Agenda - 02-21-2017 - 6-a - Minutes

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5 1 picked up to accommodate that need. If the rider cannot work with the pick-up time, then they 2 have the option of using a taxi. It is similar to using Super Shuttle service for an airport; you 3 expect to ride around for a while but the timing has been worked out. She said most people are 4 happy with this; they like the luxury of door to door service. Riders know what will happen when 5 they get on the bus. 6 7 In reply to a question from Commissioner Jacobs, Theo Letman said there is no future service 8 planned for the southwestern/White Cross quadrant of the County. Staff needs to update the 9 transit study from the one conducted in 2015 and to explore the transit options for the southern 10 half of the County. 11 12 Commissioner Jacobs said maps and other communications with the public should explain that 13 the NW and NE quadrants are not the end of our transportation planning, that we are looking at 14 additional options. If not, then members of the public are going to want to know about their own 15 parts of the County, and why future service is not shown on the maps. 16 17 Bonnie Hammersley said she appreciated the Board's discussion about public transportation 18 today. She said she is proud to note that Theo Letman is the County's first Transit Director. She 19 said we need to look at how we are doing transportation. They are hearing from residents that 20 we need more transportation in the north. Maybe we can be more creative in how we do the 21 Rural Deviated Zonal Routes, how we run a door-to-door dedicated system, or how we run a 22 route that does not have deviations. 23 24 Bonnie Hammersley said the direction she has given Theo Letman is to look at ways to improve 25 this without stopping the current system. They will always have communication plans in 26 everything they do, now that they have their new Community Relations Director. 27 28 Bonnie Hammersley said the Board puts much money into OPT because of our residents' 29 human service needs, including aging, while the other resources we receive for transportation 30 would go towards the routine, frequent ridership. She said she is expecting their new Transit 31 Director will help them to improve the human services component, including building their 32 partnerships. 33 34 Craig Benedict, County Planning Director, added that the zonal routes operate two days a week 35 to accommodate people who need services or shopping but not daily commuters. As you look at 36 future services you might consider ways to get those zonal riders to the commuter lines. There 37 are some fixed routes from Cedar Grove down to US-70. If these zonal routes could bring 38 people to the east-west lines, to Durham, or to Hillsborough and then down to Chapel Hill, then 39 we could get that commuter element into it. It is now time to weigh in on the future, as we look to 40 the Bus and Rail Investment Plan update, looking out to what could be funded for 2035 or 2045 41 by the transit tax. 42 43 Chair Dorosin said the County's communication strategy should convey the immediate, three to 44 five year, and longer ranges. One of their challenges is being able to talk about the arch of long 45 range, high cost projects, like GoTriangle and Economic Development Zones. He does not think 46 they do a great job keeping people up to date on what has happened, what is happening, and 47 what is going to happen into the future. They need to come up with a better name than "Rural 48 Deviated Zonal Route." He later suggested "Flex Routes." 49 50 Commissioner Jacobs said destinations —for example Little River Regional Park, the Cedar 51 Grove Community Center, churches, Ruritan clubs -- should be identified when the 5