» Moving Transit Forward

Part of the Moving Transit Forward team: (left to right) Renee Ducker of URS, Jayson Hagen, Mark Phillips, Jessica Mefford-Miller, Ken Kinney of URS and Todd Hennessy

The Board of East-West Gateway Council of Governments (EWGCG) today unanimously approved and adopted Moving Transit Forward, the long-range plan Metro developed through transportation research and community input.  The plan offers options that EWGCG, the region’s planning agency, can use when deciding next steps for public transit in St. Louis.  Once EWGCG makes those decisions on transit service, Metro implements and operates those services.

Metro’s Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the plan on February 12.

The plan is a blueprint designed to help EWGCG decide how best to meet transit needs in all sectors of the region in manageable time frames. The projects discussed in each phase are:

Short-Range (1-5 years)

• Restoring services cut last year to increase coverage and frequency back to levels before the reductions
• Planning and design for the next MetroLink extension that would be determined by EWGCG
• Two Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes. BRT offers higher speed, high capacity service (also to be determined by EWGCG)
• Improved passenger amenities and technology

Medium-Range (5-10 Years)

• Construction and operation of one light-rail expansion route
• Additional BRT routes
• Additional transit centers

Long-Range (10-30 years)

• Planning, construction and operation of a second light-rail alignment
• Begin planning and engineering for a third light- rail extension

The plan is designed to meet citizens’ request for fiscally responsible and realistic options for transit in St. Louis.  Metro cannot build any project outlined in its long-range plan until EWGCG officials approve it, and all possibilities depend on obtaining a new, long-term source of local revenue and increases in state and federal support.  A timeline for reviewing the projects will be determined by the EWGCG.

Check out the details of the long-range plan on the Moving Transit Forward website.

As part of Metro’s plan to tell the region about our Moving Transit Forward long-range plan and to gather community feedback, we will be presenting at a series of city council meetings across the region. In case you can’t attend one of our public meetings, or want to find out how public transit affects your city, here is a list of upcoming city council presentations:

View Metro Moving Transit Forward Presentations to City Councils in a larger map

1/26/10 7:00 PM Ferguson
2/1/10 7:00 PM St. John
2/1/10 7:00 PM Brentwood
2/2/10 7:00 PM Rock Hill
2/2/10 7:30 PM Black Jack
2/2/10 7:30 PM Clarkson Valley
2/2/10 7:30 PM Normandy
2/2/10 7:30 PM Pine Lawn
2/2/10 7:30 PM Webster Groves
2/8/10 6:00 PM Uplands Park
2/8/10 7:00 PM Marlborough
2/8/10 7:00 PM Lakeshire
2/8/10 7:00 PM Town and Country
2/8/10 7:15 PM Oakland
2/8/10 7:30 PM Dellwood
2/9/10 6:15 PM Clayton
2/9/10 7:00 PM Crestwood
2/10/10 7:00 PM Country Club Hills
2/10/10 7:30 PM Winchester
2/10/10 7:30 PM Velda City
2/16/10 7:30 PM Vinita Park
2/16/10 7:00 PM Frontenac
2/16/10 7:00 PM Warson Woods
2/16/10 7:30 PM Grantwood Village
2/18/10 7:00 PM Hanley Hills
2/22/10 4:00 PM Ladue
2/22/10 7:00 PM Jennings
2/23/10 4:00 PM St. Louis County
2/23/10 7:30 PM Olivette
2/25/10 TBD Fenton
2/25/10 7:00 PM Bella Villa
3/1/10 7:30 PM Richmond Heights
3/15/10 7:00 PM Breckenridge Hills

We know everyone is busy. There is a lot of information out there to ingest. So this post is designed to be a 60-second summary (actual time may vary!) of the draft “Moving Transit Forward” plan presentation that we released yesterday.  You’ve got 60 seconds for the future of St. Louis transit, right?  Let’s go.

What is “Moving Transit Forward”?

STL region’s vision for transit restoration, growth and enhancement: 5-year, 10-year, 30-year.

How do we make transit decisions?

The planning team studies land use and regional data on population, employment, travel patterns and projections, and incorporates public input via community workshops, meetings, and websites.

But…East-West Gateway Council of Governments selects projects for design and construction.

Projects must be eligible for federal funding, and must have financial support at local and state level.

Using which criteria will we select projects?

1. Best service for as many people as possible.
2. Cost effective
3. Encourage economic development
4. Help mitigate congestion and pollution
5. Contribute to strength of region’s core

Assumption:

Service restoration and any expansion will require additional financial resources.

THE PLAN

First Step

Service restoration of MetroBus, MetroLink and Call-A-Ride to pre-March 2009 levels

Passenger Amenities and Technology

Smart Cards
Computer-aided dispatch/automated vehicle location (used in CTA’s BusTracker)
More transit centers
Web- and cellphone-based applications

Light-Rail

Potential corridors:

Planning, design, construction requires about 10 years, costs $60 million per mile
Final planning & design phase will determine stations, end points

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

Potential corridors:

Planning, design & construction requires about 5 years and costs approximately $30 million per route
Final planning & design phase will determine stations, end points

Commuter Rail

Potential corridors:

Success depends on federal and state support of high-speed rail initiatives
Costs approximately $20 million per route if federal and state governments build rail infrastructure

How would we fund the plan?

Additional local funding is required for sustaining system, restoration and expansion.
Additional state funding is required to implement full scope of projects.
Federal funding is required for any major expansion project.

When could we see these projects?

1-5 years

1. Service Restoration
2. Planning and engineering for next light rail route
3. Three bus rapid transit routes
4. East-West Gateway selects light rail and BRT routes
5. Passenger amenities and technology

5-10 years

1. One light rail extension constructed and operating
2. Fourth BRT route
3. East-west Gateway selects next options for expansion
4. Additional transit centers

10-30 years

1. Second light-rail alignment
2. Begin planning and engineering phases for third light rail extension

Commuter rail?

Depends on federal and state support for high-speed rail

St. Charles County, Jefferson County, and Madison County, IL?

Depends on intent and funding from these counties

What happens now?

Seek public input through February 2010
Seek Metro Board of Commissioners approval in February 2010
Seek plan adoption from East-West Gateway Board
Final plan recommendation released in March 2010

There you have it. We are still seeking public input on the draft through February, so please check out this the long-range plans’s online survey to give us your feedback on the specifics of the plan.  If you have any questions about the plan, please let us know at blog@nextstopstl.org.

During the community workshops in November, the Metro long-term planning team went around the region and conducted community workshops to get a handle on what are St. Louisans’ priorities for transit spending, now and in the future.  People chose which corridors and modes they preferred, and which amenities were important to them.  Now, Metro’s Moving Transit Forward planning team is conducting another round of community workshops to present findings and solicit feedback and answer questions.  At these meetings, Ray Friem and Jessica Mefford-Miller also describe how the planning process works, and explain limitations and future opportunities.

So here is my breakdown of the workshop results:

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Our Moving Transit Forward team has added another location and time to the public roundtable forums that will be happening from October 13 (next Tuesday!) until October 27, and I think a lot of blog readers will find this one easy to get to.

Tuesday, October 20 at 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
City of St. Louis City Hall, 1200 Market Street
(Transit arrival via Civic Center MetroLink Station or #99 Downtown Circulator)

Obviously we hope you will come, visit every station and then participate in a discussion; but if you don’t have the entire two hours you are welcome to come and go as you please at any of the meetings.

Also, the Moving Transit Forward website will be online this evening at movingtransitforward.org.( If you go there now, you will see our development frame, but we are spending the day making final tweaks and transferring the content from our development site to the live site.) Bookmark it now and check it out tomorrow (or Monday) for details about the planning process, team, and vision.

Bob Baer briefs the crowd

UPDATE: An additional forum date announced.

At yesterday’s executive briefing, Metro’s planning officials announced the dates and locations for the first round of public engagement meetings for the long-range planning process. We’re posting the schedule here, and you can expect an announcement of the long-range plan website prior to the first meeting on October 13. Please spread the word about these meetings and encourage your friends, neighbors, co-workers, elected officials, barristas, and family members to come to these forums – and bring their opinions.

You are welcome at any and all of these public meetings, of course, but they are being held at different locations throughout the region to ensure maximum public engagement.

• Tuesday, October 13 from 5-7 p.m. at the World Trade Center in Clayton, 121 S. Meramec Avenue Room 1012, Clayton, MO. (Arrive via Clayton Transit Center.)
• Wednesday, October 14 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Chesterfield City Hall Council Chambers, 690 Chesterfield Parkway West, Chesterfield, MO. (Arrive via #258 Clayton Chesterfield bus.)
• Thursday, October 15 from 6-8 p.m. at the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club Sportsman’s Park Unit, 2910 North Grand Avenue, St. Louis, MO. (Arrive via #70 Grand bus.)
• Saturday, October 17 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Southwestern Illinois College, Main Complex Room 1410, 2500 Carlyle Avenue, Belleville, IL. ** Campus map .pdf here. ** (Arrive via College MetroLink Station.)
• Monday, October 19 from 5-7 p.m. at St. Louis Community College, Florissant Valley, Student Center Multi-Purpose Room, 3400 Pershall Avenue, Ferguson, MO. ** Campus map here. ** (Arrive via #36 Spanish Lake.)
• Thursday, October 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Washington University Medical Center, Eric P. Newman Center, 320 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO. (Arrive via Central West End MetroLink Station.)
• Monday, October 26 from 5-7 pm. at St. Louis Public Library, Carpenter Branch, 3309 South Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO. (Arrive via #70 Grand.)
• Tuesday, October 27 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Mehlville High School Library, 3200 Lemay Ferry Road, Mehlville, MO. (Arrive via #73 Carondelet.)

All of the links above (except the links to the two college campus maps) go to Google Maps; the first link shows just the location and the second link shows how to get there via transit. Just change the starting address (currently Metro HQ!) to where you’re starting from. I even put in the date and the time you’ll want to arrive by in order to get you onto the right bus and train so you can get there on time. (You can see that by clicking “Show Options”; Google gives you the option to use your departure or arrival time to plan your trip.)

As our readers are aware, Metro has been making many changes over the past two years under the leadership of our current President & CEO, Bob Baer. This blog has been one such change.

Now here comes a big change: Under Mr. Baer’s leadership and that of our new Chief of Planning and System Development, Jessica Mefford-Miller, and in cooperation with the region’s planning body, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, Metro is now working on the development of a long-range transit plan for the St. Louis metro region. The plan will consist of three parts:

• 5-year short-range plan;
• 10-year mid-range plan;
• And a 30-year long-range.

When completed, each stage of the plan will be prioritized and will detail funding levels not only to build but to operate  and maintain any enhancements and expansions to the current transit system. This planning process will be unlike anything that Metro has done before.  Over the past two months our market research team has been identifying an initial baseline “pulse” of what the region thinks about transit, the current transit system, and hopes for transit in the future. Now we’re moving into the community engagement phase of the plan development, and the crucial factor in this process is you. Read more about the planning process below the jump. (more…)