HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet 10-15-18 Work SessionOctober 15, 2018, Work Session
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA
October 15, 2018
5:30 p.m. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97401
Meeting of October 15, 2018;
Her Honor Mayor Lucy Vinis Presiding
Councilors Mike Clark, President Betty Taylor, Vice President Greg Evans Chris Pryor Emily Semple Claire Syrett Jennifer Yeh Alan Zelenka
5:30 p.m. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue
1. WORK SESSION: Modifications to the Transportation System Development
Charge Methodology
2. WORK SESSION: Transit Tomorrow
October 15, 2018, Work Session
The Eugene City Council welcomes your interest in these agenda items. This meeting location is wheelchair-accessible. For the hearing impaired, an interpreter can be provided with 48 hours' notice prior to the meeting. Spanish-language interpretation will also be provided with 48 hours' notice. To arrange for these services, contact the receptionist at 541-682-5010. City Council meetings are telecast live on Metro Television, Comcast channel 21, and rebroadcast later in the week. El consejo de la Ciudad de Eugene agradece su interés en estos asuntos de la agenda. El lugar de la reunión tiene acceso para sillas de ruedas. Se puede proveer a un intérprete para las personas con discapacidad auditiva si avisa con 48 horas de anticipación. También se puede proveer interpretación para español si avisa con 48 horas de anticipación. Para reservar estos servicios llame al 541-682-5010. Las reuniones del consejo de la ciudad se transmiten en vivo por Metro Television, Canal 21 de Comcast y son retransmitidas durante la semana.
For more information, contact the Council Coordinator at 541-682-5010, or visit us online at www.eugene-or.gov.
October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 1
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Work Session: Modifications to the Transportation System Development Charge Methodology Meeting Date: October 15, 2018 Agenda Item Number: 1 Department: Public Works Engineering Staff Contact: Dan Kaler
www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5216
ISSUE STATEMENT The City Council is being requested to direct the City Manager to amend the modifications to the transportation system development charge methodology in response to the comments received at the public hearing and to the concerns raised by the City Council. The amendments include phasing in the rate increase over two years, increasing the accessory dwelling unit reduction from 50 percent to 100 percent, and setting an annual financial limit for the proposed incentives.
BACKGROUND System development charges are intended to provide an equitable means of funding capital improvements that provide capacity in infrastructure systems needed to serve growth. SDCs are collected by the City of Eugene to fund capital projects in four primary infrastructure systems: wastewater (both local and regional), stormwater, parks, and transportation. SDCs must be
expended on capital projects related to the system for which they are collected. Examples of the types of transportation projects funded in part by TSDCs include pavement preservation on arterial and collector streets, traffic signal/intersection improvements, and off-street bike paths.
Two forms of SDCs, improvement and reimbursement fees, recognize that capacity to meet the needs of
growth is provided in two forms—new capacity-increasing capital improvements, and reimbursement
for extra capacity built in the past in systems and paid for by the general community. Improvement fee
SDCs may be spent only on capacity-increasing projects. Reimbursement fees may also be spent on
rehabilitation projects. The City has a combination of both reimbursement and improvement fee
elements in each system’s SDC.
Public Hearing The City Council held a public hearing on the proposed TSDC methodology on June 18, 2018. There were three entities that provided public comment: a) Chamber of Commerce, b) Home Builders Association, and c) a private home builder. The Chamber of Commerce expressed concerns with the higher costs to the building industry and suggested a phased approach for the proposed TSDC increase. Additionally, the Chamber of Commerce supported a 100 percent reduction for Accessory Dwelling Units. The Home Builders Association expressed caution in approving transportation plans prior to knowing the financial consequences and it was suggested
October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 1
that the City determine which projects should remain on the TSDC Project List without increasing the current TSDC trip rate. The comment from the private home builder stressed that an increased TSDC will make it more difficult to provide affordable housing.
Transportation System Plan Funding The Eugene 2035 Transportation System Plan identified a new set of capital improvements focused on increasing transportation choices, improving safety for all street users, providing for more reliable transit on key corridors, and reducing reliance on the automobile by better accommodating and encouraging travel by foot and bike for short trips. The proposed cost for the TSP projects was estimated to be $634 million which would be funded through the City of Eugene, LTD, ODOT and developer contributions. The cost estimates in the TSP are in 2014 dollars. To address the requirements of ORS 223.309 the Transportation System Development Charge Project Plan was prepared and includes a list of the transportation capital improvements that add capacity to the transportation system and that the City intends to fund, in whole or in part, with revenues from TSDC improvement fees. The total cost of the projects in the TSDC project plan is $342 million. Of this amount, $114 million or 33 percent would be funded by TSDCs improvement fees. The remaining funding would come from a variety of sources including state and federal grants, developer contributions and assessments. The cost estimates in the TSDC Project Plan are in 2014 dollars. The proposed trip rate of $3,272 is in 2018 dollars and was calculated by indexing the 2014 cost estimates with the Engineering News Record Construction Cost Index.
Proposed Amendments to the Modifications to the TSDC Methodology Following are three amendments to the modifications to the TSDC methodology to respond to comments received at the public hearing and to concerns raised by the City Council. Implementing the increase in the rate in two steps with one year separating the steps would lessen the impact of the rate increase and have minimal impact on the long funding of the TSDC project list. While uncommon, this approach has been used by other cities when the rate increase was significant. Ashland has in the past used a phased rate increase and is currently considering a phased rate increase in its update of its transportation SDC methodology. The current proposal is to reduce the TSDC for accessory dwelling units by 50 percent. The Chamber of Commerce Local Government Affairs Committee recommended a 100 percent reduction for ADUs. When the TSDC methodology was presented to the Planning Commission a majority of commissioners supported a 100 percent reduction for ADUs. The analysis by Planning Division staff as part of Envision Eugene estimated the development of four ADUs annually over the next twenty years. Increasing the reduction from 50 percent to 100 percent would have minimal impact on the long term funding needed for the implementation of the TSDC project list. The impact of the proposed location-based, transit proximity, and transportation demand management incentives can be estimated by analyzing past building permit activity. However, this would require reviewing each building permit over the course of a year to determine the type and location of each development and making assumptions on the level of participation in incentives
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by each development. Alternatively an annual financial cap may be set for the proposed incentives. For ADUs an annual cap of $20,000 would allow approximately 10 ADUs to receive the 100 percent reduction. An annual cap of $130,000 for location-based, transit proximity, and transportation demand management incentives combined with the annual cap of $20,000 for ADUs would be less than 3 percent of the annual estimated TSDC revenue. The amount of the financial caps could be indexed annually to the Engineering News Record Construction Cost Index.
RELATED CITY POLICIES Growth Management Policy 14, adopted by Resolution No. 4554, is directly related to implementation and modification of SDCs. The policy provides: Development shall be required to
pay the full cost of extending infrastructure and services, except that the City will examine ways to
subsidize the costs of providing infrastructure or offer other incentives that support higher-density,
in-fill, mixed-use, and redevelopment. Envision Eugene Pillars – Promote compact urban development and efficient transportation options. Transportation System Plan – Goal 1 – Create an integrated transportation system that is safe and efficient; supports the Metro Plan’s land use diagram; Envision Eugene, a community vision for 2032 (2012), the City of Eugene’s target for a 50 percent reduction in fossil fuel consumption; and other City land use and economic development goals; reduces the reliance on single-occupancy automobiles; and enhances community livability.
COUNCIL OPTIONS The City Council may: 1. Direct the City Manager to amend the modifications of TSDC methodology and schedule action by the City Council at a future council meeting. 2. Accept the modifications of the TSDC methodology as presented during the public hearing and schedule action at a future council meeting. 3. Defer any action on the modifications of the TSDC methodology.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION The City Manager recommends that the City Council direct the City Manager to amend the modifications to the transportation system development charge methodology in response to the comments received at the public hearing and the concerns raised by the City Council. The amendments include phasing in the rate increase over two years, increasing the accessory dwelling unit reduction from 50 percent to 100 percent, and setting an annual financial cap for the proposed incentives
October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 1
SUGGESTED MOTION Move to direct the City Manager to amend the modifications to the transportation system development charge (TSDC) methodology in response to the comments received at the public hearing and the concerns raised by the City Council and to schedule action on the TSDC methodology for a future council meeting.
ATTACHMENTS None.
FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Dan Kaler, Engineering Data Services Manager Telephone: 541-682-5216 Staff E-mail: dkaler@eugene-or.gov
October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 2
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Work Session: Transit Tomorrow Meeting Date: October 15, 2018 Agenda Item Number: 2 Department: Public Works Staff Contact: Rob Inerfeld
www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5343
ISSUE STATEMENT Through a process called Transit Tomorrow, Lane Transit District is taking a comprehensive look at its services and especially its network of bus routes. The result of this effort will be a change to LTD’s bus routes and potentially also how it subsidizes passes for youth and low-income people. LTD intends to repeat this effort every three years moving forward. LTD staff will provide an overview of the process including what has been learned so far and what to expect in the future.
BACKGROUND In order for LTD to better serve the communities in its service area, the LTD board decided to embark on a process called Transit Tomorrow. This process will help the board determine how to allocate an approximately eight percent increase in its budget that is provided by the new payroll tax on employees that was created by the state legislature’s passage of HB 2017. The LTD board will need to decide how it wants to allocate the new revenue between new bus service and subsidized transit passes for low-income residents and youth. LTD hired the consulting firm Jarrett Walker and Associates to lead the Transit Tomorrow effort. Jarrett Walker has extensive international experience with helping transit agencies optimize their bus service to meet community needs and make decisions on the policies that affect how the service is provided. With participation from regional staff including City of Eugene and LTD staff, Jarrett Walker and Associates has developed four scenarios that reflect an emphasis on ridership or coverage and how much of the new LTD revenue will be put towards increasing bus service or fare reduction programs. These scenarios are being refined and analyzed and will be shared with the community in early 2019. A graphic illustrating the tradeoffs among the four scenarios is provided as an attachment. To date, there has been extensive community engagement as well as technical analysis. The results of the technical analysis are provided in the Existing Conditions and Choices Report of which an executive summary is provided as an attachment. The full report can be found at www.ltd.org/transit-tomorrow.
October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 2
Community engagement has been scheduled at key points in the process which is expected to be completed with LTD board decision making in June, 2019. A graphic summarizing the overall Transit Tomorrow process is provided as an attachment. Community engagement first took place in the initial phase of the project to establish community priorities. Key questions being asked through Transit Tomorrow’s community engagement:
• How should we balance investment in high ridership and extensive coverage?
• How should we balance walking and waiting for transit?
• Does LTD’s network need small adjustments or a major overhaul? The community will next be engaged in reviewing the scenarios for transit improvement currently being developed. That review is scheduled to start in early 2019. Results of the community engagement to date, including results of the online survey, will be presented to the City Council. Enhancing public transportation in Eugene supports City plans and policies including Envision Eugene, the Eugene 2035 Transportation System Plan and the City’s Climate Recovery Ordinance. Envision Eugene identifies frequent transit corridors that will have 15-minute service and support adjacent compact development. The Eugene 2035 TSP has a goal of tripling the percentage of trips made on foot, by bicycle and by transit by 2035.
RELATED CITY POLICIES Eugene 2035 Transportation System Plan Ordinance No. 20567: Climate Recovery
COUNCIL OPTIONS Not applicable.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION Not applicable.
SUGGESTED MOTION None.
ATTACHMENTS A. Existing Conditions and Choices Report B. Transit Tomorrow Scenarios C. Transit Tomorrow Process
October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 2
FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Rob Inerfeld Telephone: 541-682-5343 Staff E-Mail: rinerfeld@eugene-or.gov
Lane Transit District
Transit Tomorrow
Existing Conditions and Choices Report
June 2018
Attachment A
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Table of Contents
1 Introduction and Summary ...............................................................................4
Transit Tomorrow is a review of LTD’s services, their performance, and the values they reflect. .................................5
LTD ’s existing transit network (May 2017). ....................................................................................................................6
Where does transit fit in our region’s transportation system? ......................................................................................7
How do LTD’s services perform?...................................................................................................................................8
How much access to opportunity does LTD’s existing network provide? ....................................................................9
Transit Tomorrow will examine what future LTD service could and should look like. ...................................................10
Community input is critical in making the decisions on LTD’s future service. ..............................................................11
2 How Transit Works ...........................................................................................12
Transit can serve many purposes; which purposes it should serve depends on your values. ......................................13
High ridership depends on making transit service useful and liberating. ....................................................................14
But ridership isn’t just about service. High ridership also depends on the built environment. ....................................16
Examples from Eugene/Springfield: Density and Walkability ......................................................................................17
Examples from Eugene/Springfield: Linearity ..............................................................................................................18
Examples from Eugene/Springfield: Proximity / Continuity .........................................................................................19
Transit geometry outside the metro area: it’s about coverage. ...................................................................................20
3 Market and Needs Assessment ........................................................................21
Indicators of Demand: Residential Density ...................................................................................................................22
Indicators of Demand: Employment Density ................................................................................................................23
Indicators of Demand: Activity Density ........................................................................................................................24
Indicators of Demand: Walkability ................................................................................................................................25
Indicators of Need: Zero-vehicle Households ..............................................................................................................26
Indicators of Need: Low-Income Households ..............................................................................................................27
Indicators of Need: Seniors ..........................................................................................................................................28
Civil Rights: Racial and Ethnic Minorities ......................................................................................................................29
4 The Fixed-Route Network ................................................................................30
The Fixed-Route Network is the core of LTD’s services. ...............................................................................................31
Most people can access bus service within a short walk, but few have access to frequent service. ............................33
In some areas, two parallel routes go different places. This limits the frequency of both routes. ...............................34
The usefulness of the network depends a lot on your location. ...................................................................................35
Ridership responds strongly to frequency. ...................................................................................................................36
Ridership is much lower on evenings and weekends, when service levels are much lower. .........................................37
The network is based around timed connections between buses, mostly at Eugene Station .....................................43
Timed connections are very useful, but their value depends on whether a trip starts at the right time. .....................44
LTD has a long-term policy to expand frequent service. ..............................................................................................45
The frequent service policy is related to land use and investments in infrastructure. ..................................................46
Frequent service doesn’t require timed connections. ..................................................................................................47
LTD ridership has declined since 2011. Some routes are more affected than others. ..................................................48
The amount of bus service LTD provides is vulnerable to increases in costs and swings in the economy. ..................49
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Table of Contents
5 Demand-Responsive Services ...........................................................................50
The RideSource brokerage serves a range of ADA paratransit, medical and human service trips. .............................51
LTD provides fewer ADA paratransit trips, and more medical trips than similar agencies. ..........................................52
Most trips facilitated by LTD RideSource are paid for by Medicaid and human service funds. ...................................53
Providing reimbursed health care trips saves LTD money and protects the fixed-route network. ..............................54
RideSource handles a mix of complex billing requirements, simplifying the user experience. ....................................55
The public would benefit from expanded web information on available services. ......................................................56
6 Travel Options (Point2point) .............................................................................57
Point2point has built an array of outreach programs addressing travel options. .........................................................58
Point2point can increase its reach by embracing more new technology tools. ...........................................................59
7 Key Choices ......................................................................................................60
How should we balance high ridership and extensive coverage? ................................................................................61
How should we balance walking and waiting? ..............................................................................................................62
Does LTD’s network need small adjustments, or a major overhaul? .............................................................................63
Appendix A- LTD Fixed Route Atlas
Appendix B - Title VI Baseline
Appendix C - RideSource Technical Assessment
October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 2
JARRETT WALKER + ASSOCIATES | 4Existing Conditions and Choices ReportLane Transit District
1 Introduction and Summary
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What is Lane Transit District?
Lane Transit District (LTD) is the public transportation provider in the
Eugene/Springfield metropolitan area and surrounding communi-
ties. LTD’s district includes Eugene and Springfield, as well as Veneta,
Junction City, Coburg, Lowell, Creswell, Cottage Grove, and the
McKenzie River Highway corridor. LTD’s transportation services include:
• Fixed-route transit. This includes all LTD bus routes, such as EmX,
other metro area routes, and commuter routes to small towns and
rural communities. These services are open to the general public.
Anyone can ride.
• Demand-response (RideSource). This includes paratransit for
persons with disabilities, non-emergency medical trips, and trans-
portation for human services agencies. Only passengers meeting
eligibility requirements (e.g. disability, Medicaid etc.) may ride.
• Vanpools. This is a specialized program for interested groups of
commuters who work relatively far from home, near each other, and
on similar schedules. LTD helps pay for a share of the rental and fuel
costs of a shared van. Members of the group use the van to get to
and from work.
LTD also serves as a source of public information on transportation
through the Point2point regional travel options program. Point2point
helps individuals and business understand the alternatives to driving
alone. This includes transit, but also walking, cycling, and vehicle sharing.
Fixed-route buses are the largest component of LTD’s service; they
account almost 95% of LTD ridership.
Transit Tomorrow is a review of LTD’s services, their performance, and the values they reflect.
Junction
City
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Veneta Eugene
Springfield
Lowell
Creswell
Cottage
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McKenzie
Bridge
0 5 10 mi
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LTD SERVICE AREA
LTD District area
N
Figure 1: LTD district boundaries. The district extends beyond the metro area to cover
significant portions of Lane County.
Figure 2: Organization of LTD services. LTD directly operates all fixed routes within the
district, but contracts out demand-response service through the RideSource program. The
Point2point program administers Valley Vanpool, in addition to coordinating efforts to inform
the public of available non-driving travel options.October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 2
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Figure 3: LTD bus network in the
Eugene/Springfield metro area.
This includes EmX (in green),
other lines that travel within
the urbanized area (Routes 1 to
85), and connections to nearby
communities (Routes 91 to 98).
Ltd’s existing transit network (may 2018).
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291 000
242 000
37 400
1 100
1 900 160
0
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100 000
150 000
200 000
250 000
LTD District
Population
Metro Area
Population
Daily Boardings
Urban Routes
Daily Boardings
Rural Routes
Daily Rides
RideSource
Daily Rides
Vanpool
Where does transit fit in our region’s transportation system?
Transit Tomorrow and our mobility
In the right conditions, transit can do two things:
• Extend how far people can go on foot, or on a bicycle, providing
some of the benefits of access to a private vehicle.
• Replace driving trips in times and places where driving a car is incon-
venient or too expensive.
But transit can’t meet every transportation need at all times. Walking and
biking will be more useful for many shorter trips. Longer, very urgent, or
more isolated trips may always require a car.
Transit Tomorrow will focus on how to improve mobility in our
region, focusing on transit specifically. But the goal isn’t to create
a bus system that competes with every other mode at all times.
Rather, we are seeking to understand the best way to use buses to
get the outcomes most valued by the community.
Why focus on transit?
Transit can’t serve every trip, but it has many personal and community
benefits, such as:
• Transit is very inexpensive. LTD’s day pass costs $3.50. According
to AAA, it costs about $15 per day to own a car. Transit can help
improve individuals’ economic freedom by reducing the amount of
money they spend on transportation.
• Transit can move many people. The average LTD bus carries 45
passengers per hour, and operates 12 to 16 hours per day. Most cars
carry one or two people, and sit parked most hours of the day.
• Transit requires very little space. A typical sedan requires 70
square feet of road space for a single person. A typical bus carries
ten to 60 people on 400 square feet of road space. That’s up to ten
times less road space per person!
• Transit requires less fuel, and produces fewer emissions than
driving alone. A diesel bus gets 4 to 8 miles per gallon. That means
it only takes 5 passengers on board to make a bus more fuel effi-
cient than most cars.
• Transit is available to everyone. Not everyone can drive or cycle
for their travel needs, and not everyone wants to. Transit allows all
individuals the freedom not to rely on a personal vehicle, and not to
depend on friends and family for transportation.
Figure 4: Different transportation modes are useful for different types of trips. When conditions are
right, transit can extend the reach of biking or walking trips, or replace driving.
Figure 5: A sense of scale. Nearly 300,000 people live in LTD’s service district; transit receives about
40,000 boardings per weekday. The vast majority of boardings are on buses in the metro area.October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 2
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How do LTD’s services perform?
Key Findings
The following is a selection of the most important findings of this
Choices Report:
• Most people can access an LTD bus route within a short walk,
but few have access to frequent service. As a result, public transit
is not a viable transit option for many people, even though it reaches
nearly everyone in the Eugene/Springfield metro area within a
half-mile.
• The usefulness of LTD’s transit network depends a lot on your
location. People who live or work near more frequent services can
use transit to reach far more places in the same amount of time than
people elsewhere. Because of its frequency and speed, the EmX
provides more benefit than any other LTD bus route. When transit is
more useful to reach places quickly, it is a more viable alternative to
driving.
• Ridership responds strongly to frequency. Transit’s usefulness is
strongly correlated to how often the bus comes. LTD’s more fre-
quent routes attract more riders per hour of service than routes
that operate every 30 minutes or less often. And system ridership
is much lower in the evenings and weekends, when most routes
operate only every 60 minutes, and some routes don’t operate at all.
• Most of LTD’s network is centered around timed connections
that take place every 30 minutes at Eugene Station. This timed
connection provides significant benefit to riders on less frequent
routes, allowing them to travel across town without long waits for
a transfer. But it doesn’t fix the long wait at the bus stop (or knowl-
edge of the schedule) required in the first place.
• Quality of service on LTD’s more frequent routes is negatively
impacted by the desire to make timed connections. Frequent
routes are useful in part because riders know they can show up
anytime, and the bus will come shortly. Requiring frequent routes
to make timed connections requires scheduling uneven waits or
holding buses for several minutes at transfer locations. Added time
waiting at a bus stop (or while a bus holds) makes frequent transit a
less viable alternative to driving than it otherwise might be.
• LTD has made significant investments in infrastructure on
selected corridors. These investments support frequent
service, and improve the pedestrian and cycling environment.
Development of EmX and its Gateway and West Eugene extensions
served as the catalyst for improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities
How do we measure LTD’s performance?
Many different measures provide insights into the effectiveness and effi-
ciency of LTD’s services. But LTD’s performance as a transit agency isn’t
just a function of its services. Factors outside the agency’s control also
have a direct bearing on the likely performance of any public transit.
Transit Tomorrow starts with this Choices Report, which examines how
LTD is performing through a comprehensive lens. In this report:
• Chapter 2: How Transit Works explains what makes transit service
valuable, and how land use, neighborhood design and street design
contribute to how useful a bus network can be.
• Chapter 3: Market and Needs Assessment describes how
the location of population, jobs, and universities in the Eugene/
Springfield area influence the demand for transit service.
• Chapter 4: The Fixed-Route Network is a detailed look at LTD’s
existing network. This includes facts, analysis and discussion on
topics like the following:
»How LTD’s bus routes combine to form a network, and the ways in
which different routes complement and conflict each other.
»How well the existing network does (or doesn’t) facilitate access to
jobs and opportunity.
»The relationship between ridership and service levels and how
that has changed over time.
»How ongoing changes in revenues and service costs are influenc-
ing the amount and types of service LTD can provide.
• Chapter 5: Demand Responsive Services describes how LTD’s
unique RideSource model combines ADA-required paratransit with
medical and human services transportation, and how that is benefi-
cial to riders, to the agency and to the general public.
• Chapter 6: Travel Options (Point2point) describes LTD’s regional
travel options program, how its activities interact with transit and the
overall transportation system, and opportunities to further increase
its reach.
near transit stops. This is also reflected in the ongoing MovingAhead
and Main/McVay studies defining the types of infrastructure that
would best support frequent transit service in other corridors.
• The university of Oregon is the largest single source of transit
ridership in the region. At least 17% of all LTD weekday trips start
or end within one block of UO. The vast majority of these (74%) take
place on EmX.
• Ridership on most LTD routes is down 20% since 2011, but
ridership on EmX is up 35%. Ridership losses have been especially
significant (-50%) on the 70- and 80-series routes that are specifically
geared to providing service to UO and LCC.
• The amount of service LTD provides is vulnerable to increas-
ing costs and swings in the economy. Most of LTD’s revenue
comes from a local payroll tax; this is significantly and immediately
impacted during recessions. Furthermore, the cost of providing
service has increased much faster than inflation in recent years.
• LTD’s RideSource program provides both all-purpose ADA
paratransit and externally funded non-emergency medical
transportation. This reduces the amount of local public funds
required for paratransit, while increasing the total amount
of transportation provided to special-needs populations. The
whole community benefits, as funds that would otherwise be neces-
sary for paratransit are instead available for fixed route service that is
available to the general public. In many other communities, a signifi-
cant portion of trips taken on paratransit are medical in nature, but
are paid for by the transit agency’s general funds.
• The Point2point travel options program leverages LTD’s invest-
ments in service and infrastructure, by ensuring that more
people are aware of the different travel options available to
them. Point2point’s emphasis extends beyond transit to cover
events and information campaigns that promote walking, cycling,
carpooling and vanpools.
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How much access to opportunity does Ltd’s existing network provide?
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2018/06/19JARRETT WALKER + ASSOCIATES
1 - 5,000
5,001 - 20,000
20,001 - 35,000
35,001 - 50,000
over 50,000
Sources: LTD October 2017 GTFS, LEHD 2015
At 12 pm, how many jobs can be
accessed in 45 minutes across the
LTD service area?
Job Access
Eugene & Springfield
N
0 1 2 3 mi
Figure 6: Number of jobs that
can be reached from any location
in the Eugene/Springfield
metro area within 45 minutes
by transit and walking at 12 PM
(noon) on a weekday. High job
access is an indicator that the
transit network is providing
access to many opportunities,
including shopping, education
and socializing. On this map,
darker shades of purple tend
to indicate a combination of
nearby employment, and access
to higher-frequency transit. EmX
provides the most job access,
but other higher-frequency
routes also provide significant
benefits, such as Routes 66/67
on Coburg Road and Routes
51/52 on River Road.
October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 2
JARRETT WALKER + ASSOCIATES
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| 10Existing Conditions and Choices ReportLane Transit District
What choices does the system reflect?
Transit Tomorrow is a unique opportunity to rethink the purpose of LTD’s
transit system, and how it relates to other ways of getting around such as
walking, cycling and driving.
The amount and types of transit service available today reflect not
only technical decisions, but also value judgements about what LTD
should and should not provide.
For example, a quick look at the network map in Figure 3 (see page 6)
shows that the existing bus network provides some level of service within
a half-mile of nearly all developed areas in Eugene and Springfield. As
shown in Figure 7, over 90% of the metro area’s residents live within a
half-mile of a bus stop.
This is not necessarily a given: there are benefits and costs to decid-
ing to serve the entire metro area. On the one hand, it ensures that
nearly everyone is at least near a lifeline service to Downtown Eugene
or Springfield. On the other hand, it means finding ways to operate in
neighborhoods that were never designed with transit service in mind.
Transit Tomorrow will re-examine some of these choices. We’ve summa-
rized the most important trade-offs in this Choices Report, as Chapter 7:
Key Choices, asking you to consider some of the choices LTD is facing:
»How should we balance high ridership and extensive cover-
age? Is it more important to provide frequent service for long
hours in places that will attract the most riders, or to get a little bit
of service as close as possible to every possible place?
»How should we balance walking and waiting? Is it more impor-
tant to have a bus stop very nearby, or to know that if you walk a
little farther the bus will come sooner and move more quickly?
»Does LTD’s network need small adjustments, or a major over-
haul? Is it more important to make small improvements to the
system we already have, or does it need to be redesigned com-
pletely from a blank slate?
None of these questions have “correct” answers: there are valid
reasons to go either way, or to fall anywhere in between the two
extremes.
Figure 7: Percentage of the Eugene/Springfield metro within a half-mile of an
LTD bus route. The network is designed to get some service within a half-
mile of almost everyone. As a result, the percentage of the population near
frequent service (in red) isn’t very high. This isn’t the only possible choice: if
LTD served fewer places, more of its routes could run every 10 to 15 minutes.
What is more valuable?
Transit Tomorrow will examine what future LTD service could and should look like.
Ridership vs. Coverage
The most basic choice is the degree to which the transit system should
be pursuing ridership or coverage. Pursuing high ridership or high cover-
age leads to substantially different outcomes.
Pursuing high ridership means focusing service on places where many
people go, and designing service so the bus is always coming soon.
Service focused primarily on ridership:
•Expands the range of trips for which transit is a viable option.
•Limits the amount of car traffic, congestion and pollution.
•Reduces the amount of public subsidy required for transit.
Pursuing high coverage means reaching as many places as possible with
a basic level of service. Service focused primarily on coverage:
•Ensures every neighborhood has access to the transit system.
•Provides lifeline access to critical services for all.
•Doesn’t provide a viable transportation option for most people.
LTD can pursue high ridership and extensive coverage within the
same budget, but not with the same dollar. The more it does of
one, the less it does of the other.
Walking vs. Waiting
Another way to think about the question of ridership and coverage is to
think specifically about how far a person should have to walk to reach a
bus stop, and how long they should have to wait, on average, before the
next bus comes.
Walking and waiting are important to consider on their own, because
both of these activities add time and inconvenience to any transit trip,
and different people have a wide variety of preferences regarding each.
A transit system designed to minimize how far people walk requires
many routes near each other. This means most routes will be infrequent.
Conversely, a transit system designed to minimize waits requires high
frequencies. In that case, many people need to walk longer distances to
reach service.
Adjustments vs. Overhaul
As a general rule, the more a transit system changes, the more disrup-
tion it produces in existing riders’ lives. On the other hand, a bigger
change can make it possible to achieve much greater benefits for the
community as a whole.
To date, LTD customers have experiences seasonal adjustments to routes
and schedules, three times per year. Some of these changes, like the
route changes and frequency improvements associated with EmX exten-
sions, have been larger than others.
Transit Tomorrow is an opportunity to consider whether the com-
munity would generally prefer LTD to make improvements to the
network in its current form, or to rethink the network from the
ground up.
October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 2
JARRETT WALKER + ASSOCIATES
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| 11Existing Conditions and Choices ReportLane Transit District
Community input is critical in making the decisions on LTD’s future service.
What is the public input process?
Transit Tomorrow will combine technical analysis and broad-based com-
munity input to develop a public transit network for the future. Along the
way, we’ll take the following steps:
•June 2018: Choices Report. This report provides facts and analysis
about the existing network, and describes the general choices and
trade-offs that LTD will need to weigh in designing future service.
•July - August 2018: Public Input on Values and Priorities. LTD will
be presenting key information online and at community events, and
seeking public feedback through a variety of channels, including:
»Meeting the public at community events, and holding dedicated
listening sessions.
»Online open house seeking public feedback: http://openhouse.jla.
us.com/transit-tomorrow
»Project web page: www.ltd.org/transit-tomorrow
»Project e-mail address: transit-tomorrow@ltd.org
•August - December 2018: Analyze Public Input and Design
Alternatives. LTD will use public feedback to help guide the design
of up to three different alternatives for future service. Each alterna-
tive will reflect a different direction and set of priorities.
•Winter 2019: Public Review of Alternatives. LTD will ask the
public for feedback on the alternatives. Each alternative will illus-
trate the real-world consequences of applying different values to
the transit network, so that members of the public can make more
informed judgements on the type of service they’d prefer.
•Early Spring 2019: Refine Alternatives. Community input will help
LTD understand which alternative(s) should be studied further. LTD
will develop more detailed plans.
•Late Spring 2019: Board Decision. Taking into account public
feedback and the refined alternative(s), the LTD Board of Directors
will make a decision on the preferred structure of the future transit
network. Depending on community input, the future network could
be similar to what exists today, or it could be very different.
•2020: Service Changes. LTD will make regular seasonal adjustments
to service throughout this process. If the preferred version of the
future network looks very different from existing service, significant
service changes will likely come in 2020.
Figure 8: Project and community input timeline. LTD will seek public feedback in two phases. The first phase will
focus on the public’s values and priorities. This will help LTD design several alternative visions for future service. In
the second phase of input, LTD will share these alternatives, so the public can see the real-world consequences of
different priorities. Public feedback on alternatives will be critical in shaping the final LTD Board decision, leading to
possibly significant changes in the LTD transit network in 2020.
October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 2
Transit Tomorrow’s Four Scenarios
Fare
Programs
Service
Increases
CoverageRidership
Fo
c
u
s
o
f
N
e
w
I
n
v
e
s
t
m
e
n
t
s
Focus of Service
Longer walk-
Shorter Wait
Shorter walk -
Longer Wait
?
?
?
?
Four scenarios have been
developed to help make
decisions on two key
questions:
First, what is the best way to
structure the region’s transit
network –should it focus on
higher frequency with longer
walks or transit service that
is lower frequency, but
shorter walks?
Second, what priority should
be put on new revenue for
transit –should it be used to
increase service (frequency
and late night/weekend
service) or reduce the cost
of fares for people using
transit?
The green dot represents
LTD’s current position –
approximately 60% of
LTD’s service is focused on
Ridership, and 40% on
Coverage. The extensive
Group Pass Program
managed by LTD is what
puts the dot in the Fare
Programs quadrant.
Attachment B
October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 2
Project Process & Community Input
Attachment C
October 15, 2018, Work Session – Item 2