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PTAC Minutes12/18/2018MINUTES OP THE PUBLIC "TRANSIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING December 18, 2018 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, the Public Transit Advisory Committee in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, net on this date at 3:00 P.M. in REGULAR SESSION at Administrative Building `°E", Suite 501, Collier County Government Complex Naples, Florida with the following members present: ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman: Mr. John DiMarco Vice -Chairman: Mr. Joint Jenkins Mr. Arthur Dobberstein Ms. Sonja Lec Samck ALSO PRESENT: Ms. Michelle Arnold, Director, Public Transit and Neighborhood Enhancement Mr. Omar DeLeon, Senior Planner, Public Transit and Neighborhood Enhancement Mr. Braian Morales, General Manager, MV Transportation, Inc. Ms. Elena Ortiz Rosado, Events, Sales and Marketing Coordinator Page 1 01`5 1. fall to Order Chairman DiMarco called the meeting to order at 3:00 P.M. 11. Roll Call Roll call was taken and a quorum was established. 111. Approval of Agenda Hr../enliirrs entered a inotion to approve the December 18, 2018 meeting agenhr. Ali-. DiAlareo ,seconded the motion. All were in. fmmr. Tlie motion avas carrie(l. IV. Approval of Minutes IL November 20, 2018 Minutes Alr. 9enhins entered it motion to approve the Novenrher 20, 2018 ineeting minutes. Alr. Di[Llarco seconded the motion. All were in.favor. The motion wa.s carried. V. Committee Action No committee action items weree included on the meeting agenda. V1. Deports :and Presentations a. Discuss preparation of February 5, 2019 Transit Workshop A Transit workshop will he held on February 5, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. in the third floor Board ofCounty Commissioners (HCC) chambers. The anticipated outcome of the workshop is for direction from the BCC in terms of plans for the future of Transit, as well as financial commitment from the County in support of the goals for growth of Public Transit. Capital dollars arc presently being utilized to fund operations for the current 1lscal year and a commitment of financial support is necessary in order to avoid cuts in service levels. Ms. Arnold referenced the recent RPP process undergone in order to choose a single vendor to oversee the entire Transit operation, with MV Transportation, Inc. having been recommended as the sole vendor. MV Transportation, Inc. has expressed a willingness to participate in the Transit workshop in support of the Collier County Public Transit system and has been working with Umsit Staff to draft an outline of tfac workshop presentation. Ms. Arnold stated the draft document will provide a history of the beginning and subsequent evolution of Me Tmnsh program over the past 17 years, die benefits of transit, a discussion of comparable city models and their components, technology enhancements, and future mobility in the next five to ten years, offering three possible scenarios for consideration. The present Transit Development Plan details two plans; a needskased plan and a status quo plan, with the workshop presentation also offering a third hybrid scenario of these two plans. A financial commitment, as well as a loosening of the present policies to allow expanded advertising, and partnership with private entities, such as Greyhound and Red Coach is being presented to the Commissioners for consideration. Page 2 of 5 Mr. Dobberstein suggested using a term other than "model"' cities during the pwescntation, such as "similar" or `like4drid." Further, Mr. Dobberstein suggested the presentation should include fare box information for Collier Transit, as well as for the "model" cities discussed. Ms. Arnold stated this would be included in the financial/investment portion of Be discussion in terms of current investment and subsequent fare box recovery. Mr. Morales stated that "like -kind" model cities had been researched, cities which included a coastal environment and similar tourism dependent demographics; Tampa, Sarasota, Pensacola, Chatham, Georgia. Funding sources for Transit in these cities was studied, with several having approved a gas tax which is solely dedicated to funding of the transit system, previously having been funded through the General Fund. Bus wrap options identified during this research included smaller wraps on the lower half of both sides of the buses, between Be wheels, which Mr. Morales suggested would allow for increased revenue, but also maintain the integrity of the Collier County brand. The cost to the advertiser for the bus wrap would include cleaning and maintenance of the appearance of the. wiaps. Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Dobberstein expressed caution with regard to me potential pitfalls of incorporation of funding for `transit via a gas tax. A comparison was also made of County financial contribution presently made to Public Transit in Be studied cities to that tieing provided by Collier County. kit Morales stated that increased frequency is a repeated request made by the public, however increased frequency comes at a cost- Research had revealed that Use Chatham, Georgia Transit Division had prioritized high ridership routes to receive greater Frequency versus routes with lower ridership. Ms. Arnold stated that an analysis of the CAN network would be required in order m determine needs for route frequency. Mr. Dobberstein suggested that the presentation should reflect that without increased revenue, "transit will not be `holding fast," but will be in fret be service reduced over time. Mr. Jenkins inquired as to whether Be entire "Transit fleet is equipped with GPS technology. Ms. Arnold stated that all buses are currently equipped with GPS, which monitors location, speed, as well as cameras which monitor driving patterns. The buses are also equipped with `Mohileyej an ignition -based program with spatial recognition, which for example, notifies drivers when the bus drifts out of the lane or is traveling too last. Mr. Jenkins noted a Paratransh bus recently driving at a high rate of speed and inquired as to whether the dispatcher would be notified in this scenario. Mr. Morales stated the "Routematch" program presently in use would notify the dispatcher ora bus traveling at an inappropriate rate ofspeed, however verification would be needed as to whelher this notification also occurs within the Mobileye program. Ms. Ortiz-Rosado shared a draft of an introductory video which would be shown at the beginning of Be workshop discussion. Page 3 of S Mr. DiMarco offered the use of, video clips from it YouTubc. video he had made last year, which captured what it was like to utilize the Paratransit bus as a disabled rider. Ms. Ortiz-Rosado stated an intention to include tecdback from the Chamber of Commerce regarding their perspective on die impact of CAT on local residents and business owners. I'vir. Dobberstein suggested that mention be made of the differences in service and associated costs between fixed route and Paratransit buses. Purther, a suggestion was made to break clown the benefits of Transit to commerce, separate from the benefits to riders, as well as to place an emphasis on increased public safety in using tile'I'ransit system. Ms. Arnold agreed it is important to have some discussion with regard to the Paratransit service, as it is operated at a higher cost than lixed route service. Purther, that Paratransit is a required ADA complimentary service for those individuals who are unable to utilize the lixed route service within a'/, mile proximity. Mr. DiMarco pointed out that fixed route buses are ADA compatible, with wheelchair MIS and ramps. ML..lenIUI1S suggested clarification be made with regard to the current cost per rider, given die present financial contribution made to Transit by the County, and the advantages olTcred with a greater County contribution. Ms. Arnold stated that the cost per rider is dependent upon the number ol'riders; therefore, the goal is to increase ridership in order to reduce the cost per ride. Ms. Arnold further slated that the intent is to show [his as part ol'the S to 10 -year plan. Mr. Dobberstein suggested that men[ion be made of the national trend of reduced ridership, however Ms. Arnold pointed out that Public Transit has not been given the same attention as a value added program to the community as has been shown to other divisions within the county. Purther, Ms. Arnold stated that the ways services are being provided need to be reviewed; new technologies are now available which could enhance Transit service, such as potential partnership with TNC organizations (Uber and Lyft). MV Transportation, Inc., presently has a working relationship with Lyft in other communities, which may make it easier to develop a similar working relationship in Collier County. It is hoped that the BCC will not continue to view Public Transit in the same manner in which it has in the past and will consider innovations which will enhance value added services to the community, ultimately increasing ridership. vit. Jenkins suggested that emphasis also be placed on the many accomplishments of the Transit division, such as the enhanced bus pull -offs, updated bus shelters, the station at the Government Center. as well as the new "1 ransfcr Centcr on Radio Road, as to how Counly dollars have been spent. Ms. Saniek added that the School District has recently implemented an internship program at Naples Community Nospital for disabled students who have graduated, which requires these individuals to utilize publicc lransporlalion to get to theirJobs at NO I, with two additional job sites potentially being added next yea'. Mr. Jenkins suggested a greater focus on benefits for business oNmes in assuring their employees have reliable transportation to work, as well as an emphasis on a reduction in h ai'fic congestion in using the transit system, particularly during the "season." Page4of5 Mr. Jenkins further suggested highlighting special services offered, such as the beach bus program. Mr. Dobberstein inquired as to whether the Commissioners may expedite rezoning issues related to allowing entities such as Red Coach to utilize the Davis Road bus facility. Ms. Arnold stated that conditional use restrictions would also need to be changed. Mr. Dobberstein stated that ultimately the BCG should be made aware of the many creative measures taken by Transit Staff which have been necessary in order to maintain the Division, and without an increased financial contribution by the County. Ms. Samek stated that the presentation should also offer workable solutions from which the Commissioners may choose a direction to take. Ms. Arnold slated that a revised presentation draft is planned to be shared with the Advisory Committee at the January 2019 meeting. VII. Member Comments There were no additional member comments. VIII, Public Comments No members of the public were present at the meeting. IX. Next Meeting Date — January 15, 2019 X. Adjournment There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair. Public Transit AdvisorYNGahunittee John D N%reo. Chairman These minutes approved by the Committee on as presented or as amended Page 5 of 5