Okaloosa County BOCC — August 16, 2016 — Access EC Rider TDP - August Draft Report — reading text

access 140,000 emails, could be used to inform users of transit route changes.  Future Demand – Two new airlines will be coming to the regional airports and will bring more tourist traffic to this area, highlighting the need for a more robust transit system.  Service and Infrastructure Improvements – There is a need for bicycle facilities in the beach areas, more express bus services, improved transit technologies, weekend services for workers, service for Eglin Air Force Base workers and Special OPS personnel on Hurlburt Field, and additional services for the different types of riders in both northern and southern Okaloosa County.  Major Origins and Destinations – Steering Committee members were asked to complete a map exercise in which they identified transit trip origins and destinations. From this exercise, Crestview and Destin were among the most commonly-identified trip origins and destinations. ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 54  Section 4 – Public Involvement Map 4-1 illustrates the results of the origin and destinations exercise completed by the Steering Committee members. Figure 4-1: Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village, Destin Image source: Google Earth Visioning Workshop Polling Exercise A multiple choice format electronic polling exercise was also conducted with the Steering Committee, the results of which are presented in Figures 4-2 through 4-8. Highlights from this exercise include:  The overwhelming majority (84%) of respondents believed that more public transportation is needed in Okaloosa County, with the majority believing that ridership should increase by 100% or 200%.  A total of 83% of respondents felt that Okaloosa County’s transit role has been primarily to serve low-income riders.  The committee unanimously agreed that transit services should be expanded to include additional activity centers and employers.  The polling results for the most improvement needed in transit services varied. Adding weekend service and adding service to new areas tied as the top choices, with 24% of the votes. Extending weekend service followed, with 18% of respondents ranking it as the most important improvement.  When asked what should be the primary role of transit in Okaloosa County, managing congestion and providing service for workers were the two most frequently-noted choices. ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 55  Section 4 – Public Involvement Map 4-1: Steering Committee Origin-Destination Exercise Results ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 56  Section 4 – Public Involvement Figure 4-2: Is more public transportation needed in Okaloosa County? Unsure 10.5% No 5.3% Yes 84.2% Figure 4-3: If yes [to previous question], how much growth should there be in the next 10 years? 47% 37% 16% 0% Minimal Increase by Increase by Increase by Growth 50% 100% 200% Figure 4-4: In your opinion, what has been the role of Okaloosa’s public transit services? 83% 11% 6% 0% 0% 0% Service for Service for Service for Service for Reduce Create tourism workers elderly low-income vehicle economic emissions opportunities ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 57  Section 4 – Public Involvement Figure 4-5: Do you think transit services can be a viable alternative to access jobs/services on and off military bases? 95% 0% 5% Yes No Unsure Figure 4-6: Do you think the current fixed-route system should serves additional major employers and activity centers? 100% 0% Yes No Figure 4-7: What improvement do you believe is most important to attract more riders? 24% 24% 18% 12% 12% 12% 0% Improve Extend Add service Add weekend Joint Add more Wi-fi and frequencies evening to new areas service marketing of shelters, bike other hours transit storage, etc. technologies services to hotels ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 58  Section 4 – Public Involvement Figure 4-8: In the future, what should be the primary role of public transit in Okaloosa? 32% 26% 21% 11% 11% 0% 0% Steering Committee Meeting #2 The second Steering Committee meeting took place on June 20, 2016. Representatives from the Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners, City of Destin, City of Fort Walton Beach, City of Crestview, Town of Bayou, City of Niceville, City of Mary Esther, and the WFRPC attended. A presentation on the status of the TDP process as well as the identified needs was presented, followed by a discussion and a survey. Participants responded favorably to the new transit services proposed. Participants also responded favorably to the proposed expansions of transit service such as doubling frequency on select routes, adding one additional evening trip, and adding Saturday service, but were neutral to the proposed realignment of Routes 2, 3, 4, and 5. Crestview, Destin, and US 98 were generally noted as the top three major roads/areas in which transit services or improvements are needed. Steering Committee Meeting #3 The draft TDP was presented to the Okaloosa Transit Coop/TDP Steering Committee on August 4, 2016. The TDP implementation and finance plans were of most interest, as it assumes some minor local match as well as an innovative approach to addressing the most critical need, the tourist season traffic on Okaloosa Island and the City of Destin. The 10-year plan suggests a new self-imposed special assessment or fee just for the island area. Members were adamant that no new local taxes or funding from municipalities should be used to fund new services. A recommendation from the Steering Committee is that the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) to go through an education and visioning exercise to help solidify the future development and ensure all understand the value or potential value transit can have on the tourist ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 59  Section 4 – Public Involvement industry, job access, economic development, and community livability. Given the issues mentioned above, while there was reservation about approving or endorsing the plan, the Steering Committee approved the motion to forward the TDP to the BCC for discussion and consideration. Stakeholder Interviews Stakeholder interviews provide a one-on-one form to gather input from policy and agency or community leaders concerning the vision for public transportation in their community. Interviews were conducted in February 2016 with the following individuals:  Destin City Councilman Jim Foreman  Okaloosa Commissioner Trey Goodwin  Eglin Community Planner Jeff Fanto  Okaloosa Commissioner Wayne Harris  Emerald Grande COO Bruce Craul  Okaloosa Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel  Fort Walton Beach Mayor Michael  Okaloosa Commissioner Kelly Windes Anderson  Tourist Development Council  Okaloosa Commissioner Nathan Boyles  Director Ed Schroeder A list of 18 questions was developed for the interviews, and each stakeholder was asked the same questions. The input received during these interviews was reviewed and major themes identified as summarized below:  Perception of transit – The existing transit service does not meet the community’s needs, especially for those who must rely on the service to meet their needs. It is recognized there are challenges with providing public transportation in Okaloosa County because of the geography and lower- density, more suburban development patterns. However, there are areas, including high-tourism locations and areas with more concentrated development that would benefit greatly from more transit service.  Future role of transit –Transit is needed to provide options to those who need transportation, including lower-income employees, older/disabled persons, and tourists. The role of service will also depend on future transportation technologies available and used, but overall the service needs to be more user-friendly. In the future, additional public-private partnership opportunities should be sought.  Transition to more multi-modal transportation system –This is good in theory but more difficult to implement; however, a good transit