2000-08-07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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139 revenues. Ms~ Poore said the service will first be marketed to local residents, area employers, the tourism center, and businesses on the Corner, downtown, and along West Main Street. Ms. Poore said that of the 58 people who returned the survey, 50 said they would use the shuttle and 8 said they would not. The public hearing was opened. Ms. Maura Cox, 311 Fairway Avenue, said that she feels bus mutes throughout the City should be more convenient and said the free fare shuttle is too expensive. Mr. Kevin Cox, 311 Fairway Avenue, said he moved back into the City because of the Transit Service, and he would like to see more people who do not ride buses begin, but he does not think the free fare route will help. Mr. Cox said that riders on the proposed route are akeady fare paying customers, and he thinks more fares will be lost than estimated. Mr. Cox said he does not like using public funds to move people from one business district to another. Mr. Cox said he would tike to see an express bus run from the outsldrts of town to the University. Mr. Cox said the majority of people who ride the HOO bus just ride the loop around the University. As there were no further speakers, the public hearing was clOsed. Mr. Toscano asked how staff arrived at the benchmark rate of 125,000 passenger trips a year, and Ms. Poore said the system average was used. Ms. Richards asked if it is true that the majority of HOO riders are only riding around the University loop, and Ms. Poore said a survey shows that the majority of HOO riders are going downtown. Ms. Richards asked if the cost of the shuttle service is typical of other routes, and Ms. Poore said that the Transit Development Plan will show the cost of alt routes. Mr. Lynch asked ff staffhas talked to anyone at University Transit Service or the University administration about the University paying to extend the service to early mOrning hours~ Mr. O'Cormell said that a proposal has been presented to the University, but no response has been received yet. Ms. Richards asked if urban road funds for transit could be used retroactively for the route, and Ms. Poore said they could if awarded. Mr. Toscano said he would like to better understand what would be diverted if road funds are used for this route. Iris. Judith Muel!er, Director of Public Works, said that no street maintenance funds would be diverted, but funds for the City's six-year road projects would be. Mr. Toscano said he applauds the flexibility of the funds, but would tike to know the tradeoffs. He said he is hearing that projects will not be compromised down the road, but if the route is funded with local dollars in the long-term, that is equal to one cent on the tax rate or additional police officers. Responding to a question from Ms. Richards, Ms. Mueller said that road money is determined by a formula and it is not lost if not used within a given year. Ms. Richard said the same amount of money is not provided by VDOT for transit as for road projects, and flexibility was given in the use of road money as an attempt to equalize this disparity. Mr. Toscano asked if it would be poss~le to reduce the route and decrease the headway, and Ms. Poore said that staff feel the shorter headways are not as important as the longer route.