Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Vision Statement, Goals and Objectives Regional Transit Vision Plan for the Charlottesville Area 1 Background and Purpose The Regional Transit Vision Plan for the Charlottesville Area (or “Transit Vision Plan”) is a study effort that seeks to develop a single, unified vision for the future of transit service in the Charlottesville area. The area is defined as the localities of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District (TJPD): the City of Charlottesville Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson Counties. Buckingham County is also included because Jaunt serves that area. The study area is linked through recurring travel with other counties and metropolitan regions in Virginia, with strong economic and travel linkages to metropolitan Richmond, metropolitan Washington, DC, and the Shenandoah Valley. The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC), City of Charlottesville, and Albemarle County initiated this Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) supported effort to provide a basis for increased cooperation and collective action among the region’s transit providers. The Transit Vision Plan is a next step for the Regional Transit Partnership (RTP), which the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and JAUNT, in Partnership with DRPT formed “to provide recommendations to decision-makers on transit-related matters.”1 Rural counties in the TJPDC area are represented by a member of Jaunt’s board as a voting member and Jaunt staff as non-voting members. The purpose of this Technical Memorandum is to document the process and rationale for the development of a Vision Statement and a set of meaningful, measurable, and appropriate Goals, Objectives, and Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs) for the Regional Transit Vision Plan for the Charlottesville area. The establishment of Goals, Objectives and MOEs for the study will help define the parameters for the development of conceptual transit services scenarios and will guide all future tasks to ensure that the recommended Transit Vision Plan provides the best solution and fully represents the values of the Charlottesville area community. The MOEs will be used to evaluate two conceptual alternative networks in order to arrive at a recommended Transit Vision Plan network. Additional and revised objectives and MOEs are expected to emerge during the development of service vision alternatives. The MOEs are a combination of both qualitative and quantitative measures. A key mission of the Transit Vision Plan is to guide transit investments in the Charlottesville area during the upcoming 10 to 20-year period. These investments will include operating, maintenance, and equipment costs, as well as infrastructure investments that support time- competitive, robust, attractive and sustainable transit service. The ongoing study reviewed recently completed transit planning efforts in the region to identify priorities and flagged opportunities. An overview of these plans will be provided in the final Transit Vision Plan report; the study process is displayed in Figure 1. 1Land Use Assessment Technical Memo: Transit Vision Plan for the Charlottesville Area uploaded September 28th, 2021 FINAL DRAFT 1 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Figure 1 | Transit Vision Plan Process Previous Studies Stakeholder and Vision and Plans Public Input Statement Establish Goals plus Set Priorities and initial Objectives, and Identify Goal Themes Values MOEs for Evaluating Alternatives 2 Stakeholder/Public Engagement A key first step in the Transit Vision Study planning process was to obtain feedback on transit priorities and attitudes toward transit through a robust stakeholder engagement process. This section summarizes the outcomes of the Stakeholder/Public Engagement process to date. A more comprehensive summary of event coordination and detailed survey results will be provided in a separate Technical Memorandum. 2.1 Regional Transit Partnership (RTP) The Regional Transit Partnership for the Charlottesville area acts as a steering committee for the Transit Vision Plan. The RTP includes representation from the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, JAUNT, and DRPT. TJPDC established the RTP to serve as an official advisory board to provide recommendations to decision-makers on transit-related matters. The purposes for setting up the RTP were to establish a venue for strong communications, ensure coordination between transit providers, set the region’s transit goals and vision, and identify opportunities for improved transit services. The mission of this partnership is “to provide recommendations to decision-makers on transit-related matters.”2 The Partnership allows local officials and transit staff to work together with other stakeholders to craft regional transit goals. The RTP may also provide, through MPO staff and updates of the Transit Development Plans (TDPs), opportunities for regional transit planning.”3. The RTP arose from a broadly-held perception that the provision of transit service in the Charlottesville area is disorganized, with disagreements and lack of trust between the three main operators in the region. These issues were sufficiently evident to demand a regional coordinating body that provides a forum for discussion about service needs and addressing disagreements that might arise. The proposed coordinating body would be the Regional Transit Partnership, which was recommended through the TJPDC’s Regional Transit Coordination Study (2017). The RTP was intended to act as a test case, or precursor, to a Regional Transit Authority (RTA), although the implementation of an RTA could face many hurdles. 2 From a summary of activities at the Regional Transit Partnership Strategic Planning Retreat on June 27, 2018, Draft #2. Source: Regional Transit Partnership. 3 Regional Transit Partnership Strategic Planning Retreat on June 27, 2018, Draft #2. FINAL DRAFT 2 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo 2.2 Regional Transit Partnership Stakeholder Workshop (October 7, 2021): In October 2021, the study team organized a stakeholder workshop that included the Regional Transit Partnership as well as other jurisdictional and community stakeholders. Representatives from almost 60 community groups participated in the half-day workshop. A list of the agencies represented will be provided in the Transit Vision Plan final report. This workshop yielded a variety of takeaways and themes, including:  Primary Themes: o A strong interest in expanded and improved service in the region overall; o Uniting land use planning with housing affordability planning and public transit; and o Creating a different type of transit service for future needs and conditions (e.g., post-COVID impacts, not focused on peak commuting hours, and exploring on- demand transit).  Additional Key Themes: o The importance of equity in developing and designing high-quality transit; o Environmental considerations: climate change and air quality; and o Exploring what it means to have a holistic, multimodal and fully-connected transportation system in the region. 2.3 Public Meeting (November 18, 2021) The second piece of the outreach included a general public meeting, held in a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One hundred and forty-three agencies were sent invitations and marketing materials asking them to share the information with their constituents and networks. Invited organizations are shown in Table 1. Marketing materials for the public meeting were handed out on buses and posted at the transit centers and on social media sites. Representatives from the study presented at Community Advisory Committee meetings and invited them to the public meeting. Albemarle County posted about the meeting in their eNews letter and on their website. Staff shared information at committee meetings asking members to share the marketing materials and participate in the public meeting. The event focused on receiving feedback on participant priorities regarding transit services; a list of attendees is provided in separate documentation. The meeting presentation included a review of tradeoffs and considerations in transit planning, such as the sometimes-competing interest of coverage (ensuring everyone throughout an area has nearby fixed-route transit access, even if it is infrequent) versus frequency (high levels of transit service where demand is the highest, with enough service that customers know the next bus will always come in a few minutes). Attendees were presented with eight initial visioning goals and asked to rank them. The most important goals identified by the attendees were:  Enhance the regional transit system, with more and higher quality service;  Connect to more places that customers want to travel, and knit these services together;  Improve equity (serve the populations that most need improved transit service); and  Promote sustainability and solutions to climate change. FINAL DRAFT 3 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Table 1 | Partners Organizations Invited to and Asked to Publicize the November 18, 2021 Public Meeting Partner Organization Invited To and Asked to Publicize the Organizational Description November 18, 2021 Public Meeting Albemarle County Staff from parks, economic development, student transportation, & community centers, Board of Supervisors The City of Charlottesville Planning staff, residents, businesses and chamber of commerce, City Council, Neighborhood Development staff, Deputy City Manager for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Charlottesville-Albemarle MPO Charlottesville Transportation Advisory Committee, CA- Committees MPO Policy Board, CA-MPO Technical Advisory Committee Representatives from Rural Counties Rural Transportation Technical Assistance Committee, Staff from Fluvanna, Louisa, Greene, and Nelson Counties, Scottsville, Board of Supervisors for the Scottsville District, Scottsville Planning Commission, Residents Forest Lakes Board of Directors Serving community members who are Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, JMRL Library, Piedmont more likely to be transit dependent Virginia Community College, Region Ten Community Service Board, United Way of Greater Charlottesville, Virginia Organize, Yancey Community Center, JABA, MACAA Community Action Co., Monticello Area Community Action Agency, International Rescue Committee, Independence Resource Center, Sentara Representing community members Cville Clergy Collective, Community Climate Collaborative, Minority Specific Black Professional Network of Charlottesville, Charlottesville Minority Business Program, Crescendo Juntos, UVA Latino Student Alliance, Sin Barreras Charlottesville, Business/Property Managers Director of Property Operations for Great Eastern Management Company, Sentry Management Property Manager, Carriage Hill Apartments Property Manager, Northrop Grumman, Corrigan Low-Income Housing Charlottesville Low Income Housing Coalition, Charlottesville Redevelopment Housing Authority, Habitat for Humanity, PHAR, Piedmont Housing Alliance Business Organizations Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau Public Transit JAUNT Riders, CAT, UVA and JAUNT staff, University of Virginia UTS, School of Architecture, UVA Foundation, State Commonwealth Transportation Board, VDOT, DRPT FINAL DRAFT 4 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo 2.4 Survey Results (Key Takeaways) Two online surveys were available for people to provide feedback on their transit priorities. The first was a traditional survey tool that asked respondents to provide information on themselves and their transit priorities. The second survey gathered geographic information on communities that the respondents live and travel in using an interactive map (Social PinPoint). The surveys and flyers advertising the surveys were distributed to the same list as the public meeting (Table 1) and advertised to transit riders through CAT, UTS, and JAUNT. In addition to multiple emails and committee presentations about the opportunity to participate in the survey, individual personalized emails were sent to additional organizations and agencies, shown in Table 2, asking them to encourage their constituents to participate in the survey. In an effort to recruit minority participants staff made additional emails and phone calls to organizations that represented mostly minority populations, like the faith-based organizations. The City of Charlottesville Deputy City Manager for Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion assisted with distribution of the survey as well. FINAL DRAFT 5 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Table 2 | Additional Organizations and Agencies Contacted for Survey Response Additional Organizations and Agencies Contacted for Survey Response University Transit Services Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Cville Clergy Collective Forest Lakes Homeowners Association JMRL Library Piedmont Virginia Community College Region Ten Community Service Board United Way United Way of Greater Charlottesville Virginia Organizing JABA (seniors) MACAA Community Action Co Black Professional Network of Charlottesville Minority Business Program Monticello Area Community Action Agency (MACAA) Independence Resource Center Sin Barreras Charlottesville Piedmont Virginia Community College Fluvanna County Fluvanna County Administrator Charlottesville Low Income Housing Coalition Nelson County Town of Scottsville Board of Supervisors - Scottsville District Albemarle BOS IMPACT Cville Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church Ebenezer Baptist Church First Baptist Church Fluvanna County Here is a summary of survey results:  The traditional survey, hosted through the project website, resulted in 673 responses. o Results of the Transit Vision Goals prioritization questions are shown in Figure 2. o When asked about the initial Transit Vision goals:  Respondents prioritized Transportation Equity with an 80% Very Important response.  Three other goals received roughly a 70% Very Important response: Expand regional transit; Enhance high-quality and high-frequency transit; and Support regional economic development through improved transit access.  Over 50% of respondents listed regional collaboration as Very Important. FINAL DRAFT 6 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Figure 2 | Ranking of Vision Goals by Importance o The two most important transit service benefits identified by the respondents were 1) helping low-income people access jobs and services, and 2) providing transportation for people with limited physical mobility. o The survey identified a need for targeted outreach to communities with low income households, people of color and limited access to a car:  More than 30% of respondents were 65 years or older  Nearly 90% of respondents were white or Caucasian  Almost 50% of respondents make $100,000 or more a year  More than 50% of households have 2 or more cars available for use on a typical day o Regarding how transit can improve respondents’ lives—three dominant themes emerged:  Less traffic (or less impact from congestion) and reduced need for parking  Opportunities to live without a car or with less reliance on a car  Improved access to stores and services to meet basic life needs (aside from work/education commuting) FINAL DRAFT 7 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo o The top three priorities for transit investments were 1) extending service to places that don't have transit service, 2) higher frequency service on existing routes, and 3) more service during peak hours. o Respondents expressed desire for frequent transit service:  More than 65% of respondents preferred shorter waits over shorter walks to bus stops.  The second, geographic survey provided the opportunity to include location-specific information on desired trips (Social PinPoint survey) and matched transit priorities with the respondent’s geographic information. Approximately 200 comments were received, with most respondents representing wealthier communities with limited ethnic diversity. o Open ended comments addressed new subjects that were not necessarily emphasized in survey questions. These comments were categorized into 16 separate themes, as displayed in Figure 3.  Three themes emerged as predominant, each receiving more than 20 comments: improved transit efficiency; general access to transit; and recreational trip access.  Other themes receiving more than 10 comments: the importance of access to both residential and commercial areas, and region-wide connectivity.  Specific themes receiving more than 5 votes each included interest in access to airports, rail modes, bicycle infrastructure/access to transit, and traffic reduction. Figure 3 | Open Ended Social PinPoint Comment Themes (Subjects Not Emphasized in Survey Questions) Social PinPoint Comments by Theme: Count 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 FINAL DRAFT 8 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo 3 Vision Statement 3.1 2018 RTP Vision Statement As a starting point for the development of a Vision Statement, the team evaluated a previous regional transit vision statement developed by the Regional Transit Partnership. The RTP conducted a transit visioning exercise in June 2018, soon after its inception. The purpose of this exercise was to openly discuss what RTP members desired for the future of a regional transit system and for the RTP itself. The exercise occurred at strategic planning retreat at which RTP members sought consensus on a path forward for regional transit. The RTP exercise was guided by setting parameters for a Vision Statement, which also applies to the current ongoing Transit Vision Plan effort: A “Transit System Vision Statement Is…A succinct statement on how a community envisions its transit system 10 to 20 years in the future. By design, a transit vision statement is aspirational – it articulates what the community wants its transit to be like in the distant future. A Transit System Vision Statement Is Not…a brand marketing statement. A brand statement captures the relationship a community has with its transit system today. A brand statement helps direct a transit system’s current marketing efforts. A Transit System Vision Statement Is Not…an advertising tag line. A tag line captures the essence of the transit system’s current marketing efforts.”4 The vision statement resulting from the June 2018 RTP exercise is outlined below: “Long-term Vision for Charlottesville’s Regional Transit System– By 2038: The Charlottesville Region’s transit system is an efficient, high-quality, integrated regional network of transit services that provides all residents with access to employment opportunities in a way that minimizes congestion and maximizes the region’s reputation as the best place to live, work, learn and play.”5 The 2018 Vision Statement offers a future view of what the system could become, in the present tense. The implied mission is work commute trips. Emphasis is placed on congestion as a driving concern and upholding the region’s reputation for excellence. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the world applied virtual, remote and work- from-home models, transit operators nationally were placing increased emphasis on non-work trips. Examples include access to education, healthcare, shopping, recreation, and other activities not related to work. For many transit systems, distinct AM/PM peak periods have given way to increased mid-day and evening trips, with a nearly even spread of trip making throughout the day. 3.2 Proposed “New” Vision Statement During project outreach for the active Transit Vision Study, several stakeholder and public priorities emerged that are not clearly encapsulated in the 2018 RTP Vision Statement. Among these major themes are collaboration, equity, and the environment (especially climate change). 4 Regional Transit Partnership Strategic Planning Retreat on June 27, 2018, Draft #2. 5 Regional Transit Partnership Strategic Planning Retreat on June 27, 2018, Draft #2. FINAL DRAFT 9 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo The team received feedback, including from key stakeholders, that the vision should respond to emerging priorities and concerns—thus a “new” vision is demanded. Stakeholders also commented that the vision statement should reflect the needs in both urban and rural areas of the region. These “needs” require further definition and are derived from stakeholder feedback and themes from the recently completed surveys. Proposed Transit Vision Statement: Develop, design, and provide transit in the Charlottesville area in a manner that reflects a collaborative, inclusive and equitable process, representing needs in both urban and rural areas. This transit system expands opportunities for all residents (Equity), reduces reliance on automobiles (Multimodality), and helps protect the environment (Climate Change Mitigation). This proposed vision is aspirational yet intended to be implementable through a new funding and operating model. The Vision Statement aligns with Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding criteria, including the four “key priorities” for Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) allocations: Safety, Modernization, Climate and Equity (see Figure 4). Figure 4 | Federal Transit Administration “Four Key Priorities” for IIJA Funding (Source: FTA website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/BIL) FINAL DRAFT 10 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo The following sections explore major themes in the proposed Transit Vision Statement. 3.2.1 Urban and Rural Needs The Transit Propensity Analysis conducted for this study (see separate memorandum) identified that residents and jobs are highly concentrated in Charlottesville and urbanized Albemarle County. As a rule, conditions were found to be most supportive for frequent, high-quality, fixed- route transit service in the core of Charlottesville, tapering off in the urbanized areas of Albemarle County and other TJPD counties along major transportation infrastructure. Outside of the urban center, commuter shuttles and low-frequency fixed-route service are likely to be concentrated along major growth corridors and between Charlottesville and some larger surrounding activity centers. JAUNT operates four regional commuter connection routes serving Crozet, Lovingston, Buckingham County, and US 29 North, though Federal Transit Administration recently noted that portions of US 29 North are outside JAUNT’s service area. RTP partners have discussed increasing the frequency of service along the US 29 North and adding additional routes serving growth areas in Louisa County. In areas of the region with lighter concentrations of residents and jobs, or longer distances between concentrations, solutions other than frequent fixed-route service may be needed. Examples may include:  On-demand services, with shorter reservation lead times needed in concentrated activity zones;  Long-distance regional services (such as the JAUNT commuter connections) with stops at designated activity areas. The stops provide opportunities for on-demand transit connections, as well as multimodal access including park and ride, bicycle parking, micromobility and other access provisions;  Partnerships with potential partners such as the Commonwealth of Virginia, private intercity transportation operators and other parties to provide more frequent intercity travel options, with interface opportunities at several locations throughout the TJPD region. Even though these services would connect to places outside the TJPD region, the corridor segments within the TJPD region would provide opportunities for in-region trip making. 3.3 Transit Equity The importance of transportation equity for minority and historically marginalized communities has been heightened by recent events sparking a national response, including the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville and protests following the death of George Floyd in 2020. FTA has since identified Equity as one of its “four key priorities” for IIJA funding. Unequal treatment on the basis of race or ethnicity is prohibited by Civil Rights Act of 1964. (Unequal treatment on the basis of other characteristics, including income and age, is also prohibited by law.). Equity in transportation is a critical element in helping disadvantaged and underserved communities to succeed. Equity is commonly measured through a programmatic Environmental Justice (EJ) analysis; findings are typically summarized in a technical report that will:  Identify federal, state and local EJ policies, regulatory requirements, and compliance guidelines applicable to the project,  Identify and characterize the low-income and minority communities that qualify as EJ communities, FINAL DRAFT 11 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo  Assess the potential for project-related adverse health and environmental impacts, considering the type, likelihood, and magnitude of significant adverse impacts identified and their relationship with the identified EJ communities of concern, and  Evaluate whether any significant adverse impacts would be expected to be distributed disproportionally between any of the identified EJ communities. FTA provides several resources for considering how to deliver equitable transit service, with a focus on race and ethnicity. In one such FTA report, authors Joe Grengs et al make a case for equity analyses in transportation planning, and to emphasize “people and their relationships to places.”: “Planners and engineers assess their success primarily through their ability or inability to alleviate roadway congestion, reflected in their mobility-based measures such as ‘level of service’ indicators…Adherence to mobility-based measures of transportation outcomes raises two problems for evaluating transportation outcomes for racial minorities and low-income households. First, mobility-based measures such as levels of congestion are attributes of transportation links, not of people…Aside from the fact that measuring attributes of transportation links offer little help in understanding equity among social groups, such measures are of little relevance to households without cars, the people who are most disadvantaged by the cities we build today. Second, achieving success in providing congestion relief through added highway capacity may induce destinations to move farther and farther apart…Thus, transportation policy may be contributing to the sprawl that has been shown to disproportionately harm racial minorities and low-income people who tend to live near the urban core and have fewer resources to adapt to spreading land use patterns.”6 The Victoria Transportation Policy Institute (VTPI), a respected transportation analysis organization, recently issued recommendations for equity analysis methods. The report suggests increased emphasis on access as opposed to mobility, thus highlighting shorter distance trips and non-automobile travel needs.7 The Transit Vision Study’s Transit Propensity analysis documented where persons who identify themselves in Census surveys as non-white or of Hispanic or Latino origin live in the region. A person’s race or ethnicity does not tell us if they need transit, or if they have a propensity to use transit. However, we know that race and ethnicity are correlated with income. Providing equitable and supportive levels of service to people of color, even in areas that are costly to serve or that do not generate much transit ridership, can be one of the important coverage goals for transit. The Transit Vision for the Charlottesville Area prioritizes high-quality service to underserved, disadvantaged and historically marginalized communities. These communities include but are not limited to people of color, low-income residents, people with disabilities, seniors, minors, and 6 Grengs, Joe et al (2013). “Evaluating Transportation Equity: An Intermetropolitan Comparison of Regional Accessibility and Urban Form.” Federal Transit Administration, FTA Report No. 0066, June 2013. Accessed in February 2022 via the FRA website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/FTA_Report_No._0066.pdf 7 Litman, Todd (2022). “Evaluating Transportation Equity Guidance for Incorporating Distributional Impacts in Transport Planning.” Victoria Transportation Policy Institute, April 1, 2022. Accessed April 11 via the VTPI website at https://www.vtpi.org/equity.pdf. FINAL DRAFT 12 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo residents without access to a car. Stakeholder and survey respondent feedback shows broad agreement with this priority. 3.4 Multimodality Stakeholders and survey respondents expressed the desire that Charlottesville area transit, passenger transportation, and first/last mile access modes meet seamlessly. Charlottesville has existing transit assets, such as CAT’s Downtown Transit Station on Water Street, which provides a customer entrance on the Main Street pedestrian mall. The city also features a historic train depot (privately owned) where multiple Amtrak lines meet, located between downtown Charlottesville and the UVA campus. What the city lacks is a single convergence and access location, or unified transportation center, for most of the transit and intercity passenger transportation services serving the region. When customers get off a train in the city, is it obvious to them how to reach UVA locations or various parts of the region by transit? Or when they arrive at the train station to travel to DC, are they aware that a few buses may be departing for DC before the next train departs, and do they know where to catch those buses? Is information available at the station for options to get to Dulles Airport without a car? The Transit Vision Plan reflects the priority expressed by stakeholders and the public for multimodal connectivity. These priorities have associated geographies: in the urban core (such as a single transportation center where all modes meet), along fixed routes (where safe, accessible and attractive walk/bike connections to transit should be available) and in outlying areas (where long-distance transit, on-demand services, intercity stops, and a variety of access modes can converge). These measures cooperate to reduce reliance on automobiles, support Vision Zero measures, and improve customer satisfaction for a host of services. Realizing multimodality will require partnerships between operators, jurisdictions with responsibility for managing right-of-way, and property owners. Stakeholders and respondents also prioritized land uses that support walking, biking and riding transit. The Transit Vision can include transit services that attract transit-oriented development, such as Bus Rapid Transit and transportation centers that are well integrated into their community. Transit operators will need to partner with their operating jurisdictions to promote and realize land use policies that support sustainable transit operations. Well utilized transit, compact development, and high walk scores are only realized through such partnerships. Both the land use assessment and transit propensity analysis for this study found that development patterns in much of the Charlottesville area are too widely dispersed to support walkability and sustainable transit services. This is expected to change in some communities as planned land uses are realized. 3.5 Climate Change Mitigation The United Nations links climate change with greenhouse gas emissions, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), and their levels in the global atmosphere. A major source of carbon dioxide emissions is the burning of fossil fuels, including petroleum vehicle fuels and some forms of energy generation.8 Measures to reduce these emissions include shifting from fossil fuel based transportation, whether in point sources (such as coal burning electricity generation plants) or non-point sources (such as cars, trucks and buses). Toward this end, another VTPI report emphasizes the importance of automobile travel reduction strategies, as opposed to low 8 https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change/ FINAL DRAFT 13 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo emission vehicles as the central strategy.9 The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a Guide to Sustainable Transportation Performance Measures.10 The Presidential Justice40 executive action has put a spotlight on how federal investments can not only reduce the impacts of global warming, but also help the advancement of disadvantaged communities. The Justice40 initiative is “a whole-of-government effort to ensure that Federal agencies work with states and local communities to…deliver at least 40 percent of the overall benefits from Federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities.”11 Justice40 establishes climate considerations as an essential element of U.S. foreign policy and national security, implementing – and building on – the Paris Agreement’s objectives. Investments in modern, attractive, zero-emission transit serving transit-dependent communities align with the initiative. FTA’s four key priorities respond to the Justice40 initiative, with a windfall of grant funding available for transit electrification. The key to reducing carbon emissions is not necessarily converting vehicles to non-fossil fuel propulsion, such as batteries. The power for those batteries may come from generation that still relies on fossil fuels. As a rule, successful climate change measures reduce the energy required per capita in several societal sectors, including transportation. As an informal illustration, walking around your neighborhood requires less energy than pushing your car around your neighborhood. Also, walking trips to the grocery store are likely to require less energy in an urban neighborhood with a store than in a rural community where the store is miles away. One need that was expressed repeatedly by the Transit Vision study stakeholders is climate- friendly transportation. For the purposes of this study, climate change measures include 1) reducing energy required per capita for transportation, and 2) converting transportation energy to climate-friendly point and non-point sources. A full transit bus requires less energy per capita to transport passengers over a given distance than a scenario where the same transit passengers make the trip in separate cars. However, a near empty bus requires more energy per capita than a few small cars driving. The Transit Vision study identifies sustainable transit as well utilized, ideally using zero emission vehicles. FTA proposes allocating IIJA funding to replace “thousands” of US transit vehicles with zero emission fleets. The study’s technical approach relies on industry best practices to deliver efficient, cost effective and environmentally sensitive transportation. 4 Goals, Objectives, and Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs) This section identifies Transit Vision goal and objective themes found to be common among the previous plans and studies and shared among stakeholders and the public. Additionally, MOEs relevant to the goal themes are also defined for quantifying progress towards the specific goals and objectives and provided in a table following each Objective. The MOEs developed can be measured using the tools available, capture the whole range of potential project impacts, and can be easily explained to decision-makers and the public. The specific objectives and MOEs can be expected to change throughout the remaining phases of the study, and the following is not intended to be a final or comprehensive set of objectives and MOEs. Also, a few of the MOEs will be measurable as part of this study, while others are suggested for RTP monitoring in the short term (next 5 years) and longer term (next 10 years and ongoing). The MOEs for each 9 Litman, Todd (2022). “Comprehensive Transport Emission Reduction Planning: Guidelines for Evaluating Transportation Emission Reduction Strategies.” Victoria Transportation Policy Institute, Victoria, BC, March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 31, 2022 at https://vtpi.org/cterp.pdf 10 https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/guide-sustainable-transportation-performance-measures. 11 https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2021/07/20/the-path-to-achieving-justice40/ FINAL DRAFT 14 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo objective below are grouped by their timeframe: Immediate, Near-Term and Long-Term. Further narrative on each goal will be provided in the Transit Vision study final report. Goal 1—Enhance: Provide high quality and high frequency transit options in the busiest parts of the region. The Charlottesville area and urbanized portions of Albemarle County are served today by a fairly extensive service network. The transit fleet is in good condition and well operated. The current service plan prioritizes coverage over frequency of service, and few transit-priority treatments have been implemented by jurisdictional partners to make transit service more competitive with automobile travel. Opportunities exist for faster, more frequent service in key corridors using state-of-the-industry methods for attractive and ecological service delivery. Objective 1.1: Maximize fixed route transit service frequency in areas of high transit propensity MOEs (Objective 1.1) Timeframe Ridership: Estimated Immediate Ridership: Ongoing monitoring Near and Long-Term Cost Effectiveness Near and Long-Term Equity Immediate, Near and Long-Term Safety and Security Near and Long-Term Accessibility, Flexibility, and Immediate, Near and Long-Term Connectivity Transit Productivity (measuring the average number of riders on transit Near and Long-Term vehicles) Access to Frequent Transit, (measured in the percent of population and jobs served by Immediate service every 30 minutes, 15 minutes or more frequently) Community Value (measured in support of the unique characteristics of communities through investments Long-Term in healthy, safe, and walkable neighborhoods) Regional Cooperation (including Near and Long-Term dedicated regional transit funding) FINAL DRAFT 15 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Objective 1.2: Explore transit service modernization in one or more transit corridors, including high-capacity transit such as a form of Bus Rapid Transit. MOEs (Objective 1.2) Timeframe Competitiveness for Federal and Near and Long-Term State Capital Grants Regional Cooperation (including Near and Long-Term dedicated regional transit funding) Strong Urban Walk/Bike Access Immediate, Near and Long-Term Suburban First/Last Mile Access Immediate, Near and Long-Term Rural Connection Opportunities Immediate, Near and Long-Term Goal 2—Expand: Expand the region’s transit service to more neighborhoods, towns, and places and increase basic transit connectivity Objective 2.1: Provide more frequent fixed route transit service MOEs (Objective 2.1) Timeframe Ridership: Estimated Immediate Ridership: Ongoing monitoring Near and Long-Term Cost Effectiveness Near and Long-Term Equity Immediate, Near and Long-Term Regional Cooperation (including Near and Long-Term dedicated regional transit funding) Objective 2.2: Extend fixed route transit service to new markets MOEs (Objective 2.2) Timeframe Ridership: Estimated Immediate Ridership: Ongoing monitoring Near and Long-Term Cost Effectiveness Near and Long-Term Equity Immediate, Near and Long-Term Percent of Regional Residents and Immediate, Near and Long-Term Jobs served by Fixed Route Service FINAL DRAFT 16 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Objective 2.3: Provide expanded transit options for lower density and rural communities in the region. MOEs (Objective 2.3) Timeframe Percent of Regional Residents and Jobs served by On-Demand Immediate, Near and Long-Term Services (6-day per week or more) Opportunities to Schedule On- Demand Transit Service sooner to Near and Long-Term the scheduled trip time Objective 2.4: Explore Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) for regional and interregional travel—Work with public partners (national, state, and regional agencies; public institutions such as UVA) and private parties (for-profit service operators, companies, landowners and businesses) to expand regional and interregional passenger transportation opportunities that are fully integrated with local transit. MOEs (Objective 2.4) Timeframe Expand Opportunities for Student Near and Long-Term and Employee Transit Passes Aggressive Institutional, Employer and Activity Generator Policies Near and Long-Term toward non-automobile access mode shares Regional Cooperation toward P3s Near and Long-Term for Intercity Travel Coordinated Service Schedules Near and Long-Term Provision of Urban and Rural Access Points for Intercity and Near and Long-Term Regional Long Distance Travel Increased Non-Automobile Access to Dulles Airport and Major Metro Long-Term Areas Objective 2.5: Work with state and corridor partners on a future vision for the Buckingham Branch Railroad, linking central Charlottesville and the region to central Virginia, the DC-Richmond main line, the Shenandoah Valley and mountain communities. (State acquisition of the line was included in the Transforming Rail in Virginia program.) FINAL DRAFT 17 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo MOEs (Objective 2.5) Timeframe Regional Coordination with the Commonwealth’s East-West rail analysis for multimodal Immediate, Near and Long-Term opportunities in the Charlottesville area Progress toward Regional Passenger Rail Service between Staunton, the Charlottesville area, Long-Term Doswell, Richmond, and potentially Richmond International Airport and Hampton Roads Goal 3—Connect: Promote efficient and attractive multimodal connectivity for seamless regional travel Objective 3.1: Improve multimodal access to transit and connectivity between transit services. MOEs (Objective 3.1) Timeframe Coordinated Service Schedules with Near and Long-Term convenient and reliable connections Transit Accessibility (measures the ability of people to reach destinations using public transportation, including: change in Immediate jobs reachable by the average resident; change in workforce reachable from average job location) Improved Walkability, Bike-ability Near and Long-Term and Access Safety conditions Bicycle and Pedestrian Mode Share (measures the proportion of trips Near and Long-Term taken by bicycle and walking mode) Reduction in Hazardous Nonmotorized Crossing Conditions Near and Long-Term near transit service Positive Vision Zero metrics Near and Long-Term Complete Street Designs and Near and Long-Term Implementations Simultaneous Transit Priority Treatments and Nonmotorized Near and Long-Term Improvements that harmonize FINAL DRAFT 18 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Objective 3.2: Establish a consolidated multimodal transportation center for both local and intercity transportation modes (rail and motorcoach). Local transit should be able to connect with this transportation center with minimal if any deviations from efficient and preferred route alignments. MOEs (Objective 3.2) Timeframe Efficiency and Simplicity of Connections between Local, Immediate, Near and Long-Term Regional and Interregional Transportation Services Coordinated Local, Regional and Near and Long-Term Intercity Service Schedules Agreements to Establish a Unified Long-Term Regional Transportation Center Objective 3.3: Enhance non-automobile connectivity to major activity and cultural centers, such as the UVA, hospitals, Monticello and Shenandoah National Park. MOEs (Objective 3.3) Timeframe Measurable access shifts from automobile to transit and other Near and Long-Term modes to regional destinations (Near and Long-Term). Goal 4—Collaborate: Improve internal and external communication with the transit agencies and with local governments to enhance transit service and increase transit supportive land use decisions. Objective 4.1: Use the RPT as a forum to coordinate with federal and state policies in order to leverage transit investment. MOEs (Objective 4.1) Timeframe Alignment of Local Policies with Federal and State Policies to Near and Long-Term remove barriers to collaboration and funding competitiveness FINAL DRAFT 19 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Objective 4.2: Pursue intentional transit-oriented development planning along high- frequency fixed-route corridors and at major transportation centers. MOEs (Objective 4.2) Timeframe Zoning Changes for increased density near high frequency transit Near and Long-Term and transportation centers Large percentage (50% or more) of New Regional Housing, Jobs and Services Provided near Frequent Near and Long-Term Fixed-Route Transit Service operating at least every 30 minutes throughout the day Change in the Accountability and Effectiveness of all levels of government to plan for Future Near and Long-Term Growth (including making smart energy choices such as locally generated renewable energy) Goal 5—Improve Equity: Improve transit access for people with low household incomes, limited physical mobility, or lack of access to automobiles Objective 5.1: Balance access to in-person work opportunities (especially for disadvantaged communities) with access to services (such as grocery stores, education, social services and health care). MOEs (Objective 5.1) Timeframe Increased Transit Provision to Essential Services and During Mid- Immediate, Near and Long-Term Day and other Off Peak Periods FINAL DRAFT 20 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Objective 5.2: Serve the needs of seniors, populations of concern, rural populations, and a spectrum of community members with limited access to automobiles. MOEs (Objective 5.2) Timeframe Increased transit service and/or access to transit-dependent Immediate, Near and Long-Term communities Transportation Affordability (measures the cost of transportation Near and Long-Term relative to income) Benefits by Income Group (measures transportation plan Immediate, Near and Long-Term benefits by income group) Increased Transit Access and Immediate, Near and Long-Term Mobility for Communities of Concern Change in Jobs Reachable within 30, 45, or 60 Minutes for people of color, people in poverty, people with Immediate disabilities, or other identified groups Change in number or percent of people of color, people in poverty, people with disabilities, or other identified groups served by any Immediate fixed route transit or by on-demand transit (operating 6-day per week or more) Goal 6—Grow Equitably: Create a strong linkage between transit and compact, walkable, robust transit-supportive and equitable land use with safe access/egress conditions Objective 6.1: Improve walk and non-motorized safe access conditions to transit. MOEs (Objective 6.1) Timeframe Improved Walkability, Bike-ability Near and Long-Term and Access Safety Measures Change in Bicycle and Pedestrian Near and Long-Term Activity Mixed Land Uses (measuring the proportion of residents living in Near and Long-Term locations with mixed land uses) Increased Density and Development in areas that are already walkable Near and Long-Term and destination-rich FINAL DRAFT 21 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Goal 7—Support: Enhance the region’s economy and economic well-being of its residents by improving access to employment opportunities and community services Objective 7.1: Establish expanded urban and rural transit access to employment and services. MOEs: Explore introduction of new, innovative on-demand transit options in lower density areas (Immediate, Near and Long-Term); change in access to jobs for the average resident or key groups (Immediate); change in access to workforce from job locations (Immediate). MOEs (Objective 7.1) Timeframe Consideration and introduction of new, innovative on-demand transit Immediate, Near and Long-Term options in lower density areas Change in Access to Jobs for the Immediate average resident or key groups Change in Access to Workforce Immediate from job locations FINAL DRAFT 22 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Objective 7.2: Improve regional competitiveness for economic development, business generation, talent retention and livability. MOEs (Objective 7.2) Timeframe Economic Competitiveness (measured through reliable and timely access to employment Near and Long-Term centers, educational opportunities, services and other basic worker needs) Change in Business Access to Immediate, Near and Long-Term Labor and Market Sectors Regional and Intercity Transit Access Points in Urban and Rural Long-Term areas Support of Existing Communities (measured in federal and state funding targeting existing Near and Long-Term populations through strategies like transit-oriented, mixed-use and affordable housing) Land Recycling and Infill Development to increase community revitalization and the Near and Long-Term efficiency of public works investments Policies that safeguard Vulnerable Populations and Natural Resources Near and Long-Term such as Rural Landscapes Land Consumption (measures the amount of land consumed by new transportation infrastructure and/or Near and Long-Term new development served by new transportation infrastructure) FINAL DRAFT 23 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Goal 8—Sustainability/Climate: Minimize the environmental impact of the region's transportation system Objective 8.1: Decrease regional dependence on cars and energy consumption for transportation. MOEs (Objective 8.1) Timeframe Reduced Transportation Energy Required Per Capita (measured in Near and Long-Term high transit ridership and a mode shift to effective transit) Clean Energy Generation (green energy sources) and an Increase in Near and Long-Term Non-Fossil Fuel Transit Vehicles Reduced Automobile Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), regardless if these Near and Long-Term are petroleum powered or clean energy vehicles Reduced VMT Per Capita (measures the amount of vehicle activity normalized by population. VMT also factors in traffic Near and Long-Term congestion and air pollution, impacting carbon dioxide and particulate matter emissions) Improved Walk/Bike Conditions measured in miles of facility type, count of crossing and street Near and Long-Term treatment types, walk scores, safety measures, etc. FINAL DRAFT 24 Vision Statement, Goals & Objectives Technical Memo Objective 8.2: Reduce the region’s climate footprint. MOEs (Objective 8.2) Timeframe Carbon Intensity (measures the amount of CO2 emitted from Near and Long-Term transportation per person) Change in Transportation Energy Required Per Capita (high transit Near and Long-Term ridership and a mode shift to effective transit) Clean Energy Generation (green energy sources) and an Increase in Near and Long-Term Non-Fossil Fuel Transit Vehicles Change in Opportunities for Walking and Biking to Destinations through Near and Long-Term land use, site design, and infrastructure improvements FINAL DRAFT 25