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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-08-20 Municipal Operations Committee MinutesMUNICIPAL OPERATIONS CCPMIITTEE MINUTES AUGUST 20, 1996 Councilors present- Jim Tyler, Pat Blanchette, Chris Popper Staff present: Edward Barrett, Robert Baxter, Joe McNeil, Jim Ring, Dale Theriault Others present: Tan Crikelair, traffic consultant; Elizabeth Mitehouse, advocate for public transportation The meeting convened at: 5:00 p.m. Item 1. An Evaluation Of Public Transooration in the BACPS Area - Review of Executive Sumnmry Tan Crikelair presented his evaluation, stating that the Bangor area has a transit system that is well run and that there i significant level of used for the s He also said he found av ery high level of public support. The highlights of his study include: - 2/3 of the riders work either full- or part-time, with 2/3 of them having household incomes of under $15,000. - 288 of riders started using The Bus within the past year, pointing out the need for a continuing education of the public. - The system does very little marketing. Mr. Crikelar thought that should be an area of focus, considering the high level of rider turnover. - A random telephonesurvey found that 104 of those interviewed bad used The Bus within the past30 days; 48k had used it sometime within the past. Nicety -one percent were generally familiar with the sx Additionally, 89k either strongly o somewhat supported the eisting level of City support (from property taxes)Sixty-four percent said they would be willing to replace all federal dollars, if cut from the program, with local mons Two-thirds of those surveyed said they would cppoee any reduction inservice and SO were opposed to elimination of Saturday service, indicating a significant level Of public support for The Bus. - A comparison was done between The Bus and other transit .systema of comparable size. The Bas provides service for the lowest cost per hour and the lowest cost per mile, by a considerable morgain, compared to others studied. Mr. Crikelair said part of the team= Bangor's costs are o low is that The Bus is run administratively by just two people. - There is a slow dropping -off in ridership on moat routes. - A Capital plan was completed, including a chart indicating which buses would need replacing over the next five years; the probable a of s funding for the vehicles; and the i of local match (Senerally80% federal/20k local). In PY99, there may be a shortage of $100,000, as funds are currently allocated - At the State level, there are no dollars currently available that Bangor would be eligible for. - It was recommended that BACfS use e funds earmarked for planning to help market The Bus, including timetableredesign and transit map redesign. - Implementing a monthly pass. It was sugesbed that $30 be charged for unlimited rides. The key is to keep the system as simple as possible. - Bus stop signs. For people who are unaware that The Bus will atop at any intersection to drop off or pick up riders, the system becomes confusing since people don't know where to wait and don't went to do something they feel might be stupid (such as Waiting in the wrong place, and having the bus not stop, or having the driver stop, but complain to the patron). it was strongly recommended that small, colorful signs be installed. - A large percentage of the Penquis CAP and Medicaid Project RIDE programs also use The Bus. There is n o front -door service to EIM9C, n is there sayservice to Evergreen Woods.It was found in other communities that it is cheaper to give a has pass to Medicaid patients who have four or more appointments a month than to send a van to pick them up. - Mount Hope route. There should be some vof making the route faster for people going to the Mall, of making the route less expensive, and of providing service no Evergreen woods, and better service to EtMIC and MITI. A proposal was made to divide the route into two separate routes. - in one of the public meetings held, people expressed concern about moving the Mount Hope route away from medical facilities on Mount Hope Avenue. Rd Barrett mentioned that there was request from the condo own at Evergreen Woods to provide servicethere. Elizabeth Whitehouse reminded the committee that discussion of ee s for Medicaid clients omits Medicare clients, many of whom do nothavehigh incomes. She also said that the rule requiring people to use bus services if they live within 1/4 mile of a bus stop Sur if the doctor's office, etc. is within 1/4 mile of a atop isn't practical, especially in winter. Mr. Crikelair pointed out that previous federal dollars sets available to Seats= Transportation before it closed that have never been available to Pemquia CAP. He also said that the low income Medicaid patients qualify for deer -to -door transportation, funded by the federal government; Medicare patients, who are qualified by different criteria, do not have the sam funding. He said there may be ann demand for door-to-door service under changing rules inn Mandates. Councilor Popper said he was very pleased that consideration was being given to provide service to the hotel area on Collin Road and reminded the committee that the Ramada Inn is available as a turn -around. Councilor Tyler said it was important to look beyond the current some of transportation. Recent issues downtown have included reconfiguring the circle, pedestrian crossing problems, parking lot restrictions, and parking meters --with all these leaven having a direct impact on transportation issues, traffic levels and the handling of vehicles downtown. He said we should look at the bus system as me of the solutions to downtown traffic problems. He wanted to know at what time of day The Bus is being used. He felt that only certain Segmenta of the population were being addressed (e.g. low income), when commuter ridership and other areas, such as hotel patrons, needs to be looked at, along with Sunday service and extending service past 5:30 p.m. Councilor Blanchette pointed out that the bus service e has not adjusted n with the change i "blue laws"; stores e w openon holidays, but The Bus doesn't run. She thought the buses would serve more working public if the schedules were changed to hourly, versus half-hour, and ran until 8:00 p.m. She said the present schedule isn't working. Ed Barrett said a lot of studies bad been completed recently in different aspects of transportation and information was in the process of being brought together. He also said that, ov r the years, busservice bad been scaled back due to cost concerns. Additionally, to adjust the system to not having to always change buses downtown would require a significant cost increase. Mr. Crikelair said there ridership peaks in the a.m. hours and evenings, spread from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., but that there we also much mid-day sage. He stressed that there were two different missions: to keep the current ridership and to determine what the place of The Bus is in the market. Councilor Tyler said the downtown parking garage is generally holy 608 full. What impact would be felt there if the City markets a bus pass? 8d Barrett said he felt that those willing to spend $35 per month to park n the garage won't be interested in purchasing a bus pass'. He pointed cut that if it only requires 15 or 30 minutes to drive to work, why would someone ant to wait for the the, especially in cold weather, and then have to be back at the bus atop at a specific time. He said that bus passes for the University of Maine might be effective due to the difficulty Of parking on campus. Mr. Crikelair made modifications to the existing evening service plan and provided suggestions for a new evening run, with the total cost being $56,000. The other communities using The Bus have been represented in meetings and have received ved a copy of Mr. CrikelaiYa report. He stated that all have expressed support for a monthly pass. Bob Farrar suggested that items be phased in gradually, to help i determining what is working and what isn't. A report would be provided to the committee within two months. Mrs. Whitehouse mentioned that access to the Bangor Public Library's temporary location will be difficult for many people. Bob Farrar said that a bus that currently has a half-hour layover in Bangor might be used to make a quick xun out Hammond Street and that the library is looking at funding. Councilor Blanchette asked if the library will be offering mail order service. Ed said that they are looking at having a place downtown Where People could place book orders. Staff will review the overall results of the study and return to the committee with specificvrecommendations within the next two months. Item 2. Transfer of Used Utility Poles Jim Ring said that NYNEX is willing to transfer used, out of service poles to the City for landscaping purposes, gate posts and other uses. In the Duet, the City has had to purchase the poles. Committee recommended approval to full Council of the proposed pole transfer agreement. Item 3. Recueat for Sian Placement - Best of Banner Tour Dale Theriault said Beet of Bangor Bus Tours would like to place a sign ext to the Paul Bunyan statue advertising the tours. He suggested that the Sign be placed temporarily, not year-round. Councilor Blanchette said that perhaps the tours could be advertised on the Bass Park marquis. Councilor Tyler wanted to make sure there i xe limit. It w voted to approved the request, Subject to an agreement being worked out between the Historical Society and Parke and Recreation regarding size, placement, duration, etc. Meeting adjourned at 6:20 P.M.