Asheville Transit Master Plan

1
Asheville Transit Master Plan

• Recommendations Public Workshop
• April 2, 2009

2
Agenda

• Review of past input
• Service design scheduling guidelines
• Service concept
• Cost impacts
• Public Workshop Activities

3
Master Plan Goals

• More frequent service on main corridors
• Marketing to choice riders
• Improve service for captive riders
• More environmental consciousness
• Target tourism market
• Emphasize health wellness aspects
• Make transit part of the community lifestyle

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Service Attributes

• Riders are satisfied or very satisfied with all
  service aspects except hours of operation
• Best attributes
• Safety
• Fare
• Worst attributes
• Hours of operation
• Frequency
• On-time

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Needed Improvements

• 25 want Sunday service
• 16 want more frequent service
• 14 want more evening service

Multiple responses were allowed
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Most Needed Improvement

• When asked to name ONE improvement

• 53 said Sunday service
• 14 said more frequent service

7
January Workshop Priorities

• 22 want more frequent service
• 18 want Sunday service
• 18 want more sidewalks

Top Dot votes received multiple choices allowed
8
Survey Monkey Results

• 18 want more frequent service
• 14 want more evening service
• 13 want new routes
• 13 want more sidewalks

9
Survey Monkey Most Requested New Services

• Long Shoals area
• Haw Creek area
• New Leicester Hwy
• Enka/Candler area
• Asheville Airport
• Fairview

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Agenda

• Review of past input
• Service design scheduling guidelines
• Service concept
• Cost impacts
• Public Workshop Activities

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Service Design Principles

• More frequent service
• Coordinate existing schedules
• Increase attractiveness to choice riders
• Establish focal points outside of downtown
• UNC-A, Walmart, Biltmore Village, Louisiana
  Patton where routes diverge
• Additional focal points at Mission Hospital, AB
  Tech, Asheville Mall

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Principles, cont.

• Minimize Route Deviations
• Reduce travel time penalty for through riders
• Exceptions made for major destinations
• Sidewalk connections preferable to deviations
• Dial-a-ride zones converted to fixed route or
  eliminated
• Avoid one-way loops

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Scheduling Principles

• Weekdays
• All routes should offer 12-hour service from 6 AM
  to 6 PM
• All routes offer 60-minute headways, except for
  express
• Evening service combined with daytime
• More service added when boardings exceeds 20
  riders
• Trips discontinued if less than 5 riders

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Scheduling Principles

• Saturdays
• Same schedule as weekdays
• No service offered on lower ridership routes
• Sundays
• Sunday service added, with at least 1 route on
  all trunk corridors
• Initial span from 10 AM to 6 PM

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Agenda

• Review of past input
• Service design scheduling guidelines
• Service concept
• Cost impacts
• Public Workshop Activities

16
ATS Service Concept
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Span Changes

• More frequent service
• Routes 6, 29, 54
• Longer span of service
• Route 5 later 6 earlier later 9 earlier
  later 13 earlier
• Shorter span
• Route 8 night 11 night 18S night
• Saturdays
• Route 5, 6, 9, 12, 15, 54 losing Saturday
• Sundays
• Route 1, 2, 8, 11, 16, 26 gaining Sunday

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Agenda

• Review of past input
• Service design scheduling guidelines
• Service concept
• Cost impacts
• Public Workshop Activities

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Cost Considerations

• ATS Annual Operations costs 5 million
• One additional local bus weekdays costs 250,000
• One express/park ride peak periods costs
  250,000
• 5 Saturday routes, 12 hours, costs 250,000
• 7 Sunday routes, 8 hours, costs 250,000
• Capital costs for buses, sidewalks, shelters cost
  varying amounts

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Agenda

• Review of past input
• Service design scheduling guidelines
• Service concept
• Cost impacts
• Public Workshop Activities

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Workshop Format

• Formal Presentation
• Group Discussions
• Visit quadrant tables and comment on route
  changes
• 1 million Bingo
• Tell us how youd spend 1 million

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Thank you for your interest