Fiscal Note
The Transit Development Plan contains recommendations which could have a long-term effect on the cost and revenues of the transit system. Implementation of the recommendations will be assessed as a normal part of future year annual capital and operating budget deliberations, subject to Common Council approval.
Title
Adopting the recommendations of the 2013-2017 Transit Development Plan for the Madison Urban Area as a framework to guide transit system development over the 2013-2017 period.
Body
WHEREAS, the Transit Development Plan for the Madison Urban Area is a strategic plan and transit improvement and budgeting guide to identify the near-term direction of the transit system, which is generally updated every five years by the Madison Area Transportation Planning Board - a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in cooperation with the City of Madison - Metro Transit, which is the operator of the majority of public transit in the Madison area; and
WHEREAS, the last Transit Development Plan was adopted in August 2004 for the 2004 to 2008 period, and many of its recommendations were implemented; and
WHEREAS, a 2013-2017 Transit Development Plan (TDP) for the Madison Urban Area has been developed by the Madison Area Transportation Planning Board (MPO) in cooperation with Metro Transit within the framework of the MPO's long-range regional transportation plan; and
WHEREAS, the many factors which have an impact on transit service design and usage, including residential and business development, socioeconomic characteristics of the population, changes in travel and living patterns, service trends and performance, and capital and operating costs and revenues, have been considered; and
WHEREAS, recent transit ridership levels in the Madison area have been growing faster than transit service levels, resulting in overcrowding concerns emerging as one of the top concerns for Metro Transit staff, in addition to requests for faster and more frequent and expansive service; and
WHEREAS, any significant expansion of Metro transit service is currently limited by the fleet size, Metro Transit's maintenance facility, and the current funding structure; and
WHEREAS, the TDP was nonetheless prepared based on a service and capital needs assessment and serves as a guide for prioritizing future service change and facility improvements if additional facility capacity and operating funds are made available over the next five years;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council of the City of Madison adopts the recommendations of the 2013-2017 Transit Development Plan for the Madison Urban Area as a framework to guide transit system development of the 2013 to 2017 period, subject to the availability of adequate funding resources for capital equipment and annual operations and annual review of service productivity and ridership response.