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Home My WebLink AboutStaff Report 5.B 10/17/2017 SRTP Part 3CITY OF PETALUMA -- 201 Current System Challenges 2016 Emerging from the period of rapid system and ridership growth from 2010 through 2014, Petaluma Transit operates in a very different situation than before. A mature system now, that generally meets the needs of the local transit dependent population very well, continuing to deliver a reliable, attractive transit product is made difficult by several challenges and opportunities. Dramatic rises in local housing costs, including apartment rents, have driven many longtime Petaluma transit - dependent from the community. Increased traffic has caused system reliability to plunge, increasing missed connections. On -Time Performance Problems - Missed Transfer Connections Petaluma Transit ridership intensified year over year from 2010 -2015, causing more stopping and dwelling of buses in order to serve the 145% increase in ridership in the FY 2010 -2015 time period. Aggravating system on time performance is citywide increases in traffic, in particular along East Washington Street. The influx of new shopping trips (Target Shopping Center), made primarily by automobile, has severely impacted the flow of traffic on the already congested segment of E. Washington between Downtown and McDowell Blvd. This directly impacts Petaluma Transit's most highly ridden route, the Crosstown Route 11 which carries the most passengers in the system, and is the lynchpin of the timed transfer system based at the Eastside Transit Center, where Route 11 interlines with Route 2, and physically "pulses /meets" Route 3/33. When Route 11 becomes severely late, which happens almost every day, particularly in the mid and late afternoons, it causes missed transfers between the 11/2 and 3/33 buses, causing passenger delays of up to 30 minutes at ETC, effectively doubling the transit travel time for the customer on those trips which "miss" the transfer pulse. This acutely impacts Petaluma Transit riders travelling to and from the East side. Since 2009, Petaluma Transit has implemented a "hold policy" of 2 minutes (increased to 3 minutes in 2015). This means, a bus (Route 3, for example) waiting to depart the ETC on time (say at 3:45pm, for example) will hold for 2 minutes until 3:47pm, upon request, for another bus that is running late (say Route 11 returning from Downtown in heavy PM traffic). This worked pretty well until traffic worsened in 2014, and to this day. Even with an extension to 3 minutes, the "hold window" is often not enough, and the receiving bus is forced to finally leave ETC without receiving transfers as the Route 11 (in this example) has fallen so far behind (say 10 or more minutes) that it cannot reach ETC during the "hold window ". The new AVL /CAD system now seeks to assist in automating these hold requests, and tracking the daily instances where the transfers are missed. This problem happens daily, particularly during the weekday afternoons, and threatens the integrity of the system. It is worth noting that, according to data from the new AVL system, the PETALUMA TRANSIT CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT congestion is causing worse OTP on the westbound, or Downtown bound segment of the Route 11. In discussing this with bus operators, it is suspected that the problem lies with a lack of integration of the traffic lights at the off -ramps of the US 101 (Caltrans' Signals) with the critical E. Washington /McDowell intersection. In particular, the left -turn movement from S. McDowell west onto East Washington in the late afternoon is extremely limited, causing multiple -cycle delays in the Route 11 on its way towards Downtown. Options Realignment There are a couple directions to approach this problem from. Route 11 could be re- routed off of the severely congested E. Washington alignment, if a faster, more reliable way of reaching ETC from Downtown could be identified. For example, Route 11 could divert south off of E. Washington and cross the 101 Freeway at Caulfield Lane instead, and approach ETC from the south, akin to Route 3's approach to the ETC. This option underwent extensive field testing by supervisors and planning staff, combined with a brief trial of the realignment in 2014 during the Target SC construction. Unfortunately, while the bus does keep moving, rather than sitting in gridlock, the overall travel times back into ETC were not acceptable, with buses arriving back just as late as when they stayed on East Washington. In addition, the earlier the bus diverts off of E. Washington (travelling east) the more passengers are lost that either need to board or alight at the busy stops along E. Washington, including the Swim Center /Library /Fairgrounds /Target stop. Adding Buses and Elongating Running Time Cycles Routes 11 and 2 are the most popular PT routes, and accordingly are interlined, meaning that each 11 bus becomes a Route 2 at ETC, and vice - versa. This allows passengers to "transfer" without physically leaving the bus, and lessens the amount of dwell time spent at ETC transferring passengers, and mobility devices, between buses. Route 2 generally has slightly more recovery time (extra time) so it makes a good interline partner with the Route 11, allowing the operator to "catch up" to schedule and usually enjoy a rest break at the end of their Route 2 segment. The Route 2/11 is provided by 2 buses operating on a 60 minute cycle (30 minute headways). PT would easily solve its afternoon on -time problems AND increase service quality in the eyes of its riders if funding were available to add two more buses into the 2/11 block during a period each weekday afternoon. Running time cycles would be elongated to 80 minutes (40 on each route segment) during this PM peak schedule. Correspondingly, 10 extra minutes would be added to the Route 3/33 running time schedules (from 30 to 40 minute running times) to keep the "pulse" with the 2/11 at 40 minutes apart at ETC. If funding PETALUMA TRAN{ CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 allowed, a second bus could be added to the 3/33 to meet every pulse of the 2/11 and provide net 20 minute service, matching the 2/11. Evaluating recent OTP data from the Avail AVL /CAD system shows that this would only be necessary from about 2:15pm to 5:45pm. This can be done with minimal system interruption by integrating the afternoon school trippers into the 2/11 bus blocks immediately after their PM school runs. Option Annual Marginal Total Revenue Cost /Revenue Hour Annual Hours Cost Add 2 Buses to 2/11 Block from 1,200 $40 $48,000 3- 5:45pm Add 1 Bus to 3/33 Block from 3- 750 $40 $30,000 6pm (not recommended) TOTAL RECOMMENDED 1,200 $40 $48,000 SMART Feeder Service - Routes 24 and 115 Expansion One of the many exciting aspects of integrating a new commuter rail service into the community is the elevated role that the local transit system can and should play in the "first mile /last mile" connections to the rail station. SMART conducted a planning study years ago in the preparation for its ballot measure that identified two preferred "shuttle routes" that SMART felt were needed in Petaluma. Those were eerily identical to the current Route 24 and Route 2 (from Route 11), and seem oriented to distribute SMART riders living north of Petaluma to major employment locations in Southeast and Northeast Petaluma. Prior to a survey designed and delivered by Petaluma Transit staff in late 2015, little study has went into where shuttles may be desired to collect Petaluma residents that wish to ride the train OUT of Petaluma. In November 2015, Petaluma Transit staff developed and implemented a survey of persons who expressed interest in using SMART to either travel to or from Petaluma. In the survey, Petaluma was divided into geographic zones identified by familiar streets and landmarks, and respondents were asked to identify their origins or destinations, as well as how often they planned to ride SMART, what time, and how they planned on accessing the station. The data gathered was combined with the existing services and SMART schedules to craft recommend route alignments. PETALUMA TRANSIT ROD CITY OF PETALUMA`- 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSITrPIJA Figure 19: November 2015 SMART Petaluma Origin Destination Survey Results drv,iJ Ina Iinni An initial service model was then developed based on the levels of interest expressed in the November /December 2015 survey. This second survey included maps of the conceptual routes (see below) and requested feedback on the alignments and potential bus stop locations. The Second Survey was distributed via the web and social media, targeting areas that might be impacted by either the addition of new bus service or the removal of existing service. Figure 20: Proposed Route 24 0AAF1)016OW Acme Altsmatiu x f.ya iWA 1, .i a','+'a -,". Irr �.nJ iFrN @ay Cr) }a, «.t n.y>�+i Ui+eartl. >raa}srxra,€ +1 f JYAH ns /fstrr:? dell yam„' ^PP. pf hlM1Ek'i �'�r" n f CITY OF PETALUMA = 2016' Options Realignment of Route 24 and Route 1 Petaluma Transit has been anticipating the opportunity to realign the Route 24 to stay on Lakeville between the SMART Station/ Copeland and the Kaiser Medical /Lakeville Business Park and resume its 30 minute running time cycle. Route 24 was modified in 2014 due to construction - related delays on Lakeville at the US 101 Petaluma River Bridge, adding extra running time and a pilot diversion to serve the Target Shopping Center via Kenilworth Drive. SMART has always envisioned this bi- directional streamlining of Route 24 on Lakeville since their pre -2010 "Shuttles Study ". Realignment to create bi- directional service along Lakeville is a challenge in that it will leave the following segments without service: • Payran (south of E. Washington, north of Lindberg) • The front of the Target Shopping Center on Kenilworth Drive • St. Francis Street between Caulfeld and S. McDowell • Enclave Apartments and residential area near Ely Blvd S and Frates Payran/Lindberg /Target Shopping Center Areas The fixed route service along Payran (South of Washington) and to the front of the Target Shopping Center,was instituted as a pilot service in 2014 when freeway construction delays at Lakeville /US 101 forced Petaluma Transit to add more running time to Route 24. To utilize some of the additional 15 minutes running time needed to stabilize on -time performance and to provide close -in fixed route service to the newly- opened shopping center, a pilot alignment was created that featured several one -way loops and a new 75 minute frequency. Some ridership did materialize along Payran and to the shopping center, but not enough to merit continuation of the (very difficult to use) one -way loop alignments. PETALUMA TRA 1 . 9 9 Figure 21: Ridership by Bus Stop - Route 24 Ridership by Stop Jan 1, 2016 Feb 28, 2016 Route = R.Ott, 14 A project scheduled for FY 2018, the "Silver Shuttle" (deviated fixed route, see description later in this section) should be designed with the Kenilworth Drive (front) Target Shopping Center stop as an integrated timepoint. Folks with reasonable mobility will continue to access the Target Shopping Center via the more frequent Route 11 on Washington Street. In addition, if demand merits at the time, the PEP Housing bus stop on Payran can be added. St. Francis / Miwok School Area The St. Francis Street segment features one established bus stop, at Miwok School, and a legacy "flag stop" on Lombardi, just south of Caulfeld. As the chart of Route 24 Ridership by Stop on the preceding page depicts, the flag stop at Lombardi has only a about 5 -6 boardings per month, while the Miwok stop produces just over 10 hoardings per month. Both locations are just 3 blocks or so from South McDowell, which features more robust transit service from both Routes 3 and 33, as well as school tripper buses. Enclave Apartments /Ely & Frates Road Area - Extension of Route 3 The two bus stops that abut the Enclave Apartments used to be some of the busiest bus stops in the Petaluma Transit system, prior to the transition of Enclave from "affordable" to "market rate" that occurred in recent years. However, as the Route 24 Ridership by Stop graphic above shows, ridership is still fairly strong. Residents of this neighborhood could walk up to Ely & Casa Grande Road to access Routes 3/33, and many do, but some service CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 utilizing the sheltered bus stops on Ely and Frates may still be appropriate. This can be accomplished by re- routing Route 3 from Casa Grande Road to Ely /Frates /S. McDowell. This will add 2 -3 minutes of running time to the Route 3, and close one bus stop (one of the three bus stops that serve Casa Grande High School on Route 3's side of the street). AVL- generated operations data from early 2016 shows that the Route 3 (outside school bell times) operates in approximately 22 -23 minutes, allowing an extension of 2 -3 minutes without severe negative reliability impacts. Summary By straightening the alignment along Lakeville between Washington and S. McDowell, bi- directional and faster moving service will be realized to this area of both high employment, and recent and planned future residential growth. Route 24 will still be based out of Copeland (SMART) and continue to operate with an interline with Route 1 (meaning the same bus serves both routes in an alternating fashion). Expanding and streamlining the Route 24/1 requires a daily increase of 4 revenue hours (beyond what the current 1/24 interline consumes) for an annual addition of 1000 revenue hours. These 4 added weekday revenue hours are to match the longer span of service in the SMART schedules, beginning Route 24/1 service earlier in the mornings and running later in the evenings. ROUTE 24/1 Options Annual Marginal Total Revenue Cost /Revenue Annual Hours Hour Cost Add 4 Daily Weekday Revenue hours to 1,020 $40 $40,800 Route 24/1 Interlined Block to match SMART's Span of Service (5:25am- 8:25pm) Add 1 Bus to 1/24/5 scheme to provide 30 3825 $40 $153,000 minute frequency on Route 24 (every train) and 60 minute frequency on Routes 1 and 5 all daylong (weekdays) (5:25am- 8:25pm) (not recommended) TOTAL RECOMMENDED 1,020 $40 $40,800 Route 1 Modification Two alternatives were developed to serve the requests for service to St. Vincent de Paul High School on Keokuk (south of Magnolia). A Howard /West /Keokuk option that resembled service provided to the neighborhood for many years (until 2010), and a second option to stay primarily on Petaluma Boulevard North (PBN) and access St. Vincent's High School via a segment operating on Magnolia between PBN and the Magnolia Roundabout. PETALUMA TRAM v Both alignments could increase ridership by providing bus access to neighborhoods, but would add minutes of running time and face opposition from neighbors. After a second round of public outreach via social media in early 2016, opposition to the Howard /West /Keokuk Alignment formed in the Oak Hill Neighborhood, based upon fears of noise, traffic, bus stop placement, and street conditions. Support was also expressed, and the issue divides neighbors in the area. It appears there is some transit demand, although likely not enough to meet productivity standards, and not necessarily SMART - oriented. Staff then issued a third survey in June 2016 to introduce the "Magnolia Option" and receive input from both the Oak Hill and Magnolia neighborhoods. In general, Magnolia area residents don't favor the idea of bus service in their neighborhood either, but due to different reasons (traffic at Magnolia /PBN, lack of sidewalks, concern over buses using the roundabout, concerns over placement of bus stops). St. Vincent's High School (SVHS) supports either option. Staff is now developing a "bell -time only" variation that would serve SVHS and the nearby Mary Collins at Cherry Valley K -8 School at bell times only. Complementing this bell -time diversion onto Magnolia would be the planned advance of the "Silver Shuttle" project forward to FY 2018 to offer persons in the Oak Hill (as well as other neighborhoods) this new small -bus transit option sooner, rather than later. The release of SMART's fare structure in May 2016 has led to the easing of SMART - driven Petaluma Transit expansion /modification scenarios due to a risk of far lower than anticipated SMART demand. Figure 22: Proposed Route 1 Modification — Howard /West /Keokuk Alignment fMAF T)@ 1630 119vie'lik mo i.n 2�f�lkrulr, 4 t 1. CITY OF PETALUMA - 201 Figure 23: Recommended Route 1 Modification - Magnolia Alignment IWAI12U1 S�1C9"t."Ahemabwwl Ps. y l r.»va 1 »1 ukzxex =r ;a xa w- tot - Should Petaluma Transit implement the "bell -time only" limited service to SVHS along Magnolia, the question then of reinstating Route 1 service to Petaluma Blvd. South emerges. The most recent survey indicated support for keeping service on PBS, in spite of poor ridership. ROUTE 24/1 Options Annual Marginal Total Revenue Cost /Revenue Annual Hours Hour Cost Add 4 Daily Weekday Revenue hours to 1,020 $40 $40,800 Route 24/1 Interlined Block to match SMART's Span of Service (5:25am- 8:25pm) Add 1 Bus to 1/24/5 scheme to provide 30 3825 $40 $153,000 minute frequency on Route 24 (every train) and 60 minute frequency on Routes 1 and 5 all daylong (weekdays) (5:25am- 8:25pm) (not recommended) TOTAL RECOMMENDED 1,020 $40 $40,800 Route 5 Expansion Route 5 (formerly Route 1T until 2015) is the school bell- oriented peak hour service that provides highly productive but limited span services to the two major west side secondary schools with 2 -3 trips in the AM and PM bell times. While SMART doesn't describe a need for shuttle service in its original study, PT staff feel that demand may exist, especially in PETALUMA TRA CITY OF PETALUMA,- 2016 light of the absence of parking at the Downtown SMART Station (SMART plans a second station in Northeast Petaluma in the future that may house more parking, but very little is envisioned for the Downtown Petaluma Station, now or in the future). However, any alteration or expansion of west side bus service for SMART must hold harmless the popular trips that already serve Petaluma High School and Petaluma Junior High School. Extensive Expansion Alternative (not recommended) Forming an expanded Route 5 (the Routes 24 and 1 will be modified but continue to be interlined) to serve the long span of the SMART schedule requires a daily increase of 8.5 revenue hours (beyond what the Route 5 operates today) or a significant addition of 2125 annual hours. Even with long -span hours, matching SMART, this route projects to be only moderately productive, even when aligned to be a "Downtown" feeder for those that do not want to walk from the Station to Downtown. In order to reliably and repeatedly serve the 30- minute headways of the SMART service, the new route 5 cannot serve the entire loop that the current Route 5 does. This means that some segments would no longer be served. To illustrate, there is not enough running time to both serve the southerly parts of Route 5 (Petaluma Blvd. south of I or even D street) and the area north of Petaluma High School. Staff published the following conceptual route in early 2016 for public comment and input. Figure 24: Modification of Route 5 - Early 2016 Version DRArt 2016 SRTP R uitc Alta" inn i ti rte Modification of Route 5 Ni Woe mw h #E fra y f1 #il $��rrad9xux SU¢irv.j4.rr�a #�- h�� -- j4a,r..rd fiaeeeruzrrd iz- �fxrra a itir{t9ilsrgr ;51 Vail CAb gcu�2aty a 'ra1isaaP6;f€tic3�' a «a CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSI'>' PLC _ ff E Staff tested several variations to the above conceptual route in order to reduce running time to fit within the constraints of the SMART schedule (trains every 30 minutes): • Utilize I Street between Petaluma Blvd and Sunnyslope Ave • Abandon PBS completely and access I Street from 4th & C via 6th Street • Utilize Western back to Howard from Fair, skipping Webster and Bodega None of these options are attractive, all reduce coverage to areas that might produce ridership. Regardless, overall ridership on this route is not anticipated to be high. Due to these factors, a more restrained option was developed using the current Route 5 alignment. Modest Expansion - Route 5 Augmentation Alternative Morning Option Due to a lack of traffic congestion in the early morning hours, and SMART's early AM service schedule, it may be possible to serve the entire Route 5 alignment from the SMART Station for trips made prior to 7 :30am. These trips could be added at a modest cost, then Route 5 could make its critical 7:30- 8:20am school runs as per normal, not connecting with SMART again until the afternoon. This option would add about 1.75 daily revenue hours and provide robust service along an existing alignment. Afternoon Option Due to heavy traffic congestion in both the Downtown and Train Depot areas, it won't be possible to run the complete Route 5 alignment and still meet every late afternoon train. For a consistent service along the same alignment as in the AM (the full, Route 5 alignment) the running time cycle would likely need to be extended to 45 minutes in the afternoons. This would mean a seamless connection without a long wait on every other SMART (northbound) train, and a wait of approximately 15 minutes on every other train. With this in mind, the PM Route 5 could be extended to depart SMART as follows: • 4:30pm (1St PM NB train) • 5:15pm • 6:OOpm (NB train) This service could eventually be extended later if ridership and funding allowed, but by serving the early AM trains (before main school bell trips) for an average commuter to Marin Civic Center for 8a -5pm work schedules, the final trip at 6pm should meet the needs of this potential market at relatively low cost to Petaluma Transit ( +2.5 rev hrs /weekday). PETALUMA TRAP CITY OF PETALUMA - 201f To Illustrate, the hypothetical Marin Civic Center employee that lives in Westside Petaluma and works an 8 -5 schedule will need to be on the 7:25am SB train out of Petaluma to arrive at 7:55am for a shuttle to work. In the evening, this rider would likely board the 5:05pm or 5:35pm NB trains at the Marin Civic Center Station, arriving Petaluma at either 5:30pm or 6:00pm where the extended Route 5 would be available for the last mile ride home. This option would add approximately 4.25 daily weekday revenue hours (AM plus PM). Option Annual Marginal Total Revenue Cost /Revenue Annual Hours Hour Cost Extensive Expansion Option: Expand Route 2,646 $40 $105,840 5 as a "stand alone" route on a modified 10.5 x 252 alignment and provide AM tripper service to schools with a separate bus: Add 1 Bus to new 5/24 Block to match SMART span of service (provides hourly service on Route 5 and combines to provide 30 minute service on Route 24) Modest Expansion "Augmentation" Option: 1071 $40 $42,840 Augment existing Route 5 by extending 4.25 x 252 alignment to SMART Station and adding trips in early AM (5- 7:30am), and from 4:30 - 6:30pm (recommended) TOTAL RECOMMENDED 1071 $40 $42,840 Poor Productivity of Route 1 - Especially On Petaluma Blvd. South (PBS) The worst producing segment of Petaluma Transit's worst (currently) producing route, the PBS segment of Route 1 does not meet any of the service productivity standards included in Chapter 2. Areas along PBS are a mix of neighborhood commercial and higher end, yet older residential, until the very south end of the route, where Route 1 turns around at the Quarry Heights roundabout, where new upscale housing is being built. With the trip attractors on the south end being the bowling alley and the offices of Petaluma People Services Center (PPSC), it is questionable if this area can sustain all -day fixed route service. The recommended service plan for this area will include early AM service from Route 5 (5- 8am, buses every 30 minutes) then hourly midday service from an alignment identical to the current Route 1, followed by Route 5 service again from 2:45- 6:30pm (30 -45 minute frequencies) then finishing the evening with hourly Route 1 service until 8pm. If the vision CITY OF PETALUMA 201 above is implemented, where the area is served every 30 -4S minutes in the main SMART and school hours (Sam -8am, and 3pm- 6:30pm) in a one -way fashion) and hourly during the mid -day, overall productivity may grow over time to be high enough to meet productivity standards. Should funding not materialize to support the expansion of service overall to support SMART, PBS is one of the first areas that should be evaluated for receive service cuts. Only school -bell services are well- consumed today. Figure 25: Ridership by Stop, Route 1(Oct 2015) Copeland StTrans EWashi&GreyStWB; Keller& WesterS B 4th &CSt - PetBiv &FStSB PetBiv &MtnVieSB - PetBiv &Rounda SB - PetBiv& EstE B - PetBiv &WashinNB - PetBiv&KentSB- PetBiv & ShastaNB - PetBiv &FactorNB PetBlvacGossagat- PetBly & FactorS B - PetBiv &ShastaSB - PetBiv"1agnolSB - PetBiv& WestStN B - PetBiv & WashinSB - PBN & West SB- 200 Ridership Impacts of Growing Paratransit Demand - Potential Senior Route A holdover project from the 2012 SRTP, the concept of a "Senior Route" arose as an innovative concept to stem the rapidly growing demand for paratransit services from an aging population (see map following page). Conceived as a small bus, deviated flex route (a combination of paratransit and fixed route, with a few set time points that do NOT require a phone call, but the ability to deviate off route to other locations with a phone call) service that would likely operate between "shoulders" of the AM and PM peak hours, the Senior Route would draw passengers from the costlier Petaluma Paratransit service and stretch the limited operations dollar and pay for at least a portion of its own costs with savings from reduced paratransit trip taking. To the rider, it would appeal by being cheaper than paratransit, and more spontaneous (if either the rider's origin or destination stops were official timepoints that did not require a phone call to deviate off route). PETALUMA TRANSI CITY OF PETALUMA - 201 This service would be extremely dispatch intensive, so it would be best implemented after the 2016 upgrade to the City's current paratransit scheduling system, which has struggled to meet expectations. This service could be provided by a combination paratransit vehicle (Bus 11 for example) or perhaps by a vehicle not yet in the City's transit fleet. Figure 26: Senior Shuttle /Silver Shuttle DRAFT2016 SRTP Route Aftematives Senior Shuttle u potential Senior st""e Stops 0 "N Senior$"tie S*MceArea ` s Pointotinterest park OtyBoundary 4 Lack of a complete Crosstown Route (Airport Area to Downtown) Requests exist to consider how PT can create a quicker way to get from the East Washington and Sonoma Mountain Parkway /Ely Blvd area to and through Downtown Petaluma, perhaps further west than the current Route 11 penetrates. In addition, two of Petaluma's major recreation /sports parks and the Petaluma Airport are beyond comfortable walking range from the current easternmost alignment of the Routes 3/33, which traverses the eastside via SMP and Ely Blvd South. This could be accomplished in two ways, either modifying the current Route 11 and extending it in both directions (east of SMP /Elm, and west of Downtown) or creating a new s Bt ; uita�wN � . �i Lack of a complete Crosstown Route (Airport Area to Downtown) Requests exist to consider how PT can create a quicker way to get from the East Washington and Sonoma Mountain Parkway /Ely Blvd area to and through Downtown Petaluma, perhaps further west than the current Route 11 penetrates. In addition, two of Petaluma's major recreation /sports parks and the Petaluma Airport are beyond comfortable walking range from the current easternmost alignment of the Routes 3/33, which traverses the eastside via SMP and Ely Blvd South. This could be accomplished in two ways, either modifying the current Route 11 and extending it in both directions (east of SMP /Elm, and west of Downtown) or creating a new CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 route based at the Eastside Transit Center (ETC) serving out to E. Washington Fields Park and back, meeting with the Route 11, 2, and 3/33 at ETC. All of these options will require at least one additional bus running a fairly long span of service to meet the recreational needs of the eastside parks, and areas west of Downtown. Either option would be costly and beyond the current capacity of the Petaluma Transit budget. Figure 27: Crosstown Route Impacts of Future 2nd SMART Station in Northeast Petaluma The Transit Advisory Committee and staff have discussed this situation at length in the last year. Initially, SMART had identified a parcel along Route 2 at the intersection of North McDowell and Corona Road as the preferred location for the future, 2nd station. This station was to include far more parking but still would benefit from robust transit services. After indication in recent months of interest in another parcel further northeast, on the edge of town near the Redwood Industrial Park, SMART is now again prioritizing the Corona Road site and again seeking to obtain the property. Should SMART obtain the property, there is a PETALUMA TRANS possibility that the station, or at least a minimalist interim station could be constructed on the site as soon as 2017. TAC became aware of the possibility that this station could move ahead more rapidly than previously anticipated, and asked staff to develop some conceptual service for how PT could choose to serve the future Corona Road site. Figure 30: Potential Future SMART Station -- Northeast Petaluma �3 it i Corona Road SMART Station Service Options Both the SMART Shuttles White Paper and the recent PT- implemented SMART survey of 2015 indicated a strong demand for travel to the Old Redwood Highway /N. McDowell area (including the Redwood Business Park) and the Petaluma Campus of the Santa Rosa Junior College. While technically reachable by the combination of Routes 11 and 2 from the Downtown Station, it is anticipated that SMART commuters will prefer to access these two Northeast Petaluma locations via the North Petaluma Station once it is active. Impacts of North Petaluma Station - Overview The 2015 PT survey on SMART indicated a very high interest in the area described as Old Redwood Highway /N. McDowell, which is presumed to include the business parks south of Old Redwood Highway (but north of Corona Road) along North McDowell, as well as the shopping cluster located at that intersection, and the employment heavy Redwood PETALUMA TRANSIT CITY OF PETALUMA`- 2016 SHC Business Park to the north and east of the intersection, along Old Redwood Highway, N. McDowell Extension, and Redwood Way. For this reason, it would optimal for the northbound Route 2 to time its departures from the North Petaluma SMART Station to coincide with the train schedules. Unlike the fortunate schedule window that SMART has developed for the Downtown Station, it is likely that northbound and southbound trains will arrive at the North Petaluma Station offset from each other by more than 5 minutes. This will prove a challenge to the intermodal bus connections. It is likely that the southbound trains will depart the North Petaluma Station at about :25 & 55 in the peak hours, with the northbound trains departing at :00 and :30. This will make it very difficult for the same bus to serve both SMART markets, so a directional choice will be required, based on anticipated levels of commuter demand. Route 2 Bus at Eastside Transit Center w /Bike Retiming of Route 2 Petaluma Transit currently provides a high level of service bi- directionally on North McDowell with Route 2. Route 2 serves the Corona Road area going northbound at about :20 and :50 after each hour, and southbound at :25 and :55 all day. This means, with no PETALUMA TRAM: CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 timing adjustment, Route 2 would nicely serve southbound SMART trains for persons wanting to travel further south on McDowell towards the ETC. However, survey and land use indicates that the biggest commuter train to bus market at the North Petaluma Station will exist for southbound SMART riders that want to connect to northbound Route 2, requiring some retiming of the route, and likely a calibration of the timed pulses at the ETC to accommodate system connections and better integrate SMART. Assuming reliable SMART on -time performance, it might behoove PT to revert the times of the ETC pulse departures BACK from :15 and :45 to :20 and :50 (at least in the AM) to place the northbound Route 2 at the NE Petaluma SMART Station at :25 to :27 to collect arriving train passengers and swiftly deliver them to their employment centers further north on McDowell. This wouldn't work as cleanly in the afternoon however, and riders who catch Route 2 somewhere in the Old Redwood Highway area would arrive southbound at the NE SMART Station just in time to see a train depart northbound, leaving a 30 minute wait for the next train. A potential solution to this issue would be to have the ETC pulses STAY at :15 and :45 in the PM, so that the Route 2 has time to collect riders on the north end of town and return to the SMART Station (via N. McDowell) in time to drop them off just prior to the departing northbound trains (:00 and :30). This would be a low /no cost solution to provide robust shuttle service to the Old Redwood Highway /N. McDowell area. A choice would need to be made on keeping the current alignment (clockwise via N. McDowell, Old Red, and Redwood Way back to N. McDowell) versus extending the alignment to cover N. McDowell Extension, returning service to this employment rich area that PT once served. The extra running time needed to traverse N. McDowell Extension could negatively impact Route 2. Should the travel time savings projected along N. McDowell from the imminent Transit Signal Priority Phase I project prove adequate, PT could choose to extend service to North McDowell Extension making the Route 2 more attractive to the SMART commuter market, by shortening the walk to the bus stops in the area for more employees. Options for Serving Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) - Overview Petaluma Transit has no current service that directly connects the far north end of N. McDowell with the SRJC Petaluma Campus. Riders would have to take Route 2 southbound on North McDowell to ETC, then transfer to a 3/33 to backtrack to SRJC. This will likely not be popular, as SRJC is only 1 mile from the new North Petaluma SMART Station "as the crow flies ". SMART riders who bike or are open to walking may choose to walk from the new station to SRJC, but there likely will be demand for a direct bus between the station and the college. From earlier conceptual station layout renderings, it is likely that the �11 I CITY OF PETALUMA - 201 preferred bus stops for the North Petaluma Station (at Corona) will be eastbound on Corona and northbound on N. McDowell. This constrains route design options. Do Nothing - No Project Petaluma Transit could "stand pat" with its route network, provide service to the North Petaluma SMART Station with existing Route 2 (retimed, see above) and have SRJC -bound passengers catch Route 2 south to ETC, and transfer to Route 3/33 for the 10 -15 minute ride to SRJC. This is the cheapest and easiest option, but would add a half hour or more to SMART riders travel times to /from the SRJC, making the last mile connection undesirable. Re -route Route 3/33 Petaluma Transit could realign one or both of its mirrored eastside routes (3/33) to somehow serve the new station. The most logical manner might be to eliminate service off of North Maria Drive between Sonoma Mtn. Parkway (SMP) and Rainier, opting instead to serve between the North Petaluma SMART Station and the SRJC campus via Corona and SMP in both directions. This scheme is problematic in several ways: Route 3/33 stops near Meadow School are fairly productive, and would have to be closed Route 33 would likely overflow out of its 30 minute cycle due to extra running time Route 3/33 service cuts on Maria south of Rainier would impact productive bus stops 3/33 might have to be removed from the ETC pulse, at least every other 30 minutes, and rebased at the North Petaluma Station on every other half hour. Re -route Route 2 Petaluma Transit could realign the Southbound Route 2 to divert left (east) on Corona (from North McDowell) to serve the station, then directly over to SRJC via Corona and SMP, then back to North McDowell via Rainier. This would negatively impact Route 2 by: Route 2 would expend more minutes diverting to SRJC and may not function in its 30 minute cycle negatively impacting the already time - starved Route 11 (interlines at ETC) Route 2 service cuts on N. McDowell south of Corona and north of Rainier would impact productive bus stops including several that serve senior living communities Route 2 would receive less benefits from the newly installed transit signal priority project (TSP) that is being installed at all intersections along N. McDowell Blvd. PETALUMA TRANSIT CITY OF PETALUMA - 201E Create a New Shuttle Route Petaluma Transit might be best served by simply obtaining grant funding for a dedicated SMART shuttle that could be designed to cover key destinations in NE Petaluma that are not well served by Route 2 in a quick, 25 minute cycle matching SMART schedules (see map following page). This would be very similar to what is being proposed for Route 5 on the Westside. However, lacking new, outside funding for this, this $100k /year option may be financially infeasible. Option Annual Marginal Total Annual Revenue Cost /Revenue Cost Hours Hour Modify Route 2 or Routes 3/33 to TBD $40 $TBD, could connect SMART North Petaluma Station hurt system with SRJC matching SMART schedules integrity Add a New Route to serve SMART 2520 (10 x $40 $100,800 North Petaluma Station connecting with 2520) SRJC and perhaps other unserved area in NE Petaluma matching SMART schedules TOTAL TBD $40 TBD Figure 28: Conceptual North Petaluma Shuttle DRAFT 2016 SUP Route Alterniltivos North Petaluma Shuttle �t r- aw N011hptWomostnttt4 i Posit of Interest pakA Cot( DCWn&tp CITY OF PETALUMA 2016 SHORT. RANGE TRANSIT Prr Alleviating Crowding After School -Additional Tripper Services Petaluma Transit has been highly adept at adding additional capacity to crowded school bell trips to ensure that there in not a perception of maxed capacity among the student market. Almost every year, more capacity is added to maintain room for growing ridership at various campuses, based on information from operators and market research with students. 2015 student input indicated that the afternoon 3S trip, which serves both KJHS and CGHS then around South McDowell and across town via E. Washington, ending Downtown, is experiencing very crowded conditions. However, overall declines in student enrollment, and transit ridership experienced in the 2015 -16 academic year may have already alleviated this situation. In addition, the PM Service enhancements that will increase frequencies and running time cycles on Route 11 should provide students with a second viable bus that can transport them from Casa Grande High to the Fairgrounds and Downtown areas without a major delay. The connections will once again be reliable at the Eastside Transit Center, enabling Casa students to choose between the 3S (to be renamed Route 311) AND the regular 3, both of which will connect through and cross the 101 Freeway without delay, improving travel times for students. That said, the crowding levels on school -bell trips are always to be monitored actively and indeed it may be necessary to add additional capacity to the system in the timeframe of this plan. However, at this point additional tripper hours are not included in the constrained financial plan. PETALUMA TRANSIT CITY OF PETALUMA - 201 Fixed -Route Operations Plan Based on Petaluma Transit's comprehensive evaluation of the its fixed -route service, and extensive outreach to the ridership in recent years, the following projects are recommended for implementation during the life of this plan as funding allows. Near -Term recommendations are anticipated to be implemented later in FY 2017 and 2018. Mid -term projects can be launched as funding allows but are not included in the Financial Plan. Likewise, long term projects can be launched if funding allows and the project still meets the dynamic transit needs in future years. Short /Near Term Recommendations Modify /Expand Service to Support SMART - Routes 24, 1, and 5 - Weekday Only Petaluma Transit will seek to both meet the local transit routes "vision" created by SMART in its original SMART Shuttles planning study, and respond to recent survey data on points of origination and destination within Petaluma by modifying and expanding Route 24, expanding Route 5 hours, and returning Route 1 and 24 to a 60- minute cycle. Critical to this effort is the creation of a temporary bus stop on D Street near the SMART Station Platform to minimize walking distance and time delays for buses serving SMART (Routes 24 and 1/5). Route 24 will be streamlined to serve along Lakeville and return to 60 minute frequency (from 75) interlined with Route 1 at the SMART Station (new bus stop under construction). Routes 1 and 24 will alternate, with each route serving every other SMART train. The schedule will be timed to the greatest extent possible to serve the bell times at St. Vincent's High School as well as key employers in the Kaiser Business Park area. To avoid "near misses" the route will be timed to depart /arrive SMART between train cycles. Route 1 will have two distinct alignments: • a SMART - oriented early AM and late PM peak commute alignment • a mid -day alignment Route 1 will be able to continue to serve Petaluma Blvd. South during the mid -day (this area will have commute and school bell hour service from Route 5) on an hourly frequency. In the early AM and late PM "peak commute hours" Route 1 will make deviations onto Magnolia Avenue 2 -4 times per day to serve schools in that area (St. Vincent's HS and Mary Collins Cherry Valley K -8) while serving a much shorter, more northerly alignment, skipping PBS. CITY OF PETALUMA 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT P1A j. Figure 32: Modified Route 1 with Peak and Mid -Day Alignments DRAFT 2016 SRTP Route Alternatives i .dutdetx AV' s`° Ra,k& "max n Pfde ,; " PeakHourRoutet jJ,,7,,� SelectTrfps Midday Route t r Point of Interest Park t City Bcwndary Ma Calira St.YmceUta �n riyar�y sal NRtir�a t ys� n'lmreklsi*t 6 Figure 33: Expanded Route 5 (with SMART - Oriented trips named Route 14) PETALUMA TRANSIT CITY OF PETALUMA - 201( Figure 34: Route 5 at School Bell Times Afternoon On -Time Performance Problems - Add Buses & Elongate Cycles Petaluma Transit ridership intensified year over year since 2010, causing more stopping and dwelling of buses in order to serve the 145% increase in ridership in the FY 2010 -2015 time period. Aggravating system on time performance is citywide increases in traffic, in particular from the East Washington Place (Target) development. This directly impacts PT's most highly ridden route, the Crosstown Route 11 which carries the most passengers in the system, and is severely late almost every day, particularly in the mid and late afternoons. This causes missed transfers between the 11/2 and 3/33 buses, causing passenger delays of up to 30 minutes at ETC, effectively doubling the transit travel time for the customer on those trips which "miss" the transfer pulse. CITY OF PETALUMA,- 201E Petaluma Transit should elongate the running times of Routes 11/2 from 60 to 80 minutes during the worst temporal congestion along E. Washington, between 3 -6pm. To avoid diluting service frequencies, but rather to improve frequencies, this elongation of cycle times should be augmented by the adding of 2 additional buses on the 11/2 blocks, increasing frequencies on these core routes from 30 minutes to 20 minutes. This expensive but crucial fix will stabilize the system's most serious challenge, and improve service frequency and reliability. The system will then flex back to its normal, 60 minute cycles with 30 minute headways (2 buses) at 5:45pm. This will challenge PT due to the expansion of the fleet peak pullout requirement from 8 today to 10. However, with three new hybrid buses arriving in July 2016, the fleet will be able to support this new, expanded late afternoon platform (10 buses in service out of a late 2016 fleet total of 14). Should demand warrant, an option exists to match the expanded frequency of the 2/11 blocks by adding a second bus to the 3/33 block to match the 20 minute headways in the late afternoon. This option is not recommended initially due to funding constraints and uncertain demand. Adds 1200 annual revenue hours and is funded by a new LCTOPgrant. Senior Route ("Silver Shuttle" or TBD) Feedback from market research outreach with leaders in the Petaluma senior community indicates that the current fixed route network is a challenge to some seniors. In particular, due to past land use decisions and site location decisions for senior housing, a number of clusters of senior apartments are located in areas difficult to serve productively with fixed route buses. Simply promoting paratransit (at $30+ dollars subsidy per trip) is not a sustainable option. The idea of crafting a route that would run during the midday and serve the known senior apartment complexes that are far from main streets, then connect with shopping and medical destinations is attractive. This Senior Route could also "deviate" upon demand to pick up paratransit riders at their homes (or to their homes) upon request, thus acting to help mitigate future paratransit trip demand. It is thought that this deviated route could help greatly in the Westside, which failed to support normal fixed route service over the years (outside of school commutes) but has isolated transit needs that this service could meet. Any deviated fixed route service is dispatch- intensive, and Petaluma Transit would need to have enough staff ready and trained to deal with the challenge of interactive, day -of- service trip reservations. Adds un to 1380 annual fixed route revenue hours. Will decrease annual paratransit revenue hours by an unknown amount. Mid -Term Recommendations Modify /Expand Service to Support SMART - Weekends Petaluma Transit will seek to improve Routes 24 and the potential 1/5 interlined route to mimic what is offered during the week, should weekend train demand warrant, and PETALUMA TRANSIT: CITY OF PETALUMA - 20 funding become available. This would both meet the local transit routes "vision" created by SMART in its original SMART Shuttles planning study, and support what potentially is a robust "reverse commute" or "tourist" market taking the SMART train to tour the region for discretionary trips on the weekends. SMART has yet to finalize and share weekend schedules, so cost projections are difficult. If possible, the goal would be to modify and expanding Route 24, and correspondingly, expanding and modifying Routes 5 and 1. Adds perhaps 800 annual revenue hours and ideally would benefit from a sustained subsidy (grant). Initiate as funding allows and after more is learned about this weekend train market. Long -Term Recommendations Improve Frequency -Elongate Running Time Cycles and 20 Minute Frequencies All Day Frequency of buses should be increased as funding allows. Specifically, PT's best routes (11, 2, 3, and 33) should increase from 30 minute headways to 20, expanding the "fix" to the afternoon OTP malaise to run all day on weekdays. PT's other routes (1 & 24, specifically) should receive increases as part of their expansion to properly support the SMART train schedules. Implementing these frequency improvements from 7am to 6pm (weekdays) on Routes 11, 2, 3, and 33 adds 2259 annual revenue hours. "Rapidizing" the Route 2 & 11 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a moniker for a package of improvements that elevate the prestige and levels of service of a particular route /corridor. In general, BRT systems (or "rapids" a lesser intense version of BRT) feature either dedicated bus lanes or rights of way, separate branding from the transit agency's usual routes, using articulated buses with all the modern technologies, including the TSP described above, plus AVL (automatic vehicle location) and Wi -Fi, etc. Bus stops are bold and feature shelters, real -time bus arrival signage, bike racks, service information, and are clearly more developed than usual bus stops. BRT could be described as "smart transit ", and elements of it should and are deployed already in Petaluma and elsewhere. However, BRT projects are eligible for funding that "normal" service is not, so it may behoove Petaluma Transit to package and develop a BRT project, in order to seek FTA Small Starts (or other) funding. The most appropriate corridors would be North McDowell and or E. Washington. Both corridors feature growing ridership now, and a network of bus stops that already serve their mix of land uses that are relatively, by suburban standards, transit friendly. A service frequency increase to 20 minutes, then to 15 minutes is already in the plan (see above). If funding requires 10 minute peak service, additional revenue hours will be required, but may be (at least initially) obtained via operations funding obtained and dedicated to the project. • a s CITY OF PETALUMA - 20 Crosstown Route There is some desire to create a faster, more direct crosstown route than the current Route 11, and to extend this crosstown route further east and west. Route 11 is a popular cross town route, but it only runs east /west from Downtown to Maria Drive (ETC) leaving the remainder of the Eastside served by the mirror loop routes 3/33. Some find the looping path of the 3/33 (up and down Sonoma Mtn. Parkway /Ely, then Maria Drive or S. McDowell meeting other buses at the ETC) to be too slow. This new route could be accomplished by either 1) elongating the Route 11 (breaking the 11/2 interlines) to 1 hour, and extending the alignment to the new sports complex on the eastern city limits and perhaps extending the alignment further west of Downtown, perhaps to Howard Street; or 2) leave 11 alone, and create an entire new route, mostly OFF of Washington. This entirely new alignment could traverse the 101 Freeway via Caulfield, serving that area in the Payran /Lindberg area along the way. Should the route serve Downtown, it will still be required to traverse D Street or Washington at some point. It may also be possible to design some crosstown elements into the Senior Route should funding for both new routes be unavailable. Depending on the ultimate alignment chosen, the route could operate in a 60- minute cycle providing bi- directional service on as long of a service span as is affordable. Assuming a 10 hour weekday only service span, Adds up to 2550 annual revenue hours. PETALUMA TRANSI Chapter 6: Capital Improvement Program This Capital Plan provides for the infrastructure required to support the operations and services set forth in the Operations Plan and Budget described in Chapter S. Petaluma Transit's primary capital responsibilities and priorities are to (1) maintain a sufficient fleet of clean fueled vehicles for local transit service, (2) improve and maintain the amenities and accessibility of Petaluma bus stops, (3) improve major bus transfer locations, (4) provide passenger information and (5) provide needed operations equipment and infrastructure. Petaluma Transit's capital resources limit the Capital Plan to primarily maintaining a state of good repair for existing assets and making the minimal level of investment required to maintain and operate the local bus system. The 11- year20 Capital Plan includes expenditures of $13.3 Million (Table 18) of which 77% is for purchasing transit vehicles (see Figure 35). Other major capital expenditures included in the plan are facility improvements, major vehicles repairs, bus stop improvements, and small capital purchases. Prior to looking ahead to Petaluma Transit's planned program of capital projects for FY 2016 -22, it is helpful to recap the extensive list of capital projects delivered since the last SUP in 2012. Completed projects are listed in chronologic order, starting in 2012: Transit Facility Rehab Phase I - Renovation of the Operations and Maintenance Facility at 555 N. McDowell Phase I of this project was funded with a $600,000 Federal State of Good Repair (SGR) grant. The project began with development of a master plan for the future use of the transit facility (555 N. McDowell) and then proceeded into design of an overhaul of the maintenance building. Project Goals This main focus of Phase I was to modify the existing maintenance shop to enable indoor maintenance of modern transit buses, and to purchase an indoor drive - through bus wash. With the unexpected addition of $800,000 in additional SGR funding late in the design 20 The forecast extends to 2027 in order to capture the effects of a large capital purchase in that year. s i r • I CITY OF PETALUMA - 201 phase, the original Phase I project was expanded to include elements originally slated for Phase II (for lack of funding). Phase I ultimately completed all improvements desired on the Maintenance and Operations Building, and Phase II (separate project, in later years) will design and construct improvements and expansion to the grounds and parking lot areas. This "Phase 1" Transit Facility Rehabilitation project ultimately included: • Developing a concept /master plan for the ultimate layout of 555 N. McDowell • Shrink the existing maintenance building's footprint, and replace the southerly half with a two bay, high roofed, pre- engineered building to allow indoor maintenance • Improve the lighting, heating, and ventilation in the entire operations building • Replace the roof on the existing operations building with a solar - compatible style • Relocate the parts room and mechanic's office within the maintenance area • Improve the most deteriorated patches of the parking lot (to last until Phase II) • Upgrade electric service for the entire facility through a new PG &E service panel • Install a new drive - through bus wash in the second new (high) bus bay • Create a new driveway and gate accessing Rainier at the southwest corner of the site • Relocate disabled parking stall and make minor ADA concrete improvements Timetable Phase I consumed the entire $1,750,000 (including local match) in the two separate SGR grants, plus a small amount of additional TDA funds, leaving Phase II unfunded and deferred indefinitely. Phase I was completed in early 2014. Phase II is now a smaller project, focused on reconfiguring the parking lot to expand bus parking, upgrading perimeter fencing and security systems, and making security improvements to the facility and modification of the landscaping. Phase III will likely follow in future years to address employee parking reconfiguration and customer access issues along Transport Way. Used Bus Procurement — (3) 1999 New Flyer Buses The City obtained three suitable 1999 40' diesel New Flyer buses that were surplused in January 2014 from City of Santa Rosa. The City obtained each New Flyer for $8,000 each. The buses then received new paint jobs and key PT equipment installation (fareboxes, radios, and camera systems) which added about $14,000 to the cost of each bus, projecting each bus to around $22,000. Comparable new buses sell for over $400,000 each, making this a very efficient project. PETALUMA TRAM CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PU Project Goals The project's goal was to enable continued ridership growth, with vehicles sized to be suitable for the large crowds experienced after school bell times. The buses also take pressure off of the maintenance function. During most of FY 2013 -14, every weekday school -day afternoon, all 8 of Petaluma Transit's heavy duty buses were deployed, leaving ZERO spare buses. Timetable The first bus (bus 41) went into revenue service the last week of May 2014, and featured the pilot Wi -Fi service, which made this bus instantly popular with our student market. The second New Flyer (bus 42) went into service in late June and the third and last New Flyer (bus 43) was placed into revenue service in November, 2014. Bus Shelter Purchase: 10 Solar Advertising Shelters Petaluma Transit obtained funding to purchase and install 10 new solar - lighted bus shelters from a disbursement of Prop 1B Lifeline funds. Petaluma successfully competed for $76,734 in Prop 1B Lifeline funding through Sonoma County Transportation Authority last year, and has these funds included in the FY 13 -14 transit budget. With the required 20% local match (TDA reserves) the total project budget was $95,917. In order to expand the project to 10 shelters (from 7 -8) an additional $22,353 in existing TFCA funding was added to the project budget, increasing the budget to $118,270, enough to cover purchase and installation of all 10 shelters. The Prop 1B Lifeline funding is constrained to lower income census blocks, which frames the areas that these shelters can be installed in. For areas served by Petaluma Transit, this limits the project to areas along Lakeville Hwy, E. Washington, and N. McDowell Blvd. Staff ultimately identified the following (non- sheltered) bus stops for inclusion in the project: 1. Lakeville at Caulfield NB 2. E. Washington at Lakeville EB 3. E. Washington at Vallejo WB 4. N. McDowell at Petaluma Plaza South SB S. N. McDowell at Scott NB (Lagunitas) 6. N. McDowell at Candlewood NB 7. N. McDowell at Southpoint SB 8. N. McDowell at Southpoint NB 9. Old Redwood Hwy at N. McDowell (IHOP) PETALUMA TI CITY OF PETALUMA 201 10. Regency (Target) Shopping Center on Kenilworth Drive Project Goals The project's goal is to improve the passenger experience at key bus stops throughout the Petaluma Transit system. Shade, windbreak, and a place to sit are keys to ridership. Project Funding The project's $118,270 funding was 65% Prop 1B Lifeline (state) funds, 19% TFCA funds, and 16% TDA funds. Timetable City Council approved the purchase of the 10 bus shelters at their March 17, 2014 meeting. Carter Crilly Construction of Petaluma performed the installations in the latter part of December, 2014 and into early January, 2015 at the locations noted above. The shelters look beautiful in their PT periwinkle blue color, and feature advertising cases (two sided) which can host paid advertising or self - promotional materials, such as the popular system map and timetable poster. Purchase 2 Replacement Paratransit Vans Since 2009, Petaluma Transit has replaced its revenue vehicles through participation in MTC's (Metropolitan Transportation Commission) Transit Capital Priority (TCP) program. Petaluma Paratransit traditionally featured a 9 -van fleet. However, since May 2012 the operation has functioned with only 7. This generally meets the needs of the service (7 is the most vans ever out at one time in the last year) but puts pressure on the maintenance function to ensure that enough vehicles are available on busier service days. Project Goals The project's goals were to replace two paratransit vans that had expended their FTA useful lives. This maintained the PP fleet at 7 vans. Project Funding Like most vehicle replacement projects, this project's funds were 82% federal transit funds, and 18% PTMISEA (Prop 1B Transit Capital funds). Timetable City Council approved the purchase of these (2) replacement vans at their March 17, 2014 meeting. A purchase order was issued and provided to the bus vendor (A -Z Bus Sales, provider of Elkhart Coach buses) Exterior graphics were installed by Barber Sign of PETALUMA TP CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSI'p Petaluma and the vans went into service the week of February 1, 2015. Vans 3 and 7 were retired, with van 7 going to surplus and van 3 to be used as a shop vehicle for our mechanic. Install Wi -Fi on Board Fixed Route Vehicles PT's core youth ridership group has consistently requested the provision of wi -ft on board as an amenity that would make their travels on PT more enjoyable, and induce more trip taking. Passengers can surf the web, check emails, and are generally entertained while riding the service. Staff found a partnership between a major cell communications vendor (Verizon) and CradlePoint mobile wireless equipment and a pilot bus (bus 41, the first of the used New Flyer buses acquired from Santa Rosa) was deployed with the system in May 2014. After many hours of trials and tribulations, the pilot bus has functioned very well, with content filtering, and was capable of handling the high demands of the student market. The usage of the system is easily monitored through internet portals for both the router hardware, and the content filtering system. Offensive content is blocked using a service called OpenDNS to avoid unwanted content being pulled up in the midst of a crowded bus. Project Goal The project's goal was to meet an expressed desire from student riders for free on -board wifi. Project Funding This project is funded by Petaluma Transit's Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) funding, which recently became a formula -based annual allocation in FY15. The TFCA funding covered the one -time costs associated with hardware purchase in the first year, as well as ongoing operational costs (data costs, content filtering and device management subscriptions, and tech support). The project has proven to be popular, but slightly more expensive than originally envisioned. Timetable The project was deemed complete in March 2015 with the addition of the 11t" fixed route bus to the wifi project network. This followed nearly four months after the addition of the 8th, 9th, and 10th buses in December 2014. The project was completed in March 2015. Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) - Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System AVL /CAD systems are sweeping through the transit industry. An AVL /CAD system will be up and active on the dispatchers computer as they answer phone calls and radio PETALUMA TRA CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLC ME MM communications all day long, showing the location of current buses, who is driving, how many passengers are on board, and if the route is on -time, late, early, etc. Planners use the data to identify productive and unproductive segments of routes (automatic passenger counting devices drive this feature) segments of timetables that need more minutes added, segments that could use minutes trimmed, etc. Additional functions of AVL /CAD systems include data communications between bus and dispatch, automatic announcements of approaching bus stops (ADA compliance), interaction with headsign controllers, provision of data to real -time bus arrival systems (LED signs and smartphone applications), etc. Project Goals The project's goals include the ability to produce and provide to riders "real- time" predictive bus arrival information, also, the capture and access to a complete spectrum of planning data, ADA compliant visual and audible stop announcements, NTD (National Transit Database) accepted ridership data (via automatic passenger counters installed at bus doorways) and expanded dispatch to bus communications. Project Funding The project's funding is a mix of local developer traffic impact fees, federal transit funds, and local TDA transit funds. Like the TSP project just discussed, this project required City Council approval and obtained its original approval as part of the FY 14 -15 CIP budget, then rolled into the FY 15 -16 CIP budget. The overall project budget is $718,302. Timetable Petaluma City Council approved a contract with Avail Technologies of State College, PA on December 15, 2014 in an amount of $688,188. Spring 2015 featured the "Discovery Phase" of the project, and finalized design elements, and ordering of all equipment. Factory acceptance testing occurred the week of July 27 -30, followed by the initiation of installation in Petaluma in late August 2015. The system became functional and entered the testing phase in September 2015. The testing is nearly complete now in March 2016, and many features are in use daily by PT operations and riders. The first real time arrival signs were installed in March 2016 as one of the last elements of the project. Public access to the smart phone applications was also unveiled in March. Replacing of bus stop signage throughout the City is underway, with new signage featuring unique bus stop ID numbers to enable the AVL system's texting for arrival times feature. The system was fully functional and the project deemed accepted in April, 2016. PETALUMA TRAM CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PI` Transit Signal Priority (TSP) Transit Signal Priority (TSP) is a project where traffic signals are equipped with special detectors that communicate with emitters installed on board emergency response or public transit vehicles to give preferential treatment to the vehicles. Project Goals The project's goals are to save 5 -10% of bus travel time all day everyday. This will help PT as it strains to accommodate its recent ridership growth, as well as increased traffic congestion. The Petaluma Fire Department has utilized the technology for many years to "pre -empt" signals during emergency response. TSP uses a lower - priority version of the the same system. Funding Source The project is funded (at least the pilot corridor) by developer- contributed traffic impact fees programmed for transit projects, combined with MTC Transit Performance Incentive funds earned by Petaluma Transit for stellar ridership and productivity increases in recent years. Phase I of the project was approved by City Council on March 3, 2014. DKS Engineers is the project technical consultant to develop the North McDowell Phase I "pilot corridor" and has assisted with: • conducting an inventory of missing equipment, (done) • the procurement of the equipment and installation labor (done, by staff) • submittal of construction and bid documents, and (done, IFB out 7/30) • support during the construction phase (in progress) The complete list of equipment needed for the project was procured and has. arrived in June 2015. The labor for installing the signal mast detector equipment and the running of new wiring to the signal cabinet was awarded in September 2015 with installation of the equipment will be done in March 2016. TSP will then be activated and monitored closely for impacts over the following months, and if deemed successful (improving bus travel times and not negatively impacting traffic) design will then be initiated on Phase II (E. Washington, and D Street) corridors within Petaluma. Transit staff have secured Phase II and Phase III funding through MTC and have included Phase II funds in the FY 16 -17 City CIP Budget, with Phase III funds to be included in the FY18 budget. R CITY OF PETALUMA 2016 SHORT RANGE TANSIT FS` t Figure 35: Capital Expenditures by Type FY16 -FY27 Rep M DTs Clipper 1% Facility 1% 3% TSP 3�/ Capital Funding Stop vements i% MI. System 6% Federal FTA Section 5307 Urbanized Area Formula funds that are programmed through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) provide 82% of funds for vehicles replacement projects. Competitive federal grant programs can provide additional funding for vehicles and bus stop improvement projects. Over the past five years, Petaluma Transit has received state funding under the Proposition 1B PTMISEA program. This program provided funds that allowed Petaluma Transit to complete vehicle replacement and create a capital TDA reserve. The last year of funding available is FY2014 /15.Over the life of the bond, Petaluma Transit expects to have received $521,465 in State funding for capital projects. To date, these state funds have been PETALUMA TR IN expended or are programed for matching the purchase of ten (10) bus stop shelters, the local matching funds for three (3) fixed route vehicles and four (4) paratransit vehicles, the local match for the State of Good Repair Transit Maintenance Facility Rehabilitation project, and partial funds for the purchase of the AVL /CAD system. As Figure 29 below shows, the majority of capital revenue is made up of FTA 5307 funds, matched by TDA funds. Figure 29: Capital Revenue Sources FY16 -FY27 MTC City Impact Fees TPI incentive 1% 2% PTMISEA 2% FTA 5339 1% CITY OF PETALUMA- 201 Fixed -Route Vehicle Program In 2007, the City acquired four new 35 -foot, heavy -duty transit buses. This purchase initiated the transition from reliance on medium duty cut -a -way vans to traditional transit vehicles with greater capacity, longer useful lives and an overall more comfortable passenger experience. In 2011 the City continued this transition with the purchase of four additional 30 -foot, heavy -duty transit buses. The FTA service life of a heavy duty transit vehicle is 12 -15 years. The MTC has created the Transit Capital Priorities (TCP) process to distribute precious FTA funding within the Bay Area, due to transit capital demands far outpacing available FTA funding. The TCP process offers significant incentive monies to transit agencies to operate their rolling stock beyond the 12 -year minimum useful life. For each year of deferred replacement, MTC provides the transit agencies additional funding that is flexible and can be used for almost any project, including operations. With that in mind, the Financial Plan and Capital Plan show Petaluma Transit not retiring its buses at the minimum FTA useful life mark, but rather taking maximum advantage of MTC's TCP program and running the buses for 15 years (fixed route). This results in additional 5307 funding coming to Petaluma in FY 2023 and 2027. This "deferred replacement" savings will be for the extended usage of the 2007 and 2011 buses. On the paratransit side, Petaluma will pursue the same added funding for operating these vans beyond their FTA minimum of 7 years, and will receive smaller, but helpful additional 5307 funds in 2021 and 2024. This plan assumes all vehicles are funded with FTA Section 5307 funds matched by local TDA 4.0 funds. However, TDA match funds may be replaced by some other future funding source (e.g. Prop 1B PTMISEA which recently expired) as appropriate to help protect TDA funding. In recent year, MTC has begun to program FTA Section 5339 to Petaluma instead of 5307. This funding source presents a major obstacle due to the requirement that Caltrans must pass through the funds to Petaluma, as a Small Urban Area. This additional layer of applying for and getting approval to receive the funds did add 2 years of delay onto the procurement process for the recently arriving 2016 Gillig Diesel Electric Hybrid buses, and the replacement of three (3) paratransit vans. Fortunately, with the passage of the FAST Act in Washington D.C. in 2016, this structural delay in the flow of the 5339 funding was corrected and Petaluma will received these funds via the FTA as with 5307 funding. During the life of the last (2012) SRTP, Petaluma Transit faced an acute need for more buses, and larger buses to accommodate ridership growth. To meet this need, PT acquired 3 recently retired 40' New Flyer buses from Santa Rosa at a very low price. These three buses were handpicked from a batch of 6 and have been popular and reliable since they PETALUMA TRAI CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAg ,' were put into service in May, 2014. While MTC respects the project as practical way to meet an unexpected emergent need, it is unlikely to provide full funding to replace these second -hand buses due to major regional capital shortfalls in FY 17 -20 (many railcar replacements in the region). The Capital Plan does not assume FTA funding through MTC for replacement of these 1999 New Flyers. However, should another minor fleet expansion again emerge as a need before MTC can replace buses via the TCP process, Petaluma can again look to the used bus market and aim to the success of this 2014 procurement. Petaluma transit staff and the Transit Advisory Committee completed a thorough analysis of available fuel technologies prior to the ordering of three (3) Diesel - Electric Hybrid buses in 2016. The TAC and staff are interested in the emergence of all- electric bus technology, and feel that Petaluma's next MTC - programmed purchase of replacement fixed route buses in 2023 will be a great opportunity to introduce this exciting and cost effective technology. Paratransit Vehicle Program As of the end of February 2016, the City -owned paratransit fleet included seven active vehicles, including one van used in paratransit and fixed route service, with programmed funds for 3 additional replacement vehicles. Given the delay in allocation of FY14 federal funding by Caltrans, the FY17 capital plan includes purchase of these two vehicles plus a third vehicle programmed in FY17. Unlike the 2012 SRTP, this SRTP shows useful life calculations of seven years for these medium duty cutaway vehicles. This plan assumes that vehicles purchased in FY16 and beyond will be replaced with seven year vehicles. As mentioned above, Petaluma plans to take advantage of the MTC TCP incentive program to run these vans beyond their seven year lifespan in order to receive additional funding. This plan assumes an overall paratransit fleet of 9 vehicles, including 6 current vehicles and three replacement vehicles (replacing vehicles which have already been retired). With delayed 5339 funding finally available (due to FAST act, see above) Staff will be bringing a purchase order for 3 replacement paratransit vehicles to TAC and City Council in the fall of 2016. These buses will replace one vehicle, and return Petaluma Paratransit's revenue fleet back to a maximum level of nine (9) vehicles by 2017. ��M CITY OF PETALUMA 2016 SH Table 14: Paratransit Vehicle Inventory 7 2003 Ford E350 22 Cut -a -way Gas 8 3 Retired (Feb 2015) 2014* 6 2007 Starcraft 22 Cut -a -way Gas 6 2 Returned to PPSC 2014 9 2007 Starcraft 22 Cut -a -way Gas 6 2 Returned to PPSC 2017 12 2010 Ford E450 24 Cut -a -way Gas 12 3 Active 2018 14 2011 Ford E350 22 Cut -a -way Gas 8 3 Active 2018 15 2012 Ford E350 22 Cut -a -way Gas 8 3 Active 2020 16 2012 Ford E350 22 Cut -a -way Gas 8 3 Active 2020 13 2015 Ford E450 24 Cut -a -way Gas 12 3 Active 2023 17 2015 Ford E350 22 Cut -a -way Gas 8 3 Active 2023 *This vehicle was purchased in 2003 and eligible for replacement in 2009. Replacement deferred 4 years. Savings taken as PM in 2010. Table 15: Fixed Route Vehicle Inventory 22 2003 Chevy 29' Cut -a -way Gas 22 2. Retired 2016 ** 25 2003 Chevy 29' Cut -a way Gas 22 2 Retired (Jan 2015y______0016' 26 2003 Chevy 29' Cut -a -way Gas 22 2 Retired (Jan 2015) 2016 ** 11 2013 Ford E450 24' Cut -a -way Gas 12 3 Active 2023 33 2007 Gillig 35' Transit Bus Diesel 35 2 Active 2023 34 2007 Gillig 35' Transit Bus Diesel 35 2 Active 2023 35 2007 Gillig 35' Transit Bus Diesel 35 2 Active 2023 36 2007 Gillig 35' Transit Bus Diesel 35 2 Active 2023 37 2011 Gillig 30' Transit Bus Diesel 23 2 Active 2027 38 2011 Gillig 30' Transit Bus Diesel 23 2 Active 2027 39 2011 Gillig 30' Transit Bus Diesel 23 2 Active 2027 40 2011 Gillig 30' Transit Bus Diesel 23 2 Active 2027 41 1999 New Flyer 40' Transit Bus Diesel 38 2 Active 42 1999 New Flyer 40' Transit Bus Diesel 38 2 Active 43 1999 New Fiver 40' _ Transit Bus Diesel 38 2 Active ** These vehicles were purchased in 2003 and eligible for replacement in 2010. Replacement deferred for 5 years. Savings taken as PM in 2010. PETALUMA TRANSIT CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT Table 16: Paratransit Fleet Replacement Plan 1 2017 2017 22 Cut -a -way Gas 12 3 FTA 5307 $ 89,000 8 2025 1 2018 2019 24 Cut -a -way Gas 12 3 FTA 5307 $ 90,660 8 2027 1 2018 2019 22 Cut -a -way Gas 8 3 FTA 5307 $ 90,660 8 2027 2 2020 2021 22 Cut -a -way Gas 8 3 FTA 5307 $ 186,800 8 2029 1 2023 2024 24 Cut -a -way Gas 12 3 FTA 5307 $ 97,666 8 2032 1 2023 2024 22 Cut -a way Gas 8 3 FTA 5307 $ 97,666 8 2032 Table 17: Fixed Route Fleet Replacement Plan 1 2015 2016 40' Transit Bus Diesel 35 2 FTA 5307 $ 776,950 15 2031 2 2016 2016 35' Transit Bus Diesel 35 2 FTA 5307 $ 1,452,000 15 2031 1 2022 2023 30' Transit Bus Diesel 23 2 FTA 5307 $ 793,840 15 2038 4 2022 2023 35' Transit Bus Diesel 35 2 FTA 5307 $ 3,175,359 15 2038 4 2026 2027 30' Transit Bus Diesel 23 2 FTA 5307 $ 3,271,334 15 2042 Cost based on Regional BusNan Pricelist; 1.5% per year for years beyond FY2016, PETALUMA TRANSIT CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT Table IS: Capital Plan FY16-FY27 PETALUMA TRANSIT Actual Actual Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast Forecast PProject Costs 238,981 $ 181,320 $ 186,800 $ 195,333 Fixed Route Vehicle Replacement(inc. Clipper) ; $ ,281,297 $ 4,019,199 LL 4 $ 3,271,334 Tacilil� Rehabilitation and Safety Upgrades $ 15,640 $ 18,851 $ 231,000 $ 52,250 $ 200,000 ! $ $ 'Bus Stop Amenities and Access $ 15,101 $ 80,000 $ 10,000 $ 10,000 $ 10,000 i $ 10,000 $ 10,000 $ 10,000 > $ 10,000 $ 10,000 $ 10,000 $ 10,000 AVL Real Time Info Data APC /Data $ 240,194 1 $ 461,821 $ 15,000 $ 15,000 AVL Equipmentlbr New Buses ---------- --------------- $ 150,000 Paratransit Scheduling Software i $ 100,000 Mobile Data Terminals (Paratransit) $ 50,000 ;Transit Si gnal Priori System $ 170,561 $ 49,481 $ 344,194 $ W on Buses $ 24,526 ,'Miscellaneous Small Capital Items $ 48,749 $ 40,000 $ 20,000 $ 20,000 $ 20,000 20,000 f $ 20,000 $ 20,000 1 $ 20,000 $ 20,000 $ 20,000 .Total Project Costs $ 591,629 $ 578,902 $ 3,175,472 $ 252,250 $ 411,320 $ 30,000 $ 216,800 30,000 a $ 4,199,199 $ 225,333 $ 30,000 $ 45,000 f $ 3,316,334 lFuriding Plan i l act l�rnp $ 76,004 $ 103,001 $ 65,000 'TDA Capital $ 15,640 $ 95,521 $ 457,807 $ 58,450 $ 188,297 $ 30,000 $ 63,624 $ 30,000 $ 783,456 65,160 $ 30,000 $ 45,000 $ 633,840 iPTMISEA/LCTOP $ 71,980 $ 6,518 $ 245,977 ----------- Federal 5310 --------------- $ 80,000 Federal 5339 $ 106,722 $ 444,305 - -- - ------------------ Federal 5307 - ----- $ 166,372 $ 352,302 $ 1,610,209 $ i 113,800 $ 148,682 $ $ 153,176 $ $ 3,415,743 $ 160,173 $ $ $ 2,682,494 ,5307 Deferred Bus Replacernent'Savings $ 72,980 $ 74,341 ,MTC TPI Incentive 126,786 $ 21,560 $ 226,470 TFCA Marketing $ 28,125 $ $ 52,724 �City Reserves Total Project Fund-in- g $ 591,629 $ - , , , 578- ,9- 02 - - - - $ - - -3- - ,1--7- 5-,-47- -2 - i $ -L-$ ---------4-1- 1','3, 20 - ! $ - 30,000 - - 216,800 - $ -L - $ I- - I -4, ,19I9'll,- 19I 9 - -- $ -- - - - 225,333 --$ - 30,000 1, $ , 4-5,, 0- 00 $ , - - - - 3,316,334 PETALUMA TRANSIT CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 SHORT RANGE TRANSIT` PL Other Capital Programs Facility Rehab Phases II and III Funding fell short in 2013 of fully expanding and modifying the facility to effectively host a transit system the size of PT in 2016. Remaining elements include: • moving and replacing the perimeter fencing • reclaiming underutilized land for additional bus parking • reconfiguring the facility to better support electronic farebox data collection • reconfiguring employee parking to increase capacity outside of the yard • additional safety improvements (lighting, security access doors & gates). These projects have been included in the City's Transit Capital Priorities funding requests, but due to the overall regional shortfall, and the fact that Golden Gate and Sonoma County Transit can both claim funds out of the Petaluma urbanized area, no funding has been awarded, nor is expected in the future, from the FTA 5307 funds. So, until some other funding is identified, staff recommend using TDA funds and 5307 funding awarded to Petaluma from extending the operations of its vehicles beyond the minimum useful lives to create a modest Phase II project for FY 17, and then again for Phase III in FY 19 as funding becomes available. Bus Stop Amenities and Real Time Information Petaluma Transit budgets capital funds annually to maintain and improve the amenities at bus stops with high ridership and /or in key locations. Offering improved access to bus stops makes it easier for riders with disabilities to ride the bus, and bus stop amenities such as benches, shelters, lighting, and trash receptacles create an improved and more attractive experience. Finally, with the implementation of the new AVL system, transfer points or high ridership stop locations can feature live real - time information signage. The Capital Financial Plan includes $50,000 in funding in FY17 to add a bus pull -out near the SMART Station, $40,000 annually in the following years to improve access and amenities at new and existing bus stops, and $15,000 annually to install real -time information in key locations. Mobile Data Terminals and Scheduling Software for Paratransit In 2010, Petaluma Transit received New Freedom funds for the purchase of paratransit scheduling software. Paratransit had previously been scheduled and dispatched by hand on paper. The goal was to improve efficiency and streamline CITY OF PETALUMA - 2016 S reporting. Trapeze Novus was purchased, as this "lite" version of Trapeze was recommended as most appropriate for a small transit agency such as Petaluma Transit. Unfortunately, the City's experience with Trapeze Novus has not been entirely positive. Six years after implementation, there are still such significant issues with the software. Due to this, an upgrade was sought to full Trapeze PASS (Trapeze's top of the line product) is necessary in order to take advantage of the full scheduling capabilities of the software, and in order to get accurate reporting. The one -year contract extension with MV Transportation for FY17 includes full Trapeze PASS software, hosted by MV, in order to give staff an opportunity to determine whether this upgrade would be worthwhile long -term. If grant funding can be obtained, a full dispatching software system should be purchased in FY18, as the long -term leasing of the software through the contractor is not likely to be the most cost effective solution. The lightweight mobile tablets that have accompanied the Novus software, which are used by paratransit drivers in the field, have also proved unreliable, and an upgrade to the more rugged Mobile Data Terminals installed in the paratransit vehicles is recommended. Ideally, with grant funding, this purchase would take place alongside the purchase of new software in FY18. PETALUMA TRANSIT