Transcript Slide 1

MTA Efforts to “Mind the Gaps”
Michael J. Walk
Director of Service Development
Maryland Transit Administration
2015 Mobility Matters Conference | May 7, 2015
Disclaimer: Author is solely responsible for all content. Content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the MTA or its management.
Who am I?
• …some days I’m not so sure…
• Director of Service Development at MTA
(Planning & Scheduling Core Bus, Light Rail,
Metro)
• 6 Years at MTA
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Operations / Transit Analyst
Special Assistant to the Administrator
Chief Performance Officer
2 years as Director of Service Development
• Father of 5 (soon to be 6!)
What am I Talking About?
• A Typology of Gaps
• MTA Steps to Address Gaps (studies &
implemented solutions)
• Challenges & Areas of Opportunity
Typology of Gaps
• Geospatial
No bus gets close enough (in distance) to my origin OR destination
• Temporal
– A bus gets close, but doesn’t operate when I need it (days of
week / times of day)
– Connecting my origin and destination takes TOO LONG
• Informational
I don’t know how to get from my origin to my destination
• Monetary
It costs too much to get from my origin to my destination
ANY GAP CAN INHIBIT ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITY &
EMPLOYMENT, BUT NOT ALL GAPS HAVE EQUAL PRIORITY TO
BE FILLED
Network Design and Case Studies for Implementation
LOOKING FOR AND ADDRESSING
GAPS
Bus Network Improvement Project (BNIP)
• Launched mid-2013
• One of the main goals: Maximize Transit Access &
Connectivity
• Project Phases
– Public Outreach
– Data Analysis
– Planning
• Phase One Release June 2014
• Remaining work to be done is under review
Public Outreach
• MTA’s Citizens’ Advisory Committee and
Advisory Committee for Accessible
Transportation
• Transit Operations Subcommittee (TOpS)
• General Public
• MindMixer (633 active participants,
1,981 comments, 912 ideas)
• Public workshops (117 participants)
• Pop-up events (282 participants)
• BNIP Hotline (115 comments)
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Continued Public Engagement
• MindMixer Platform provided innovative way
to continue the dialog
– Now 758 Active Participants (865 total)
– 10,366 unique visitors
– 92,246 page views
• Easy way to notify an interested stakeholder
group of new issues, changes, etc.
Transit Propensity
Transit Propensity is a
score that represents the
likelihood that the
population in a census
tract will use transit. It is
calculated using a variety
of key predictors of transit
use (income, vehicle
ownership, population
density, etc.).
Transit Propensity was
part of the data
considered during the
process of making service
change recommendations.
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Future Demand
These maps show
the projected
change in
population and
employment density
between 2010 and
2020 (data obtained
from the Baltimore
Metropolitan
Council).
Projected
population and job
growth was also
considered when
making service
change
recommendations.
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Example of Ridership Analysis
Ridership data such
as the example
here were analyzed
by bus line and stop
to help determine
how many people
are using existing
services and where.
This example map
shows estimated
average weekday
boardings (blue)
and alightings
(green) per stop for
one line in one
direction (westbound).
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Planning Phase
• Low-hanging fruit identified that could be
“picked” within existing resources
• Other planning work and recommendations are
on hold and need reviewed by incoming
administration
• Released Phase One Plan June 2014
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Reliability
Efficiency
New Job Centers
Real-Time Information
MTA’s Steps to Improve Service to Major Job Centers
SOME GAPS FILLED
17 Line Early Sundays (Temporal Gap)
• 17 Line runs from downtown to BWI and Arundel
Mills (downtown served when Light Rail is not in
operation)
– Sunday service started around 6:30 am
• BWI employees needed to get to BWI earlier
– BWI Business Partnership started “Sunrise Shuttle” &
demonstrated consistent ridership to justify full fixedroute service
• MTA added early morning trips to 17 Line starting
at 4:20 AM in June 2014
New 26 Line to Amazon (Temporal Gap)
• Amazon opened its distribution center along Broening
Highway outside of Baltimore
– over 1,000 employees planned
– 24/7 operation; multiple shifts; early release
• Service along corridor
– Ran weekdays only, with 1 to 2 hour headways
– No late night service
• MTA added new 26 Line Feb. 22, 2015
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7 days a week, 22 hours a day
30-60 minute headways; timed with Amazon shifts
Amazon installed bus shelter (own expense)
Currently average weekday ridership 1,700+ (not all
Amazon employees)
Other Initiatives
• Geospatial Gaps
– Re-aligned 51 Line (a circumferential route) to
service Baltimore Casino & Greyhound Terminal in
Baltimore
– Added new 31 Line to provide additional access to
new developments in Canton Crossing
Future Opportunity
• Additional Geospatial Gaps identified during BNIP
planning work
– Need better connections between MARC and local bus
service
– Suburban activity centers need better direct connections
(closing the grid)
• Hard to get between Columbia, Owings Mills, Towson, White
Marsh, Arundel Mills/BWI, Annapolis
– Many others…
• Informational Gaps
– Need for unified open transit schedule, routes, stops data
for integrated transit planning (GTFS)
– Signage / way-finding improvements
Challenges to Filling the Gaps
• Resources
– The suburban connections will always be less productive
than dense, urban services
– Resources are already often stretched thin and it is difficult
to change the equation to allow for growth
• Site Design / Location Planning
– Developers need to make the round-trip on transit an
attractive option at a site – don’t count on the transit
operator to drive up to your front door. (Amazon Example:
1,500-foot walk)
– More to be done to make transit-attractive sites actually
developer-attractive
Contact Information
• Michael Walk: [email protected]