Agenda - 04-19-2005-9b - Laserfiche WebLink

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ly Triangle County Board Chairs Meeting February 8, 2005, 12 noon-2:00 p.m.. Triangle J Council of Governments Conference Room Meeting Sumrnary Attendance: Moses Carey, Ellen Reckhow, Joe Bryan, David Cooke, Mike Ruffin, John Link, Miriam Perry, Charles Glover, Sanford Crass, John Hodges-Copple. Ellen Reckhow chaired the meeting and welcomed the participants. Regionalization of Transportation Services Sanford Cross reviewed the milestones and current status of the urban bus system consolidation project involving the Triangle Transit Authority and the bus systems in Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh and at the universities. Raleigh, Durham and TTA are proceeding with consolidation planning; decisions by Raleigh and Durham aze anticipated shortly. Cary is reconsidering its demand-responsive system and may consider its relationship to other systems later. Chapel Hill will maintain its fare-free system independently at this time, but has been monitoring the discussions. The NCSU Wolfline system also continues to monitor the discussions. The Duke system has decided to retain its independent status. Mr. Cross noted that the time frame for' the urban system consolidation study precluded consideration of the county-based human service agency-oriented systems, but that interest has been expressed throughout the process in eventually looking at opportunities to better coordinate among the county systems and between the county systems and the urban systems, especially with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for the urban, fixed-route systems. Miriam Perry, Director of the Public Transportation Division (PTD) of NCDOT and Chazles Glover, Assistant Director for Community Transportation, discussed NCDOT's interests in regionalization of Community Transportation Systems, the countywide, human service agency-oriented systems that are sepazate from the urban systems. Summary handouts on the status of community transportation systems, including management, operating and financial characteristics, were distributed and aze available from TJCOG. Each system has a transportation system plan; Durham's was last updated in 2002, Orange County Public Transportation's (OCPT) in Fa112004 and Wake's is currently being updated. Ms. Perry noted that Regional Community Transportation Systems (CTS), defined as systems serving more than one county and that provide both general public and human service agency contract service, tend to have greater efficiencies, as measured by cost per passenger. NCDOT PTD currently allocates $528,000 annually to the three Triangle systems ($128,000 to Durham, $98,000 to Orange and $302,000 to Wake) based on a formula. Ms. Perry noted that with sepazate systems, unused funds from any system revert to the state, but that a regional system can result in the funds staying within the region.. Ms. Reckhow asked if providing more general public service, as in Orange County, leads to better cost efficiencies. Ms. Perry responded that both increasing general public service and close coordination with urban fixed-route systems can improve cost-efficiency.