Public Engagement Report

Transcription

1 Public Engagement Report James Bay Local Area Transit Plan Prepared by November, 2016 Victoria Regional Transit Commission

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3 C 1 -- Engagement Summary Contents INTRODUCTION... 3 Timeline... 3 Engagement Structure... 4 Project Webpage... 4 Phase One... 4 Phase Two... 5 ENGAGEMENT RESULTS... 6 Phase Phase Next Steps APPENDIX 1 Phase One Public Comments APPENDIX 2 Phase ONE Local Service ConceptS APPENDIX 3 Phase Two Service Design options used in Public Engagement James Bay Local Area Transit Plan - Engagement Summary

4 C 2 Engagement Summary BC Transit would like to thank the many individuals, community organizers, City staff, and businesses who assisted in this consultation process. Your support in working to better transit in our community is appreciated. James Bay Local Area Transit Plan Engagement Summary June 2017

5 C 3 -- Engagement Summary INTRODUCTION Public engagement events for the James Bay Local Area Transit Plan were carried out in two phases, anchored by a project website developed at the onset of the project. Phase one was conducted in from September through to October 2016, and Phase two was carried out in Februrary Each phase included events developed for different audiences, and various tools to solicit input and feedback, as well as opportunities for one-on-one conversations with project staff. The series has been supported and supplemented by a project website and online survey. Engagement is critical in providing transit staff with insights into community priorities and needs to enable the further shaping of service. Timeline Phase One Phase Two (Feb 2017) ---- Presentations to local organizations General Public Resident/transit user Transit Future Bus Workshop Sept. 29 Oct. 15th Survey completed by participants Open House for Residents Feb 22 Online Public Survey for the General Public and non-resident stakeholders Transit Operator Feedback The following describes each of the elements of the engagement strategy. James Bay Local Area Transit Plan - Engagement Summary

6 C 4 Engagement Summary Engagement Structure Project Webpage As part of the James Bay Local Area Transit Plan engagement, the Transit Future portion of the Victoria Regional Transit page was further developed to reflect the comprehensive nature of the multiple Local Area Transit Plans being developed for various parts of the Victoria Metropolitan Area. Figure 1: Project Website The dedicated webpage for the James Bay Local Transit Plan served as the portal to surveys, and also a key information resource to share scheduled public events and keep the public, community leaders and stakeholders updated on the plan s progress. Phase One SURVEY ONLINE AND PAPER A targeted survey was developed to gauge the priorities among James Bay residents and transit user. Respondents were asked to prioritize connections within James Bay, weekday service frequency priorities, and weekend or evening service priorities. The survey was available online, and in hardcopy. Hardcopy editions were distributed during the Transit Future Bus, and passed out to workshop participants. TRANSIT FUTURE BUS The Transit Future Bus is a mobile open house used to engage general public community members in the development of the James Bay Local Area Transit Plan. The kick-off event was held September 29th, 2016 near five corners within James Bay. This initial event featured interactive boards seeking general comments on what changes or improvements that participants would like to see, as well as an opportunity for participants to full out paper versions of the survey. WORKSHOP With assistance from community organizers and city staff, a selection of individual neighbourhood residents representing transit users and non-transit users were invited to participate in a 4-hour facilitated workshop help on October 15th. The workshop was designed to determine common James Bay Local Area Transit Plan Engagement Summary June 2017

7 C 5 -- Engagement Summary destinations outside of James Bay, identify specific opportunities for transit infrastructure improvements, and to evaluate three local transit service draft concepts. Phase Two OPEN HOUSE An open house targeting area residents was held by BC Transit project staff at the James Bay New Horizons on February 22 from 2 pm to 7pm. The Open House featured interactive boards (See Appendix 3) which presented the four options that had been developed following the first phase of public consultation. A route map, primary characteristics, and proposed headways (service frequencies), by time of day were presented for each option. Another board was dedicated to seeing participant input on improvements of specific bus stops local to the James Bay area, and finally an additional board sought participant preferences on future priorities for furthering transit development. Appendix 3 contains images of the boards. Open House participants had three input streams at the event: Sticky-dots which were used to vote for preferred service options (among the four options, to vote for future priorities in furthering transit development (a separate board), and lastly to indicate bus stop in need of attention on a map of James Bay (themes, such as lighting, seating, etc were each assigned a dot-colour) Sticky-notes were offered to participants to enable them to provide comments on each of the boards provided, and also any additional commentary on the options-voting board, future-priority board, and bus-stop improvement board. Opportunities to speak with BC Transit project team membersthree staff members were on hand during the event to assist participants in understanding the options and take feedback. This proved particularly helpful in many cases as understanding the changes to James Bay. Local Area Transit Plans are key tools for the simplification and re-alignments necessary to ensure that regional-scale improvements (such as the Douglas/Westshore Rapid Bus) to the Victoria while equilibrating access to transit within neighbourhoods. SURVEY ONLINE Recognizing that many resident and non-resident James Bay stakeholders may have been unable to participate in the February Open House, the survey for phase two was designed to allow these individuals to also provide feedback on the same information presented in the open house. A targeted survey was developed to gauge the priorities among James Bay residents and transit user. Respondents were asked to prioritize connections within James Bay, weekday service frequency priorities, and weekend or evening service priorities. The survey was available online, and in hardcopy. Hardcopy editions were distributed during the Transit Future Bus, and passed out to workshop participants James Bay Local Area Transit Plan - Engagement Summary

8 ENGAGEMENT RESULTS Table 2 provides a summary of the response rates to the various engagement events. Phase 1 Results (Fall 2017) C 6 Engagement Summary Table 1: Engagement Response Summary Phase 1 Presentations (James Bay Community Assoc) 1 Transit Future Bus 70 TRANSIT FUTURE BUS Survey Respondents 85 Seventy-six people participated in the Transit Future Bus event, and 89 comments were submitted. The full collection of comments may be viewed in Appendix 1, but the top five topics are presented in Table 2. Following fares, the most comments were submitted with suggestions to improve routes by staggering service and by removing confusing Workshop Participants Phase 2 Open House Participants Online Survey Respondents variants. More comments regarding regional service were received than comments for local service; with a direct bus to UVic being most popular and suggestions for how to do best do this. Local connections focused on a broader circulating local route taking people to downtown. Table 2: PHASE 1 Transit Future Bus Comments relating to the top 5 themes Theme Comments Received Comments Summary Fares 16 Routes 14 Connections Regional 11 Connections Local 8 Frequency 8 11 of 16 comments are requests for the reinstatement of transfers. Remaining comments were each on separate issues. 7 out 14 comments request more staggering of route 3 and route 30 departures; 5 comments on confusion relating to route 27/28 and route 30/31 variants, and requests for simplification, 2 other individual comments 8 out of 11 comments requesting direct service to UVic; 2 comments in support of direct service to Langford; 1 comment in support (and appreciation) for access to Uptown. Conversations were also had in relation to improved access to medical facilities located in various parts of the Victoria area. 5 out of 7 comments related to more coverage and circulation within James Bay connecting to downtown, 2 comments suggesting Simcoe would offer a good local transit spine, 1 comment requesting more direct service to Cook Street Village. Conversations were also had in relation to improved access middle and high school for James Bay students. 4 out of 8 comments requesting more peak frequency between James Bay and Downtown, 1 commenting on the noticeable decrease in service from last year to now, 1 requesting better Sunday evenings, 1 requesting better late nights, and 1 suggesting buses are too frequent. James Bay Local Area Transit Plan Engagement Summary June 2017

9 C 7 -- Engagement Summary SURVEY RESPONSES A total of 85 paper and hardcopy surveys were submitted in phase one. Forty-six survey respondents reported using transit three or more times per week, while the remainder used transit less frequently or not at all. Response data between regular transit users and less-regular transit users was compared and the same general trends were present. Service Design Priorities Connections within James Bay: Survey respondents showed a slight priority to improvements connecting areas within James Bay to Five Corners, while connections between areas of James Bay was ranked as a low priority when compared to better connections to downtown or other areas of the city. Service frequency at peak travel times or at midday: Improving frequency was a higher priority for most survey respondents; however there was a greater interest in improved frequencies at peak travel time rather than at mid-day travel times. Service frequency in the evenings or on weekends: Similarly to service frequency preferences between peak and midday times, there is desire for higher frequency service on both evenings and weekends, however more survey respondents showed more interest in improvements of weekend service frequencies. Figure 3: Survey Respondents Service Ranked Priorities Priority Transit Destinations from James Bay Survey participants were asked to identify their priorities for transit connections from James Bay. The top destinations types were shopping, healthcare, and employment. Table 3: Top Destination Types James Bay Local Area Transit Plan - Engagement Summary

10 C 8 Engagement Summary Meanwhile, the top three named destinations were downtown, UVic and Hillside. Participants also mentioned that their next nearest non-downtown service centre was Fairfield Plaza, and expressed Table 4: Specific Destinations outside of James Bay Table 5: Specific Transit Destinations inside of James Bay concern for middle and high school connections for neighbourhood families. When asked to describe local transit priorities within James Bay, sixteen of the survey respondents mentioned that they generally walked to destinations within James Bay. Aside from these people, the top destination reported within the neighbourhood was Five Corners (by a considerable lead), followed by Beacon Hill Park, and then Fisherman s Wharf. WORKSHOP OUTPUTS Workshop stakeholders participated in a café format style workshop, below are the outputs of three topic areas covered at the workshop. Table 5: Destination Types and range of outings Priority Connections per month The types of connections prioritized in workshop discussions focused on healthcare services, middle and high schools connectivity to destinations located along Douglas street and also UVic, From a transit perspective, trips which present the greatest opportunity for modeshift from the automobile are those that occur regularly to set locations. With this in mind, participants were asked to indicate how often some types of travel to set locations would occur for most individuals living in James Bay. James Bay Local Area Transit Plan Engagement Summary June 2017

11 C 9 -- Engagement Summary Conversation points made included the issue of transfers, acknowledgement that many lower or fixedincome residents must shop at low-price retailers outside of the neighbourhood, interest in improving connections to other village centres, and raising awareness of existing services to airport/ferry destinations. Transit Technology and Transit Stop Improvements Infrastructure issues identified by workshop participants included the need for a new enhanced stop at Capital Park; observations that stop spacing travelling southbound on Oswego is too far (from Superior to Niagara); concerns that transit stop shelters and stop platforms often do not have sufficient space to accommodate mobility scooters (or ramps) for their use; comments were made around the rough ride on some James Bay streets. Additionally, participants indicated that they would view transfers outside of James Bay more positively if they occurred at stops with good amenities such as lighting and sense of security. Communication and Marketing Issues shared by participants focused heavily on inconsistency and confusion over route variants at different times, and different days, to confusion and frustration linked to route changes during special events. Better information to interpret service was strongly desired for regular service TIPs posters and system maps, at bus stop, wayfinding at key stops not just for pedestrian destinations, but for transit destinations (from this stop, to get to destination y take route x). Technology In line with better information was a heavy priority for real-time information at key bus stops such as Five Corners, Capital Park, and Fisherman s Wharf. This was followed by interest in better fare technology to minimize transfer penalties. Area residents are often frustrated by bus emissions and noise, and also expressed interest in CNG and electric bus technology. Although the James Bay Local Area Plan is not directly linked to fare structures or fleet technology, this information will be shared with the relevant groups. Response to High Level Service Options Stakeholder participants were asked to evaluate three transit service options; see Appendix 2 for full details. Option 1 existing transit network with improved consistency of routing and service frequency Option 2 new loop route and changes to service frequency with no transit terminals. Buses service is introduced on Superior west of Oswego where there was no service previously. Option 3 existing transit network is utilized with new routing to Fisherman s Wharf bus terminal with changes to service frequency. Bus terminal at Toronto and Huntington is eliminated The most positive response to high-level service options was garnered for Option #2. This loop portion of this option broadens the coverage area from current routings and presents the opportunity for higher frequency at peak times. Additionally and importantly, the routing would provide more consistent and equal access service levels from each area to Five Corners. Summary tables containing the workshop participants responses are provided below the options James Bay Local Area Transit Plan - Engagement Summary

12 C 10 Engagement Summary Phase 2 Results Winter 2017 Phase Two presented community members and James Bay stakeholders with four draft transit service design options. A total of 286 people participated in this phase, with those who attending the open house (86 people) providing their preferences using dot votes, while those unable to attend had an opportunity to complete an online survey (200 people). Appendix 3 contains full-size versions of the initial draft options presented in Phase 2. In addition to this participants were also asked to rank future service priorities, and provide specific locations for infrastructure improvements. OPEN HOUSE RESULTS Service Design The proposed removal of Route 3 from James Bay was resoundingly rejected by community members participating in the Open House and formed the basis for most conversations between Open House participants and BC Transit staff. Figure 5: Open House Dote-vote results; n = 86 As shown in Figure 15, given the choice, sixty-three per cent of open house participants were in favour of retaining existing services over selecting an Option which included the loss of Route 3. Concerns about the removal of route three heavily shaped the response from phase two participants to each of the options presented. Preferred Option (outside of Existing Service) Of those participants at the Open House who indicated a support for the options presented, there was most interest in Option 3 which the existing service. Figure 6: Open House Option Preference among those open to change Elements which were considered favourable about Option 3 included: Better internal James Bay connectivity than Option 1 Less chance of service impacts during events than Option 1 Direct service to middle/high schools An Oak Bay junction transfer to UVic was viewed as better than downtown but still not ideal Satisfaction with weekday service intervals. James Bay Local Area Transit Plan Engagement Summary June 2017

13 C Engagement Summary Option 3 had fewer identified concerns than the other options presented, nonetheless there were still some: Proposed removal of route 3 Absence of one-seat service to low-cost retailers in the Uptown area from Five Corners Comments that weekends are not frequent enough Infrastructure Priorities Open house participants also had an opportunity to identify opportunities to improve local transit infrastructure and amenities within the James Bay area. Table 6: Open House Infrastructure Priorities Bus Stop Safety # Comments Add shelter/bench to bus zone (James Bay area) 20 Add Schedule information at bus zones (James Bay area) 6 Request for a new southbound stop on Oswego, near Simcoe 2 Southbound Oswego fs_superior - Larger concrete pad for accessibility 1 Northbound Oswego ns_simcoe - narrow sidewalk 1 Northbound Oswego ns_michigan - lighting issue 1 Northbound Menzies fs_simcoe - re-align street furniture 1 Southbound Douglas ns-burdett - visibility of bus passengers waiting 1 Soutbound Douglas ns_fort (Bay Centre) - evening safety issues 1 Future Service Priorities When asked to prioritize future transit service improvements, the top two preferences from Open House participants, tied at 31 per cent, were a village connector service connecting James Bay to other village centres in the Victoria area, and real-time customer information relating to bus arrival times. Note that the Future Service Priorities Board may be found in Appendix 3 and includes descriptions of the transit service improvements listed below. Table 7: Open House Future Service Priorities Future Transit Service Priorities Percentage of Total Votes Village Connector 31.0% Go Bus 8.3% Special Event Service 5.8% Service Frequency 24.2% Customer Information 30.7% James Bay Local Area Transit Plan - Engagement Summary

14 C 12 Engagement Summary ONLINE SURVEY RESULTS A total of 200 people completed the online survey, which also enabled some insight into who engagement participants were. Despite efforts to reach out to those travelling daily to the neighbourhood for work and other purposes from other areas, only ten per cent of survey respondents lived outside of James Bay, while ninety per cent of respondents lived in James Bay. Eighty-eight per cent of survey respondents reported using Routes 30 and 31, 27 and 28. Figure 7: Do you live in James Bay Figure 8: Which routes do you use most Service Design Preference Online Survey participants were asked to select their top two preferred two service design options from among the four options developed for phase two of public engagement. Although Option 1 was the a clear preferred Option for many people, Option 3 was the next most preferred Option, and had much stronger support than Option 2 as a second best Option. Figure 8: Online Survey Preferred Option James Bay Local Area Transit Plan Engagement Summary June 2017

15 C Engagement Summary Infrastructure Priorities Fewer detailed suggestions related to infrastructure improvements in the online survey than from the Open House. Table 6: Online Survey Infrastructure Priorities Bus Stop Improvements # Comments Lighting/Safety/visibility, general 3 Consolidate bus stops w/b Niagara between Government and Menzies from 3 to 2. 3 s/b Oswego between Superior and Niagara needs a stop in between somewhere near Simcoe. 2 Cleaner bus stops/shelters. 2 Future Service Priorities When asked to prioritize future transit service improvements, online Survey respondents were in general alignment with Open House participants. The top priority was more singular among Online Survey respondents with a Downtown and Village connector service drawing twenty-nine per cent of responses, while improvements to customer information at bus stops and improvements to service frequency in James Bay drew twenty-four per cent and twenty-three per cent of responses respectively. Future Transit Service Priorities Percentage of Total Votes Downtown & Village Connector 29% GoBus 9% Special Event service 8% Service Frequency improvements to James Bay 23% Customer Info 24% James Bay Local Area Transit Plan - Engagement Summary

16 C 14 Engagement Summary Next Steps A James Bay Local Area Plan document with recommendations will be produced and then presented to the Transit Commission for endorsement. Future service changes recommendations will inform the development of future three-year Service and Financial Strategies and Annual Service Plan for the Commission s approval. James Bay Local Area Transit Plan Engagement Summary June 2017

17 C Engagement Summary APPENDIX 1 PHASE ONE PUBLIC COMMENTS Category Total Comments Comments Summary FARES 16 ROUTES 14 CONNECTIONS REGIONAL 11 CONNECTIONS LOCAL 8 FREQUENCY 8 VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY 7 PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND MOBILITY CHALLLENGES 5 11 of 16 comments are requests for the reinstatement of transfers. Remaining comments were each on separate issues. 7 out 14 comments request more staggering of route 3 and route 30 departures; 5 comments on confusion relating to route 27/28 and route 30/31 variants, and requests for simplification, 2 other individual comments 8 out of 11 comments requesting direct service to UVic. 2 comments in support of direct service to Langford, 1 comment in support (and appreciation) for access to Uptown. 5 out of 7 comments related to more coverage and circulation within James Bay (connecting to downtown), 2 comments suggesting Simcoe would offer a good local transit spine, 1 comment requesting more direct service to Cook Street Village. 4 out of 8 comments requesting more peak frequency between James Bay and Downtown, 1 commenting on the noticeable decrease in service from last year to now, 1 requesting better Sunday evenings, 1 requesting better late nights, and 1 suggesting buses are too frequent. 3 of 7 comments related to propulsion and mode, 1 comment related to AVL, 1 comment related to size, 1 comment related to bike racks, 1 comment related to seat-padding. 3 out of 5 comments requesting smaller curb-gaps for people using walkers, 1 requesting more floor space for wheelchairs because of large increases in strollers using space. BUS STOPS 4 Four individual locations for improvements identified COMMUNICATIONS 4 Three out of four comments were related to improving on-the-groundcommunication related to routing changes about special events Three individual locations of concern identified. Suggestions that there BUSY/DANGEROUS/ 3 is less safety because of the diversity of modes present require high INTERSECTIONS/STREETS alertness for all users. GENERAL 3 DRIVING STYLE 2 requests for softer braking TRANSFERS 2 CONNECTIONS -INTER- REGIONAL 1 ON-TIME 1 Not a fan of transfers. Downtown can be a not-nice place to wait for a transfer James Bay Local Area Transit Plan - Engagement Summary

18 C 16 Engagement Summary APPENDIX 2 PHASE ONE LOCAL SERVICE CONCEPTS Option 1 Option # minute frequency (existing network) Concerns Less frequent than existing services Transit network connectivity within James Bay not addressed Local public concerns in regards to buses parked at terminals not addressed Transfer needed to get to schools Connection to Cook Street and Fairfield not maintained but is available with a transfer Positives Service is less complex than existing service Schedule easy to understand No transfers needed to Mayfair and Uptown shopping James Bay Local Area Transit Plan Engagement Summary June 2017

19 C Engagement Summary Option 2 Option # minute frequency (changed network) Concerns Potential service reliability issues with no James Bay terminal Connection to Cook Street and Fairfield not maintained but is available with a transfer Transfers needed to Mayfair and Uptown shopping Less frequent than existing services on east side of the community One way loop on west side Potentially longer bus travel times offset with higher service frequency Routing less direct to Downtown on the west side Positives Reduces impacts to service when special events occur as buses do not route on Belleville or Government Street More frequent than existing services on west side of the community Improved directness of routing to and from downtown on east the side of the community Address service coverage issues in northwest area Service less complex than existing service Schedule easy to understand Transit network connectivity within James Bay addressed with all areas connected to Five Corners Local public concerns in regards to buses parked at terminals addressed Schools on route Direct access to Oak Bay Shopping with no transfer James Bay Local Area Transit Plan - Engagement Summary

20 C 18 Engagement Summary Option 3 Option # minute frequency (existing network) Concerns Connection to Cook Street and Fairfield not maintained but is available with a transfer Transfers needed to Mayfair and Uptown shopping Less frequent than existing services on east side of the community Potentially longer bus travel times offset with higher service frequency on west side Routing less direct to Downtown on the west side Does not address service coverage issues in northwest area Terminal at Fisherman s Wharf remains Positives Reduces impacts to service when special events occur as buses do not route on Belleville or Government Street More frequent than existing services on west side of the community Improved directness of routing to and from downtown on east the side of the community Address service coverage issues in northwest area Service less complex than existing service Schedule easy to understand Transit network connectivity within James Bay addressed with all areas connected to Five Corners Local public concerns in regards to buses parked at terminals addressed Schools on route Direct access to Oak Bay Shopping with no transfer Potential service reliability improvements with James Bay terminal Terminal at Toronto and Huntington removed James Bay Local Area Transit Plan Engagement Summary June 2017

21 C Engagement Summary APPENDIX 3 PHASE TWO SERVICE DESIGN OPTIONS USED IN PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT James Bay Local Area Transit Plan - Engagement Summary

22 C 20 Engagement Summary James Bay Local Area Transit Plan Engagement Summary June 2017

23 C Engagement Summary James Bay Local Area Transit Plan - Engagement Summary

24 C 22 Engagement Summary James Bay Local Area Transit Plan Engagement Summary June 2017

25 C Engagement Summary James Bay Local Area Transit Plan - Engagement Summary