Thank you to our sponsors! CITIZENS for REGIONAL TRANSIT

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1 Thank you to our sponsors!

2 The Past, Present, and Proposed Future of Transit in Buffalo-Niagara Presentation at the Case for Transit Conference 14 September 2013 By Douglas Funke President, Citizens for Regional Transit

3 Topics What we had and lost What other cities are doing to get it back The State of transit in Buffalo-Niagara Why extend Buffalo s light rail? Why do it now? How to do it? Conclusions

4 Topics What we had and lost What other cities are doing to get it back The State of transit in Buffalo-Niagara Why extend Buffalo s light rail? Why do it now? How to do it? Conclusions

5 Shelton Square

6 Buffalo s Trolley Network

7 It All Ended in the 1950s

8 Topics What we had and lost What other cities are doing to get it back The State of transit in Buffalo-Niagara Why extend Buffalo s light rail? Why do it now? How to do it? Conclusions

9 Cities Across the US Are Building and Expanding Their Metro Rail Systems Rail to the Airport Trolleys Atlanta, GA Baltimore-Washington, MD Boston, MA Chicago, IL (O Hare) Cleveland, OH Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX Denver, CO (planned-2015) Miami, FL Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN Newark, NJ New York City, NY (Kennedy) Oakland, CA Philadelphia, PA Phoenix, AZ Portland, OR Salt Lake City, UT San Francisco, CA Seattle-Tacoma, WA St. Louis, MO Washington, DC (Reagan) Washington, DC (Dulles) (planned- 2018) Source: More US airports add rail service to downtown. USA Today. Updated 6/5/09. rail-lines-airport-city-center_n.htm Astoria, OR 2 Atlanta, GA (planned) 1 Charlotte, NC (in Const.) 1,2 Cincinnati, OH 1 Dallas, TX (planned) 1 Galveston, TX 2 Kenosha, WS 1,2 Little Rock, AK 2 Lowell, MA 2 Memphis, TN 1,2 New Orleans, LA 1 Philadelphia, PA 1 Portland, OR 2 Salt Lake City 3 San Francisco, CA 1 San Diego, CA 2 San Pedro, CA 2 Savannah, GA 1,2 Seattle, WA 1,2 Tacoma, WA 2 Tampa, FL 2 Tucson, AZ 1 Washington, DC (planned) 1 Source 1: Streetcars, trolleys making a comeback in the US. 4/25/12. FoxNews.com. Source 2: Golen & Smith-Heimer. Relationships between Streetcars and the Build Environment. Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). TCPR Synthesis 86. Transportation Research Board, ( Source 3: SLCgov.com (Salt Lake City Council) 9

10 Tempe, AZ Some Examples: Tempe, AZ Positively transformed neighborhoods Provided $4B boost to the economy Trolley circulator under consideration based on LRT success I m a Republican, and I didn t vote for Proposition 400. The light rail was a very expensive form of transportation. But the fact that it cleared up a blighted area and brought immense economic development is something that made me very interested The light rail exceeded what it set out to do. There is value in these systems beyond just transporting people. - Onnie Shekerjan, Tempe Councilwoman and Committee on Technology Chairperson Tempe feeling many positive, unexpected benefits from light rail.

11 Some Examples: Cleveland, OH Cleveland Euclid Corridor Transportation BRT $220M BRT investment 6.8 miles dedicated ROW Transformed communities along the route (attracted$5.8b investment) Healthline Drives Growth in Cleveland by Jason Helendrung. Urbanland. July 13, ellendrunghealthline

12 Development Will Follow Metro Rail 12

13 Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Key features of TOD Maximize public transit access Mixed use, higher density development Walkable environment The Urban Land Institute described TOD as an emerging trend The best bet for investors WeinsteinClowerTODNov07.pdf Assessment of the Potential Fiscal Impacts of Existing and Proposed Transit- Oriented Development in the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Service Area, go to:. 8.pdf

14 Topics What we had and lost What other cities are doing to get it back The State of transit in Buffalo-Niagara Why extend Buffalo s light rail? Why do it now? How to do it? Conclusions

15 The State of Transit in Buffalo-Niagara Largely a bus-based system Light rail provides central core or system Readily expandable (existing rights-of-way) a valuable resource ($2B asset!) Deferred maintenance catching up

16 Buffalo-Niagara Transit Facts Buffalo s light rail 4 th highest boardings in US! Metro ridership up 23% since 2003 Metro rail concentrates ridership, outperforms bus ,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 Boardings per Day 0 Bus Bus Light Rail Light Rail Boardings per Day Revenue Passengers per Vehicle Hour Revenue Passengers per Revenue Vehicle hour Mile Reference: NFTA Annual Performance Report. 31 March

17 Light Rail Did Not Kill Downtown! Downtown Buffalo in the 1970s Downtown Buffalo in 2013

18 Topics What we had and lost What other cities are doing to get it back The State of transit in Buffalo-Niagara Why extend Buffalo s light rail? Why do it now? How to do it? Conclusions

19 Why Extend the Light Rail? Economic development Near-term needs of the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus Current needs of Buffalo-Niagara residents The environment Changing demographics We can t afford to make room for more parking 19

20 Real Estate Tip: Buy Near Transit City Planner Tip: Build More Transit Lisi, Tom. Real Estate Tip: Buy Near Transit. TransportationNation. 25 March People are voting with their feet Consumers are looking for, and choosing. Neighborhoods that they re able to find more walkable features, that have lower transportation costs, and really just looking at communities in a smart way. - Sara Aiskerchen National Association of Realtors

21 Near-Term Needs of the Buffalo-Niagara BNMC will have 17,000 employees by 2016 The BNMC cannot accommodate parking for 17,000 employees Parking available only for Patients and visitors Some employees Success of the BNMC will depend on efficient use of transit by employees Medical Campus 21

22 We can t afford to make room for parking We can t turn the BNMC into a parking lot like we did for our harbor! Transit with park and rides can provide efficient transportation and freeup land for productive revenue and job- generating uses Courtesy of Mark Paradowski from the Preservation-Ready Sites 22

23 Current Needs of Buffalo Residents One third of Buffalo households depend on transit because of the prohibitive cost of car ownership ( based on US 2000 census data, reported in Wikipedia. Car ownership costs between $5,000 and $9,000 per year per car includes depreciation, fuel, interest on financing, insurance, sales tax, and average maintenance and repair costs (ConsumerReports.org) Transit costs between $500 to $900 per person (full fare) NFTA.com ( 23

24 The Environment More cars = more health problems Global warming is real! Transit produces far less pollution per person than private automobiles Source: USDOT. ndingtoclimatechange.pdf Source: NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. balwarming/page2.php 24

25 Changing Demographics Largest groups demanding TOD Millenials ( ) Boomers ( ) Largest growing demographic is Latinos Decrease in teens getting drivers licenses California Montreal, Ca nada

26 Millennials Not As Car-Focused Goldmark, Alex. Study Confirms Fewer Young People Getting Driver s Licenses. TransportationNation. 20 July Sivak, Michael and Schoettle, Brandon. Update: Percentage of Young Person s with a Driver s License Continues to Drop. Traffic Injury Prevention. Vol 13 (4). 20 July 2012.

27 Vehicle Miles Travelled Has Leveled Off; Future Expectations Are Being Debated

28 Use of Transit at Record Levels In 2012, U.S. public transportation ridership grew at a record level as Americans took 10.5 billion trips. This is the second highest ridership since 1957, and it shows that there is a growing demand for public transportation, said APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy. Amtrak use at record levels: Total Amtrak boardings up 55.1% between 1997 and 2012 Amtrak more than doubled the growth in domestic aviation (20%) over this period The NFTA Transportation Reporter, 11 March 2013 The Brookings Institution report: A New Alignment: Strengthening America s Commitment to Passenger Rail. Reported in: NARP News. Vol. 47 (3). April 2013.

29 The Math Is Simple Capacity (full) = 137 / car = 548 (4 car train) Typical (rush hour) = 100 / car = 300 (3 car train) Trains per hour = 6 Passengers per hour = 300 x 6 = 1,800 (typical) Passengers per hour = 548 x 6 = 3,288 (capacity) (6,576 Passengers over 2 hour rush hour ) Capacity (full) = 6 people Average per car = 2 people (optimistic) Number of cars for 1,800 people (typical) = 1,800 / 2 = 900 parking spaces per hour = (1,800 parking spaces over 2 hour rush hour ) Number of cars for 3,288 people (capacity) = 3,288 / 2 = 1,644 parking spaces per hour = (3,288 parking spaces over 2 hour rush hour )

30 COD vs. TOD 20 th Century Vision Car-Oriented Development (COD) 21 st Century Vision Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Courtesy of Mark Paradowski from the Preservation-Ready Sites

31 Topics What we had and lost What other cities are doing to get it back The State of transit in Buffalo-Niagara Why extend Buffalo s light rail? Why do it now? How to do it? Conclusions

32 Why Expand the Light Rail Now? The needs of the BNMC is nearterm It takes time to plan and finance transit developments Air pollution effects the health of our citizens Global warming is happening now The need for investments that stimulate economic growth is now 32

33 Topics What we had and lost What other cities are doing to get it back The State of transit in Buffalo-Niagara Why extend Buffalo s light rail? Why do it now? How to do it? Conclusions

34 We Live in Difficult Financial Times Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transportation Council (GBNRTC) Blog (8/28/13) it is up to the citizens and MPOs to figure out an answer to the question - How will we pay to sustain and improve our local infrastructure? Since our gas dependency has decreased, it is necessary we come toe-to-toe with this question and figure out a solution, together.

35 How to Do It? Take small steps first Build on what we have Leverage private, State, and Federal money Apply a portion of the $1B for WNY to transit Take advantage of FTA small project funds Use Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) Look for dedicated funding sources Build on our Strengths Build coalitions to attract funding Put plans in place now for future growth 35

36 Extend the Light Rail to Amherst

37 Build the Heritage Trolley Engineering study for a lowcost trolley in the cobblestone district is complete, ready for implementation. 37

38 The Heritage Trolley Would Serve the Cobblestone District Canalside Casino DL&W Terminal Heritage Discovery Center Silo City

39 Consider a Trolley to Serve the Medical Campus, Allentown, and Kleinhans UB Medical School Kleinhans Allentown Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC)

40 A Trolley Could also Connect Delaware Park, the Buffalo Zoo and Darwin Martin House Delaware Park Buffalo Zoo Darwin Martin House

41 Extend the Light Rail to the DL&W Terminal and a MMS to the South Early 20 th Century Possible Future Today

42 Plan for Extending Metro Rail (as Originally Planned) 42

43 Build the Integrated Multi-Modal Transportation Center Niagara Falls Amtrak Train Station (under construction) Rochester Multi-Modal / Amtrak Train Station (ground-breaking later this year) Niagara Falls: Rochester, NY: Buffalo s Amtrak Train Stations

44 Build on Our Strengths

45 The World s Greatest Waterfront: when connected by transit

46 Connecting Our Regional Waterfront (Our Greatest Asset!) Old Fort Niagara Joseph Davis State Park Lewiston Artpark / Lewiston Hill Viewing VIsta NYS Power Plant / Power Vista Niagara University Devils Hole / Gorge Trails Whirlpool State Park / Gorge Trails Niagara Falls International Railway Station Niagara Discovery Center / Gorge Trails Niagara Falls State Park / American Falls Goat Island / Upper Rapids NYS Power Intakes / River Views Love Canal and Pollution Museum (proposed) Tonawandas / Erie Canal Boat Rides City of Tonawanda / River Views Buffalo Waterfront / Historic Erie Canal District Outer Harbor / 21 st Century Park Buffalo Cobblestone District Heritage Discovery Center and Museum

47 Taking the First Step THIS IS AFFORDABLE! To Toronto (Amtrak) Artpark NYS Power Vista Niagara University Devils Hole Whirlpool State Park Niagara Falls International Railway Station Discovery Center NF State Park Goat Island To Buffalo (Amtrak) Key Proposed trolley (existing ROW) Existing rail / station under construction Six miles of new trolley or BRT to connect: Niagara Falls State Park The new Niagara Falls International Railway Station (where there is existing rail to Buffalo and Toronto) The NYS Power Vista

48 An Integrated Waterfront Destination Fort Niagara Lewiston Artpark Niagara Falls Tonawandas / Erie Canal Buffalo Waterfront Average Length of Stay 2 days (estimate) Benefits Everyone < 1 million < 1 million < 1 million < 1 million < 1 million Current Annual Visitors 12 million (1, 5) Disney s MGM Studios Epcot Center Magic Kingdom Park Disney s Animal Kingdom 1 week (estimate) 8 million (4) 11 million (2, 3, 4) 10 million (4) 17 million (1, 2, 3) (1) Yahoo Travel! / Forbes Traveler ( (2) (3) (4) (5)

49 This Is not a New Idea

50 Topics What we had and lost What other cities are doing to get it back The State of transit in Buffalo-Niagara Why extend the light rail? Why do it now? How to do it? Conclusions

51 Conclusion Extend the light rail Build the Trolley Cobblestone District to Heritage Center Kleinhans to Allentown to Medical Campus Darwin Martin / Zoo Circulator Build a modern train station (integrated with the light rail) Leverage the world s greatest waterfront!!! Build a coalition of key partners Government Business Non-profit

52 Let s bring back the future!