Methodology for Linking Greenways and Trails with Public Transportation in Florida

Methodology for Linking Greenways and Trails with Public Transportation in Florida Sara Hendricks, Senior Research Associate Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida CUTR Webcast, March 3, 2016 Motivation to develop transit/trails connectivity: to Enhance Livability 1

What is a Greenway? Greenway: a linear open space for recreational use for pedestrian or bicycle passage, linking parks, nature reserves, cultural features or historic sites (Charles Little 1990) The mission of the Florida Greenways and Trails System is to create a network of greenways and trails throughout Florida, connecting one end of the state to the other (FDEP 2015) Shared use paths are paved facilities physically separated from motorized vehicular traffic by an open space or barrier and either within the highway right-of-way or an independent right-ofway. (FDOT 2015) Wouldn t it be great if we could start from scratch? 2

How to prioritize locations for transit/trail improvements? Take advantage of opportunities where redevelopment funds or highway improvement funds are already planned to be used. What data is available to you? Pavement preservation program MPO construction projects MPO trails County greenways Locations of Community Redevelopment Areas Brownfield areas Urban Job Tax Credit Areas Reduced Transportation Impact Fee Areas Municipal Planning Areas How to prioritize locations for transit/trail improvements? Select locations already having highest travel activity Select the bus routes with the highest current ridership Prioritize locations along those bus routes where public trails cross streets served by public transit or that run in close proximity to a street crossing. Identify locations along public trails where count data indicate higher levels of walking and bicycling relative to other trail locations Trail segments with highest usage near points of access where bus routes cross could provide a means of prioritization. 3

How to prioritize locations for transit/trail improvements? Census tracts with home locations having higher numbers of bicyclists Census tracts with home locations having higher numbers of public transit riders Focus improvements near homes of bicyclists and transit riders Study Method Literature review Case studies Develop method for evaluating trail connectivity with public transit Demonstrate method in two Florida counties Evaluate, provide conclusions, recommendations 4

Case studies lend different methodological approaches based on different goals and data availability MetroPlan Orlando Reduce SOV mode share Close system gaps Prioritization matrix of weighted criteria WMATA Washington, D.C. Replace car travel to rail stations with bike/ped Identify needed improvements near stations Station area typology aids analysis by category H-GAC METRO Increase METRO ridership Provide on-site bike infrastructure Regression analysis to identify factors associated with bike/transit trips Oregon Metro Increase activity, access, safety, equity Develop complete bike and pedestrian networks Bicycle travel demand model and facility functional classification Links to Other Reports with Methodologies Alta Planning and Design. Oregon Metro. 2013. Regional Bicycle Network Evaluation: Technical Report for the Regional Active Transportation Plan. Portland, OR: Oregon Metro. April. http://rim.metroregion.org/webdrawer/webdrawer.dll/webdrawer/rec/296175/view/planning%20a nd%20development%20-%20regional%20tran~ion%20- %20Technical%20report%20for%20the%20Regional%20Active%20Transportation%20Pl an%20-%20april%202013.pdf Asakura Robinson Company LLC, Traffic Engineers, Inc., and Nancy R. Edmonson Transportation Consulting. 2014. METRO Bike & Ride Access & Implementation Plan. Houston: Houston-Galveston Area Council and METRO. January. http://www.h-gac.com/taq/sub_regional/docs/metro-bike-ride-study.pdf. MetroPlan Orlando. 2015. Technical Report 6: Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Final Plan for Adoption. 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan. Final Adopted Plan. Orlando, FL: MetroPlan. http://metroplanorlando.com/files/view/2040-lrtpbicycle-pedestrian.pdf. Parsons Brinckerhoff and Toole Design Group. 2010. Metrorail Bicycle & Pedestrian Access Improvements Study. Washington, D.C.: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Accessed December 19, 2015. http://planitmetro.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/metrorail-bicycle- Pedestrian-Access-Improvements-Study-_Final.pdf. 5

Recommend a method that is consistent, uniform, repeatable Enhance Livable Communities in Florida Improve transit/trail connectivity Select travel market and trip purpose of interest Use GIS analysis to identify transit/trail links that connect O/D Steps in Method to Link Trails with Public Transportation Seek community input Map trip origins and destinations Define subarea(s) Select travel market and trip purpose Identify demographic data sources Develop a typology of crossings having similar characteristics Map trail network Map transit routes and stops Conduct site observations and inventories 6

Selected Study Area Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, Florida Steps in Method to Link Trails with Public Transportation Seek community input Map trip origins and destinations Define subarea(s) Select travel market and trip purpose Identify demographic data sources Develop a typology of crossings having similar characteristics Map trail network Map transit routes and stops Conduct site observations and inventories 7

Seek Community Input Community input can provide guidance to focus upon a planning goal, travel markets of interest and trip purposes of interest. Consult the community s planning documents: LGCP, LRTP, TDP, parks and recreation master plans. Contact planners from the transit agency, local government departments of public works, transportation, land development, MPO, parks and recreation. Talk to citizens from bicycle clubs, greenways and trails organizations, citizen s advisory committees for public transit, bicycling and pedestrian facilities, and livable communities. Web sites, public surveys, public workshops, focus groups, stakeholder meetings. Steps in Method to Link Trails with Public Transportation Seek community input Map trip origins and destinations Define subarea(s) Select travel market and trip purpose Identify demographic data sources Develop a typology of crossings having similar characteristics Map trail network Map transit routes and stops Conduct site observations and inventories 8

What makes a transit/trail connection important? Select a goal for transit/trail connectivity as defined by a particular travel market and trip purpose Enable low income people to access jobs. Enable adult students to access college and trade school campuses. Enable seniors to access recreation centers. Enable car-dependent suburban areas to access shopping opportunities. 9

Steps in Method to Link Trails with Public Transportation Seek community input Map trip origins and destinations Define subarea(s) Select travel market and trip purpose Identify demographic data sources Develop a typology of crossings having similar characteristics Map trail network Map transit routes and stops Conduct site observations and inventories Map the trail network In Hillsborough County there are several existing trails. County government and MPOs play a prominent role in trail development. Data were mapped using GIS spatial analysis 10

Steps in Method to Link Trails with Public Transportation Seek community input Map trip origins and destinations Define subarea(s) Select travel market and trip purpose Identify demographic data sources Develop a typology of crossings having similar characteristics Map trail network Map transit routes and stops Conduct site observations and inventories Map transit routes 11

Map locations of transit stops near trails Hillsborough Trail Locations within 2000 feet of HART Bus Stops Trail Name Description/Limits Jurisdiction Status Length in miles Upper Tampa Bay Trail Phases I, II, III Town N Country Greenway Trail Memorial Highway/Montague St to Peterson Road Sheldon Road to south of George Road Hillsborough Existing 7.0 Hillsborough Existing 2.0 South Tampa Greenway MacDill Trail at Gadsden Park Tampa Existing 1.5 Bruce B. Downs Trail Amberly Drive to Hunters Green Blvd, parallels Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Tampa Existing 4.4 12

Steps in Method to Link Trails with Public Transportation Seek community input Map trip origins and destinations Define subarea(s) Select travel market and trip purpose Identify demographic data sources Develop a typology of crossings having similar characteristics Map trail network Map transit routes and stops Conduct site observations and inventories Identify data sources to describe location of travel market and trip destination https://edg.epa.gov/data/public/op/sld/sld_userguide.pdf Category Market Description Data Design Density Walkable neighborhoods Transit supportive areas Communities with greater intersection density are more supportive of non-motorized and public transit modes. By identifying walkable areas, investments in these areas may support increase use of public transit and nonmotorized modes. Enhancing bicycle and transit connections in areas with transit supportive population and employment densities are more likely to improve the rider and bicyclist access to goods, services and employment opportunities. EPA Smart Location Database EPA Smart Location Database Residential and Employment Density Calculations Transit service Transit service areas Locations with better transit service offer greater transit accessibility to employment and other destinations. Areas with greater service frequency and access to transit stops would enhance bicyclist access to more destinations EPA Smart Location Database Jobs Transit Accessibility Calculation 13

Steps in Method to Link Trails with Public Transportation Seek community input Map trip origins and destinations Define subarea(s) Select travel market and trip purpose Identify demographic data sources Develop a typology of crossings having similar characteristics Map trail network Map transit routes and stops Conduct site observations and inventories Map concentrations of home location of target market 14

Map concentrations of employment locations Map concentrations of home and work locations Areas between job and home locations warrant a closer look, especially if these areas contain transit service that overlaps with trails. 15

Steps in Method to Link Trails with Public Transportation Seek community input Map trip origins and destinations Define subarea(s) Select travel market and trip purpose Identify demographic data sources Develop a typology of crossings having similar characteristics Map trail network Map transit routes and stops Conduct site observations and inventories Define a subarea within which to look closer Upper Tampa Bay Trail was selected to evaluate first. Longer length On fringe of transit service area: creates transportation value of the trail Using EPA SLD, more jobs were accessible within a 45-minute transit trip Trail alignment not redundant with streets 16

Steps in Method to Link Trails with Public Transportation Seek community input Map trip origins and destinations Define subarea(s) Select travel market and trip purpose Identify demographic data sources Develop a typology of crossings having similar characteristics Map trail network Map transit routes and stops Conduct site observations and inventories Develop a typology that organizes transit/trail crossings into sets having similar characteristics Categorizing by some shared characteristics helps deal with large numbers of candidate crossings to prioritize Helps generalize operating conditions and attributes as they affect bicyclists and pedestrians Enables development of general improvement concepts We developed three types or scenarios: 1. Where a trail and a transit route intersect and connect (scenario 1) 2. Where a trail and a transit route intersect but do not connect (scenario 2) 3. Where a trail and transit route are aligned close to each other but do not intersect (scenario 3) 17

Steps in Method to Link Trails with Public Transportation Seek community input Map trip origins and destinations Define subarea(s) Select travel market and trip purpose Identify demographic data sources Develop a typology of crossings having similar characteristics Map trail network Map transit routes and stops Conduct site observations and inventories Three transit/trail crossing locations were selected for further evaluation Hillsborough County 1. HART Bus Route 39 with Upper Tampa Bay Trail at Sheldon Road 2. HARTFlex Town N Country with Upper Tampa Bay Trail at Linebaugh Avenue 3. HART Northwest Transfer Center with Upper Tampa Bay Trail at Channel Park Trailhead by W. Waters Avenue Bridge 18

Transit/Trail Crossing Inventory Tool Template is available for download Modifiable by user Can be completed in field using tablet PC Design Guidelines Resources: AASHTO. 2012. Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities. 4 th Edition. AECOM. 2011. Miami-Dade County Trail Design Guidelines and Standards: Ludlam Trail Case Study. Prepared for Miami-Dade County Park and Recreation Department. Miami, FL. June. http://www.miamidade.gov/parks masterplan/library/trail-designreport.pdf Petritsch, Theodore A. and Christopher B. Fellerhoff. 2014. Shared Use Path Roadway Intersections; Guidelines for Assigning Priority and Determining Traffic Control at Shared Use Path/Roadway Intersections, Pinellas County, FL. Lutz, FL: Sprinkle Consulting. August. http://www.pinellascounty.org/mpo/traffic%20 Studies/10_A_Trail%20Guidelines%20Report.pdf. University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center. 1999. Trail Intersection Design Guidelines. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Department of Transportation. Revised. http://atfiles.org/files/pdf/trailintersect.pdf. Florida Department of Transportation. 2016. Plans Preparation Manual. Vol.1. Chapter 8. Topic #625-000-007. Tallahassee, FL: FDOT. January 1. http://www.dot.state.fl.us/rddesign/ppmmanu al/2016/volume1/chap08.pdf Hillsborough Scenario 1, HART Route 39 and Upper Tampa Bay Trail at Sheldon Road 19

Hillsborough Scenario 2, HARTFlex Town N Country and Upper Tampa Bay Trail at Linebaugh Avenue Rocky Creek floods, inundating part of the trail under the bridge along Linebaugh Avenue 20

A crosswalk would provide an alternative passage across Linebaugh Avenue. Hillsborough Scenario 3: HART Northwest Transfer Center and Upper Tampa Bay Trail at W. Waters Avenue Bridge 21

Observations about transit/trail connectivity Trail locations may not be optimal for transportation. Gains in comfort when bicycling and using public transportation may encourage linking the modes. Trail/transit connections can serve a variety of goals; differing analysis methodologies reflect that. System redundancy is important to bicyclists and pedestrians. Many trails are closed at sunset. On-street roadway improvements link trails to transit. Recommendations to strengthen transit/trail connectivity Transit/trail linkages should be considered at the transportation planning stage. Program of ongoing data collection will help the planning effort. Signs, maps, brochures, websites, and mobile phone apps should cross-promote transit and trails. Develop and promote a multimodal route finding system Use crowd sourcing for continual transit and trail user feedback 22

Recommendations to strengthen transit/trail connectivity Use local knowledge to identify needed amenities Provide bikes in buses Provide additional trail access points Consider economic development at transit/trail crossings Include transit riders on the BPAC and a BPAC representative on transit advisory committees Questions? Sara Hendricks Center for Urban Transportation Research University of South Florida 813-974-9801 Hendricks@cutr.usf.edu Here is the link to the report: http://www.nctr.usf.edu/wp- content/uploads/2016/02/fdot-bdv26-977-03- rpt.pdf 23