Overview of Transit Planning Board Briefing Meeting with Governor Sonny Perdue

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Overview of Transit Planning BoardBriefing
Meetingwith Governor Sonny Perdue

• Transit Planning Board
• February 28, 2008

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Agenda/Purpose

• TPB Context Status
• Next Steps to complete business case
• Guidance/Input

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Why Transit?
Gwinnett Place/ Discover Mills
Cumberland/ Galleria
Fulton Industrial Boulevard
Peachtree corners
Atlanta Central Business District
Northpoint
Town Center
Southlake
Perimeter Center
Atlanta Airport
Buckhead
Midtown
The regions 13 activity centers make up 1.44 of
the total land area of the 20-county region, yet
they attract 21 of all Home Based Work Trips
suggesting a density of destination that
justifies transit Based on ARC 2030 Model
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Why Transit

• Economic Development
• If MARTA ceased operations in 2000, by 2035
• Atlanta would have approximately 38,930 fewer
  jobs
• Atlantas Gross Regional Product would be 3
  Billion less (1 of Atlantas forecasted GRP)
• The rest of the State would have 2,000 fewer
  jobs
• The rest of the States GRP would be almost 200
  Million less
• Based on 2002 study entitled The Estimated
  Economic Impact of MARTA, 2000-2035 by Carl
  Vinson Institute of Government, University of
  Georgia
• Atlanta is defined by Georgia Department of
  Community Affairs Local Service Delivery Region
  Three (11 counties)

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Transit Planning Board (TPB)

• Stated purpose
• Develop a regional transit plan including a
  comprehensive financial plan
• Work to improve regional service coordination,
  including integrating fares, marketing customer
  information
• Advocate for increased federal funding for
  regional transit via a unified regional voice
• The Board is comprised of
• Local Governments Mayor of the City of Atlanta,
  Dekalb County CEO, County Commission Chairs of
  Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Douglas, Fayette,
  Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Rockdale and Spalding
  Counties
• Member Agencies Board Chairs of GRTA, MARTA,
  GDOT, MARTA General Manager
• Three Gubernatorial Appointees

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TPB How it fits in the landscape
USDOT/ Federal Transit Administration
Regional Transit Plan
TPB
ARC
Transportation
Transit
Project Prioritization
Local Govts
Local Transit Plans
MARTA
GDOT
Long-Range Short-Range (TIP) Plans


GRTA
Approval of TIP
Transportation Capital Operations per TIP
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Timeline Funding
February 2006 Inaugural Meeting
December 2008 Transit Business Case
Funding through June 2008
Additional funding for July 2008-December 2008
to enable the TPB to complete its stated work
streams is coming from the county systems FTA
formula funds, Board contributions and continued
GRTA, ARC and MARTA Overhead and Labor in kind
contributions..
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Status/Accomplishments

• Develop a regional transit concept plan including
  a comprehensive financial plan
• Regional System Concept Developed
• Local governments, transit agencies and state are
  working together on a regional approach to
  transit and a data-driven business case for
  transit
• Work to improve regional service coordination,
  including integrating fares, marketing customer
  information
• Developed first comprehensive regional routes map
  showing all transit systems in the region
• Initiated Joint Regional Service test projects
• MARTA/Cobb Community Transit
• MARTA/Clayton County (C-Tran)
• MARTA/Gwinnett County Transit

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CCT Route 10 MARTA Route 12 Joint Service

• Allowed 38 of MARTA Route 12 respondents to ride
  to Cumberland Transfer Center
• 33 did not make their trips before Joint Service
• 24 used private cars to make their trips before
  Joint Service
• 59 traveled to work
• Allowed 48 of CCT Route 10 respondents to ride
  to Midtown or Downtown Atlanta
• 36 did not make their trips before Joint Service
• 40 used private cars to make their trips before
  Joint Service
• 67 traveled to work
• 86 MARTA Route 12 riders and 87 of CCT Route 10
  riders indicated they were very satisfied or
  satisfied with the joint service.
• Overall weekly ridership across both systems
  increased by 14

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Work to Complete by 2008 year-end

• Complete Public Involvement Process
• Complete travel-demand modeling of the proposed
  system concept
• Refine costs and quantify benefits
• Develop Recommended Governance structure
  (Planning, Operations, Finance) some possible
  considerations are
• Transit Services Board similar in composition to
  TPB (state local)
• State Dept of Intermodal Transportation (merge
  GRTA GDOT Intermodal)
• MARTA as regional operator
• Regional Funding Project Management Agency
• Develop recommended procurement and financing
  plans
• Innovation is critical as traditional funding
  sources cannot solve the needs
• Consider alternatives to tax revenue such as Tax
  Increment financing, Public Private Partnerships,
  Regional Road Pricing, TIFIA/Infrastructure Bank,
  Private Infrastructure Funds
• Develop a succession plan for the TPB work streams

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Key Discussion Points

• The Atlanta Region needs a strong regional
  transit system. MARTA is the backbone of that
  solution.
• The Atlanta Region has a great deal of
  infrastructure assets today that should be
  connected and optimized.
• Economic Infrastructure (such as Transit) has a
  base component that benefits every citizen in the
  region by virtue of its existence and an
  incremental component that benefits direct users.
• Governance is about financing/funding
• To be relevant, conversations must include a
  regional perspective
• The role of capital sources such as sales tax,
  usage fees, private capital are changing
  drastically
• The use of transit is a cultural evolution
• The plan for the Atlanta Region should be based
  on a demand-driven approach and a data-driven
  analysis of origin-destination behavior and land
  use in the Atlanta Region
• Keeping a deadline on the work of the TPB is good
  but that doesnt mean all the work will be done

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What does this mean for TPB?

• Our short-term plan should include initiatives
  such as Joint Service and Infill Stations to
  optimize the existing transit assets in the
  Region
• Our Plan should analyze the components of a
  system that are a base component and those that
  are incremental
• Our Plan should contemplate trends that will
  affect capital sources (changes in fuel
  technology, dynamics of tax sources, dynamics of
  private capital)
• Our Plan should acknowledge that modes can evolve
  (buses are a quick and low cost way to gauge
  demand build a culture of transit). Human
  behavior shifts along key breakpoints such as
  price, distance We need to analyze and
  determine the breakpoints.
• Point-to-point components (taxis and parking)
  should be considered in our plan
• We need to look at origin-destination analysis
  and land use.
• We need to develop a succession plan for each
  work stream and for a continued regional
  perspective.