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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-03 Approving and Adopting the 1993-1997 Town of Vail Transit Development PlanRESOLUTION NO. 3 SERIES 1993 A RESOLUTION APPROVING AND ADOPTING THE 1993-1997 TOWN OF VAIL TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT PLAN. WHEREAS, the Town of Vail has developed a transit development plan for the purpose of outlining the transportation needs of the Town of Vaif for the next five (5) years. NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved by the Town Council of the Town of Vail, Colorado that: 1. The Transit Development Plan attached to this Resolution as Exhlblt A is hereby approved and adopted. 2. The Town Manager and the Town staff are hereby authorized to take all actions necessary to implement the 1993-1997 Town of Vail Transit Development Plan. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its passage. INTRODUCED, READ, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 2nd day of March, 1993. Q ,. Margaret . Osterfoss, Mayor ATTEST: Pamela A. Brandmeyer, Acting Town Clerk C:IR~SOLU43,3 Vail Transit Develo ment PI -p an Update, 1993 1997 VAIL TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT PLAN UPDATE 1993 - 1997 Prepared for; Town of Vail 75 South Frontage Road Vail, Colorado 8 ] 657 Prepared by: Felsburg Holt & Ullevig 5299 DTC Boulevard, Suite 400 Englewood, CO 80111 FHU Reference No. 92-011 February, 1993 Town of Vail Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION .......................................................1 I.TRANSIT SYSTEM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES .............................2 II.COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS .....................................3 III.EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SERVICES ................................b A. Town of Vail Bus System .........................................6 B. County-Wide Bus System (Town of Avon) ............................14 C. Paratransit Service ..............................................15 D. Private Transportation Operators ....................................15 IV.FIVE-YEAR RIDERSHIP FORECASTS ...................................l9 V.EVALUATION OF EXISTING SERVICES .................................22 A. Outlying Route Service ...........................................22 B. In-Town Shuttle ................................................24 C. Paratransit Service ..............................................25 D. Administrative Operations ........................................25 VI.EVALUATION OF SERVICE ALTERNATIVES .............................30 A. Fixed Guideway Alternative -Optimal Monorail .......................30 B. At-Grade High Capacity Bus System .................................33 C. In-Town Shuttle Recommendations/Priorities ..........................33 VII.OPERATIONS PLAN ..................................................35 A. Service Operations ..............................................35 B. Capital Acquisition/Replacement ...................................35 C. Financial Plan ..................................................37 APPENDIX -TOWN OF VAIL BUS ROUTE SCHEDULE Town of Vail Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10 Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES Pane Vicinity Maps ........................................................4 West Vail Bus Routes ................................................... 7 East Vail Bus Routes ................................................... 8 In-Town Shuttle Bus Route .............................................. 9 1991 Monthly Ridership ................................................ t l Town of Vail Annual Transit Ridership .................................... 20 1991 In-Town Shuttle Daily Boardings ..................................... 26 In-Town Shuttle Peak Hour Demand ...................................... 27 Department of Public Works and Transportation Organization ................... 29 In-Town Shuttle Alternatives Analysis ..................................... 31 Town of Vail Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES Page 1. Town of Vail l 991 Transit Statistics ....................................... ] 0 2. Town of Vail Transit Fleet .............................................. 12 3. Annual Operating Costs ................................................ 14 4. Transportation Provider Inventory ........................................ 16 5. Projected Annual Transit Ridership 1993-1997 ............................... 21 6. 1991 Town of Vail Transit Performance Measures ............................ 23 7. Comparison of In-Town Shuttle Alternatives ................................ 32 8. Bus Replacement Schedule .............................................. 36 9. Town of Vail Bus Fleet at End of 1997 ..................................... 36 10. Capital Improvement and Operations Financing Plan .......................... 38 Town of Vail Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Introduction INTRODUCTION The Transit Development Plan (TDP) is a planning tool which lays out a five year program for implementation and operation of a transit system. The TDP incorporates an analysis of existing conditions, identification of transit needs, development of alternatives to meet future transit demand, and the selection of a preferred alternative. The TDP also presents an analysis of the administrative and fiscal operations of the system. The Town of Vail's last TDP update covered the 1988-1992 time frame. The TDP update presented here addresses the subsequent 5 year time frame through 1997. This report was prepared in accordance with Undatine a Transportation Development Program for Rural and Small Urban Areas, published by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), January, 1990. The CDOT document provides guidelines for updating an existing TDP. This TDP update report is organized into 7 sections which correspond to the 7 tasks outlined in the CDOT guidelines which include: o Goals and Objectives o Community Characteristics o Existing Transportation Services o Five Year Ridership Forecasts o Evaluation of Existing Services o Evaluation of Service Alternatives o Operations Plan This TDP update also incorporates a paratransit plan developed in response to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This Act assures that persons with disabilities are provided the same level of transit service as persons who are not disabled. Paratransit and ADA information presented in this TDP update, as well as some other information regarding local transit service, was extracted from A Toint Paratransit Plan, June, 1992, prepared by The Transit Expert, Inc. Town of Vail Page 1 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter i TEM GOALS AND OBJECTIVESI. TRANSIT SYS The following highlight the goals and objectives of Vail's transit system which have been developed as a part of the overall Vail Transportation Master Plan (TMP). The TMP was developed under the direction and guidance of the Vail Parking and Transportation Advisory Committee. Public input was collected through an extensive series of meetings and interviews with citizens and community leaders. The goals are as follows: o Accommodate projected increases in future ridership anticipated from ski expansion and other development. o Provide an alternative transportation mode other than the automobile to reduce parking demand in Vail Village and Lionshead, and decrease vehicle emissions for improved air quality in the Vail Valley. o Provide routine transit service which would accommodate disabled persons per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). o Assure that cost-efficient service is being provided to areas warranting transit service. o Coordinate the Vail bus system to operate in conjunction with other local and regional transit services. o Provide sufficient transit capacity to accommodate demand during peak periods of the year and peak hours of the day. The In-Town shuttle, which provides service within central Vail between Yail Village and Lionshead, is a critical element in Vail's transit system and has unique operating characteristics. Several additional objectives have been established specifically for this route: o Improve operations at the physical bottlenecks along the route. o Identify a realistic, locally accepted concept plan to accommodate increasing passenger demands in the future. o Maintain a high quality transit service while being sensitive to the quality and character of the pedestrian areas along the In-Town shuttle route. Town of Vail Page 2 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter II II. COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS The Town of Vail is located in Eagle County approximately 100 miles west of Denver. The town lies in a narrow valley and extends approximately ten miles in an east-west direction, but is only one-half mile in width. Interstate 70 runs along the valley and provides access to the town via three interchanges. Given Vail's confined width, the interstate tends to be a barrier separating development along the north side and south side of the Valley. Figure 7 shows the location of Vail and a general layout of the town. Tourism is the primary industry in Yail. Downhill skiing during the winter months is Vail's biggest attraction, although summer recreation activity is also significant. As a resort community, the population varies considerably throughout the year with visitors and part-time residents comprising most of the population during peak tourist seasons. Typically, the population is greatest during the peak winter season at which time demand for community facilities and services, including transit, is at a maximum. Being a resort community, the population of Vail fluctuates by season. Currently, there are nearly 4,000 permanent year-round residents who live in Vail. During peak ski season, the overnight population can increase to as high as 19,000 people with the addition of tourists and seasonal employees. Add to this an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 day skiers/visitors who come to town, and the total at-one-time population is estimated to reach 30,000 people during peak season and even more during the peak days. It is estimated that the mountain can accommodate up to 24,000 skiers per day. Vail's disabled population is not considered to be substantial. No specific information is available as to the number of persons residing in Vail who are "ADA paratransit eligible", but The Transit Expert, Inc. has estimated that there are 13 Vail residents who meet the criteria. There are no estimates of ADA eligible tourists visiting Vail, but many of the paratransit trips that have taken place over the past year have been primarily visitor-based. Much of Vail's employment occurs in and around the major activity centers; Vail Village, Lionshead Village, and the West Vail area. Vail Village and Lionshead Village are located just south of the Main Central) Vail interchange onto Interstate 70 and together comprise the central Vail "core". This area is where most skiers access the mountain. In addition, there is approximately 650,000 square feet of commercial space, office space, and lodging, located in Vail and Lionshead Villages. During the peak winter months, approximately 2,600 employees work in the core area performing service duties and ski-related functions. The West Vail area, located immediately north of the West Vail interchange onto Interstate 70, is a more conventional commercial center. Several fast food restaurants and service stations are located in West Vail along with the town's only supermarket and other retail shops. During the peak winter season, approximately 300 employees work in the West Vail area. There are several transportation corridors through town that converge on the central Vail area: East Vail, West Vail north of the freeway, and West Vail south of the freeway. Frontage roads along Interstate ?0 provide the means of access to these corridors. Towards the east, the Frontage Road serves primarily residential development along both sides of Interstate 70. Approximately 1,300 dwelling units are located east of central Vail. In addition to residential development, the Frontage Road (along with Vail Valley Drive) serves the Vail Golf Course and Ford Park. Town of Vail Page 3 N ~ w ~ w V" '„ 0 p N C n oz U s c z ~~` f ~ ~+ p ~ trf w b O w W (~ o vii a W ~ us ~ w J ~ t7 Oo A O CL 01 CS G O 1Y Q ~ 4 4 ur d m a c 6 Q1aCJW c 7 J Lr a d G Z , 0> 1 N a Q do N J 4 Q ~ ate, 4 j CA y o Z s'/ ~" C ro t Ul DZ ~J~ ~ ~ o 1 s ~ + N m ~a 1 3> J J ~ W p ..+ ta. Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter II To the west of central Vail, there are two distinct corridors which are separated by Interstate 70; both primarily made up of residential development and served by freeway frontage roads. Approximately 700 dwellings exist along the north side of I-70 in addition to the town's post office and commercial activity near the West Vail interchange. The southern corridor contains about 680 units, a few commercial establishments, and aski-lift area (Cascade Village) located west of Lionshead Village. In addition to these "radial" corridors, there is also a major transit corridor located within central Vail. The In-Town shuttle provides service within the "core" area, and travels from the eastern edge of the Vail Village area to the western edge of Lionshead Village. The Shuttle provides linkage between the ski lifts, parking garages, commercial and office use, lodging, and several community centers. The In-Town shuttle is heavily used during peak winter season and alone makes up approximately three- fourths of the patronage riding Vail's bus system. Town of Vail Page 5 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter III III. EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SERVICES Transportation services within the Vail Valley are provided by several public entities and many private and specialized operators. The Town of Vail provides free service within town which covers East Vail, West Vail, and the central Vail area. The Town of Avon operates acounty-wide bus system in which three routes serve Vail. One route runs between Leadville and Vail while the other two run to/from the Avon area; specifically the Beaver Creek ski area and the Town of Edwards. There are also numerous private operators which include local taxi service, school buses, lodging services, and transportation to Denver, other ski areas, and the Eagle County Airport. A. TOWN OF VAIL BUS SYSTEM The Town of Vail provides free fixed route transit service, 20 hours per day, 365 days per year, to the general public that thoroughly covers the Vail Valley. During peak periods of the winter season, up to 7 separate bus routes provide the necessary coverage. Figures 2, 3, and 4 show the current bus routes for West Vail, East Vail, and the In-Town shuttle during peak periods. A bus schedule is shown in the Appendix. During the winter peak hours of the day, buses run every 15 to 20 minutes along the West Vail North, West Vail South, and Sandstone routes. The Golf Course and Ford Park buses run every 30 minutes and the East Vail express runs every 15 minutes throughout the day and every 30 minutes in the late evening. There is no formal schedule for the In-Town shuttle; buses continually run along this route at headways of 7 to l0 minutes. During peak hours of demand, up to 14 buses may be pressed into service along this route. During the summer and "in between" seasons, transit service is scaled back since passenger demand is significantly less. Bus headways along the outlying routes are typically an hour long. In West Vail, the West Yail North and Sandstone routes are combined into a single route and Ford Park is served as a part of the Golf Course route resulting in a total of 5 "formalized" bus routes serving the town including the In-Town Shuttle. Service is provided 14 hours per day in the summer with the first buses making runs by 6:00 A.M. and the last run ending after 10:00 P.M. Service is suspended for a 2 hour duration during the early afternoons. During the 1991 calendar year, 3.2 million patrons rode Vail's bus system with the In-Town shuttle accommodating over 70 percent of total ridership. Table 1 summarizes overall operations for 1991. As shown, buses accumulated well over half-a-million miles and nearly 61,000 hours of service during 1941. Transit use varied significantly during the year as illustrated in Figure 5. The peak season typically occurs during March, and the peak summer activity on average is only one-third that during the winter. The peak day of the year occurred on December 31 st in which over 43,000 patrons were recorded boarding the town bus system. i~ Town of Vail Page 6 x o~ V cc5 m ccS N o crU_ Ry ^^`` W L ~ T~ ~ W •~ C 0 4 1 g 1 1, 1 1 1 o a U O N N N a. 2 Z 0 Z ~ O ~~' w r W I< sa ~ U Z a U= o i o W Y _eef.1 N ~" v L ~ o m cyA 0 N Q L W ZO N Z G a 7 o N N p m ~ ~ m 33 i m 1 J r N ~ W J J ~ W p J ti ~ a 4 V 4`1 J ~ // LL . U 1 1 1 Z ~ Q r yh Z G J + J + ~; J_w Oe~oeJ u4~r Z~-=---- ~_--- a_ ~ i ~~ i Of ~ Z O k ' O Y 4 w m n. Q ~ `Ca ~~ JU ~i tD 3.~ 7a',~ p i . • Q m i' ~~~ im q ` (f5 ~ cn Z ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ? W of W < 4pi ® i ~ "- r ZO j ;~.~ 2~~ w ? U 0 `~ ~ ~ pyU r Q i N w ~ O ~ J ~Q Q Q , Q W 7• J Q Q Y • r 2 n Q ~ WT" i Z~ y ~ d ~ Z ~ 1 2 1 W O QJ U LL Q m Z 0 a J 2 r m 2 ~ a r~ Q W mla,, a oO • '~ ~ Y r d U7 3 1 1 y ~ ~ a1 •• t Z M i43 tU p C~ M m~ 1 d~ r a w v w z u Q tio c W Q N1 A, Mwf W r Y L n`~. o d ~ Q. ~ Z W N ~ U cn N ~ N 7 LU C7 m G N J i i Z C7 C7 m > V> !~ W J J J W O J W Z O oC Ca QQQJ a C D a Z a J w"„~,. r~ o~ W ~J N 'Q 1 Q ^ SQ a 1- N w c< N 1 ja z 111 1 Y l_ , q y~ _ _ ~ C1 1<' ~ i, w o S m W I- a a U W 7 C7 k Q J J o. J r?,- s 1`.` > f' w Z 1> ¢ w t.' LL J ~ Q4 a 4 2 't: y Uw .. D Z k%. ~ ., ul W '. jr V i. w ,_ L Z Z ~ C O V Y Q I 1 OI- N Q N 1 ~ ~ f1I W 4 S 5 f U d O 5 U Q Q p z N Q Q U G J m R J j y FYI A, y.. 3 A 1 t0 U z Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 TABLE 1 TOWN OF VAIL 1991 TRANSIT STATISTICS Chapter III Total ;, Service Area °; Ridership ; Vehicle Miles Vehtcle; Hours In-Town Shuttle 2,251,017 224,658 31,969 West Vail (1) 612,758 150,908 12,535 East Vail (2) 381,176 192,195 15,175 Totals I 3,244,95'1 ~. 601,251 I 60,872 1) Includes West Vail North and South, Sandstone, and West Vail Link. 2) Includes service to East Vail, golf course, and Ford Park. Source: Town of Vail. The Town of Vail currently operates a fleet of 34 vehicles. Table 2 lists the attributes of each vehicle. A total of 17 vehicles or 50 percent of the fleet are at least 10 years old whereas the remaining 17 vehicles were purchased within the past three years. A total of 15 buses are scheduled for replacement between 1994 and 1996. The most recent purchases (buses 195, 196, and 197) are perimeter-seating buses and are equipped with a wheelchair lift making them ADA accessible discussed in a later chapter). There are currently four vehicles in the fleet which are equipped to load and unload wheelchairs which include a 12 seat mini bus used for paratransit service. Operation of Vail's bus system is funded entirely from the Town's General Fund which is subsidized by a local sales tax. The bus system is free to riders, so no revenue is generated through fares. Some revenue is generated from advertisements placed on the sides of buses, but these monies are deposited directly into the Town's General Fund. In the past, the Town has received some UMTA (Urban Mass Transportation Administration) funding used towards the purchase of new buses. Town of Vail Page 10 U w 0 F- U O Q ~ a~ _ y L `~1 V C O r O) C7 i L Z c 0 Q G. 00 W O O ti I O O cD spuesnoyl) s6uip~so8 0 c 3 ai U 0 m a V7 1~ W J J J W O J LL S V Q Z O O O O O O O O O O O d' [~7 N r Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter III TABLE 2 TOWN OF VAIL TRANSIT FLEET (1) Expected' Replacernent: Unit No Yeai:;:Description:Seats:Mileage (1) ;;Year 151 1982 TMC 31 113,444 1994 152 1982 TMC 31 170,000 1994 153 1982 TMC 3l 179,826 1994 154 1982 TMC 31 183,667 1944 155 1982 TMC 3l 118,197 1994 156 1982 TMC 31 164,516 1995 157 1982 TMC 31 166,232 1995 158 1982 TMC 31 163,304 1995 159 1982 TMC 31 201,704 1995 I 160 1982 TMC 31 107,989 1995 161 1982 TMC 31 174,612 1996 162 1982 TMC 3l 85,441 1996 163 1982 TMC 3l 89,795 1996 l 64 982 TMC 3l 184,760 1996 165 1982 TMC 31 216,042 996 166 1981 GMC 21 28,618 167 (2)1990 CHEVY 12 35,030 181 1982 ORION 35 78,637 1995 182 1989 ORION 39 82,785 183 1989 ORION 39 82,842 184 1989 ORION 39 73,008 185 1989 ORION 39 83,432 186 1989 ORION 39 85,022 187 1989 ORION 39 27,182 188 990 ORION 39 57,822 Town of Vail Page 12 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 TABLE 2 TOWN OF VAIL TRANSIT FLEET (1) Chapter III Expected Replacement LJnit.No Year:< Des~rtption. Seats Mileage=(1) Year 189 1990 ORION 39 44,682 190 1990 ORION 39 56,34] 191 1991 ORION 39 39,221 192 1991 ORION 39 35,962 193 1991 ORION 39 41,075 194 1991 ORION 39 38,307 195 (2) 1992 ORION I 37 2,000 196 (2) 1992 ORION I 37 2000 197 (2) 1992 ORION I 37 2000 1) As of May 28, 1992 2) ADA accessible (contains a wheelchair lift). Unit 167 is used for paratransit service. Units I95, 196, and 197 have perimeter seating arrangement. Sources: Town of Vail and A Joint Paratransit Plan, prepared by The Transit Expert, Inc., June, 1992. Town of Vail Page 13 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter III Operating costs of Vail's transit system range from $1.5 million to $2.0 million annually. Table 3 illustrates the actual 1991 costs and the budgeted costs for 1992. As shown, costs to operate the In- Town Shuttle make up 40 to 50 percent of the annual cost to operate the entire system. The West Vail bus routes together make up approximately 24 percent of the operating costs, and East Vail routes make up 18 to 20 percent of the costs. Administrative costs comprise 12 to I3 percent of the total. TABLE 3 ANNUAL OPERATING COSTS (In $1,000) Item In-Town Shuttle West Vail Routes (1) East Vail Routes (2) Administrative Paratransit Host Service (3) Totals Actual: ;1991 Cost. Budgeted 199 Coy s 794 791 341 453 296 369 191 245 10 6 1,622 ~ ii' I 1,874 1) Includes West Vail North, West Vail South, and Sandstone routes. 2) Includes East Vail Express, Golf Course, and Ford Park routes. 3) Host service includes the labor required for orderly passenger boarding at locations which experience significant loading demand. Source: Town of Vail. B. COUNTY-WIDE BUS SYSTEM (TOWN OF AVON) The Town of Avon, with participation from the Town of Vail and Beaver Creek Resort, operates a regional transit service which carried approximately 1 million passengers in 1991. Service is provided to Leadville, Red Cliff, Minturn, Edwards, Avon, Beaver Creek Resort, and Vail. Ridership associated with Vail accounts for 20 to 25 percent of the entire system's ridership. There are three routes which stop at the Transportation Center; one serving the US 24 corridor including Minturn, Red Cliff, and Leadville; one serving Beaver Creek Resort and Avon; and one serving development along US 6 as far west as Edwards. Each passenger is charged a $2.00 fee for one-way service along these routes. Patrons heading to or coming from Leadville are charged $3.25. Approximately 85 percent of the Vail patronage on this system are oriented to/from Eagle Valley. Town of Vail Page 14 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter III C. PARATRANSIT SERVICE In May, 1991, the Town began providing free paratransit service. The Town owns one van (unit 167) containing a wheelchair lift and two wheelchair tie downs. The service is available during all hours that the fixed route service is operating, and reservations for its use require 24-hour advance notice. For riders traveling outside of Vail, service has been coordinated with that of the Avon/Beaver Creek system such that passengers get transferred at either the Vail Transportation Center or the Chamonix North Frontage Bus Shelter. During the first 12 months of the service (through April, 1992), a total of 131 passenger-trips were provided. Within the 12 month period the service operated 28 days in which the Town's van accumulated 651 miles. Approximately 95 percent of these trips took place during the non-ski season, and over one-half (55 percent) of these trips occurred during the months of May and June. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 extends civil rights protection to persons with disabilities. In terms of its affect on transit service, persons with disabilities must be provided equivalent service to persons who are not disabled. The following highlight the requirements of the act as related to bus service in Vail. o All newly purchased or leased vehicles used for fixed route service must be accessible, i.e., contain a wheelchair lift. 1 o All newly purchased or leased vehicles used for demand responsive service must be accessible unless comparable paratransit service is being provided. o Separate paratransit service is to be provided within three-quarters of a mile from all fixed route service (within Town limits) to persons who are unable to use accessible fixed-route buses. In light of the ADA, continuation of paratransit service to the entire Town will be required. D. PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION OPERATORS Table 4 shows a 1lsttng of the other transportation operators providing service within Vail. u Town of Vail Page 15 E"~ z w z N~ Y+M w A a a z F d E"y a a F~ 7 Qa F H r 0 uNi N N d: C r~n N M N r M N N C~7 M N N 1!') r C7 N 7~ rQ,;r r Z W:C yE C 41 CE C N CE > •- C G/ CE > •-CE > '- N N C v N C Q/ CE > ' a^ p •~ro a^~ c ~ a^~a^~ r m a^~ o a^~ c v •c a^~ a>: ntl'' '~ G ~ S. y a~ 01 d O1 m O ~ v 01 tL L,p o L U O o L U L U L~ U ~) O U t U c O7 c 'j'c°Q o 0 o y c "' o 0 O~O`~i o Z O`v7i Z Z Z Z °tnU~F-Z r N na o c o 0 O a:o ~~cc ~' a o 2 co~Q a d.p a 4. o Q a_Q v 4. N OM 7 O N T O•- ~j 4 O O ch0 O' O~ O O O O N p:,InF'•C C O Y T C~7 6/ iA f 13~ d N N^ m A y fQ N^ 4- ld 0 ~ C L rQa O y~a ~ ~a Q N~Q Q Qp agoycq c a O • c Q N y n•c ~ v 7 0 0 0 0 0 o cY O~ U o O o O n- r~ ti N C H C7 ~O ^ =t0 N ao Q Q.tp O I~ U N 0+ O~ o~ C O o lb 3 t C o y N C ro o>o~Q v J c 2~ a c o E a i p oY D ao a d°cQ m W t o~ vt U d~o f ~,c°c N Y oo o L aaU O acs Y ~ a'Yo U Y S ~ NUC 4. tV ld W a t9 . a fE U C3~NF- l0 W> ld 0-i-Jn.~ V A jN C C l0 N C C l0 N N 7 C N C N C C j ti>m Z.. N r M N N~~r N d'r 0.: y N d<.; moo:0 n o o C U L N cini=a 2 a~ o a cn d R C N 0 y O 0 W NO d U n VL O L O O) l L C C C C 4• c`L O O a W w O a>a~~U~~U Ump.:: ~UtL 7 tmL v'min U rs1A O r N~f M N~r N Ch i t i t M i N r z~Ea i c E°'~i c ~ ~ ._ ~ E v •c m m O Q~ a c DO~¢Q~D2 Q~ a.'~d rn a~ rn d rn c o m of a~ rn ow°0 z z z 5a z z U o d o W Q c c a o 3a w~g n v di ap a a:amo a-~a o d a~ ld O O r ~ L, N Q N O O0.r0 r rU N Ul z C d o ~ a a~Q Q U E c N Q a oHL o o o c°o= c a c°*~HV o o c°ri o ~ lf~ fD N O =CU f~ J ¢ ~cU N Q Q c0 1A fD d1 m c=o U E r y o N t U ~ U S V to o C U U yy 41 4. ~ C ~•Y J 7 U y r N ~ yy U. U O U d y C r H U d ~~ J N o>m m m Q o~co• v m c r a. m 7~ o=ca t ~al"_7 0~EU 3C U U O cUr=U L E~ N p ma ~oo~~c tn>QaC Cn tV d~=QJ fA~ ~C77O F W 0 y>: 01-.;y ii z n l; E m y Gl y cam' y y y G C m Z L m U 7 m cd c m yy F+1 f0 (!~ C7 m r N N r N W A O y I+y e O p'd V C N N d w z v~ Z r a A d N F" o r Ly o O o o L y tn U oc i= Q F a 0 o j s v v a W Z a o w o ayi J y U v o d oaC y o N7m a NH II r a 0 z W z a w A a a z O H d F a a az F H 0.~., qyq,, I : ;2 ~c ~ v vc 6 cc Q ~ f Q ~~O 0 0 r~d m OCW O~N m cti c >oo ~~to ~ C U o [~UW~lA Z Z U > ~ U C c ~ W r NUo>p ~ C4 O a o ~ oUtn oQ:o > rn o c a iz ma'o c=d o= o~.-o 0 o c o co',~ c o 0 ro as ao = ~ O of o c ° ffi c a a c g.U ~ E T~ o ~U U o~4a. ~ in~° U w N 3 U ~ C F m aNi m~ 7 CL m~ L r 7 I, d C Ol 7 l0 C 7 c6 2 O d CC OW tnD:W J F-2 v'! O.:C toL z ,~ N N 0t' o a~::U o oo 0 c 3 o F°- E iO. U N a Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter IV IV. FIVE-YEAR RIDERSHIP FORECASTS This section presents ridership projections for the 1993-1997 time period. The Vail Transportation Master Plan (TMP) previously mentioned presents long-range projections which are linked to expansion of the mountain. An 18 percent increase beyond the 1989-1990 ridership level was projected based on approved mountain capacity that had not yet taken place. For the short-range time frame being analyzed here, major mountain expansion and related development is not expected, although modest increases will occur. Therefore, five-year ridership projections, based on historical short-term growth patterns, are also expected to be relatively modest. Longer-term projections are also included in this TDP update report to better evaluate transit alternatives discussed in subsequent chapters. Historical ridership on Vail's bus system is illustrated graphically in Figure 6 for the past 10 years. Ridership for 1992 was estimated from four months of available data. Between 1982 and 1987, ridership increased at an annual average rate of 3 percent. Between 1987 and 1992 ridership has fluctuated, but has grown at an average rate of 2 percent per year. Much of the increase has come from the outlying routes which have increased annually at an average annual rate of 6 to 7 percent since 1987. The 1n-Town shuttle patronage has experienced very little growth on average increasing annually at an average rate of less than 1 percent since 1987. In estimating future demand, it is assumed that recent growth patterns will continue to occur; outlying route ridership will increase at a more rapid rate than that of the In-Town shuttle. Ridership is anticipated to level off some along the outlying routes but should continue to be greater than that of the In-Town shuttle. The following assumptions were used to estimate average growth in future transit demand: o Between 1992 and 199?, In-Town shuttle ridership will increase annually at a rate of 1 percent. o Between 1992 and 1997, outlying route ridership will increase annually at a rate of 4 percent. Using the assumptions stated above, annual future ridership projections were made and are illustrated in Table 5. Between the last full year of available data (1991) and 1947, the total ridership is estimated to increase about S percent to approximately 3.4 million riders. Approximately two-thirds are projected to ride the In-Town shuttle. Estimates of future paratransit use are shown in A Joint Paratransit Plan prepared by the Transit Expert, Inc. in June, 1992. The document referenced reports an estimated 13 ADA paratransit eligible people currently living in the Town of Vail. However, since paratransit service began, demand has been primarily made up of the visitor population and not year-round residents. As such, it has been estimated that 350 passenger-trips per year would be generated over the next 5-year time frame within the entire region (Vail Valley and Eagle Valley). Town of Vail Page 19 i ~ i i i•Cfi~//~/~:/,/ Iv i i i i i L, iii ,. fii i. v ;~ v/~ ch co m 3 Cl~F`W J J J W O J LL O V11//• f ii~ri /, i r w r 4I r ti r r ~ ~ ~ i , i i i n n n n, n n- n~ .1 't n n n- n~ n`~.vnfn n .~ v•• v v .r •ivvvvv~~~i"<tvv•.• v r R- R K X X R J` n %% r` iii%%i ;rij}c'X~<'~'x~<Xk'kY'~,~~c° ~;~X~'S<'k;S~x,~- co 1 .% ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ f ~ " X X X X ~K X % X X +( x X < ;c < •<y~~~ y`~.~ ~:f` X~: C~(rC~C~~'\~ ~/~~C ~~C/~C~C~,C~ Lip S ' ` '\ •y ~~;µX 'C1Ky~~'k~;~~C~{~C~Ky?~'~l'~~"1r~~ll`,!<: ~I •~~~ Y~~•~ r Y! x Y I I I I I I Ch lj~ N In ~ tQ O N •- O sepia } o suoi~~iy~4 y m C Q j m r L C 3 F- C ii C j C Q y~ O 3 N rn O) cV a 0 0 3 3 tom- ui U O U7 Z i. Q Z Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter IV TABLE 5 PROJECTED ANNUAL TRANSIT RIDERSHIP 1993-1997 (IN 1,000's) Year , 'In Town: Shuttle Outlying; Routes Total 1993 2,135 1,000 3,135 1994 2,160 l ,040 3,200 1995 2,180 1,080 3,260 1996 2,200 1,125 3,325 1997 2_225 1,170 3,395 Town of Vail Page 21 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter V V. EVALUATION OF EXISTING SERVICES The Town of Vail provides free transit service, 20 hours per day, 365 days per year to the general public that thoroughly covers the Vail Valley. Up to seven bus routes operate throughout the Town during ski season. Six of the seven routes serve outlying areas of Vail while one, the In-Town shuttle, serves the Vail Village and Lionshead Village areas. The In-Town shuttle provides service to a relatively small area, but yet it comprises about 70 percent of the ridership for the entire bus system. As such, its operating characteristics differ from the outlying routes. The following sections of the report address current operations of the outlying routes, the In-"Town shuttle, paratransit service and system administrative operations. A. OUTLYING ROUTE SERVICE The six outlying bus routes provide thorough coverage to Vail including the East Vail area, golf course, Ford Park, West Vail north of I-70, West Vail south of I-70, and the Sandstone area as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4. The winter schedule for each route is shown in the Appendix. The six routes originate at the Village Transportation Center (near Vail Village) which serves as a transfer point between Town routes as well as to Down Valley routes. The Vail bus system, as it currently exists, provides a high degree of mobility to the Town in both geographic coverage and service frequency. Recent improvements to the system have further improved the level of service provided to the outlying areas. These improvements include the following: o Routine service between the Transportation Center and Ford Park is now provided. This service is provided in conjunction with service to the golf course and East Vail. o Peak periods of service have been extended for all routes in which bus headways are one-half those during non-peak periods. In 1991, the outlying routes carried nearly one million riders. Buses accumulated nearly 28,000 hours and 343,000 miles of travel along these routes costing about $722,000 (includes portion of administration costs). Table 6 shows some common performance measures for the outlying routes, the In-Town Shuttle (which is discussed in the following section) and state-wide averages for ski areas. As shown, passengers per vehicle-mile and passengers per vehicle-hour measures are comparable to state-wide averages. The per passenger cost of 73 cents is one-half the state average, but the vehicle-mile cost is higher than the state average. Town of Vail Page 22 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 TABLE 6 1991 TOWN OF VAIL TRANSIT PERFORMANCE MEASURES Outlying !Routes In-Town: ale.::::..Meas.t>re - : Shut Passengers per Vehicle-Mile Passengers per Vehicle-Hour Cost per Passenger (2) Cost per Vehicle-Mile (2) Cost per Vehicle-Hour (2) 2.9 35.9 0.73 2.10 26.05 10.0 70.4 0.40 4.01 28.16 Chapter V Colorado Ski Area Average (l ) 2.3 37.9 1.47 1.42 Not Available 1) From 1_Jndatine a Transportation Development Proeram for Rural and Small Urban Areas, Colorado Department of Transportation, January, 1990. 2) Includes administrative costs. The outlying bus routes have flexibility in terms of service frequency and specific routing of buses, and scheduling is often adjusted to accommodate fluctuating ridership demand relative to peak and non-peak hours, late night, and seasonal variations. The shortest headway interval between buses during peak periods is currently I S minutes. The potential exists to increase the hourly capacity of each route by adding buses to shorten headways. Given that ridership is projected to increase by less than 20 percent between 1991 and 1997, running more buses along the critical routes during peak periods should be an adequate measure to accommodate the projected demand for the next five to six years. For example, if additional buses were added along a route resulting in a decrease of headways from IS minutes to l0 minutes, transit capacity would be increased by 50 percent (6 buses an hour rather than 4); more than enough to accommodate projected demand. In addition, buses currently in the fleet will be modified to have a perimeter seating arrangement which will increase standing room and the overall capacity of a single coach. All replacement buses purchased by the Town will also have perimeter seating. This will also contribute to increasing capacity along the outlying routes. Besides increases in capacity, minor route modifications can also be made in the future, if warranted, with little effort. The outlying routes should continue to be monitored to determine what scheduling and coverage adjustments are needed, if any. Town of Vail Page 23 Vail Transft Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter V B. IN-TOWN SHUTTLE The In-Town shuttle operates year-round and carries over 2.2 million riders annually along a I.75 mile route between Golden Peak and West Lionshead Circle. A portion of the route is restricted to pedestrians and bus traffic only. The route serves the high-density, commercial lodging and retail core of Vail. During peak winter periods up to 30,000 riders may use the In-Town shuttle on a single day. Visitors, mainly destination and day skiers, make up the bulk of the winter day ridership. Destination visitors also use the shuttle to travel between the slopes, lodging, dining, and shopping attractions within Vail and Lionshead villages. Day visitors, local residents and employees use the shuttle as an internal circulator after having parked in either the Vail or Lionshead parking structures. Performance measures of the In-Town Shuttle are presented in Table 6 along with outlying route and average state-wide statistics. As shown, the passenger per vehicle-mile and per vehicle-hour statistics are significantly higher than those for the outlying routes and state averages. The passenger cost is only 40 cents per rider, however, the per-vehicle-mile cost is over $4.00. This pattern (a higher vehicle-mile cost than passenger cost) is similar to that for the outlying routes, but is much more skewed due to the significant amount of ridership occurring along such a short route. The In-Town shuttle is the backbone of the Vail transportation system. Because of the rather unique linear nature of Vail's mountain-town-highway orientation, the shuttle performs singularly what is typically parceled out to separate transit services in most other North American resort communities. In the typical ski resort, the community bed base, skier-mountain, nightlife/retail, and day skier parking are separate and distinct, sometimes several miles apart; Snowmass Village, Steamboat Springs, Jackson Hole, Sun Valley, and Crested Butte are examples. In these cases, separate routes and services are provided for day-skier parking shuttles, destination visitor shuttles and in-village circulation. In Vail, the In-Town shuttle must perform all of these functions. Clearly, the quality of experience for Vail visitors is tied closely to the operation of the In-Town shuttle. The village shuttle operates 19-1/2 hours a day between the hours of 6:30 AM and 2:00 AM. Frequency of service is typically eight minutes or less with the most intense service provided during the 3:30 to 5:30 afternoon hours when skiers departing from the slopes create the greatest demand for transportation. Ten vehicles are regularly scheduled for shuttle service during the afternoon rush. Occasionally four additional vehicles are pressed into service to respond to heavy demand. With 14 vehicles in service on the shuttle route the frequency between vehicles is often less than the dwell time at the major boarding points. This results in "bunching", i.e. buses running in tandem rather than uniformly spaced along the route. Operation efficiency breaks down under these conditions as passenger loads on the lead bus are usually greater than the trailing bus (or buses), and system speed is governed by the slower vehicle. As system speed slows, more passengers accumulate at stops between bus arrivals, dwell time increases accordingly thereby further reducing system speed and ensuring that incrementally more passengers will be waiting upon arrival at the next stop. The usual daytime average system speed of an estimated 7 to 8 MPH degrades to 3 or 4 MPH, or even less, during peak season afternoon hours. At these speeds and crowding conditions, many prospective riders will opt to walk. Town of Vail Page 24 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter V Figure 7 graphically depicts the number of daily hoardings along the shuttle route during 1991. Clearly, December 3l st was the peak day of the year with over 26,000 hoardings. Late April and early May are when the daily ridership is least; only 179 hoardings were recorded on April 25th. It is estimated from the daily boarding counts that the current shuttle system was seriously overloaded between 15 to 20 days during the winter seasons of 1991 or about one day out of eight during ski season. Figure 8 illustrates peak hour ridership demand in rank order along the In-Town shuttle. Peak hour demand was calculated on the basis that it represents 8 percent of the daily demand. What is important to note by the slope of the curve depicted in Figure 8 is that relatively small increases in ridership, spread out uniformly over the entire ski season, will trigger a fairly significant increase in the number of days the current system will be overloaded during afternoon peak hours. This means destination skiers in the future will experience more occasions of overcrowding on the current shuttle system. Whereas peak week of high season visitors probably anticipate and will tolerate some overcrowding throughout Vail or any other major destination resort, this condition will prevail more frequently on the shuttle system probably during weekends when higher day-skier volumes are added to moderate-occupancy destination visitor volumes. These destination visitors may be unpleasantly surprised to experience overcrowding on the shuttle system during the "non-peak" weeks. The In-Town shuttle ridership is not projected to increase significantly through the 1997 time frame. Beyond 1997 with ski expansion, ridership demand can be expected to grow moderately and with a increase of l0 to 15 percent over 1991 levels, the system would be overloaded 30 to 35 days out of the 145 day ski season as shown in Figure 8. C. PARATRANSIT SERVICE Vail's paratransit service has been in operation for over a year. During the first 12 months of operation, 131 passenger-trips were served. To date, there have been no instances in which trips could not be served as a result of capacity constraints. The single van used for this service has been more than adequate to accommodate demand. D. ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS As mentioned, the Town of Vail's bus system is a free service. Operations are funded entirely by the Town's General Fund through a local sales tax and is supported by the Town Council. The system is heavily used, particularly in the winter, and has the second highest ridership level in the state second only to the RTD system in the Denver metropolitan area. Vail's transit system carries more people annually than the Colorado Springs transit system which serves an urban area of nearly 400,000 residents. The Town operates the system as a public service under authority granted to municipalities by Section 30-15 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. The Department of Public Works and Transportation is responsible for operations which include the management and supervision of services, scheduling of vehicles and drivers, maintenance and acquisition of vehicles and facilities, marketing, obtaining insurance, and monitoring of the operations. The purchasing of vehicles and equipment is financed by the Town of Vail along with some matching funds that have come from UMTA. The Department is audited once a year by a private CPA firm who audits all of Vail's municipal departments. Town of Vail Page 25 e ~ ~ L ti. o m M1M V Q W 1-r C~ 3 S t spu2snoyl) s ~ s6uip~eo8 ~~i~Q m N F"u.l J J y,~L7 J W z a a m w w O c 3 O F- d ti O z Z I I I 4 I cv o ca et' cv o co ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ V GV ~ N r Cp 'Z7 ~ L„ 0 a. 4 t0 f '~ .~C W Jr O r i \~w 1 f O ~~r C ' N ~ 1` r ~ t d N ~ ~ ~ ,~ o '' '~ U f r r Q~a 4? r t ~ •~ O vt' ~ ~ o m u- ~ rn ~ +.. w 3 o ~ -~ v~ o Cty N ~, f ~ ~ y m j i b ~ N ?~ o 'v 1 v f T ~ ~ In ~ Q ! ~ T r ~ i d ~ C M O w- o X w o o r r J ~' ' J-1-~ ~ f t,a o a0 ~ ~' CV CV r '~ N T wo~~ pa„!~eQ) d~yslap!ti ~~~~~ ~noH dead a A~l~~d~~ au~"1 1 d z s- -- J ~ ~ W O ~ 1 '~y= Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter V Figure 9 shows the Department of Public Works and Transportation Organization. The Department 1 is managed by the Public Works/Transportation Director who reports to the Town Manager. The Parking/Transit Superintendent, who reports to the Public Works/Transportation Director, oversees day-to-day operation including the tasks listed in the previous paragraph and has authority over the other transit personnel including the Fleet Manager, Bus Operations Coordinator, Bus Supervisors, M mechanics and drivers. The number of drivers employed by the town varies by season ranging from a low of l2 to a high of 69 during the winter season. All drivers are required to complete an 80 hour training program before they are allowed to drive. Starting in November, 1992, drivers and all other transit personnel will be subject to drug testing. Coordination with other transit entities outside of Vail is limited to the Avon/Beaver Creek transit system which was discussed earlier in the report. The two entities have recently concluded a Joint Paratransit Plan prepared by The Transit Expert, Inc. which was conducted to determine how both bus services will comply with provisions set forth in Americans with Disabilities Act. The two entities have also coordinated in regard to the actual paratransit service. For riders needing to go outside the Town of Vail, service is coordinated with the Town of Avon which has the authority to operate on I-70 and Highway 6. Passengers are transferred to the Town of Avon's paratransit vehicle at the Chamonix North Frontage bus shelter or the Vail Transportation Center. Because paratransit demand is fairly low for both bus systems, the two entities have also agreed to make their paratransit vehicle available to each other in the event of mechanical failure. In addition to coordination on aratransit service the Town of Vail contributes 1p $ 20 000 annuall Y towards the operation of the Avon/Beaver Creek bus system. Town of Vail Page 28 F E L S B U R G H 0 L T & ' U L L E V I G Town Manager Public Works Transportation Director Transportation / Parking Manager r'.::~:yi.:':~}>~'}:}t::~:$:2vrki:S.~n•:6~:vv Bus Operation Coordinator Parking Coordinator Hostess I Booth Attendants ~`' Bll5 Supervisors Figure 9 V ~ Department of Public Works and Transportation Organization North ~ Mechanics / ~}~' Maintenance ~z Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter VI VI. EVALUATION OF SERVICE ALTERNATIVES Current service to Vail's outlying areas is adequate to meet projected ridership demand levels. As mentioned, these routes are very flexible in terms of varying their degree of service. Bus schedules are varied throughout the day and throughout the year in response to changing demand. This type of "demand response" operation should be adequate for future demand. Continuing to monitor operations will be required to determine specific adjustments of schedules and bus routing to meet changes in demand. The In-Town shuttle currently experiences periodic overcrowding, and although additional buses are added to the route during peak periods, there becomes a point in which adding buses does not increase capacity. As such, several alternatives for achieving a higher line capacity along this route were considered when developing the Vail Transportation Master Plan. For ease of comparison these have been grouped as "fixed guideway" or "at-grade" alternatives. A. FIXED GUIDEWAY ALTERNATIVE -OPTIMAL MONORAIL In evaluating the fixed guideway alternatives, two options were considered: a ]0-station full replacement system and a truncated 4-station system accompanied with a "background" bus system. From the Vail Transportation Plan, it was found that an automated 10-station monorail over the distance of the shuttle route would be inefficient since vehicles must follow a rigid standard of deceleration, docking, door opening and closure, and subsequent controlled rate of acceleration. Duplicating the existing bus service with a 10-station system does not take full advantage of a grade separated operation due to the excessive time required for each stop. Therefore, only the higher- capacity 4-station system was retained for further evaluation. This truncated route would connect the Covered Bridge area of Vail Village with the Gondola area of Lionshead Village via an elevated people mover. The loop would be 2.2 miles and cover 63% of the existing bus route, but would encompass about 78% of the existing boardings. Presumably a background" bus route would continue to operate between Golden Peak on the east and Marriott Mark (or even Cascade Village) on the west to maintain central shuttle service to these areas beyond the Village Core. Within the "pinched-loop" route, there would be a maximum of four stations. Each station would have a center as well as side platform to permit separate boarding and deboarding operations. Vehicle interiors would be adapted to facilitate carrying and stowing skis on board. This concept has been used successfully on a 4-station, 0.8 mile (each way) underground people mover system in the resort community of Serfaus, Austria. The net effect of station consolidation, dual-platform stations, and on-board skis will increase line capacity from the current estimate of 1,245 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd) to a total of 1,950 as shown in Figure 10. With a shortened route and a higher average speed, this tine capacity can be achieved with fewer vehicles. Ten, or possibly 8, 2-car trains would be needed for this optimal" people mover configuration. Town of Vail Page 30 N ty v N 7 _ N ~ r y ~y N C ~ S t,~ O to tU L r ~ 7 O p r et SriOOUN N ~ v m a~ a m o .~. ~., I G ~ ~ L ~, N ~ G V = ~U N c ~ o. ~ J .~ ct~ cL7 N N N N S 7 m Y y t~ J ~J O '~u~ x ~ t f t i ~ G ~ f , j+~ , t4 f~,. 0 ;' i fj+ A ~ r ~ f r ~ ~ N ~ O a a i i Q i j ? ~ 1. ~i t i: i tt7 N ' r 0 ~ m ~ ~ ~ N r r wa~~ pah!~~Q) d!ys~ap!a ~~~ ~u!"1 ~n°H x~ad O ~ 4j F1~~~~d Q N_ r (f~ 1., nit N L r ~ r ~ O ,~ 0 T ~ O U ~ 7L W C O r m o a 07 o ° T O ~ t ~ o at 0 N O r tr O N C Q O Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Ski Placement Average System Speed (MPH) Line Capacity (Passengers per Hour per Direction) Maximum Number Vehicles in Service Peak Vehicle Unit Estimated Development Cost Vehicles Other Total TDA using Lea Elliot reports for Detailed calculations are presentee Vail Transportation Master Plan. The line capacity of the optimal monorail of 1,950 pphpd would be approximately 55 percent higher than the current system and about 13 percent higher than the high-capacity, at-grade shuttle bus system discussed in the following section. As shown in Table 7 the cost to develop the 2.2 mile optimal" monorail system would about $24 million. TABLE 7 COMPARISON OF IN-TOWN SHUTTLE ALTERNATIVES Operation Parameters: 1. Route Length (miles) 2. Service Area 3 4 5 6. 7. 8. I Source: 1) 2) I (3) 3.5 Mariott Mark to Golden Peak On Board 7.5 1,720 2.2 Lionshead to Cov- ered Bridge On Board 10.7 1,950 (1) 14 40' Bus X16= 4,000,000 X3.450.000 (2) 7,450,000 Town of Vail dated 2/ 1 i in the Technical Appe Chapter VI 8 32' 2-Car Train @10= 3,550,000 20.450.000 (3) 24,000,000 6/87 and 3/22/90. ndix Report of the Optimal capacity, assumes 4-station, dual platform system. (Stations would be established based upon a more detailed operations and feasibility study.) Includes an allowance for expanded maintenance facilities for special buses, minor roadway improvements, enhanced bus loading facilities as outlined in the Streetscape Plan, engineering, and contingencies. Includes fixed facilities, engineering and contingencies. I ' Town of Vail Special: Elevated .; Low::Floor E:us People IViover Page 32 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 MB. AT GRADE HIGH CAPACITY BUS SYSTE Chapter VI As an alternative to a capital intensive replacement for the existing shuttle service, the use of special high-capacity buses designed specifically for short-haul shuttle service of this type was investigated. Designed with low floors, multiple wide doors and high interior compartments for standee comfort, these vehicle types have been used for a number of years in Europe as airport apron service, shuttling passengers between airplanes and terminals. The vehicles used in Denver for shuttle service along the I.1 mile long 16th Street Mall are an adaption of these buses. The special shuttle bus has a limited number of perimeter seats, thus catering more to standees. A newer generation of low-floor shuttle bus has wheel base dimensions similar to the Town's existing buses and thereby should be able to operate over the same route with minimal adjustment needed. The main attributes of the special low-floor, high-ceiling bus are reduced dwell time at stops and ability to accommodate more passengers on board than either the conventional 35-seat bus or the 2- car generic monorail. Dwell time is minimized by the multiple doors, one-step entry/exit and ability to carry skis on board. The net effect of these features is an estimated 25% improvement in system speed as compared to the existing bus operation and about a 35% increase in line capacity of a comparable size transit bus fleet (14 vehicles) due to the combination of higher average system speed and more passenger capacity per vehicle. The cost of adding a new fleet of 16 special low-floor buses (2 spares) including vehicle design development costs, maintenance facility modifications, and allowance for bus stop, streetscape and utility improvements along the existing route is about $7.5 million (1990 $). As Figure 10 shows the line capacity achieved by using these special shuttle buses would reduce the number of days currently experiencing overloads from 17 to 1. With increases in demand beyond the 1997 time frame the special bus fleet would be overloaded only 4 days per year. C. IN-TOWN SHUTTLE RECOMMENDATIONS/PRIORITIES A reliable, convenient, and safe in-town shuttle is essential for mobility in Yail Village. Transit coach delivery of this service has sufficed, for the most part, for the past decade. However, as increases in visitation continue, overcrowding and dissatisfaction with the current system capabilities will occur more frequently during afternoon peak travel times for destination and day skiers. Two avenues have been explored in this study for expanding the capacity of the In-Town shuttle system to match growing demand. As previously analyzed, the monorail system, when adapted to its most effective application, could achieve faster, quieter and more reliable service than the existing bus system. The Lionshead to Covered Bridge monorail as described would offer about 55% more capacity than is possible with the existing service, however, fewer stops would be provided under this option. This would allow the shuttle system to operate without overloads on all but about one day per year beyond the 1997 horizon. Not withstanding the visual, environmental, and pedestrian impacts of introducing the elevated monorail system, the development costs would be substantial; about $24 million. Town of Vail Page 33 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Cha ter VIP Although not as dramatic in capacity improvement and still subject to at-grade interference, the high-capacity fleet alternative does achieve a substantial, 3896, increase in capacity at a considerably lower, $7.5 million, development cost than the monorail (see Table 7). Part of this cost is new vehicle acquisition; a cost which will be experienced to some degree in a few years to replace existing vehicles, regardless of what shuttle system decision is reached. It is recommended that the high-capacity bus alternative is the appropriate shuttle system solution for the 1993-1997 service period and beyond. The vehicles needed for the shuttle fleet can be acquired over atwo-season period as replacements for vehicles scheduled for retirement. In the interim period, a technical committee should develop the performance specifications for these special use vehicles and a solicitation of interest should be sent to all potential bus manufacturing bidders. Town of Vail Page 34 I Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter VII VII. OPERATIONS PLAN This chapter of the report details the operations plan for Vail's transit system. The chapter is subdivided into 3 sections each dealing with a specific element of the system. The sections include: Service Operations, Capital Acquisition/Replacement and the Financial Plan. A. SERVICE OPERATIONS It is recommended that Vail's transit service area remain similar to that which is currently being served (Figure 2, 3, and 4 in Section III). The system should continue to be monitored, as has been historically occurring, by recording bus hoardings and holding monthly meetings in different areas of Town to solicit public input. Route modifications should be considered when warranted pending results of the monitoring effort, particularly for the outlying routes. Operations should continue to function under the current positional hierarchy with duties and procedures to continue as present. One additional procedure to implement is the drug testing of transit personnel, particularly bus drivers and operators of heavy equipment. Drug testing is scheduled to begin in November, 1992. In order to meet the requirements specified by the Americans with Disabilities Act, all new transit coaches to be purchased should be equipped with a wheelchair lift for operation along the fixed routes. Paratransit service should continue to be provided to all areas within the Vail town limits. Coordination with the Avon/Beaver Creek bus system concerning paratransit service should continue in terms of providing "back-up" vehicles and the transfer of paratransit riders between the two bus systems. With each bus system owning their own paratransit vehicle and with coordination between the two systems regarding this service, paratransit demand through the 1997 time frame should be adequately served under the current operations. Also as part of on-going operation, all bus stops and bus shelters will be maintained and replaced as needed. B. CAPITAL ACGIUISITION/REPLACEMENT The bus replacement/addition schedule through the 1997 time frame is shown in Table 8, All new conventional buses should have a perimeter seating arrangement allowing more room for standees and increasing the overall capacity of each bus. Buses currently in the fleet not scheduled for retirement will be modified to include perimeter seating. The low floor special coaches should be used on the 1 In-Town Shuttle route only. Table 9 shows that the fleet will consist of 50 vehicles by the end of 1997 of which 35 will be ADA accessible and 12 of these will be limited to In-Town Shuttle use only. Currently there are federal standards being developed which would require buses to meet certain emission criteria. Pending the specifics of these standards, the potential exists to operate buses using alternative fuel sources. Research and testing may be required as part of this plan to determine whether switching to an alternate source is required and feasible. The Town also intends to initiate a maintenance program in which the Town Shop and Bus Barn will be improved and expanded. Town of Vail Page 35 Vail Transfl Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 TABLE 8 BUS REPLACEMENT SCHEDULE Retired Buses None 151-155 (5 Total) 156-160, 181 (6 Total) 161-165 (5 Total) 1997 None Source: Town of Vail TABLE 9 TOWN OF VAIL BUS FLEET AT END OF 1997 Chapter VII New 'Bus Type 1 Low-Floor Special Coach (Orion VI) 1 Conventional Bus w/Perimeter Seating 5 Conventional Buses w/Perimeter Seating 7 Conventional Buses w/Perimeter Seating 6 Low-Floor Special Coaches (Orion VI) 5 Conventional Bus w/Perimeter Seating 5 Low-Floor Special Coaches (Orion VI) 1 Conventional Bus w/Perimeter Seating Vehxcie:Vehicle::Number'of Wheelchair Make/Type:Quantity`:Seats ,lvtodel Year(s)Lift? GMC l 2l 1981 No Chevy Van 1 (1)12 1990 Yes Orion 1 35 1982 No Orion 13 39 1989- 1991 No Orion I 22 (2)36 1992-1997 Yes Orion VI 12 (3)30 1993, 1995, 1996 Yes TOTAL I 50 I 1) Paratransit vehicle. 2) ADA accessible. 3) Special low-floor coach fo r In-Town shuttle; ADA accessible. Can hol d up to 65 standees. I , Town of Vail Page 36 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 INANCIAL PLANC. F Chapter VII The Financing Plan for Vail's transit system through 1997 is shown in Table 10. The plan includes the servicing of bus shelters, maintenance of the Town shop and bus barn, acquisition of new vehicles, and system operations including administrative costs. As shown, routine service operations will cost approximately $2 million a year. Capital acquisition costs are expected to range from approximately $500,000 to $3.5 million plus potential costs for developing alternative fuel sources pending Federal regulations currently being developed. The last section of Table 10 shows sources of funding. Vail qualifies for Section 18 funding (general transit assistance to rural and small urban areas) in which monies are available to cover 80 percent of the operating and capital costs. Funding for the development of alternate fuel sources may be available per the Surface Transporta- tion Program which specifies that highway and transit research programs are eligible for assistance. Funding may also be available for other transit research projects to test new concepts not currently foreseeable. Town at Vail Page 37 Vail TransR Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 TABLE 10 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND OPERATIONS FINANCING PLAN ($1,000'S) Chapter VII Pra~eet ;1993 1994 1-995 .:1996 1997 Exnenditures Service Operations In-Town Shuttle 811 831 852 873 895 Outlying Routes 842 863 885 907 930 Paratransit Service 10 11 11 11 11 Host Service 6 6 6 6 6 Administration 251 257 264 270 277 Bus Shelter Maintenance 42 44 46 48 51 Sub-Total I ,962 2,012 2,064 2,115 2,170 Capital Acquisition/Replacement Street Improvement/Separation of 250 650 600 600 600 Buses and Pedestrians Replacement Buses 1,125 1,416 l ,240 Additional Buses 225 236 255 Replacement Shelter 40 40 40 40 40 Additional Cost for Low-Floor Buses 0 1,125 1,416 1,240 Town Shop/Bus Barn Renovation 370 563 375 600 0 Required for Low-Floor Buses Conversion to Perimeter Seating 13 15 18 Development of Alternate Fuels Electronic Devices 94 100 100 95 Bus Stop Street Lights 30 30 30 30 30 Sub-Total 1,022 3,648 4,231 3,845 925 TOTAL EXPENDITURES 2,984 5,660 6,295 5,960 3,095 Fundine Section 18 (I) TOV 1,110 1,658 1,799 1,746 1,187 Federal 1,874 4,002 4,496 4,214 1,908 Costs dependent upon Federal bus emission standards currently under development. 1) Funding allocation based on 80% Federal match for capital and administration expenditures and 50% match on remaining operations deficit. I' Town of Vail Page 38 Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Chapter VII Street Improvements Necessary to Improve In Town Shuttle Improvements Street Name Total Cost East Lionshead Circle East Meadow Drive West Meadow Drive Slifer Plaza Vail Valley Drive Total 50°Yo of Cost Necessary 650,000.00 650,000.00 I ,200,000.00 1,000,000.00 l .200.000.00 4,700,000.00 i for Improved Efficiency Page 39TownofVeil Vail Transit Development Plan Update, 1993-1997 Appendix I~ i~ i~ i~ C i~ APPENDIX TOWN OF VAIL BUS ROUTE SCHEDULE Town of Vail F- Z W V W Q W Z O Q J 0 2 N i w YI J W V m W Z s~ ~ ~~ 4: NAA N i i~W o ; ~::3 qq m- a L g~l g O Ci~ e 4JZo j ~W~N N~7<v, w O 8 3~3~~~ I Il~, i ? 8 RBIARjS :I:~^+ 3 iW' i 4 ~ 8 8 S18j81° =i=l= W i I I - .x~ I W I I j ~I.R BI RI RIS .^. 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