort in Maryland. MPOs have taken action to first adopt local transit plans and then overlay human services. In 1997, the State Coordinating Committee for Human Services Transportation Human Service was established. The Committee examines the transportation needs of the elderly, the disabled, and those who need affordable, accessible transportation to get to work, job training, and education programs. This Committee helps to coordinate efforts to provide quality human services transportation by relying on local agencies such as MPOs to provide local data to help develop a coordinated senior citizens and human services transportation system . The Committee is responsible for developing a five-year human services transportation plan and also serves as a clearinghouse for transportation coordination issues throughout Maryland. Another program that coordinates the efforts between transit and MPOs is the 5310 Program. From a planning perspective, each application for the 5310 Program is required to be submitted first at a local level by going through the local planning office and then (Maryland is broken up in regions) through the regional planning body- usually an MPO. This coordination helps to ensure that services are not duplicated.
Brazos Transit District
There are two MPOs within a 17 square mile radius (one small and one urban). Within the smaller Bryan/College Station MPO (BCSMPO), the major trip generators are Texas A&M University (TAMU), medical facilities, social service programs, and local employers. In the larger urban Houston-Galveston area , the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) Transportation Department is the designated MPO. The H-GAC is responsible for ensuring the successful regional coordination and integration of federal, State and local transportation planning efforts taking place within the region, as well as developing programs and plans for the urbanized areas of Houston and Galveston. The H-GAC is instrumental in serving as a clearinghouse for transit related issues. The MPO decision makers provide another venue to 'sell' regional projects. The Houston Metro is considered a strong transit operator however, in recognizing that a disparity in funding exists between Houston Metro and the smaller transit operators, the MPO has a leadership philosophy that says regardless of who the transit service provider is, service will be provided as part of a regional program. The H-GAC serves a very diverse area in the region and there is a strong collaborative effort to get input and receive feedback from all transit operators for studies, plans and programs.
Connect Transit
Transit operators should view the opportunity to sit on the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) as a very important avenue for input into transportation planning process. Transit participation on the TAC, where funding allocations decisions are being made, lends itself to an advocacy role.
MPO PERSPECTIVE
Houston-Galveston MPO
Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), Arizona
North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTOCG)
Houston-Galveston (H-GAC) MPO
H-GAC serves almost 150 local governments, and its region includes about 4 million people in an area of about 12,500 sq. miles. There are five transit providers, both urban and rural in the 13 county area - with Houston METRO being the largest urban transit operator. H-GAC provides funds for studies and planning through a highly successful coordinating council, which is an excellent model.
Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) - The purpose of this project was to provide transportation service from inner city neighborhoods to retail jobs in Katy Mills Mall in Katy, Texas. The mall is located approximately 25 miles west of downtown Houston. The concept required the patrons to get to the nearest neighborhood METRO Transit Center where they would be picked up and shuttled directly to a site near the mall. A separate shuttle was necessary to get riders from the METRO drop point to the mall. The project was discontinued because of lack of daily ridership and high average person trip monthly cost. Some of the barriers that contributed to high costs include the following: lack of bus service to final destination; lack of midday Park and Ride service at a nearby P&R lot; lack of late evening services (connecting the local routes) for return trips for evening shifts and long distance reverse commutes from inner city neighborhoods to suburban employment center (multiple bus transfers to get to shuttle van).
H-GAC, under the Commute Solutions program is working together with transit agencies, TxDOT, Transportation Management Organizations (TMOs), and Management Districts to provide answers and give assistance
on commuting alternatives to the Houston-Galveston Area residents. Some of the Commute Solutions program includes carpooling and vanpooling, teleworking, biking, walking, mass transit, commuter transit services and others.
Commuter Services - In June 2000, pilot commuter and transit services projects were implemented in the Houston- Galveston region. These services include Park and Ride and fixed route circulators that connect METRO services and shuttles. The target areas for these services include major suburban employment centers and other areas with inadequate or non-existent public transportation services. Thus, making areas with limited public transit and commuter services accessible. These services are a two-year pilot programs. If successful, METRO will continue service for those who are in their service areas. However, services outside the METRO service area will have to get additional funds to continue their services. These projects have been very successful and enthusiastically received in their respective communities. And this year, H-GAC has awarded contracts for three additional innovative commuter transit service projects that will provide work-related and recreational travel.
Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), Arizona
The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) is both a Council of Governments that serves as the regional agency for the metropolitan Phoenix area and is also the designated MPO. The area served is approximately 9,000 square miles with 590 fixed transit routes. The MAG membership currently consists of the 24 incorporated cities and towns within Maricopa County, the Gila River Indian Community, the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, Maricopa County, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the Citizens Transportation Oversight Committee (CTOC).
North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) - The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) encompasses a 16-county region. In 1998, the NCTCOG included 224 incorporated cities and serves a population of 4.8 million with 12,789 square miles. It is estimated that by 2030, the population will increase to over 9 million persons. The metropolitan planning area includes all or portions of nine counties.
The Regional Transportation Council, the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) policy-making body, has thirty-seven members, including thirty-two locally elected officials and five transportation provider representatives. The RTC successfully works with the transportation/transit authorities to improve transportation services through four broad mechanisms which provide opportunities for input: committees (i.e. RTC, Surface Transportation Technical Committee (STTC)), plans (Mobility 2025 Update, Mobility 2030 (anticipated October 2004)), programs (i.e. Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), Trinity Railway Express, and Job Access and Reverse Commute Program) and projects (i.e. environmental assessments, environmental impact statements, and alternative analyses).
Currently, there are two transportation/transit authorities in the Dallas/Fort Worth region, one in the eastern subregion (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) and one in the western subregion (Fort Worth Transportation Authority). The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) is a 34 mile, 9 station commuter rail line. Many agencies contribute to the overall success of the TRE. Contributions made by the mid-cities are used to leverage additional federal transportation funds.
There were two Job Access and Reverse Commute programs in the region funded during 2000 and 2001. By incorporating the TRE into the programs, persons will be able to access employment opportunities, as well as training and support services. NCTCOG staff understands that trips funded through the Job Access Program can be very expensive. Past rail successes have created an excitement for rail in the region.
For the elderly and persons with disabilities, a transportation provider inventory is being compiled. The objective is to develop and maintain a comprehensive database of transportation providers within the North Central Texas Region. Users will be able to query the inventory via the Internet to identify providers meeting their criteria.
FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPANTS
Even private developers are recognizing that there are economic benefits to be gained in a transportation system that moves people from employment center to employment center and they are beginning to proactively participate in the MPO transportation planning process.
-Lyle Nelson
Brazos Transit District
You can get more economic development generated out of voting for transit than voting on economic development.
-Lydia Abebe
Houston-Galveston MPO
Leadership sets the tone; Do what's Best for the Region and don't be constrained by current institutions
-Barbara Maley
North Central Texas Council of Governments
SUMMARY
This exchange gave MPOs and transit operators the opportunity to discuss ways in which MPOs and transit operators interact with each other in the transportation planning process. All parties emphasized the importance of organizational leadership, the recognition that transit can be key in economic development, transit's active participation in the process and committees. It was also noted that MPOs are moving toward project selection based on regional benefits. One of the common threads that emerged was that although the JARC Program has met with varied success, it has been a positive catalyst for encouraging MPOs and transit operators to work together.
Participants were asked to give their opinion as to how USDOT could assist stakeholders deliver better community transportation services through the metropolitan planning process. The recommendations are highlighted as follows:- More flexibility- e.g. organizational structure (governance) and funding (STP-MM and CMAQ)
- Increase funding - e.g. capital , maintenance and operations
- Lower the funding match requirement for transit (80/20 and 50/50). Small cities and towns often don't have the revenue for 50% match.
- In addition to urban transit operators, require small transit operators also be invited to the MPO decisionmaking table
- New Starts need at least three years of funding
- Provide transportation funding through the federal Social Service Block Grant (SSBG). The SSBG identifies human service needs at the local level
- Mandate that state DOT's appropriate a portion of their transportation funds specifically for low-income and persons with disabilities
- The general shortage of transit funding overall makes it difficult to fund new programs. The USDOT should consider assisting areas wanting to fund new start opportunities and provide at least 3-5 years of start up funds to insure their success.
- Require more emphasis on 'customer responsiveness" by putting more emphasis on the users as part of the MPO process. Public input in the review process is still lacking.
- Emphasize the benefits of transit and the different modes of mobility. Transit projects still get buried in highway oriented plans.
- Increase case studies for transit operators in planning
