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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10B - Unified Transit Mgmnt. 16200 Eagle Creek Avenue S.E. Prior Lake, MN 55372-1714 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT MEETING DATE: AGENDA #: PREPARED BY: August 1, 2005 10B Frank Boyles, City Manager Kelly Meyer, Asst. to the City Manager AGENDA ITEM: CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE UNIFIED TRANSIT MANAGEMENT PLAN. DISCUSSION: Introduction and History: In January 2001, the City Council chose to opt-out of the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVT A) in order to provide improved local transit services to Prior Lake residents. Since that time, the City has developed and operated the Laker Lines express commuter, and the Local Laker Link summer circulator. In March 2003, Scott County and the cities of Prior Lake, Shakopee, Savage, Belle Plaine, Elko, Jordan, New Market, New Prague and the Scott County HRA, created a Transit Review Board and Transit Planning Team. Its mission is to enhance the transit options of all Scott County residents through an intergovernmental best management process. This mission is also consistent with the City Transportation goals in its 2020 (now 2030) Vision and Strategic Plan. It is not surprising that as our community continues to grow, so must our services and how we provide them. In April 2004, the City Council authorized Prior Lake's participation to cooperatively select a consultant to develop a unified transit management plan (UTMP). The purpose of the UTMP was to study existing services available within Scott County, get feedback from transit users and transit stakeholders on service needs,' and to recommend an action plan that identifies how Scott County entities could partner to improve the delivery of transit services and infrastructure over the next 15 years. The plan has now been completed, distributed and presented to SCALE, and each of the organizations who are proposed to participate in the Transit program. The City Council previously heard a presentation of the UTMP by John Mulcahey of Scott County, and has since conducted a work session on this topic as well. The City Council is being asked to accept the plan and provide the staff with direction for its implementation. Councilmember Fleming is in his first year representing Prior Lake on the Transit Review Board, and may also have additional comments to offer. CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES: Attached is an Executive Summary of the UTMP. The UTMP has brought several issues to the forefront that require Council direction, including: Changes in express, circulator and dial-a-ride services Park & ride lot(s) Service Identity www.cityofpriorJake.com 1:\COUNCIL\AGNRPTS\2005\08010~b~~ ~~~ffio / Fax 952.447.4245 r System management System operator Funding ISSUES: Shown below is a brief summary of the report recommendations and some staff suggestions regarding each: 1. Chanoes in Express. Circulator and Dial-a-Ride Services: Express Service - The UTMP proposes that the Laker Lines service change its routes to utilize the 169 corridor, and that at least one additional route be added. The UTMP also recommends that Shakopee initiate at least three additional commuter routes. The Laker Lines service is also recommended to stop at a temporary park & ride location to provide service to Shakopee residents. Circulator Service - The UTMP proposes that Prior Lake and Shakopee cooperate to realign their local fixed routes to operate a year-round circulator that connects the two communities. Currently the only circulator service offered in Prior Lake is the Local Laker Link which operates only during the summer. Dial-a-Ride - The UTMP recommends that Scott County assume all responsibility for dial-a-ride service in the County. This service would remain substantially the same for Prior Lake. Shakopee would discontinue any dial-a-ride service it is currently providing. Comments: Staff has already realigned the Laker Lines express routes to utilize the Highway 169 corridor. One of the biggest advantages to Prior Lake of operating our own system, is that service changes can happen relatively quickly. The concept of utilizing Highway 169 is especially timely because bus shoulders are available, lanes have been added, and stoplights are being eliminated. As construction concludes, the route should get even quicker. This change will also allow Shakopee and Savage riders to use our Laker Lines service once a temporary park & ride has been established. We will also work to add a third bus as demand dictates. With respect to circulator service, the Council should consider whether a joint service with Shakopee is necessary at this time. Currently, the Local Laker Link service is a summer route implemented to address the needs primarily of Prior Lake youth in reaching summer schools, jobs, and park destinations. At this time, staff does not believe there is enough year-round demand for circulator service to justify the associated costs. Staff would recommend continuing the Local Laker Link summer service until a more extensive fixed route service is demanded by users. Scott County currently contracts for the operation of this service for Shakopee and for Prior Lake's summer circulator. In the future, we should periodically issue RFPs for providers to assure cost-effectiveness. That Scott County assumes all responsibility for dial-a-ride service seems appropriate. They are currently providing service throughout the County. I:\COUNCIL\AGNRPTS\2005\0801 05 UTMP adoption DOC 2. Park & Ride Lots: The UTMP proposes an 1100 stall regional park & ride lot or transit station in the vicinity of Highway 169 between CSAH 83 and CSAH 18. This lot acquisition and overlay is targeted to be funded jointly by Prior Lake, Shakopee, Scott County, and the Metropolitan Council. It is . possible that development of the sites would require additional funding. There are currently two sites that have been evaluated and are under consideration by the Transit Review Board and Transit Planning Team. The first is a site located at Highway 169 & County Road 18, and the second is a site on the southwest corner of CSAH 16 & CSAH 21 extended (said extension of CSAH 21 from CSAH 42 to CSAH 16 is scheduled in the County CIP for 2009. The extension from CSAH 16 to CSAH 18 is programmed for 2007). Even though only one site was identified as a need in the UTMP, discussion has taken place that both sites should be acquired. Preliminary discussions have taken place with the property owners who seem willing to discuss acquisition. Th~ TPT would also look to use either one of these sites, or a separate site to act as a temporary park & ride so that service can be provided sooner than it would take to develop a regional lot. The topic of a regional park & ride lot, the opportunity to purchase the existing Laker Lines lot, realignment of express service, and the concern for available parking in the downtown Prior Lake area, has led staff to further question whether the City's local park & ride lot (Colorado Street) is in the best location. Comments: Staff believes there is demand for a regional transit station. From an operations standpoint, for Laker Lines to serve a regional park & ride in the general area proposed at CSAH 18 & 169, or CSAH 21 extended & CSAH 16, would be relatively smooth, and the service would reach a larger number of users. In the short term, staff would recommend participating in service improvements by serving a temporary park & ride lot. Prior Lake could provide funding from transit to assist in the acquisition of the property for a regional park & ride lot, but staff has some concern about acquiring both sites. The UTMP recommended that one site was needed. In addition, the sites seem very close together geographically if two sites were to be developed. There are issues with both sites from an access standpoint: 1. Currently CSAH 18 & Highway 169 is difficult to access for riders. It would need the interchange at the extension of CSAH 21 and CSAH 18 to be completed to make it convenient for riders. The interchange is contemplated in the CSAH 21 extension project. Bus pull off lanes along CSAH 18 would also improve bus access. The County is reviewing the feasibility of this improvement. 2. For the CSAH 16 & CSAH 21 site, the extension of CSAH 21 will not be complete until approximately 2010. The only way to access the site until then would be from McKenna Road or CSAH 18. Both routes would add additional time to the commute which is a major concern for current riders. In addition, Prior Lake would likely be participating in the acquisition of property that it would not be able to easily access until 2010. 1:\COUNCIL\AGNRPTS\2005\062005 UTMP adoption.DOC r Staff is looking for direction from the City Council on several issues: a. Participating in the purchase of either of the identified park & ride sites would mean contributing transit funds for property outside the . corporate city limits. The Council should determine if this is a policy it is comfortable with. In addition, at such time as the lot is improved with a ramp or other improvements, the City Council would also need to evaluate the appropriateness of funding improvements in another city. b. Which park & ride location does the Council support as the most appropriate location for a park & ride facility? The staff would not recommend eliminating the local park & ride lot. For Prior Lake residents, a local lot is more convenient than a regional lot - at least in the short term. Once a regional lot is developed, users may find it more convenient to drive directly to the regional lot. However, the City has completed a parking study that indicates there will be parking shortages in the downtown area both north and south of CSAH.21. To address this issue, staff would recommend relocation of the park & ride lot to Shepherd's Path. The downtown lot would be purchased utilizing non-transit funds so it is unrestricted with regard to users and available during the traditional work day for business employees and customers. This would be a more expensive alternative in that relocating the lot would mean leasing parking space, but from a service standpoint, Shepherd's Path is in a very good location. 3. Service Identity: The original report recommended that a single identity for county-wide transit services would be more appealing to users. Comments: Staff believes that Laker Lines has established an identity with our riders and within our community, and that it is possible to retain individual identity in a regional partnership. We would like to try to refine this concept before losing the Laker Lines identity. 4. System ManaQement: The UTMP recommends that a formal system of governance be implemented which might be a joint powers agreement with discussion open for long-term governance. Comments: Staff would recommend retaining its current management of the service. Staff believes that the City should not lose control of its funds or the ability to modify service to meet local transit demands. This does not preclude the City from entering into partnerships with other transit providers where appropriate. 5. System Operator: The UTMP recommends that a third party be contracted for the administration and operation of commuter services, and that Scott County be responsible for local fixed service and dial-a-ride service. Comments: The Laker Lines service provider, Schmitty& Sons, has done a very good job serving Prior Lake's needs to this point. The Council may want to consider if it is necessary to change operators. To assure cost- ~ 1:\COUNCIL\AGNRPTS\2005\062005 UTMP adoption.DOC ALTERNATIVES: RECOMMENDED MOTION: effectiveness, it may be appropriate to solicit proposals periodically for all service types. 6. FundinQ: The UTMP suggests initially pooling transit funds with Shakopee, . and in the future seeking a dedicated local funding source if necessary. It also suggests that future options could include consolidating back into MVT A or to Southwest Metro. Comments: The staff is recommending that the City not lose control of its existing funding, but rather enter into cooperative agreements with Shakopee on an as-needed basis. In addition, neither seeking a local funding source or annexing into a larger provider are desirable alternatives and should be pursued very carefully. Conclusion. Looking at the report recommendations over the long term, there are more positives than negatives. From a staff perspective, it would be most appropriate to move carefully toward some the objectives. Prior Lake sought to operate its own transit system because other systems could not address our needs, give us the identity we sought, or the flexibility to modify our system as we see fit to meet our residents' needs. This is not to say that we cannot work together in an effort to achieve UTMP objectives - which for the most part are to provide improved services and transit infrastructure to Scott County residents. The attached resolution approves the Unified Transit Management Plan with a number of the conditions outlined herein. 1. Adopt Resolution 05-XX accepting the Unified Transit Management Plan with the conditions outlined herein. Staff is also seeking a motion and second directing staff as to the City's participation in acquiring a regional park & ride site. 2. Deny the resolution and provide staff with additional direction. Alternative NO.1. 1:\COUNCIL\AGNRPTS\2005\062005 UTMP adoption.DOC r 16200 Eagle Creek Avenue S.E. Prior Lake, MN 55372-1714 RESOLUTION 05-xx A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE UNIFIED TRANSIT MANAGEMENT PLAN WITH CONDITIONS Motion By: Second By: WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes the value of providing quality, cost-effective transit services in the Prior Lake community; and WHEREAS, the City values its partnerships with Scott County and other Scott County communities: and WHEREAS, in April 2004, Scott County and the communities of Prior Lake, Shakopee, Savage, Belle Plaine, Elko, Jordan, New Market, New Prague and the Scott County HRA, partnered to hire a consultant to develop a Unified Transit Management Plan ("UTMP") to improve the delivery of transit services and infrastructure over the next 15 years; and WHEREAS, the Unified Transit Management Plan has been completed and the Council has had several opportunities for review; and WHEREAS, the City's 2030 Vision and Strategic Plan identifies objectives for transit service that are addressed in part by the Unified Transit Management Plan; and WHEREAS, the City Council is concerned about relinquishing the identity, funding and governance of a successful transit service to one that proposes a much larger model that is unproven; and WHEREAS, the staff has recommended that the City first implement the service improvements of the UTMP, and then work to develop the long'-term identity, funding and governance based upon the demand of a successful system. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PRIOR LAKE, MINNESOTA as follows: 1) The recitals set forth above are incorporated herein. 2) The recommendations of the Unified Transit Management Plan are hereby adopted with the following conditions associated with its implementation: a. The City will remain in control of the management of and funding mechanisms for, City provided transit services. . www.cityofpriorlake.com Phone 952.447.4230 / Fax 952.447.4245 ..~._,.,.."-"^~.._"__~._~._..___,,,,,.~.____"__...._..,_~,"~...,...,,_._..~_~,__..~...~_._~,_..,._~____M_"__"_ ~ b. Staff is directed, when deemed appropriate based upon demand by Prior Lake residents, to implement route and service changes recommended by the Unified Transit Management Plan, including serving a temporary and/or future regional park.& ride lot outside the community. c. The City Council must formally approve the site, any allocation of funds, and any associated jOint powers agreements for the construction of a regional park & ride facility. d. The identity of the City's Laker Lines commuter service shall be maintained and operated by its current provider. PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS 1ST DAY OF AUGUST, 2005. Haugen Haugen Fleming Fleming LeMalr LeMair Petersen Petersen Zleska Zieska YES NO Frank Boyles, City Manager ~. ~ R:\RESOLUTI\ADMINRES\UTMP .DOC >- 0::: <C :2E :2E ::> en 06 en W ::> en en Z <C ....J a.. I- Z W :E 'W C> <C Z <C :2E I- en z <C 0::: l- e W u: z ::> en c o :.;::; Q.. o en --- Q.) c '-' ~ "> "- "- ::3 Q.) uen c::= o ~ 13 co co "- Q..I- E.2:" C3 c-g~ ::; 'ffi ro - ro 0 CLl ~ >..9:5 CLl ~. J2 E 8'3: 32 0 :::l c._ - J!: -ffi 0-82:0:::l..c u .- CLl "C 0 C/) CLl CI) en 'C 0. C ~ CLl en. 0 .9 .- rot:::;::;.uenc .....J::J~ 0 '- .... C 0') CLl"_ OCLlrotO:;O) 'C ..::c 0. T"" - CLl "rox :::l.... 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Ou .2> -J:::l..c ::: en e- ()enQ) ~ "C >.c ~~ O~ ()o... =""ffi o c c75 .Q _0) ~~ co .... .....J ~ .... 00 'cO 0...1.0 - ro ~"'C o.C ~..2 roc c55:Q. co en Q) en co ~ 2:- e ~ .... :::l Uo::: Q) -ffi~ .....J 0... ....- o ro .;:: g 0..._ en Q)O c<( ~~ 1::2: ~ I 0. Q) 00) ~ co co > ..c ro C/) (I) en ~ '(3 ro LL 2 '0.. ro () Q) CLl 0. o ~ ro ..c Cf) "0 C Q) ctl ~Q) .5 .~ 02: en .- Q)- .... en c 0..._Q) ~~E Q).Q ~ ~ 0) 0 .....Q).... 0....0. ~Q)E ~ ::g .- C/)~2 a a.'o.. O)octl c _ U .; ~ 0'- o..."g ..2 Q)"C Q) c 0...2 ~::: ctl en ..cC C/)~ -g~ ctl ctl Q)..c -ffi2:-~ .....Jeu .... CLl ffi .Q t: cta~ >. > Q) .....J CO C ~ "0 "0 <( -- OJ .5 "0 c :::l LL Unified Transit Management Plan ~ Executive Summary Identified Issues A number of transit-related issues have been identified in the course of this study, including the following: River Crossings There are three major roadway crossings of the Minnesota River: The Cedar Street Bridge, Interstate 35W and US Trunk Highway (TH) 169. Of these, two have been the focus of separate public transportation studies in recent years, the r-35W Bus Rapid Transit Study and the Cedar Street Transitway Study, that have recommended significant transit improvements in each of these respective corridors. TheTIi 169 corridor is significantly under-utilized as a transit corridor, with no regUlar transit crossings of the Bloomington Ferry Bridge, the most direct corridor conne~ting northwestern Scott County with the Minneapolis metro area to the north:" Existing Services Scott County is served by four separate transit operators: Scott County Transit, predominantly a dial-a-ride operator, Laker Lines, Shakopee Transit and the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA). The latter three entities are service providers that "opted out" from Metro Transit's service area, electing to provide their own services funded, in part, by state Motor Vehicle Sales Tax <MvST) funds_ Of the six Metro area opt-out regions, Prior Lake and Shakopee exhibit the lowest ridership and highest relative costs for transit services and provide the lowest level of transit service per capita to their citizenry. 'WhileMVTA does provide significant local and express service out of the Burnsville Station., tEat service is remote from much of the western portions of Scott County and utilized to a much lesser degree by residents of Prior Lake and Shakopee as compared to residents of Savage, (anMVTA member) located further to the east. 'While more than 300 regular park-and-ride users, identified as residing in. Scott County,opredominantly at Burnsville Station, a significant majority reside in the eastern third of the County; in part because present transit services are oriented to the 1-35W corridor rather than to the TH 169 corridor. The more rural portions of Scott County, including the communities of Jordan and Belle Plaine in the southwestern portion of Scott County and the communities of Elko, New Market and New Prague in southern Scott County, are served exclusive ~ ,~, ~ ::s..: Perteet, Inc. Page 1 Unified Transit Management Plan Executive Summary . via dial-a"ride services provided by Scott County Transit. Lower developmental and residential densities in these regions make fixed route transit service impractical at the present time, but steady rapid growth in this region suggests ,that close monitoring of densities, population and travel patterns of residents of these communities should be conducted. The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) currently provides its own fixed route services to multiple origins and destinations throughout the Metropolitan Area for the purpose of employee transportation. Fourteen buses are operated by a subcontractor for these purposes. Study Recommendations The significant park-and-ride demand identified from Scott County shows the need~" for improved transit services, in particular, commuter express services into,. downtown Minneapolis and into suburban areas such as Edina, Bloomington,' Richfield and Eden Prairie. It is recommended that new services focus first on the Minneapolis commuter market and later expand into other northern and eastern adjacent commuter markets, downtown St. Paul, the Universality of Minnesota, Normandale Community College, and Hennepin Technical College. -:.":" -f' ~~:,>>~,':.:':<';-,:_.:"~l' There are a number of small park-and-ride facilities throughout Scott CountY "tha-t' have inadequate levels of transit service and do not generate any appreciable_. transit demand. Scott County needs to develop a large (500-1,000 parking stal})" park-and-ride/transit center that will consolidate commuter transit demand and focus service on the TH 169 corridor. In order to accomplish these, and other, objectives, the following recommendations have been made. Dial-a-Ride Dial-a-ride services in Scott County ultimately need to be consolidated into one provider: Scott County Transit. Existing opt-outs in the Cities of Shakopee . and Prior Lake need to focus their efforts and funding instead on big bus fixed' ro~te services. With the impending transfer of Metro Mobility ADA-paratransit services throughout Scott County to Scott County Transit, that organization will be the' sole provider of demand response services throughout Scott County. Scott County Transit is encouraged to adopt that role as its mission. The City of Shakopee should then correspondingly ramp down its provision of additional dial-a-ride services over the next 1-2 years. Scott County's 2005 budget for dial-a-ride is $994,000, including $543,000 in Metropolitan Council funding covering approximately 60 percent of the cost of providing service. As all county dial-a-ride services come under Scott County Transit's control, the 25,000 rides currently funded by the City of Shakopee will be included in Scott County Transit's total, making it eligible for additional funding under the Council's performance-based funding program. This could generate approximately $160,000 in additional funding, with the remainder of the cost of ~~.1 ~ .~ Perteet, Inc. Paoe 2 . these services paid for from the fare box, the increased subsidy from ADA passengers, and other County funds. Scott County Transit needs to continually monitor both ridership and trayel patterns of dial-a-ride users. As ridership on these services increases, Scott County Transit needs to develop a series of service benchmarks to identify high ridership and high productivity dial-a-ride corridors as candidates for transitioning ttomdial~ a -ride to route deviation or fixed route services. Unified Transit Management Executiv~ Summary. . ~ Fixed Route The existing Shakopee and Prior Lake opt-out areas should begin to pool their transit resources over the near-term (3-4 years) and focus their attention on fixed route services to their constituents. Services to be provided should include:.!) commuter express trips to downtown Minneapolis via TH 169 and r-394, incorporating the existing Laker Lines trips and adding at least three more (fora minimum of 5) morning and afternoon trips to provide an attractive level of service to induce expanded ridership, 2) local services connecting the major communities of Shakopee, Prior Lake and Savage to the Burnsville Station, permitting the transferring of riders to MVTA services to expand access for Scott County residents to additional destinations in the Metro area, and 3) connections between. the < Burnsville Station and the Mystic Lake Casino complex, Savage,. Shakopee, and Prior Lake to provide improved commuter connections from the" Metro region to employment opportunities in Scott County. The initial year's cost of local service, assuming continued operation by Scott County Transit at current contracting rates of about $37 per hour, are estimated to be about $325,000, leaving approxiInately $1.4 million for fixed route services. . . Initially, at least five morning and five afternoon commuter express transit trips from Scott County will be needed to help balance commuter growth and generate additional commuter express transit demand. Within 1-2 years as many as 8 morning and 8 afternoon trips may be needed to satisfy short-term demand until a permanent park-and-ride facility (see below) is completed. Future service additions, including commuter e:h.}lress, local and midday express, should respond to increased demand as it develops. 'While combining the two Cities r.esources should result in enhanced transit services for users, the two entities need not relinquish the identities of the services of their individual systems. "What is needed is to create the appearance of a single system, enhanced levels of service, coordinated schedules, marketing and planning. Currently the Cities of Prior Lake and Shakopee are programmed to receive about $1.39 million in MVST funds in 2005. With a 20 percent fare box recovery, an additional $345,000 in fare revenues would bring the transit budget for the two cities to approximately $1.74 million. In the longer term, as the transit market matures and the permanent TH 169 park- and-ride/transit center is in operation, the additional concentration of transit ~ """"'., ."! ~ ~;'''- Perteet, Inc. Page 3 Unified Transit Management Plan Executive Summary demand will permit the expansion of commute travel destinations to additional areas within the Metro region, including the area adjacent to the 1-494 corridor to . . , downtown St. Paul, and improved east-west connections to Dakota County. These improvements will require close cooperation between Scott County transit operators and Southwest MetrO Transit, :MVTA, and Metro Transit. ,.-:~.:::' Additionally, developments in southern Scott County should be continually monitored. While existing developmental and residential densities do not warrant dedicated fixed route services, a continuation of current growth trends will generate increasing transit demand from this region, which will be best served via the r-S5W corridor. Facilities Scott County needs to immediately begin the process of site selection all'c;i, acquisition, design and construction of a new transit center in the area south of the Bloomington Ferry Bridge near the confluence of CSAH 18, TH 169, TH 13, and the future CSAH 21 extension. This transit center needs an initial capacity of approximately 500 parking stalls and should be ultimately expandable to provide between 1,000 and 1,100 parking stalls within 6-8 years. This facility should take advantage of commercial and residential joint development opportunitiesmthe '. Southbridge area to develop an expanded market for transit services in Scott County . The transit center can also serve as office space for transit operators in the Scott County area, particularly with respect to marketing and promotional activities. While the transit center is probably not compatible with maintenance and storage operations, Scott County Transit could also take advantage of this site for administrative staff as well. If Scott County Transit chooses to continue providing dial-a-ride services directly, .a separate maintenance and storage facility will need to be developed for dial-a"ride and local circulator service vehicles. This facility should be located in close proximity to the transit center in order to minimize deadhead (non-revenue) service hours and costs. A temporary facility with parking capacity between 100 and 200 stalls needs to be developed in the neighborhood of the permanent facility in preparation for implementation of additional commuter express transit services. Municipal Participation In the short term, the primary beneficiaries of improved transit use of the TH 169 corridor will likely be the Cities of Shakopee and Prior Lake, although many residents of western portions of the City of Savage may well decide to take advantage of improved services in this corridor. The City of Savage should remain part of :MVTA for the short-term, but should be an active participant in the pl:mnil1g and marketing of all transit services in Scott County. The Cities of Shakopee and Prior Lake need to open discussions with the :MVTA and Southwest ~, ,""""" 'Ii:'~ t ,,- Pertee" Inc. ~..~-~~~'-----~.,."...,.,._,..~" P::<rlP 4 _~,_.____ Unified Transit Manag~roen~ J'lan' Executive Summary Metro Transit concerning the future potential of joining either regional provider as a long-term strategy. . ' In the future, as. service levels improve and additional transit faCilities.~are. developed, the Cities of Shakopee, Prior Lake and Savage need to ass,ess jolni.ng.' together formally to provide transit services throughout the northern portionaf Scott County. Discussions concerning this long term strategy need tobegirl immediately so that a long term strategy is in place when the need for formal actiOn occurs. At that time, the three jurisdictions can re"evaluate the desirability of joining together in a new opt"out area, or formally joining an existing opt"out such as Southwest Metro Transit or the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority. At that time, a dedicated Source of local transit funding will also need to be secured' to fund the local portion of enhanced transit services and facilities. It is estimated that between $2.5 million and $3.5 million will need to be generated locally to subsidize transit operations and facilities in Scott County by 2020. There is also a longer-term need to begin identifying a mechanism for expanding the Transit Taxing District in the future and for annexing areas such as Belle Plaine, Jordan, New Market, Elko and New Prague. Consider that the residentsof these cities will likely make"up a percent of the transit ridership on. the newly implemented commuter eA"press route system. Currently there is no formal policy for expanding the District and for assessing tax support for transit improvements in areas outside the District. Service Delivery The Cities of Shakopee and Prior Lake should provide transit services to their constituents by means of contracting with third parties rather than entering into direct operations themselves. This will result in lower initial capital outlays for equipment and facilities and take advantage of existing operating expertise and maintenance and storage capacity in the region. Currently, for local fixed route small vehicles 35 it or smaller, Scott County Transit could continue providing this service through contract, as they have proven to be cost-beneficial. Additionally, these cities should take advantage of the expertise of the Metropolitan Council's Regional Transportation Services to identify, negotiate and manage contracted services. This policy is expected to yield lower contracting prices and better contractor oversight than either or both jurisdictions electing to "go it alone" in contracting for services. This will also reduce the administrative overhead while the two jurisdictions work out the sharing of resources, both financial and human, enhancing transit services in Scott County. Finally, Shakopee should transfer operations and administration of its vanpools over to the Metro Commuter Services and reinvest those finances into fixed route services. Allowing these passengers to convert to using the new commuter express route or continue as a vanpool passenger under this agency. /~ ~. ~ ~.. ......... ~':""~, Perteet, Inc. Immediate Needs \V ork needs to commence immediately to get the permanent park-and-ride/transit center project into the capital grant pipeline. A site needs to be identi:fiedand funding applied forwithin the next three months... c.' . - Additionally, a temporary park-and-ride site needs to be secured in'tb.e neighborhood of the permanent transit center site. A short-term capacity of 100' 250 parking stalls should be provided at a site having excellent visibility from the major commuter corridors, and possessing easy access for private vehicles and for buses. The Cities of Shakopee and Prior Lake need to agree to pool their existing opt"out transit funding to make improvements to the region's transit services and programs. Additionally, they need to agree to focus on fixed route services, particularly commuter express service via TH 169 park-n-ride/transit center to downtown Minneapolis and leave dial"a-ride exclusively to the purview of Scott County Transit. Both cities need to formally include Scott County Transit in their agreements as the designated dial-a-ride operator in Scott County and to include both SMSC and Scott County Housing and Redevelopment Authority in planning and marketing activities to take advantage of potential expanded funding eligibilitY: by both of these entities. Additionally, the City of Savage is encouragedto continue to be an active participant in the marketing, planning and development of improved transit services. Unified Transit Management Plan Executive Summary Planning Needs A number of supporting policies need to be developed and adopted by Scott County and the municipalities in existing and future opt-out areas. These policy initiatives include the following: CJ Signage - current signage of transit facilities and services is inadequate. Scott County, MnDoT and the opt-out communities need to work together to develop standards and warrants for transit signage, including the signing of every bus stop in the urban areas of the county and adequate signage at park' and-rides and other transit facilities CJ Shoulder access - while the need for shoulder bus lanes on county and state roadsin the Scott County region will be increasing over time, there is an existing need to provide these lanes . along SH 13 between CSAH 18 and the Burnsville Station, Particularly in the eastbound direction. Studies need to begin to develop warrants for the future expansion of this program based on transit and auto volumes, congestion characteristicS" and potential for travel time savings CJ Transit Oriented Design - Scott County needs to pursue the development of transit-oriented design standards to guide the development of land uses adjacent to, and nearby transit facilities, Particular attention should be given to the location of public housing developments and essential human services in close proximity to major transit developments (such as the TH 169 Transit Center) D Comprehensive Planning - The County and the individual cities need to include transit considerations in their comprehensive planning efforts, including the desigIiation of major and minor transit corridors in their roadway network and the development of land uses along these corridors that are compatible with, and supportive of, pedestrian, bicycle and ~: ~ "';,,- Perteet, inc._._. ... -..-...--..-.........-...-[. . .., .---............... .'.........--r---.--.-....-.-..'......'. '- .... Unified Transit Management Plan Executive Summary transit uses, including lower vehicle speeds, extensive pedestrian and bicycle paths and traffic control devices CI Planning - The County and its constituent municipalities need to maintain a more regional perspective in 'planning transit services and improvements. These considerations include working with transit agencies in other areas (such as MVTA and Southwest Metro Transit). in the joint planning and development of services between service areas and the potential for joint funding of services and facilities benefiting a more regional audience Q Marketing - The County and its cities need to keep the promotion and marketing of transit services and facilities at a high priority. This effort includes development and distribution of promotional and informational materials, encouraging communities to consider transit impacts in all of the zoning and land use decisions and working with the Metropolitan Council to integrate transit information with the region"wide information network Expected Results The expanded funding and emphasis on transit services in Scott County can be expected to have widespread results on the economic, mobility and quality of life throughout the County. A planning model developed by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) was used to monetize the anticipated benefits of improved mobility. Anticipated benefits include: Q Economic and Mobility - Based on the TRB model, it is estimated that every dollar spent on transit improvements in Scott County will return approximately $1.20 on mobility and economic benefits to Scott County, its municipalities and citizens; benefits from reduced use of energy and other natural resources accrue to society as a whole. CI Improved Transit Ridership - ApprOximately 2,400 additional daily transit trips will be taken by transit within Scott County and into Hennepin County. CI Mode Split Improvements - The transit mode split of trips between Scott County and Hennepin County would improve from less than one percent to over five percent. Q Reduced Congestion - A reduction of approximately 2,400 daily automobile trips from Scott County to Hennepin County is estimated; reduced costs of accidents due to the relative safety of bus travel to that of automobile travel accrue to all road users and society as a whole. 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