Hurdles ahead for regional bus system

Seth Rosen / Charlottesville Daily Progress
Published: September 1, 2007

Halfway through her journey, Mary rested her head against the bus window, stared at the cars whizzing by on U.S. 29 and sighed.

It had been nearly three hours since she left her house off Preston Avenue, and an equal amount of time would pass before she returned home.

All this for two measly errands - a doctor's appointment and a trip to Rio Hill shopping center. Six hours; eight buses; two errands. An entire day spent navigating Charlottesville's public transportation system.

"It's really crazy that I have to go through all this hassle of spending hours just to do one or two things," said the 53-year-old former nursing assistant, who asked that her last name not be published.

"But I have no other choice. I can't afford a cab all the time."

Mary's trip illustrates the challenges facing some residents who rely on the Charlottesville Transit Service and the impediments that discourage others from riding the bus on a regular basis. For Mary and thousands like her, the bus system may at times be inefficient, but it is their lifeblood. For many who own vehicles, however, the bus is typically a last ditch option, reserved for the rare occasion when the car is in the shop.

For years, local officials have spoken of the need to enhance the transit system, add more routes and decrease waiting times - all to better serve those who depend on the system and to attract new riders. Past improvements have come piecemeal, such as the initiation this summer of two Sunday routes and the expansion of a route on Fifth Street Extended.

But as the urban ring of Albemarle County becomes denser and new developments line U.S. 29, officials are dedicated to generating fresh ways to improve the efficiency of the overall transportation system. The key, many have concluded, is not bigger, wider roads, but a reliable bus system that directly connects people from where they live to where they work to where they want to shop and eat.

To achieve that vision, Albemarle County and Charlottesville are exploring a jointly run transit authority that would bring to bear the necessary re-

sources and political will. But can the city and county find common ground and create a 21st-century bus system- And - more importantly - will more people use it-

The past 12 months made for another banner year for CTS, with a record 1.51 million riders - a 15 percent jump over the past four years. In many ways the system does exactly what it was intended to do: transport residents from their neighborhoods to major destinations - the Downtown Mall, the University of Virginia and Barracks Road Shopping Center, for example. Several routes extend into Albemarle - along U.S. 29 to Wal-Mart and east to Pantops - but all start and end at the transit center on Water Street downtown.

But as a city service with tentacles stretching into the ever-growing urban core of Albemarle, the system has its limitations, officials acknowledge. Buses do not run to several key locations in the county, such as the Hollymead Town Center and the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport. And the infrequent runs of some buses can be maddening. For example, the Route 10 bus departs from downtown to Pantops once an hour.

These shortcomings hamper the system's ability to attract "choice riders" who own cars. According to the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, 2 percent of Albemarle residents ride the bus to work while 78 percent drive alone. In the city, the figures are 5 percent and 61 percent, respectively. The question remains for many: Why spend 30 minutes sitting on a bus, possibly more with transfers, to get to Fashion Square mall if one can drive there in 15 minutes-

"We are not as viable an option as we would like to be," said Bill Watterson, head of CTS.

Future goals

Officials are already laying out their grand visions. City Councilor Kevin Lynch foresees a system centered on an L-shaped backbone running from downtown to UVa and up U.S. 29 to the airport, with buses coming every 10 minutes. Smaller buses would service the neighborhoods, regularly shepherding riders to the main trunk.

County Supervisor David L. Slutzky envisions a similar scenario, but goes a step further. He expects shuttle buses, paid for perhaps by private developments, to ferry residents from their neighborhoods to the backbone of the system. And minibuses would circumnavigate shopping centers like Barracks Road, freeing the regular buses to more efficiently zip up and down U.S. 29.

Both officials, along with several other supervisors and councilors, are convinced that a regional transit authority is the linchpin to achieving this ambitious goal. What is needed - and what a regional transit authority can supposedly provide - is better, more efficient service, supporters say. If they build it, people will ride, officials claim, though it is unclear how much it would cost.

"If you make it easy and it gets people where they need to go quickly, I think you will see a lot more people making that choice," said Councilor Dave Norris.

The challenges

Some, including several supporters of a regional transit authority, are skeptical.

"It's a worthy goal, but I don't know if it's an attainable goal," said Neil Williamson, executive director of the local Free Enterprise Forum.

Countless surveys have found that people nationwide support an expanded transit system as an ideal way to get cars off the roads, but are reluctant to actually ditch their vehicles in favor of a bus, Williamson added.

Altering commuting patterns will not be easy. Some are implacably averse to riding the bus or simply prefer the comfort of a car. For those with children, the bus may not be practical.

"Changing people's behavior is a slow and painful process," said Maurice Cox, a former Charlottesville mayor who supports a regional transit authority and expanded service. "There's no question it is a formidable task to get people out of their cars and into transit."

The nature of development in the area is also a major inhibitor. The traditional, dispersed suburban sprawl in the county means there is likely a limit to how many people will choose to ride even a revamped bus system.

"If you live in the outlying suburban, single-family neighborhoods, I doubt you are going to be changing your mode of transportation," Cox said.

But the development patterns in Albemarle and Charlottesville are shifting and what is being planned better lends itself to transit use. Projects like Albemarle Place, which will cluster residential units with shopping centers in a high-density environment, are becoming the model for future land-use decisions. There are a slew of nine-story projects in the pipeline that would bring hundreds more people to downtown Charlottesville, the epicenter of the transit system. And a regional transit authority would be a catalyst for the type of development the city and county desire, some believe.

"The more compact the development and the more pedestrian-friendly it is, the better the situation is for a successful transit system," said Kenneth Schwartz, a UVa architecture professor.

Attitudes toward transit will change in coming years, advocates of a regional authority insist. While people may currently be reluctant to jump on the bus, a confluence of better land-use decisions, increased traffic and energy concerns will change transportation habits, they say. In the coming years the bus will become a more viable option.

"As we see more and more congestion on the roadways and as gas prices continue to increase, you are going to see people looking for alternatives," Norris said.

The trade-off

The main obstacle to expanded service thus far has been the nature of the system itself. It is owned and operated by Charlottesville, with the county in effect serving as a paying customer. Of the system's $5.25 million budget this year, $1.7 million is funded by the city; Albemarle chips in more than $650,000; about $500,000 stems from passenger fees; and the remaining $2.4 million is made up of federal and state grants.

That arrangement has made the Albemarle Board of Supervisors reluctant to give additional money to bolster service, though it is providing about $300,000 more this year than last. But if the county were to become an equal partner in the transit system, it would be willing to pony up a lot more, supervisors said.

"The county's commitment to transit will be more significant if we are part of the organization rather than if we are contracting services from an organization we are not a part of," Supervisor Dennis S. Rooker said.

A trade-off of more money for a seat at the table is one the city seems willing to make, even if it means a partial loss of control over the system.

The two localities are in the earliest stages of exploring the feasibility of a regional transit authority. Albemarle and Charlottesville have each provided $50,000 to match state and federal grants to pay for a $200,000 consultant study, and an initial report spelling out the benefits and drawbacks is scheduled for the end of the year. Then officials will decide whether to take the plunge and form a joint system.

For now, the University of Virginia will not be participating in a regional transit authority, if it comes to fruition. The university, which operates its own bus system, will see how the organization fares and then will decide whether to join.

Funding questions

One of the biggest advantages of creating a transit authority is having a dedicated stream of funding that pays for larger service and the purchase and maintenance of vehicles.

The first challenge for officials would be agreeing on the revenue source. Lynch believes that raising the gas tax would be a good option, though the General Assembly would have to grant permission. Rooker, though, recommends that any tax increase be put to a voter referendum. And with gas prices already high, there's no guarantee that residents will agree to tack on more pennies per gallon.

If officials decide to pay for the system out of the city and county's general funds, they must come to a consensus on how much each locality will chip in. That could become a point of contention, officials admit, and will likely be a true test of how much they really want a regional transit authority.

Another decision will be whether to make the system fare-free, which would require replacing at least $500,000 in lost revenue. A recent study conducted by the Washington state transportation commission showed that getting rid of bus fares can boost ridership by about 30 percent. It's exactly the type of enticement that the system needs to attract new riders, supporters argue.

"We don't charge people to get on the road, so why charge them to get off the road-" Slutzky asked.

Others are far from convinced that eliminating fares is smart. Rooker said he would rather see the revenue from fares help pay for new and expanded routes.

One other outstanding question is how the authority will make decisions. At times, the city and county may have conflicting priorities and divergent ideas of how best to spend a fixed amount of money. CTS head Watterson recognizes that tough choices will have to be made, but has confidence the two sides will find an equilibrium. Others in the community, including Jeff Werner, a land-use officer with the Piedmont Environmental Council, are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

"The challenge is, will the city and county sit down and approach this issue with a commitment and not the typical give-and-take trading-" Werner asked.