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

public transit service providers such as Okaloosa County to develop, adopt, and annually update a 10-Year Transit Development Plan (TDP) to ensure that the provision of public transportation is consistent with the mobility needs of the local communities. Under legislation that became effective February 20, 2007, the TDP must undergo a Major Update every five years. Each update must be submitted to the appropriate Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Office by September 1st. Major updates involve more substantial reporting requirements than annual minor updates. Development of the TDP includes a review of planning and policy documents, a documentation of study area conditions, demographic characteristics, current transit services, creation of a financial plan, and incorporation of public input through public involvement efforts. Okaloosa County purchases public transportation operations to run the Emerald Coast (EC) Rider (previously Okaloosa County Transit) from a private transportation provider. Through these contracted services, EC Rider provides both deviated fixed-route and paratransit services and operates in the Fort Walton Beach-Navarre-Wright Urbanized Area and in Crestview, a more rural city north of Eglin Air Force Base. This major TDP update, branded the Access EC Rider TDP, was initiated by Okaloosa County in cooperation with the Okaloosa-Walton Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) to update Okaloosa County’s 10- year TDP. The Access EC Rider TDP represents the community’s vision for public transportation in its service area over the next 10 years. This next major update of Okaloosa County’s TDP is due by September 1, 2016, and will extend the 10-year planning horizon to include FYs 2017–2026. Objectives of the Plan State Requirements According to Rule 14-73.001, Public Transportation, of the Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.), “The TDP shall be the applicant’s planning, development and operational guidance document to be used in developing the Transportation Improvement Program and the Department’s Five Year Work Program.” The current TDP requirements were adopted by FDOT on February 20, 2007, and include the following:  Major updates must be completed at least once every 5 years, covering a 10-year planning horizon.  Section 1 – Introduction  A public involvement plan must be developed and approved by FDOT or be consistent with the approved Metropolitan/Transportation Planning Organization’s (M/TPO) public involvement plan. The Okaloosa-Walton TPO is the TPO serving both Okaloosa and Walton counties.  FDOT, the Regional Workforce Development Board, and the TPO must be advised of all public meetings at which the TDP is presented and discussed, and these entities must be given the opportunity to review and comment on the TDP during the development of the mission, goals, objectives, alternatives, and 10-year implementation program.  Estimation of the community’s demand for transit service (10-year annual projections) using the planning tools provided by FDOT or a demand estimation technique approved by FDOT must be included. An additional requirement for the TDP was added by the Florida Legislature in 2007 when it adopted House Bill 985. This legislation amended s. 341.071, Florida Statutes (F.S.), requiring transit agencies to “… specifically address potential enhancements to productivity and performance which would have the effect of increasing farebox recovery ratio.” FDOT subsequently issued guidance requiring the TDP and each annual update to include a 1–2-page summary report on the farebox recovery ratio and strategies implemented and planned to improve it as an appendix item. Okaloosa County Objectives In additional to State requirements, the County’s primary goals of developing and implementing the Access EC Rider TDP are as follows:  Determine strategies to increase ridership and service efficiency within existing service area.  Enhance local and regional transit service connectivity and efficiency.  Increase operating revenue and funding opportunities. Upon completion, the Access EC Rider TDP will provide a 10-year plan for transit and mobility needs that incorporate cost and revenue projections, community transit goals, objectives, and policies. TDP Checklist This 10-year plan meets the requirement for a major TDP update in accordance with Rule Chapter 14-73, F.A.C. Table 1-1 provides a list of TDP requirements from Rule 14-73.001. The table also indicates whether or not the item was accomplished in this 10-year plan as well as where in this document the information can be found. ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 2  Section 1 – Introduction Table 1-1: TDP Checklist Public Involvement Process TDP Section √ Public Involvement Plan (PIP) drafted √ PIP approved by FDOT √ TDP includes description of Public Involvement Process Section 4, Appendix A √ Provide notification to FDOT √ Provide notification to Regional Workforce Board Situation Appraisal √ Land use Section 5 √ State and local transportation plans Section 5, Appendix E √ Other governmental actions and policies Section 5 , Appendix E √ Socioeconomic trends Section 5 √ Organizational issues Section 5 √ Technology Section 5 √ 10-year annual projections of transit ridership using approved model Section 7 Assessment of whether land uses and urban design patterns support/hinder √ Section 5 transit service provision √ Calculate farebox recovery Section 3, Appendix C Mission and Goals √ Provider's vision Section 6 √ Provider's mission Section 6 √ Provider's goals Section 6 √ Provider's objectives Section 6 Alternative Courses of Action √ Develop and evaluate alternative strategies and actions Section 8 √ Benefits and costs of each alternative Section 8 √ Financial alternatives examined Section 8, Section 9 Implementation Program √ 10-year implementation program Section 9 √ Maps indicating areas to be served Section 8 √ Maps indicating types and levels of service Section 8 √ Monitoring program to track performance measures Section 9, Appendix F √ 10-year financial plan listing operating and capital expenses Section 9 √ Capital acquisition or construction schedule Section 9 √ Anticipated revenues by source Section 9 Relationship to Other Plans √ Consistent with Florida Transportation Plan Section 5 √ Consistent with local government comprehensive plan Section 5 √ Consistent with MPO long-range transportation plan Section 5 √ Consistent with regional transportation goals and objectives Section 5 Submission √ Adopted by Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners TBD √ Submitted to FDOT TBD ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan 3  Section 1 – Introduction Organization of Report This report is organized into nine major sections (including this introduction). Section 2 summarizes the Baseline Conditions for Okaloosa County. This includes a review of baseline conditions—physical description of the study area, a population profile, and demographic and journey-to- work characteristics. Land use trends, major transit trip generators and attractors, economic factors, existing roadway conditions, and major employers also are explored. Section 3 summarizes Existing Transit Services in Okaloosa County. This section includes an overview of public transportation services and facilities in Okaloosa County. It discusses the results of the trend and peer review and analysis conducted for fixed-route bus services in Okaloosa County, which reviews the performance of the public transportation system over time, from fiscal years 2009 to 2013, and compares the performance of the public transportation system with other transit systems selected as having similar characteristics. Section 4 presents the Public Involvement efforts undertaken as part of the Access EC Rider TDP and summarizes the public involvement activities undertaken. The goal of the public involvement activities is to increase the likelihood of active participation from citizens and stakeholder agencies during the development of the updated plan. Input from the public is critical since the 10-year plan provides a strategic guide for public transportation in the community over the next 10 years. Section 5 reviews transit policies at the federal, local, and regional levels of government. Transit plans such as Comprehensive Plans and TDPs were reviewed, as well as various transportation planning and programming documents, with an emphasis on issues that may have implications for EC Rider. This is followed by an evaluation of potential revenues for EC Rider. These reviews as well are the previous efforts in the TPD process are then synthesized to develop the situation appraisal, a State requirement that assesses EC Rider’s operating environment. Section 6 discusses goals and objectives, which are an integral part of a transportation plan because they provide the policy direction to achieve the community’s vision. The goals and objectives presented in this section were prepared based on the review and assessment of existing conditions, feedback received during the public involvement process, and the review of local transportation planning documents. Section 7 discusses the technical analysis of the demand and mobility needs assessment of Okaloosa County. The assessment techniques are summarized, followed by the results of each analysis used to assess demand for transit services in Okaloosa County. The