Agenda - 04-18-2006-7b - Laserfiche WebLink

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q' Although not all of the above are specific to the Triangle region and this study, these perspectives indicate an array of issues that can be addressed through regionalization. Throughout this study, regional perspectives have also been considered as they relate to the affected population, not only in terms of services today, but also services in the future. It has been agreed that communication concepts such as one regional phone number and a centralized phone center, a common marketing and branding scheme and more information availability will significantly benefit future users of the services. Similarly, a regional entity has more potential to offer a variety of services: operated directly, contracted out, brokered with multiple providers and coordinated with other community based services operating outside the community transportation services network. The Triangle region's public transit and community transportation services have a number of similarities, but perhaps the most significant is the fact that the users of those services are primarily those that the Government Accountability Office in its report on transportation coordination has refereed to as `transportation disadvantaged' -youth, older adults, people with disabilities and the lower income population. These persons rely on the public transportation services to access school, jobs, medical and social services, government offices, recreation activities, etc. These persons would not typically think in terms of city and county borders when considering mobility options if it were not for the fact that the public transportation services that they need operate in restricted service areas. In addition, their mobility alternatives are also constrained by which agency sponsors which trip.. For example, someone could be eligible for both ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) paratransit service and Medicaid transportation, but would need to use the public transit network for the former trip and the community transportation network for the latter. Also there are a number of examples which indicate that institutional arrangements can be effectively developed to deliver these services, in whatever form and format is decided by the affected policy board. Many aspects of the current service that may benefit from change: • It is difficult to access information regarding the existing services in Durham and Wake, as neither service is advertised, and neither is listed, as OPT is, on the goh~imrgle com web site. • Stakeholders in Durham are unclear whether Access is for people with ADA- specific disabilities only, indicating a need for both information and a clearly defined identity for the Community Transportation program. • In Wake County, there were prior restrictions where rural general public patrons could not ride on services other than TRACS and, further, agencies are charged an administrative fee in addition to the fees assessed for transportation. Triangle Regional Trmr.~portation Development Plan -Executive Sunnnary 2