Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
42 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTED RESEARCH The past twenty years of suburban transit service have expanded the universe of land-use environments in which transit can be applied and be successful. There are now many more land- use environments that support transit in its many forms and formats. There are also many more tools available to the transit operators and agencies to use as part of their planning process to establish transit in their expanding environments. These tools include the use of GIS which can assist in defining and refining the geographic, population and market areas to be served. While there are no substantial patterns which emerged to define with certainty which types of transit will work in specific geographic typologies, we believe the research furthered the knowledge base which transit professionals can use in understanding the range of transit applications, and understanding more clearly expectations for performance. As suburban transit appears to be extremely dependent on local conditions and expectations, this research can be of assistance to the transit community as the art and science of suburban transit moves past its infancy. The following trends, we believe capture the findings and features for suburban transportation: ⢠Local policy and planning decisions regarding standards and performance measurement have the greatest impact on whether services are sustained. ⢠In many instances these decisions are influenced by the availability of local funding or the ability to obtain local funding through the provision of these services. ⢠A large percentage of the suburban services provided in the preliminary and detailed case study sites were developed to offer service connections in areas with relatively lower demand for transit and included solutions ranging from fixed-route to demand-responsive services. ⢠Many of these services, especially route deviation and demand-responsive, are focused on providing area coverage, but often provide connection to the regional bus system. ⢠The increase in population and development in new or growing suburban areas has also resulted in an increase in commuter services in corridors that access those suburban areas, especially commuter bus services. ⢠As a result, the typical suburban system today includes local, regional and commuter services. OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS The universe of suburban environments is limitless and spans the ranges and needs to be served as a result. The diversity includes markets and needs to be served, as much as the physical environment. Successful suburban service has creatively adapted transit practice to complement local landscapes. Clearly, these findings lend support to the continued integration of land-use planning and transit service planning as a means to continually strengthen transitâs ability to be present in ever expanding suburban environments. Understanding the operating environment is increasingly important for transit professionals. GIS tools can be used substantially in this regard to display both physical and market attributes of the suburban environments, such that the types of services implemented can complement both the market and the regions. The four Dâs of Design, Density, Diversity and Deterrents to Driving can be readily adapted to local environments and conditions.
43 MEASUREMENTS/EVALUATION PROCESS Measurement and evaluation processes need to be reflective of local priorities and conditions. What is deemed successful is a local issue, but ensuring that expectations for performance are understood would appear to provide the transit professionals with tools to educate local policy boards and communities. Denver RTD presents a clearly defined evaluation and performance measuring process for its services. This provides its policy board with an informed knowledge base, and establishes standards which can be shared with the community, which remains key to local transit investment, which is tax driven. This study clearly points to more comprehensive service monitoring and evaluation programs as a means to forward the practice. Because of budget and time constraints, evaluation is often an afterthought. To properly assess and control the provision of service, both from a customer and a cost investment perspective, it is essential for the transit community to understand and clarify its service performance expectations, and to educate its policy boards and communities as to these expectations, if investments are to continue to the level that will be required. INNOVATIONS There have been many innovations in the area of suburban transit. These range from financial partnerships to the use of technology in the implementation of service. These trends and innovations will and should continue as they expand the opportunities available to the transit community. Real time information is a service both to customers and to operators. Direct communication between operators and customers has enhanced transitâs ability to serve its markets more effectively and ultimately make transit more competitive and convenient.. Financial partnerships now include private investment in capital resources and operating costs. Municipal investments are also a growing phenomenon, with local communities either partnering with transit agencies to provide enhanced coverage to non-transit traditional neighborhoods, or opting on their own to supply resources for public transit access. It would also appear that many of these services are developed with the goal of expanding suburban transit service coverage, which is sometimes counter to the goal of fixed-route services which have traditionally focused on maximizing productivity. Some of these services incorporate the responsibility to deliver ADA complementary paratransit services by blending in those ADA- eligible clients into the suburban service solutions, thus eliminating the need for the separate ADA service. FUTURE RESEARCH The research clearly delineated the current limitations available in the nexus of research between land use and suburban transit forms in a national format. The best use of this application is completed at the local level, with an emphasis on strengthening the relationship between land- use planning and transit planning. At the local level, however, these tools can be a valuable asset in the furtherance of suburban transit planning and its ultimate success in the transit family of services. Additional research may prove beneficial which could focus on suburban non-fixed-route alternatives. In many communities, primarily suburban, non-fixed-route alternatives are an increasingly prevalent means by which to expand service coverage. These services may also have the potential to further the federal priority of human service transportation coordination with public transit programs. Further research could also uncover some significant groundwork
44 toward examining alternatives for ADA paratransit service in this regard, as costs continue to outpace demand in both urban and suburban locales for the funding resources available to finance transit.
