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MPO Board 10/9/2019 Item 8 <br /> Ref: 38587.01 <br /> October 1, 2019 <br /> Page 12 <br /> Observations <br /> • As indicated in Table 1,the current supply of park-and-ride spaces serving traffic from the west (including <br /> the NC 54 West corridor) is underutilized. <br /> • Convenience and frequency of service seem to be significant factors in attracting park-and-ride patrons, <br /> favoring park-and-ride lots along the planned BRT route. This limits traffic reduction benefits along NC 54 <br /> west. <br /> • UNC and Chapel Hill Transit support park-and-ride and other transit options in the NC 54 west corridor. <br /> However, low ridership potential and long routes limit the cost-effectiveness of this service relative to other <br /> transit investments. <br /> • Focusing on improvements to higher-demand transit corridors—including BRT—could be a more productive <br /> and cost-effective overall strategy than shifting limited resources to the NC 54 West corridor, given its lower <br /> densities, smaller market, and longer route lengths. <br /> • UNC-CH and UNC Hospital are not planning substantial increases in parking capacity. Travel demand <br /> management (TDM) policies are being implemented to encourage and support a mode shift away from <br /> single-occupant vehicles and towards to transit, biking, walking, and ridesharing. These efforts will be most <br /> productive—and cost-effective—in denser corridors with efficient transit service and/or shorter trip <br /> distances. Limited impacts can be expected in the NC 54 west corridor,given the relatively lower <br /> concentration of trip ends and longer travel distances. Ridesharing and park-and-ride appear to be the most <br /> promising options in this corridor. <br /> • As an important public institution serving the State of North Carolina (and beyond), UNC Hospital must be <br /> accessible to a broad range of patients, visitors, and others.A balance of convenient access by both transit <br /> and automobile must be maintained. <br /> • Although UNC-CH and UNC Hospital are significant contributors to traffic using the NC 54 West corridor, <br /> these trips are only part of the volumes on NC 54. As the region grows,these trips will represent a shrinking <br /> share of NC 54 West traffic. The biggest sources of new traffic on NC 54 West appear to be growth in <br /> Alamance and Chatham Counties, along with overall growth in Orange County. <br /> Page 12 of 12 <br />