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

Beach, Santa Rosa Island, and ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 74  Section 4 – Public Involvement Okaloosa Island areas, Eglin Air Force Base, and Destin (ZIP codes 32541, 32542, and 32548), as shown in Figure 4-24. Figure 4-23: What is your home ZIP code? 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Home ZIP Code Figure 4-24: What is your work ZIP code? 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Work ZIP Code ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 75  Section 4 – Public Involvement As shown in Figure 4-25, there is a good mix of the age of survey respondents. Although the majority of respondents (nearly 48%) were age 45–64, 21% were ages 65 and older and 25–44. Approximately 10% of respondents were ages 18–24. More than half (59%) had a total household annual income of more than $50,000, and nearly 13% had a household income of $10,000–$29,999. The remaining 28% had an annual household income of $30,000–$49,999 (Figure 4-26). Figure 4-25: What is your age? Under 18, 0.0% 18-24 years, 10.1% Over 65 years, 21.2% 25-44 years, 21.2% 45-64 years, 47.5% Figure 4-26: What is the range of your total household income for 2015? Less than $10,000, 0.0% $10,000 - $19,999, 5.8% $20,00 - $29,999, 7.0% $75,000 or greater, $30,000 - $39,999, 29.1% 10.5% $40,000 - $49,999, 17.4% $50,000 - $74,999, 30.2% Participants were asked to rank which aspects of transit are most important to them. Based on the percentage of responses summarized in Table 4-2, dependability of the buses (on-time performance) and safety/security were the most important, receiving the highest percentage of those who responded “very important” (91.6% and 91.5%, respectively). Other service options that received the highest percentage of respondents who consider them “very important” included days of service (89.4%), frequency of service (89.5%), and convenience of the bus routes (89.5%). Accessibility of bus passes and cost of riding the bus ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 76  Section 4 – Public Involvement and each received the lowest percentage of respondents who indicated these two options were “very important,” at 44.6% and 48.9%, respectively. Table 4-2: Ranking of Transit Characteristics Not Very Somewhat Not very Transit Service Option Neutral important important important important at all Days of service 89.4% 6.4% 2.1% 1.1% 1.1% Frequency (how often buses run) 89.5% 7.4% 1.1% 2.1% 0.0% Hours of service 84.2% 12.6% 1.1% 2.1% 0.0% Convenience of routes (where buses go) 89.5% 8.4% 1.1% 1.1% 0.0% Dependability of buses (on time) 91.6% 5.3% 1.1% 2.1% 0.0% Travel time on bus 66.0% 27.7% 5.3% 0.0% 1.1% Cost of riding the bus 48.9% 34.8% 14.1% 2.2% 0.0% Location of bus stops 54.8% 37.6% 6.5% 0.0% 1.1% Accessibility of bus passes (ease of purchase) 44.6% 33.7% 18.5% 3.3% 0.0% Availability of bus route information 62.0% 31.5% 5.4% 0.0% 1.1% User-friendliness of bus information 62.4% 21.5% 15.1% 1.1% 0.0% Vehicle cleanliness and comfort 83.0% 14.9% 1.1% 0.0% 1.1% Bus stop cleanliness and comfort 68.8% 25.8% 4.3% 1.1% 0.0% Bus driver courtesy 74.2% 18.3% 6.5% 0.0% 1.1% Safety/security on bus 91.5% 7.4% 0.0% 1.1% 0.0% Safety/security at bus stops 87.2% 11.7% 0.0% 0.0% 1.1% Following all the questions, survey respondents were asked to provide any other comments or input related to EC Rider services for consideration in the development of the Access EC Rider TDP. The following is a summary of the major categories/themes of comments received:  Funding – Concern was expressed about using local funds to pay for transit service; transit can be viewed as an inefficient use of taxpayer money when buses always seem to be empty, and money could be better spent fixing roads, signal timing, etc.  Relieving congestion – Transit can relieve traffic congestion, particularly during peak tourism seasons.  Supplement school bus service – Several respondents noted more local transit routes are needed after school.  Ease of access to transit information – It can be difficult to access transit schedules and other information.  Attract all riders – Transit service should be provided for people who have no other option (low income, older adults, etc.); however, the system should also service workers and tourists.  Transit technologies – Use technologies such as phone apps, etc., to increase access to information and enhance the rider experience.  Economic development – Tourists will use transit if goes where they need it to at the time they need it to. Transit is needed to access jobs, particularly in Destin. Transit along the beach corridor ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 77  Section 4 – Public Involvement between Destin and Santa Rosa Island is needed, and some kind of connection to transit in Walton County and those tourist areas that would be beneficial.  Geographic challenges – The geography of the county and lower density/rural areas make it difficult for transit to be efficient.  Need to take action – There is a need to think towards the future and implement transit plans rather than just talking about it.  Convenience of service – Buses need to go to where people need them the most. The system needs fewer transfers so people can get to where they need to go faster.  Transit branding/advertising – Better advertising is needed to let people know where transit goes and to expand knowledge of the system; get creative and have a theme/look to go with the coastal area. Summary of Needs Plan Survey The second survey focused on gathering input on the proposed improvements to existing services and new transit services being considered for the Access Rider TDP, which were developed based on earlier public input and data analysis. The proposed improvements were illustrated for survey participants in two maps. In the first question, survey respondents were asked to rate the favorableness of each proposed improvement to expand/improve existing services. As show in Figure 4-27, adding Saturday service to all routes was given the highest rating followed by doubling frequency on the top performing routes. Figure 4-27: Favorability of each proposed improvement to expand/improve existing services Add Saturday service to all routes Double frequency (on Routes 1, 4, 5, and 14) Add one additional evening trip to all routes Realign Route 4 Realign Route 2 Realign Route 5 Realign Route 3 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 In the second question, survey respondents were asked to rate the favorableness of each proposed improvement to expand the EC Rider system. As shown in Figure 4-28, the Destin Circulator was rated the most favorable, followed by the Niceville-Destin Commons Limited Express, and the Crestview Flex service. The internal circulators for Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field were given the lowest ratings with neutral favorability. ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 78  Section 4 – Public Involvement Figure 4-28: Favorability of each proposed improvement to expand transit system Destin Circulator Fixed-Route Service Niceville‐Destin Commons Limited Express… Crestview Flex Service Hurlburt Beach Bullet Eglin Beach Bullet Emerald Coast (EC) Water Ferry Navarre-Uptown Station Express Service Wright Flex Service Eglin Internal Circulator Hurlburt Internal Circulator 0 1