Future Transit Services - Olmsted County, Minnesota 8_ Tran… · possible modern streetcar service serving trips within the Rochester downtown area, along with greater development

Chapter 8 Transit Services

CHAPTER 8

Future Transit Services

Table of Contents

Overview / Summary

Current Planning Work Efforts ...................................................................................................................... 2

Bus Transit ..................................................................................................................................................... 7

Paratransit Service ...................................................................................................................................... 16

Future Rail Options ..................................................................................................................................... 17

Transit and Land Use Policies ...................................................................................................................... 24

Transit Service Role in Adaptation to Peak Oil Conditions ......................................................................... 25

Other High Capacity Transit Considerations ............................................................................................... 26

Long Range Consideration of Small Cities in Olmsted County .................................................................... 28

Overview / Summary This Chapter is a combination of planning work recommendations, summary of current and near term transit planning studies, and key ROCOG long range transit focus areas. ROCOG understands that upcoming and future study initiatives coming out of the Rochester Comprehensive Plan Update and the Destination Medical Center Plan development will shape this Chapter in the next 2045 Long Range Plan, if not in an earlier amendment to this 2040 Reaffirmation. In addition, this Chapter recognizes the importance of the 2010 Rochester Downtown Master Plan (RDMP) and its Mobility Plan. ROCOG and ROCOG staff are involved in these studies as well as other studies noted in this Chapter, since all of these studies contribute to long range transit planning in the Rochester and Olmsted County region.

The ROCOG area’s urban and regional transit system today is organized around urban and regional fixed route and urban demand responsive bus service. In the future it is anticipated this service will be expanded and enhanced, and possibly supplemented with a higher capacity transit service in a selected number of key corridors/subareas where high levels of future traffic congestion and travel demand are forecasted. This will likely include a Circulator type of the service serving the Rochester CBD as a component of the Rochester Destination Medical Center (DMC) initiative.

8-1 | P a g e REAFFIRMATION OF ROCOG 2040 LONG RANGE PLAN


Service considerations and new system design concepts that will need to be considered to address continued urban growth over the horizon time frame of this Plan include:

o Regular Fixed Route Expansion (lengthening outward) o Increased headways of regular route service o Cross-town routes to supplement the current Hub and Spoke network o Additional Express Routes o Expansion of regional commuter bus service o Adding multi-use permanent park n’ ride sites o Analysis of, and implementation of downtown circulator service o Close integration of surface and structured parking downtown with transit connections o Bus Stop/Station development in new or existing residential/commercial mixed use

developments

Current Planning Work Efforts

DMC Plan An economic development program proposed by the Mayo Clinic in 2012 known as the “Destination Medical Center” (DMC) promises the prospect of $3.5 billion dollars in investment by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester over the next 20-25 years, along with an anticipated $2.5 billion expected in private investment in supporting land use and activities to serve the Mayo Clinic and its patients. The Minnesota State Legislature approved legislation that would provide for up to $585 million in public investment to support the DMC initiative, contributed from the State of Minnesota, Rochester and Olmsted County. The State Legislature established a Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC), which is charged along with the city of Rochester in managing the planning and expenditure of the $585 million in public investment.

The Mayo Clinic describes the DMC as a major economic development initiative that will drive significant new job growth and tax base for future generations. The DMC will significantly increase and accelerate the demand for private development and public infrastructure in the Greater Rochester market. The target of the DMC is to grow the employment base by some 35,000 – 40,000 jobs and to double the visitation from the Mayo Clinic patients/companions, business travelers, convention/event goers and other visitors to the City, and particularly the downtown core.



As part of the tenants of the legislation, the DMCC has created an agency called the Economic Development Agency (EDA). The EDA and EDA’s consultants will work closely with the City Planning Department and City Administration to coordinate the DMC Development Plan implementation with the City’s Comprehensive Plan’s components and Regional Transportation Planning studies in general. With the advent of Rochester’s Destination Medical Center initiative passed into law, there is continued focus on future transit service to and within the greater downtown area. This includes possible modern streetcar service serving trips within the Rochester downtown area, along with greater development of park and ride service, and promotion of a “park once” system of parking sites and transit connecitons. Previously, a 2010 plan called the Rochester Downtown Master Plan (RDMP) proposed very similar initiatives. As of the Spring of 2015, a DMC Plan will have been produced by a team of national consultants and adopted by the DMCC Board and the City Council of Rochester.

Rochester Comprehensive Plan Update

Beginning in early 2014, the Consolidated Planning Department of the City of Rochester began a major update the Rochester comprehensive plan. This plan update will consist of two main elements:

1) Updating of various comprehensive plan elements with a primary focus on Future Land Use, Capital Facilities, Affordable Housing needs and options, and the management of environmental and cultural resources. Further analysis will include the ability of the city to meet future financial needs in a fiscally sustainable manner, considering the ongoing costs of existing infrastructure and services while absorbing the short and long term costs of new growth.

2) Development of a Long Term Transit Framework Plan. Examples of elements are: • Compatibility of future transit services with a Downtown/DMC District circulator. • The feasibility and service characteristics of high capacity arterial transit service to serve the

travel demand generated by the Downtown/DMC District. • The feasibility and service characteristics of high capacity arterial transit service to serve key

Activity Centers along corridors where adequate density exists or could be developed to support such service.



Figure 8-1

• Evaluate the need or extent to which fixed route bus service should transition from a Hub & Spoke to a grid network to interface with any alternative transit systems or serve increasing travel demand in lieu of other high capacity transit options.

• In general, explore Long Term Transit System alternatives to help reach the goal established in the Rochester Downtown Master Plan that calls for reducing the share of downtown travel demand by Single Occupant Vehicle travel from a current level of 70-75% to 50% over 25 years.

The plan’s work schedule is shown in Figure 8-1.

The rationale for an aggressive mode share split goal of 50% single occupant vehicle travel into downtown (rather than 70%) is that the significant downtown growth anticipated under the RDMP and DMC initiatives will, if travel mode shares remain unchanged, necessitate the need for significant investment in terms of land in non-productive parking facilities.

In addition, this future traffic will significantly increase congestion on downtown streets, impacting not only motorists but leading to a significant impact on the pedestrian environment in downtown Rochester.

Transit Development Plan The objective of this Rochester Public Transit lead consultant study is to develop an updated Rochester Transit Development Plan. The study will begin in the Spring of 2015. It will include a variety of evaluation and recommendations of program goals and objectives, operations/service design, capital improvements, funding, management structure, marketing, and related policy issues. The study will address internal and external factors influencing the use of public transit, including parking supply and policy, fares, schedules, route design, amenities, marketing, land use, etc. The plan shall include a 5 year short range element and a longer 10 year element.



Figure 8-2

Southeast Minnesota Travel Study In January, 2015 MnDOT contracted with a national consulting firm to conduct a Travel Behavior Study in Southeast Minnesota. The consultant will assess travel corridors within and between the 11 counties in the MnDOT District 6 region to identify areas that should be considered for more/new transit services, vanpools, subscription buses, ridesharing, volunteer transportation, and other multimodal services. The study will look at strategies to improve travel options to major employers such as the Mayo Clinic, as well as to schools and universities. It will also look at potential new links for people traveling in the region for shopping, recreation, medical appointments, and other services. The study will also examine short-term alternatives for travel to and from the Twin Cities.

The study schedule is shown in Figure 8 – 2. It’s important to note that study coordination will occur between this Southeast Minnesota Travel Study and the Transit Framework Study component of the Rochester Comp Plan Update.



Figure 8-3

ROCOG Support of Area Implementation Studies

DMC implementation planning recommendations along with Rochester Comp Plan work will at some point need to have recommendations incorporated into a ROCOG Plan.

Depending on timing, after these planning studies are completed, and with local commitment to proceed with new transit alternatives, either the 2040 Affirmed Long Range Plan could be amended to include new information, or the new information could be included in the 2045 update. Local implementing agencies and the DMC (EDA) staff understand that projects intending to use federal funds rely on their inclusion in the ROCOG Long Range Plan.

Figure 8-3 depicts a number of planning studies now occurring that may result in planned transportation improvements that will need to show in the 2045 Plan update even if they are first amended into the 2040 Affirmed Plan.



Bus Transit

The bus transit mode is planned to be at the forefront of expanded transportation options to address future travel demand both for trips within Rochester, and for trips from Olmsted County and surrounding Counties into downtown Rochester. This overall expansion directive is consistent within several current and future transportation plans:

Rochester Downtown Mobility Study (2010) Current and previous ROCOG Long Range Plan (2010 & 2015) DMC Master Plan (2015) 2006 RPT Transit Development Plan (and is expected to carry over into the new update

completed in 2016) Rochester Comp Plan Update (2016)

By way of back ground information on current Rochester transit services, the following is taken from a recent Rochester Public Transit (RPT) document:

The City of Rochester through the Transit and Parking Division of the Public Works Department provides for the overall administration and oversight of the transit program. The Transit and Parking Division provides for the planning, policy, procurement and marketing of public transit services.

The City owns the transit equipment with day-to-day operations contracted for with two operators. The 2015 budget is $7.6 million for combined fixed route and paratransit services. The transit system served over 1.7 million passengers in 2013. (This includes over 40,000 paratransit riders.) Ridership increased by 41.7% between 2003 and 2013. The City’s population grew from 88,338 in 2003 to 108,179 in 2013, an increase of 22.5%. Historically management has emphasized program revenues, and saw a farebox return in 2013 of 34% and 21% respectively on the regular route and dial-a-ride systems.

Transit operations are funded with local, state and federal dollars. The city is a direct recipient of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 funds. The FY 2014 FTA apportionment totaled $1,964,143. The State of Minnesota requires 50% of the apportionment to be dedicated to operations. While the State formula appears generous, the State has had to limit annual increases in total expenses. Consequently, in recent years the City of Rochester has dedicated almost 100% of its annual FTA apportionment to operations.

Regular route operations are provided under contract by First Transit, Inc. The service is provided under a 54-month contract. The current contract runs through December 31, 2016. The company provides day to day operations including drivers, maintenance and garaging, dispatch, and customer contact.



Figure 8-4

The city owns a fleet of 45 buses; all are wheelchair-accessible, low-floor design. The City awarded a five-year contract for buses with Gillig Corporation in June 2014. The first seven of those buses were delivered in October 2015. The City has completed a feasibility study for the deployment of compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and is seeking capital funds to build a CNG fueling station.

ZIPS Dial-A-Ride provides ADA paratransit service. The operation is contracted at a per vehicle hour rate with R&S Transport. The current 5-year contract (2-year base, plus 3 optional extensions at City’s prerogative) was awarded in 2011. The operator provides day to day operations including drivers, maintenance and garaging, dispatching and customer contact.

Local Fixed Route Service

The current Rochester Public Transit fixed route system is shown in Figure 8 –4 along with a Transit Dependency Index as developed for the current Rochester Comp Plan work. Fixed route service covers parts of Rochester where residential land use is dense enough and commercial/job sites are strong enough to warrant service. The service is “hub and spoke” in that routes center service on the transfer point downtown. This promotes work-centered trip making since Mayo is the largest trip generator in the city.

Transit trip making will increase as the combination of households and employment increases, or in other words, the expectations from the Destination Medical Center initiative. A major focus of the Rochester Comp Plan update also is to analyze future land use scenarios where transit use is attractive as a mode choice.



Figure 8-6 Figure 8-5

Figures 8-5 and 8-6 below provide a look at the current local fixed route service demand and demand for future transit service. (Graphics are taken from DMC Plan transportation planning section). It’s important to note that future transit demand correlates with population growth and continued concentration of jobs in downtown Rochester, or as it is coming to be termed, the DMC District.

The Rochester Comprehensive Plan update will include a major element called the Transit Framework Plan. This report will contain guidance and recommendations to help to implement transit improvements for increased use of transit from Rochester neighborhoods into the downtown work, higher education, and retail/commercial center. The Comp Plan should be completed in early 2016. An early look at a couple of analyses are shown in the two maps below, Figure 8-7 and 8-8. These maps represent current employment and commercial corridors. Later in the comp planning similar corridors will be examined for each land use scenario studied, and ultimately for the final land use plan.




Express Route Service

Rochester Public Transit currently provides peak hour express route service from 5 locations. This service is in addition to regular fixed route service. There is every expectation that express service locations will expand in the future to meet demand and will likely eventually include permanent transfer hub - park & ride lots. Express peak hour service is now, and will continue to be, an attractive transit option as the urban geography continues to extend into the 5-8 miles range from the Downtown area. The principal feature of express service is that boardings/deboardings occur only at the park and ride sites, thereby greatly reducing the ride time on the bus and helps service compete with auto travel time.

Express route service tends to serve two principal rider types: the person residing in Rochester who drives/walks/bikes to the site to make the bus trip into downtown to work, and the rider residing outside of Rochester who makes a regular auto commute to the park and ride site and then buses the remaining part of the trip. Downtown parking costs or lack of availability motivate most of the express ridership.



Figure 8-11


Figures 8-9 and 8-10 give an indication of typical range of draw from Rochester residential to existing park and ride sites in Rochester. As new park and ride sites are introduced over time, increased geographic areas of Rochester will be served.

Figure 8-11 provides a conceptual look at park and ride sites with express service to downtown. The blue arrows depict travel from places outside of Rochester that normally are not small cities origins.

Because the Rochester City Lines commuter service originates at park and ride (and walk and ride) sites in small cities in SE Minnesota, it’s assumed that that sub-market is already addressed.



Figure 8-12

The Transit Development Plan update beginning in early summer of 2015 will include work to identify locations for permanent Park and Ride locations for consideration by local elected officials. This work will be coordinated with the Transit Framework study analysis being done as part of the Rochester Comp Plan update during the same time frame. Proposals to site permanent Park and Ride facilities should be using criteria including:

o Permanent hub/transfer locations should be mixed use with high density residential and commercial on or near the site.

o Ample future-oriented parking should be available for park & ride and bike & ride service.

o The primary hub and transfer location will continue to be the Downtown area. o Secondary hubs could also provide potential interface with regular fixed route service

and any potential urban or commuter rail system or Bus Rapid Transit service over time.

Figure 8-12 shows an example of a Park & Ride site with surface parking. Bike parking is included inside the building.

Regional Commuter Bus Service

The current bus commuter service from surrounding southeast Minnesota cities into Downtown Rochester has a long history with many routes now in place. Commuter bus service meets a need primarily for workers not wanting to drive into downtown Rochester daily from surrounding SE Minnesota cities. Current service is provided by a private carrier (Rochester City Lines) and is oriented toward the Rochester CBD with secondary service to the St. Marys Hospital campus. All small cities in Olmsted County are served along with many other cities outside of the county. Due to Mayo Clinic subsidy of employee rides, service is successful without public subsidy.

ROCOG supports this current service and the need for increasing service over the coming years.



Figure 8-13

Figure 8 –13 helps to illustrate why efforts like regional commuter service is vital for Rochester economic health. This graphic is taken from the Rochester Transit Framework study work underway in 2015, just one of several studies concentrating on long term transit solutions to a continued dependence on regional commuters filling jobs in Rochester, particularly jobs in the parking-challenged downtown area.

Commuter trip demand to downtown Rochester is expected to continue growing, which will require a downtown site expansion to accommodate more bus vehicles in downtown Rochester during the peak hours for boarding/deboarding. Parking/storing the buses during the day both currently and in the future will be examined during the development of Transit Components of both DMC Planning and the City of Rochester Comp Plan work. This planning work will also be coordinated with the Rochester Transit Development Plan work beginning in 2015 which will also review the current and future downtown hub, layover, and rider transferring demand for the RPT system, along with commuter bus parking.

The prediction is that ridership will grow significantly for long range commuting into Rochester. This is based on:

a) Mayo will continue to subsidize the trip cost. b) Higher future private vehicle fuel costs will drive more non-Mayo riders to the service.

The DMC initiative will produce a variety of new jobs in the downtown district; many of those will be taken by out of town commuters.

c) Future new employee parking will be limited in the CBD per the City of Rochester’s recommendations in the Downtown Master Plan and confirmed in the DMC 2015 Plan.



Figure 8-14

Single numbers are for Township only. Double numbers are for the Township and small city located therein.

Figure 8-14 helps to illustrate the commuting patterns into Rochester based on Census data. Commuters parking downtown significantly affect downtown congestion and intersection turning movements during the work peak hours. This is being addressed mainly in the DMC planning work in coordination with city planning staff.

Figure 8-15 below provides the most recent commuter current ridership estimates and future ridership projections. This information is taken from consultant work done as part of Rochester Comp Plan and DMC planning.



Figure 8-15

The US DOT considers Rochester to be included in a southern Minnesota megaregion for commuter, commercial and institutional services trip-making purposes. Local research confirms that there are trips made to/from the Rochester urban area daily of significant distance, and will continue into the future as long as there are relatively affordable fuel sources available.



Figure 8-16

Paratransit Service

Rochester, Olmsted County, and ROCOG have long supported paratransit services within the ROCOG study area. The expectation is that the future will call for increased paratransit services due to the aging of the Baby Boomers, and as current life spans continue to grow in general.

The Zumbro Independent Passenger Service (ZIPS) is the local Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complementary paratransit service for the Greater Rochester area. The service is managed by the staff of Rochester Public Transit. It offers an alternative mobility option for those who are unable to use the fixed-route system. The operation is contracted at a per vehicle hourly rate with R&S Transport of Rochester. The contracted operator provides drivers, vehicle maintenance and storage, dispatching, and customer service.

Future ZIPS Service The current ZIPS service boundaries may not necessarily need to be adjusted due to shifts in future urban/suburban residential growth patterns over the next 20-30 years. A focus of the current Rochester Comp Plan work will be land use scenario planning to find methods to contain urban growth with less sprawl over time. The current service covers the four townships of Cascade, Marion, Haverhill and Rochester (Figure 8-17). Service provided is compatible with fixed route services and will provide availability to future city residents. 8-16 | P a g e REAFFIRMATION OF ROCOG 2040 LONG RANGE PLAN


Figure 8-17

Note that all RPT fixed route buses now have wheelchair lifts, and all future ones will also. This does help to reduce some of the demand for the more expensive ZIPS services.

Future Rail Options Support of Connection to Future Midwest High Speed Rail System Support for a connection of Olmsted County to any future designated Midwest High Speed rail system carries over from the previous ROCOG Plan. The 2008 session of the Minnesota Legislature mandated that Mn/DOT prepare and submit a Comprehensive Statewide Freight and Passenger Rail Plan. This Plan was completed in February of 2010. The plan provides the guidance for rail initiatives and investments in the state and is now included in the State Transportation Plan. This rail plan is required to make state projects eligible for any possible federal funding. The Rochester connection to the Twin Cities was noted for further analysis. ROCOG supports a fast passenger rail connection to the upper Midwest main corridor that


http://www.dot.state.mn.us/planning/stateplan

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/planning/stateplan


Figure 8-18

would connect Chicago/Milwaukee to the Twin Cities. The latest proposed route map from the Midwest High Speed Rail Association is shown in Figure 8- 18. The sidebar provides further information about the Association.

Support of Zip Rail

ROCOG supports the current Tier I EIS planning process for a current free-standing Zip Rail service between the Twin Cities and Rochester. The overall study schedule is depicted in Figure 8-19. This includes work for both Tier I and Tier II planning/engineering work.

By way of background, below are some of the characteristics of an expected Zip Rail high speed service (taken from the Zip Rail web site):

The Rochester - Twin Cities Rail Corridor, or Zip Rail, is an approximately 100-mile corridor located between Rochester and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan Area. The corridor includes Olmsted, Dodge, Goodhue, Rice, Dakota, Ramsey and Hennepin counties. The rail corridor is planned to connect Rochester with existing and/or



Figure 8-19

proposed transportation facilities in Minneapolis/St. Paul and is consistent with an eventual high speed passenger rail regional connection between the Twin Cities and Chicago.

Zip Rail offers a different type of service than commuter rail or existing rail service:

• True high speed rail - speeds of up to 150-220 mph • Dedicated track - no slow downs due to freight rail competition • Time and cost competitive with air and vehicle travel • Potential for future connections to other cities and states

As a true high-speed passenger rail service, Zip Rail offers the potential of reduced public financial support once initial capital costs are covered:

• Faster speeds generate higher ridership, which equals a higher return on investment • Speeds and service times maximize ridership potential (i.e. full trains) which generates

higher ticket/operating revenues




The Tier I study is predicted to be completed by the end of calendar year 2015. The current set of alternatives for the corridor selection is shown in figures 8 –21 and 8-22.

Modern Street Cars Recent Study History: The 2010 Downtown Rochester Mobility Study, as a component of the Rochester Downtown Master Plan, had set the stage for a further high capacity transit study in the Rochester downtown, particularly in the analysis of a circulator type system. This concept was further advanced in the Draft Destination Medical Center (DMC) Master Plan issued in January, 2015. In this concept plan, circulator routes were somewhat more defined along with some level of initial support for a modern streetcar as an appropriate mode. The DMC Master Plan recommended a formal federalized planning/engineering study of such a circulator as one of the first steps in the Master Plan implementation.



At this point in time, it is recognized that neither the mode, nor the routes have yet to be defined or approved. And little work has been done to date on review of possible alternatives for a downtown circulator board/commission, or funding mechanisms. Information provided herein is for information purposes only. Both the 2010 Rochester Downtown Master Plan and the 2015 DMC Master Plan recognize a few important planning emphasis areas that are pertinent to possible modern streetcar consideration:

• Rochester Downtown (CBD) has limited “portals” for vehicle traffic in and out access. • Future parking will be primarily located around the perimeter of the Downtown, with

new parking in the heart of downtown planned mostly for Mayo patients/visitors. • Transit service from Rochester neighborhoods and commuter service into Rochester will

need to increase to meet future travel demand into Downtown. • A community policy of “park once” is forming; by parking once downtown trip-makers

will need transit (such as streetcar) to make trips to/from parking and other downtown trip generators.

• The overall outcome in planning these types of transit services would be to create options for mobility that would allow individuals to choose alternative modes for daily trips, thereby reducing their vehicular miles of travel and transportation energy costs.

• Value to the City and downtown employers would be less need for parking spaces. • The creation of more travel options should also provide individuals with the ability to

lead healthier and more active lifestyles, building on the efforts of Rochester Active Living and other community initiatives.

It should also be pointed out that past experience in U.S. cities show that there is a latent travel demand for urban rail transit that will not appear for bus transit. In other words, people will ride urban rail transit for a variety of urban trips even though bus transit service could have provided the same service.

Modern Street Car Characteristics: Street cars and trolley service have changed over the many decades since they were previously popular in this country. They are now narrower, often with 2 seats on one side and one seat on the other. The types of streetcars now being used can be categorized as: vintage, replica, and modern. One of the chief advantages of the service is the minimal loss of on street parking and driving lanes, since the rails are usually in the streets themselves, unless service is designed for dedicated transit lanes.



Streetcar service is somewhat similar to that of light-rail service, but with lower ridership capacity, and more frequent stops because they use passenger stops similar to bus transit rather than transit stations. And unlike light rail, they do not operate within their own right of way off the streets. Typical characteristics of modern street car service are: minimal construction impacts the service blends into neighborhoods service supports a walking-oriented environment can have routes that operate both on street at times, then in dedicated street lanes cars can run on single or double tracks are powered by overhead electric wires running speeds are 15 to 30mph passenger loading from sidewalks or simple platforms vehicle capacity: from 35 to 75 typical route length: 1 to 5 miles normally are single car operation

Modern street cars are most often used in a downtown-circulator type of setting. For example, modern street car trip purposes in Rochester might replace short car trips or long walking trips made by people who rode fixed route or commuter transit to work, downtown residents, UMR students & staff, hotel patrons, and people visiting Mayo Clinic who have either parked for the day, or taken a hotel/motel shuttle to the Mayo campus. In general, people from out of town and others who do not usually use transit, should be able to follow the maps of streetcar routes easily enough.

Modern Street Car & DMC Planning:

ROCOG supports and plans to have staff and Board member participation of the federalized study of a downtown circulator as one of the first implementation steps of the Destination Medical Center Corporation. ROCOG also recognizes its eventual role in approving a preferred alternative if study/planning reaches that point. An excerpt from the 2015 Draft DMC Master Plan is provided below for initial understanding of the circulator concept. Also included is a graphic of a streetcar or circulator route concept (Figure 8 -23).



Figure 8-23

CREATE A PARK-ONCE DOWNTOWN ENVIRONMENT CONNECTED BY A FREQUENT DOWNTOWN CIRCULATOR

A goal of the (DMC) plan is to create a park-once environment linked to a frequent downtown transit circulator that provides workers, residents, and visitors opportunity to park in or on the periphery of downtown and to move about without their car.

Operating frequently and over long hours, the circulator provides mobility for people who are moving about downtown and connects remote parkers to their vehicles with frequent transit that operates into the late evening hours. Development of new downtown parking ramps, peripheral parking facilities, and the downtown circulator will be phased. Early phases of the plan will focus on creating new parking supply to support increased visitation and private development.

The plan envisions phased development of the circulator with the east-west (initial phase) connecting Saint Marys Place to a redevelopment area south of the Government Center and the North-South segment (latter phase) connecting the SE terminus to Discovery Square and Central Station. Circulator project phasing would be coordinated with three large parking reservoirs developed on the west end, southeast, and north end of the transit line.

This strategy will help to eliminate the need for as many as 6,000 to 8,000 parking stalls in the downtown core, freeing land for tax-producing, developable space. Enhanced branding for the park-once system, parking wayfinding for drivers and pedestrians, and incorporation of real-time parking information are all elements of the parking system that will be added to increase efficiency and enhance the visitor experience.



Figure 8-24

Transit and Land Use Policies

Land Use policies can guide development of the urban area to build more density, both in residential and in work sites. This can make for an overall more successful transit system, and by creating cost efficiencies can allow for more service to more parts of the city. This can lead to increased fixed route transit in neighborhoods either in span of service (hours of day in

operation) or increased headways.

Land use policies will be analyzed with community leaders during the update of the Rochester Comp Plan update, and during the implementation of the DMC Plan. This will make land use planning with a transit focus an important community discussion over the next couple of year.

The blue and gold areas shown in Figure 8-24 depict land that is already committed in General Development Plans to be developed in the urban service area over the next 1-15 years. This is essentially considered the “trend scenario” based on historical growth as an early input to the

Rochester Comp Plan update.

Any future urban land use plan should be served with fixed route transit service, the ZIPS paratransit alternative service, and higher capacity transit as shown to be justified. This should be accomplished with combinations of route extensions and route modifications in order to accommodate the longer trips in from the outer areas, including expansion of express service.

Future strategies coming from the Rochester Comp Plan’s Transit Framework Study will show the importance of expanding fixed route services to newly

developing parts of the city in a coordinated fashion, so that the overall system is growing into a planned future service design. The intent is for near term and mid-term service improvements to be able to blend into long term service concepts.



Figure 8-25

Figure 8-26

Transit Oriented Development Major transit investments often support “node” economic development using Transit Oriented Development (TOD) approaches. Transit Oriented Development is characterized by a mixed-use, high density, and pedestrian friendly environment around transit stations or hubs. TODs attract and produce transit ridership through development and redevelopment, and normally have shared and reduced parking demands. In some instances, park & ride lots or parking structures are integrated into the sites to better serve transit demand. This sort of land use planning will be analyzed in the Comp Plan Update and promoted as an integral factor in transit planning work. Such work has already been introduced as part of the DMC Plan Development for the Rochester downtown area.

Figure 8-25, as an example (from “Anywhere, USA”), shows high density development radiating out along short corridors in several directions from TOD type intersections.

Transit Service Role in Adaptation to Peak Oil Conditions

All transit service planning should be developed with the understanding that permanent reductions in oil and petro-energy will greatly affect modern auto travel over time. At some point in the future, urban transit travel will rise significantly as a travel mode for routine/regular trip-making (i.e. work & school). Figure 8-26 illustrates current expert assumptions on timing of the planet’s peak oil condition.



Figure 8-27

This eventuality will affect several transit sub-markets in the ROCOG study area:

1) City of Rochester routine daily trip-making such as to work downtown 2) Retired persons trip making as energy costs become less affordable 3) Trip-making for teenagers as multiple car households shrink over time 4) Surrounding small towns making trips into Rochester for a variety of trip purposes 5) Long distance work trips from SE Minnesota into Rochester for work, school, and

medical reasons

Other High Capacity Transit Considerations

As discussed in Chapter One and earlier in this Chapter, there are several studies in mid or early phases of work that will help to lay out future transit options for Rochester, Olmsted County, and surrounding counties. Therefore, not all transit solutions can be assumed to be out of the realm of possibilities in the ROCOG planning area. Information below discusses other long range planning considerations being considered and may possibility be further explored in the next 2045 ROCOG Plan update as more prominent options or recommendations.

Since the last Long Range Plan adoption, the City of Rochester took the action of preserving right of way for a future general transportation use corridor as shown in Figure 8-27.

An example of a future use of this corridor would be for off-street transit with the principle destination of the Rochester downtown area. The type of transit could range from local route buses, BRT, or light rail. The tool used was an official map to preserve a part of a corridor north of the C & W railroad tracks. The graphic illustrates how the full corridor might look if the current railroad N-S tracks might be used for converted transit use sometime in the future.



Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Bus Rapid Transit buses have features that differ from regular line-haul fixed route buses. BRT rubber wheeled vehicles looks and feels much like a railcar. They can operate either on streets without major modifications, or in a separate busway, or can switch from one to another over the course of a route. Like a rail system, BRT service can often have permanent stations, services, and amenities. BRT vehicles are low floor design making them easy to board, and often have several doors for faster boarding / deboarding. Features generally associated with a BRT system include signal priority at intersections, queue jump lanes, and off board fare collection. Vehicles are often fueled with low emission hybrid electric or compressed natural gas.

Other features include:

- Wide seats with extra legroom for a comfortable ride. - Standing room for riders who prefer to stand for shorter trips. - Seating for 48 passengers and overall capacity up to 80 riders. - Electronic automatic stop announcements. - Wheelchair boarding at the second door, and bicycle boarding at the third door directly onto

onboard bike racks.

BRT service usually includes more station-like boarding/deboarding facilities, which can be built to accommodate several buses simultaneously. Stations are several blocks apart to consolidate passenger/bus interaction and keep overall schedules more competitive with the auto. Operation of buses is usually at closer headways than light rail train service. Land use intensity along BRT corridors needs to be considerably higher than typical urban corridors service by local bus service.


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Figure 8-28

Long Range Consideration of Small Cities in Olmsted County Currently, with the exception of Stewartville, small cities in Olmsted County have only peak hour bus commuter service to Rochester available during the work week. Stewartville provides additional transit service administered by the city with a contract provider. Over time, some level of transit planning should be directed toward the needs of non-peak service for surrounding communities. Currently, as of early 2015, there are two transit studies underway that will examine this potential need.

Two current studies are: - Southeast Minnesota Travel Behavior Study, with emphasis on transit service proposals

to meet unmet demand or offer alternative service. - Rochester Comp Plan Update that will include a Transit Framework Component that will

analyze commuter trips into Rochester, including from small cities and surrounding parts of the county into Rochester.

There may be a look at longer distance express service into the Rochester downtown in the two studies listed above, or in the update of the Rochester Transit Development Plan beginning work in mid 2015. Figure 8-28 suggests that a 15 mile range out from the Rochester Central Business District would seem reasonable as a guide for a future examination of extended express service, especially with the history of Mayo employees living outside of Rochester.

In looking further at conceptual planning for small cities, Figure 8-29 illustrates how potential small city Neighborhood Circulator/Feeder Service areas could be developed and integrated with express service at outlying transit hubs.



Figure 8-29

Circulator/Feeder Service could be studied more closely if some type of regional transit authority is proposed, or energy prices create increased transit demand, which could occur during the 30 year planning horizon of this Plan. One of the features of this type of service is that persons living in a small city could also use the circulator service to make trips within the city itself.

Current Small City Transit Status

Stewartville: Stewartville currently administers the Heartland Transit Service: a small urban dial-a-ride service under contract with a private bus company. Service is provided with one vehicle and an annual ridership of about 12,000 riders.

Commuter bus service is also provided from Stewartville to Rochester downtown by Rochester City Lines, which is a peak hour, commuter-oriented service.

Byron

Currently, commuter bus service is provided from Byron to Rochester downtown by Rochester City Lines, which is a peak hour, commuter-oriented service.

When the population of Byron reaches 5,000 the city will become eligible for operating and capital financial assistance from the Federal Transit Administration just as Stewartville is now.



Pine Island and Oronoco Pine Island, Oronoco and the future Elk Run development may have a need for local bus circulator service long term that would feed trips into a park & ride site with express service into Rochester. Pine Island will also become eligible for FTA assistance at some point in the future when its population reaches 5,000, which could happen at the point where the Elk Run residential part of its initiative begins to be built out.

Other Olmsted County Small Cities The Eyota-Dover-St. Charles corridor along with Chatfield will continue to benefit from private bus commuter service to the Rochester CBD. By joining together, some level of non-peak express service could also be feasible, though with local operating support needed.


Documents

Future Transit Services - Olmsted County, Minnesota 8_ Tran… · possible modern streetcar service serving trips within the Rochester downtown area, along with greater development