Thomas J. Cook

FROM RURAL SINGLE-COUNTY TO MULTICOUNTY REGIONAL TRANSIT SYSTEMS: BENEFITS OF CONSOLIDATION

A research study developed recommendations for activities to consolidate single-county rural public transportation systems into regional multicounty transit systems in North Carolina. The study identified opportunities from regionalization of public transit services, examined barriers to integration and consolidation of transit systems regionally, evaluated best practices from case study sites, and made recommendations for programmatic and legislative changes to facilitate the implementation of regional transit systems in both metropolitan and rural areas of the state. Emphasis is on the rural component of the study, in summarizing regionalization issues and recommendations for the consolidation of rural single-county into multicounty transit systems. Consolidation of rural public transportation systems into regional entities is another step in further coordinating public transportation services in the state. However, there is a public transportation system now operating in all 100 North Carolina counties. Therefore, the thrust of regionalization will be to consolidate existing rural transportation systems into regional entities. There are key programmatic and legislative aspects of interest to state departments of transportation, transportation planners, and policymakers. Case studies also gathered information from associated state department of transportation staff, to include both the state and local perspectives on regional rural transportation systems.

Economic Impact of Investments in Bicycle Facilities: Case Study of North Carolina's Northern Outer Banks

The northern Outer Banks coastal area in North Carolina is well suited to drawing bicycle tourism because of its geography, climate, and attractions. In 2003, the North Carolina Department of Transportation commissioned a study to examine the value of public investment in bicycle facilities that have been constructed in this area over the past 10 years at a cost of approximately

Alternative-Fueled, Low-Emission Bus Purchases in North Carolina

6.7 million. A particular challenge in conducting this study was that tourists visited the Outer Banks for a variety of reasons, not just for cycling. Thus, the collection of information on the amount and nature of bicycling activity and on the spending patterns of bicyclists in the area was critical for the development of an economic impact analysis. Researchers surveyed cyclists using the bicycle facilities (shared-use paths and wide paved shoulders) and obtained data from self-administered surveys of tourists at visitor centers during the primary tourist season. The data collected were then used to determine the economic impact of bicycling visitors to the area. Seventeen percent of tourists to the area reported that they bicycled while there; this translates to 680,000 people annually. The economic impact of bicycling visitors is significant: a conservative annual estimate is

North Carolina Ferry System: A Study

60 million, with 1,407 jobs created or supported per year. This is almost nine times greater than the one-time expenditure required to construct the facilities. Continued investment in bicycle facilities is expected to increase this favorable economic impact and is therefore recommended.

RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, AND RETENTION OF PERSONNEL AT NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A STUDY

North Carolina Senate Bill 953 enacted April 14, 1999, established a goal to reduce nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions in North Carolina. The legislation mandates that 50 percent of all replacement and expansion transit and school bus purchases in specific counties after January 1, 2004, shall be alternative-fueled, low-emission buses. The estimated emissions and costs in purchasing and operating various alternative-fueled, low-emission transit buses between 2004 and 2009 are addressed. A 1999 current emissions baseline scenario was developed to provide a basis for comparing the estimated emissions from four hypothetical scenarios for 2009. One scenario, the 2009 baseline emissions scenario, estimates emissions in 2009 if North Carolina transit fleets continue to purchase only diesel-fueled buses operating at current levels of emissions. The remaining scenarios estimate emissions assuming that 50 percent of transit bus purchases between 2004 and 2009 will be alternative-fueled, low-emissions buses. Estimates of the costs to purchase and operate alternative-fueled, low-emission buses were developed corresponding to the four 2009 emissions scenarios. A rudimentary benefit-cost analysis was conducted to estimate the cost per ton avoided for each of the four U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criteria pollutants. The benefit-cost analysis indicated that emissions reduction from diesel engines could surpass those from current natural gas–powered buses at a fraction of the cost.

Behavioral Effects of Completing a Critical Link in the American Tobacco Trail

The North Carolina Department of Transportation Ferry Division faces several challenges. Recent U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) regulations increasing the minimum crew size on vessels carrying more than 149 passengers require the North Carolina Ferry System (NCFS) to add 79 employees. Difficulty in finding additional funds and certified crew to meet these regulations, coupled with reduced NCFS financial allocations from recent state budget cuts, resulted in a reduced number of ferry sailings on some routes during the peak operation period in the summer of 2009. In addition, NCFS experienced challenges from ferry service outages that resulted from the need to operate aging ferry vessels, a lack of standby ferry vessels in case of breakdowns, and vessels out of service as a result of the increased frequency of USCG dry dock inspections. The NCFS must also contend with unreliable support vessels that have exceeded their useful lives and a lack of certified welders and marine electricians to support maintenance functions. However, these resource and operation challenges present an opportunity to analyze existing ferry operations and to explore future opportunities.

Performance-Based Budgeting for North Carolina Public Transportation Systems

The hiring and the retention of personnel have been a long-standing issue in the public transportation industry. This involves finding and recruiting potential employees, selecting and hiring the most qualified candidates, training and developing employees, monitoring performance and retaining employees, and reducing excessive turnover and absenteeism. While human resources topics have typically been investigated at urban transit systems operating fixed-route services, hiring and retention have not been studied extensively at smaller rural transit systems operating demand-responsive transit services. This research focused on such rural systems and on the various factors that most impact on the issue at nine North Carolina community transportation systems. This effort included various human resources policies and practices such as recruiting, selecting, compensating, training, evaluating, and motivating. Practices at the nine case study systems and recommendations to improve policies and procedures are described.

Benchmarking for North Carolina Public Transportation Systems

This study responded to a unique opportunity to determine behavioral changes that resulted from the construction of a critical link of the American Tobacco Trail (ATT) in Durham, North Carolina. Observational data were collected both before and after construction of a bicycle-and-pedestrian bridge that linked two separate segments of the regional greenway. Before construction of the bridge and trail connections, the two segments of the ATT were separated by Interstate 40. Heavy traffic on local streets as well as a lack of bicycle and pedestrian facilities in the area provided additional barriers to active travel between the two ATT segments. The Institute of Transportation Research and Education conducted intercept surveys and manual counts on the two trail segments before and after construction of the bridge. The before-and-after data were compared to determine the changes that occurred in the use of the ATT and the accompanying social, public health, transportation, and economic effects.