Transit Services In Norfolk

November 29, 2010

Introduction and Purpose

Norfolk is entering a new era in the provision of public transportation with the start of light rail. The intent of this presentation is to provide an overview and update on those proposed changes, and;

To provide to you some additional detail as it relates to transportation in the downtown

We will touch upon: An update on light rail Supplemental bus initiatives related to light rail Downtown transfer station and future multi-modal station NET Service of the future

Light Rail

On target to begin revenue operations in May, 2011 Civil work is complete with punch list items to be finished Stations are underway and should be complete in 2-

months, certainly prior to May Electrical Systems are being installed to include

upgrades to safety systems; work is on schedule and will be complete in March, 2011

Safety enhancements – additional signage, pole consolidation, rumble strips along tracks and others are all planned and being implemented to be complete by May, 2011

And we remain within the projected budget

Light Rail

MacArthur Square Extensive planning has been undertaken as a site and connectivity to

downtown and the future Slover Library & MacArthur Memorial Phase 1 work will be complete by May, 2011 Future phases include a kiosk and obelisk

Flat Iron Park Phase 1 is designed and recently affirmed in a community focus group; it

now goes to design review It will be implemented by May, 2011

Testing and Public Communications In the coming months HRT who has lead will be implementing testing

that is more visible to the eye and will implement its public communications efforts

Supplemental Bus System

Light rail in any City is a part of a larger public transit system combining rail with the bus system; in Norfolk we additionally will tie in Para-transit, bicycles, and the ferry; with future ties to passenger and high speed rail

Of HRT’s 70 bus routes 25 are operating within Norfolk with 11 being solely in Norfolk and 14 operating both in Norfolk and in neighboring cities; 21 of the routes will be tied to a light rail station Routes hours will be adjusted so they relate better to light rail

operation hours

Supplemental Bus System

Connected Stations EVMC Routes – 2, 16,23,44, New NET Monticello Routes – 1, 3, 11, 20, New NET Civic Plaza Routes – 6, 8, 45, 960, 961 NSU Routes – 9. 13. 18 Ballentine/Broad Creek Route - 18 Military Highway Route - 15, 23, 967 Newtown Road Routes – 20, 25, 27, 28

Other Stations not connected Ingleside MacArthur Square York Street/Freemason Harbor Park (when multi-modal is built it will connect then)

Transfer Station

The system is intended so that one pass allows you to transfer that day without additional costs

We intend to move the temporary Cedar Grove station to Woods Street and then in future iterations a portion of the bus connections will move to a future multi-modal station

Transfer stations are important as this is where many persons will come into Norfolk from the region and/or change routes from within the system

System Overview Tide Service hours will be as follows:

Monday – Thursday 6 am to 10 pm Friday & Saturday 6 am to midnight Sunday 6 am to 9 pm

Supplemental bus service hours will be the same as the Tide Weekday

Peak – 6:30 to 9 and 4 to 6:30 7.5 minutes Late evening – 9 pm to 10 pm 30 minutes All other times 15 minutes

Saturday 9 am to 9 pm 15 minutes All other times 30 minutes

Sunday & Holiday 7 am to 9 am 30 minutes 9 am to 9 pm 15 minutes

Bus Route Frequencies

Day of Week High Volume Medium Volume Low Volume

Weekday

6 – 9 am, 3 -6 pm

until 7 pm

after 7 pm

15 minutes

30 minutes

60 minutes

N/A

30 minutes

60 minutes

N/A

60 minutes

60 minutes

Saturday

until 7 pm

after 7 pm

30 minutes

60 minutes

30 minutes

60 minutes

60 minutes

60 minutes

Sunday – all day 60 minutes 60 minutes 60 minutes

High volume is on 3 routes; medium volume is 10 routes and low volume is for 5 routes

Evaluation Process

HRT has committed to a every 6 month evaluation effort once Tide begins operation for 1 initial year

Criteria will include but is not limited to: Ridership Passengers per mile, trip and revenue hours Boarding by station Cost per passenger On time performance Accidents/incidents Complaints Cleanliness of stations and vehicles

Fare Structure

HRT has hired a consultant to do a fare study and the results are due in January to go to the HRT Commission

Intent is to have one fare for all modes of transportation Current fares are as follows:

One way fare (with transfer) $ 1.50 Full day pass $ 3.50 7 Day Pass $17.00 30 Day Pass $50.00 Max Bus – one way $ 3.00 Numerous discounts for seniors, youth and handi-ride service Norfolk fares are some of the lowest in the United States for

Cities our size

Downtown Service

The Tide will be on a fixed route thru downtown Harbor Park to Civic Plaza to MacArthur Square (E. Main Street

and Plume Street) Monticello to Charlotte to Bute to Duke to York York Street parallel to Brambleton to EVMC.

Frequency of trains will be: 7.5 minutes during weekday peak times 15 minutes all but evenings and Sunday 30 minutes late evenings and Sunday & Holiday

Downtown Service

Ferry and passenger rail and high speed rail link at Harbor Park

Bicycles are being incorporated in planning

Bus routes link at Wood Transfer Station

New routes include a route connecting ODU to the EVMC station

Another new route would utilize the NET buses to create a route from Wood Street down Church Street and 21st Street and Colley and EVMC station

Downtown Service

The NET was created to be a connector between parking lots at a time when the lots were surface lots and the downtown was not as densely developed It had a fixed route on Granby Street – 15 minute headways It connects to Harbor Park which is duplicative of the Tide and

competition for the Tide It also connects to Cedar Grove

Cedar Grove will be only for cruise parking and special parking requirement clients who provide their own shuttle service (currently 1 client)

We propose to work with that client on alternatives We will also work with other clients at the opera house and Harbor

Park on their parking alternatives

Downtown Service

Uses 1,158 uses weekdays 6 am to 6 pm

Approx. 100 uses per hour most of period except 72 – 90 from 1 pm till 3 pm 87 uses weekdays after 6 pm 128 uses on Saturdays and 68 uses on Sundays

Survey 80.6% of respondents are officer workers; 6.9% are residents; 9% listed

as others all other categories were 1.5% or less 67.8% said they parked in City facilities with 50% indicating they were

Bank of America employees; 75.8% said the company pays for parking 25% said NET needs improvement and 75% were satisfied 60.2% said they use the NET with 24.*% saying once per week and

32.5% saying 2 to 4 times per week 47.7% said they use to get to parking; 33.9% use for pleasure and

convenience

Church Street & Ghent Service

The initial service is intended to be from 6 pm to 10 pm except on Friday and Saturday when it would end at midnight

The proposed fare is to be the same as HRT charges for its other buses, currently $1.50

Evaluation will occur every 6 months in initial year and

adjustments will be made in hours and frequency

Proposed Ghent Net Route

Downtown Service

The Tide will provide a fixed service on Monticello

It is probably a given that all forms of transportation in the future will require a user fee

We are working out a system that would allow for limited combined fee uses for parking and the Tide

The NET currently is subsidized by parking and borne by the parking customers; its continuation has implications as to impact on future parking rates

Downtown Service

No answer is perfect or can meet everyone’s needs or perspective

Attributes for the future include: Ample structured affordable parking within downtown A downtown that is condense and easily “walk able” Transportation connections that are rationale and accessible Transportation connections that tie downtown to the adjacent

neighborhoods of Church Street, St. Paul’s Quadrant, and Ghent

We have a map handout that depicts bus routes in and around downtown to assist your full understanding of services

Questions

In anticipation I asked Cathy Coleman to help with any questions so we might be responsive in our presented materials, the following attempts to respond to those questions

Connectivity

Questions Can Granby Street remain a part of the route? How to connect to Dominion Tower and Sheraton? Frequency of service? Can we improve the reliability of the NET?

Answers With fixed transit planned for Monticello we do not support

duplicative routes on Granby The civic center station would be the closest LRT stop and on

Waterside Drive there is a bus stop for routes 6, 8, 45, 960 and 961

The Tide will have much lower headways and will be more reliable than a vehicle moving thru traffic

Connectivity

Questions What feeder buses link to EVMC station, Wood Street and

Church Street? Can we have a map of the routes, showing LRT, NET as

proposed and feeder bus routes

Answers We have a hand out for all the planned HRT routes

Other

Questions Is there a “free fare zone” planned for downtown? Is it proposed that the Net and LRT share the same hours? If so how

are connections made? How will outlying parking lots make the transition to the downtown area?

Answers Transportation requires subsidy and user fees; we do not anticipate a

“free fare zone” We are working on a plan for combined fees for parking and the Tide All of the system is planned to operate with similar hours and

connectibility We have 3 outlying lots: Cedar Grove with 1 client; Harrison Opera

House and Harbor Park; we intend to work with each on an outcome that works for each of us