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

Winter– Available Emerald Coast Convention Center, Shoppes at Paradise Point. 60 mins Destin/South Walton–runs primarily along US 98/Miracle Strip Summer– Parkway. Connects Wayside Park to Destin Community Center. Stops 30 mins Not 30 at Destin Library, Holiday Surf and Racquet Club, Waterview Towers, Winter– Available East Pass Towers, Lucky Snapper. 60 mins Destin–runs along US 98 and Emerald Coast Parkways. Connects 98 Summer– Palms Plaza to Wingate by Wyndham. Stops at Sunsation Plaza, several 30 mins Not 32 hotels, Destin Commons, Shoppes at Paradise Key, Marshall’s, Winter– Available Fudruckers, Track, Big Kahunas. 60 mins East Destin–circular loop along Scenic US 98 and Emerald Coast Parkway. Stops at Destin Commons, Shoppes at Paradise Key, Crystal Not 33 60 mins Beach Plaza, Holiday Inn Express, James Lee Park, Silver Sands Available Premium Outlet. ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan D-2 Appendix D: Fixed‐Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review Route Level Ridership Ridership on the EC Rider routes increased considerably between 2005 and 2008 and, although ridership decreased some in 2009 and 2010, there has been overall growth since 2010. Ridership peaked in 2008 with 211,330 riders, when many transit agencies throughout Florida and the U.S. saw a peak in ridership due to high gas prices and the Great Recession. Seasonally, ridership tends to peak during the summer, especially during August with the peak in tourism. In examining ridership data for 2015, Route 1 had the highest annual ridership, followed by Routes 20 and 30, respectively (see Figure D‐1). Figure D‐1: EC Rider Annual Ridership by Route – 2015 Route 1 Route 20 Route 30 Route 4 Route 2 Route 32 Route 33 Route 14 Route 3 Route 5 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 Fixed‐Route Efficiency Assessment An operational efficiency assessment was performed for each fixed route of the EC Rider bus system. The purpose of this efficiency assessment was to identify any issues related to the existing service and develop recommendations to address the issues. Following data collection process have been taken in order to perform this efficiency assessment, including: ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10‐Year Transit Development Plan D‐3 Appendix D: Fixed-Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review  Field observation  Ride check and bus on-board survey data  Discussion with operators  Latent Demand Assessment (TOI and DTA analysis) Field observation provides a general idea of the environment in which the bus routes operate, while ridecheck/on-board survey efforts help identify the stops and segments with major boarding and/or alighting activities. Discussion with operators is also an essential part of the data collection process on route efficiency as it provides the first-hand operational/ground information about the existing service. Based on the data collected and reviewed as part of this effort, opportunities/strengths as well as issues/weaknesses were identified and documented for each route. A route profile, including traditional and discretionary markets for each route, was also prepared. The detailed efficiency assessment was elaborated in the remainder of this section, with an overall efficiency assessment summary presented at the end of this section. Route 1 Route 1, shown in Figure D-2, is the most productive route of the Emerald Coast Rider fixed-route system. It operates from Northwest Florida State College (NWF State College) to Uptown Station primarily along Greens Acres Road, Mar Walt Drive, Bob Sikes Boulevard, Newcastle Drive, and Eglin Parkway. Route 1 passes several key areas that meet the minimum to very high employment density threshold and transit oriented index. As shown in Map D-1, neighborhoods along Mar Walt Drive and Bob Sikes Boulevard segments were characterized by zero-vehicle household, households below or at poverty level, and medium-to-high employment density. According to the ridecheck effort and discussions with the Route 1 operator, stops that experience major stop boarding and/or alighting activities include:  NWF State College  FWB Medical Center  Uptown Station Some stops that experience low passenger boarding and/or alighting activities (less than 1 passengers per week in average) include:  Green Acres (Shell Stations)  922 Mar Walt Dr.  Mariner Plaza  Eglin Parkway/Highway Ave ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan D-4 Appendix D: Fixed-Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review One operator noted that it is difficult to complete Route 1, which links the College to the Uptown Station, within the scheduled 30 minutes. School buses and school zones also impact the on-time performance for Route 1. According to another bus operator, Route 1 is operating in an efficient manner that most passengers are satisfied with the service it provides. The most frequent suggestions received from passengers include addition of Saturday service and the addition of pulling ropes (used to signify the stop request). Figure D-2: EC Rider Route 1 ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan D-5 Appendix D: Fixed-Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review Map D-1: Route 1 Profile ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan D-6 Appendix D: Fixed-Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review Route 2 Route 2, illustrated in Figure D-3, provides west-east transportation service on Hollywood Boulevard between Mary Esther Post Office and Uptown Station. In addition to the transfer opportunities offered at the Uptown Station, passengers of Route 2 can be transferred to Route 3 at the Santa Rosa Mall. Map D-2 illustrates the route profile for Route 2. Medium to Very High employment density areas can be found along the majority of the route alignment. The neighborhoods south of the Hollywood Boulevard NE near Eglin Parkway SE exhibits the prevalence of zero-vehicle household and households below or at poverty level. According to the ridecheck effort and discussions with Route 2 operator, stops that experience major passenger boarding and alighting activities include:  Uptown Station  Santa Rosa Mall Except for the two major stops mentioned above, passenger activities tend to spread out along the entire route. There is neither major service improvement nor service issues frequently referred by Route 2 riders, according to the Route 2 bus operator. Figure D-3: EC Rider Route 2 ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan D-7 Appendix D: Fixed-Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review Map D-2: Route 2 Profile ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan D-8 Appendix D: Fixed-Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review Route 3 Route 3 starts from Santa Rosa Mall and travels primarily along Mary Esther Boulevard and N Beal Parkway, with several deviations into neighborhoods along the route (see Figure D-4). Route segment along Lovejoy Road NW is very productive as it serves the neighborhoods characterized by low-income and/or zero- vehicle households, and very high employment density, as shown in Map D-3. According to the ridecheck effort and discussions with the Route 3 bus operator, stops that experience major passenger boarding and alighting activities include:  Santa Rosa Mall  Wal-Mart Super Center  Fort Walton Beach Medical Center  NWF State College According to the Route 3 bus operator, the major issue of operating Route 3 is the low on-time performance caused by route deviation for ADA passengers, especially the deviation made for non-eligible ADA passengers. ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan D-9 Appendix D: Fixed-Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review Figure D-4: EC Rider Route 3 ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan D-10 Appendix D: Fixed-Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review Map D-3: Route 3 Profile ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan D-11 Appendix D: Fixed-Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review Route 4 Route 4, shown in Figure D-5, operates between Uptown Station and Walmart Super Center primarily along Windham Avenue NE, 1st St, Robinwood Drive SW, Hollywood Boulevard SW, Memorial Parkway NW, Holmes Boulevard NW, and Beal Parkway NE. As reflected in Map D-4, neighborhoods south of the Hollywood Boulevard NE near Eglin Parkway SE exhibits the prevalence of zero-vehicle household and households below or at poverty level. In addition, route segments east of Robinwood Drive SW serve areas with medium-to-high employment density. These route segments also reflect the major passenger boarding and alighting activities. These major activity points include:  Uptown Station  Windham/Hollywood  1st St/Shell  1st St/Robinwood  Hollywood/Gulf Power  Walmart Super Center According to the Route 4 operators, the most frequent comment received from riders includes the addition of Saturday service. Riders are very satisfied with the timely transfers between Route 4 and other EC Rider routes at Uptown Station and existing service frequency. ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan D-12 Appendix D: Fixed-Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review Figure D-5: EC Rider Route 4 ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan D-13 Appendix D: Fixed-Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review Map D-4: Route 4 Profile ACCESS EC RIDER | Okaloosa County’s 10-Year Transit Development Plan D-14 Appendix D: Fixed-Route and Paratransit Route Efficiency Review Route 5 Route 5, illustrated in Figure D-6, operates three round trips per day during the AM peak, mid-day, and PM peak time periods. It has the similar route alignment with Route 3, with more direct access (no deviations to neighborhoods along the major roads) to Santa Rosa Mall, Walmart Super Center, and FWB Medical Center. Map D-5 illustrates the Route 5 route profile. According to the ridecheck effort and discussions with the Route 5 operator, several stops with high passenger boarding and alighting activities