SUBJECT:
Title
Erie Transit Update and Pilot Service Overview
Body
DEPARTMENT: Planning & Development Department
PRESENTER(S): Carlos Hernandez, Transportation Manager
Miguel Aguilar, Senior Transportation Planner
TIME ESTIMATE: 30 minutes
only required for non-consent items
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
None. Informational item only.
End
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
The Town’s current Transportation Plan identifies new regional and local transit routes to enhance mobility and transportation choices in Erie over the next decade. The transportation planning team collaborated with local and regional agencies to identify strategic actions and funding to advance new transit services over the next four years as pilot programs.
Town staff analyzed the Erie’s transit context and researched potential transit alternatives. Staff concluded that:
• One bus route, the JUMP, services a small portion of the Town with infrequent service;
• Approximately 5,000 of the Town’s 32,000 residents have access to a bus stop according to transit standards;
• The Town has a high percentage of the population under the age of 18;
• Ten percent of Erie’s population is over the age of 65;
• Erie High School lies within the service area of the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) but is not served by RTD;
• RTD reported an increase in paratransit rides in Erie over the past several years;
• No transit services exist on CO 7;
• CO 7 is identified by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) as a priority multimodal corridor; and
• Innovative transit operations exist for a community like Erie.
Staff has proposed several short-term actions to expand transit operations in Erie, including:
1. Partner with RTD to extend the JUMP Route to Erie High School;
2. Partner with Boulder County to include Erie in the ‘Super Flex Ride’ Project; and
3. Conduct a Gateway/I-25 area transit study.
In addition to these short-term actions, the Town recently obtained grant funding for multiple pilot services and innovative delivery of transit services. This includes micro-transit service and flex ride services that offer on-demand curb-to-curb transit service with e-vehicles and small transit vehicles.
Town staff secured $1.4 million in DRCOG grant funding to pilot a new local transit service beginning in 2023. That service would provide free fare to riders for trips within Erie. The service launch is scheduled to begin September 2023, and will operate through December 2026. If the pilot service results in a cost-per-rider calculation comparable to the other Flex Ride services offered by RTD in the first two years, then staff will collaborate with RTD to request they co-fund service after the grant funding ends. If RTD funding is not available after 2026, staff will continue to apply for DRCOG funding to operate the service.
In addition, Town staff partnered with Boulder County to secure DRCOG grant funding for a southeast Boulder ‘Super Flex Ride’ and Bus Rapid Transit service operations on State Highway 7.
Combined, the DRCOG grants require a total of $485,000 of matching funds from the Town. This includes $250,000 in 2023, and $235,000 to be distributed over 2024, 2025, and 2026, in amounts to be determined.
Fiscal Impact:
None at this time
Board Priority(s) Addressed:
ü Attractive Community Amenities
ü Engaged and Diverse Community
ü Prosperous Economy
ü Well-Maintained Transportation Infrastructure
ü Small Town Feel
ü Safe and Healthy Community
ü Effective Governance
ü Environmentally Sustainable
ü Fiscally Responsible
Attachment(s):
1. Erie Transit Presentation