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65  Summary of Questionnaire Feedback on Transit Prioritization Needs A P P E N D I X A This appendix summarizes feedback from the online questionnaire participants on transportation agency needs and challenges related to prioritizing transit investments. Performance Measures and Benefit-Cost Analysis ⢠Performance Measures and Competitiveness: A performance-based prioritization methodology can better allow transit to compete, relative to formula-based funding systems. This is true for both cross- modal allocations (where modal funding formulas may presuppose that transit should account for a pre- determined share of transportation solutions) and for allocation of transit funds across a state (where funding is allocated to regions regardless of the cost-effectiveness of investments). However, within a performance-based approach, measures like highway level of service or volume-capacity ratio inherently favor highway projects (or do not apply to transit at all). Metrics related to environmental impacts, quality of life, social equity, or person-throughput better represent the benefits of transit spending but are often missing from BCA. ⢠Land Use and Transit: Many new transit services require land-use changes (i.e., higher density transit- oriented development) to provide service effectively, while highway expansions do not presume such transformations. Furthermore, the development of roadway networks without a connected grid hinders the development of efficient transit services. Respondents indicated that the project planning and evaluation process often does not sufficiently address these land-use challenges, which affect transit more than they do roadway projects. ⢠Full-Cost Accounting: Respondents called for a broader, more integrated approach to measuring costs and benefits that would account for the full environmental and social impacts of transportation projects and could, therefore, favor transit over modes with greater externalities. Similarly, full-cost accounting could address the fact that the full cost of private vehicle travel (including private vehicle ownership costs) is not typically considered in BCA. ⢠Travel Time Savings: For most modes, the majority of benefits in a BCA derive from travel-time savings and congestion reduction, while ignoring the large policy benefit of ensuring and expanding mobilityâa role often best filled by transit. Internal Transit Agency Challenges and Opportunities ⢠Staffing and Workload: Transit agencies, particularly smaller transit agencies, report being burdened by the process-related effort required to compete for limited funds, including FTAâs required oversight and regulatory procedures. ⢠Asset Condition: With transit vehicles, facilities, and infrastructure aging and deteriorating across the country (including non-public facing assets), more reliable asset condition data is an important tool for properly prioritizing spending within transit agencies. Many transit agencies struggle to communicate the benefit of maintaining assets relative to expanding service.
66 Prioritization of Public Transportation Investments: A Guide for Decision-Makers ⢠Operating Funding and Local Matches: Local funding matches are a challenge for transit agencies, especially smaller ones. Inability to meet the required match could disadvantage transit projects relative to other modes. Similarly, transit agencies are unable to apply for funds for service expansion projects when they do not have sources of funding for operations support. ⢠Standardized Data: State DOTs are interested in standardized data formats, such as GTFS, GTFS-flex, GTFS-ride, and related software tools. Data standardization creates a better understanding of statewide transit networks and can help identify investment opportunities. ⢠High Costs: Respondents report that costs of building and operating transit have become so high that it is hard to reach full funding status through the available grants. ⢠Balancing Transit Quality with Transit Coverage: Transit decision-makers often face a trade-off between broader coverage and higher-quality service in terms of travel time, cost, frequency, and comfort. Elected Officials and Jurisdictional Issues ⢠Jurisdictional Equity: Where transit resources are distributed across many jurisdictions (by formula or by political decisions), respondents report concern that funding is often not available for denser jurisdictions where transit investments would be most cost-effective. ⢠Working Across Agencies: Respondents identified a need for strong working relationships between transit agencies, MPOs, and state DOTs to articulate transit needs to high-level decision-makers. One respondent suggested a need for greater consolidation of small, rural transit providers. ⢠Diversity of Transit Agencies and Services: Prioritization is a challenge when systems require the comparison of large urban transit agencies with small rural demand response agencies within the same state. ⢠Political Context: Respondents noted that the support of elected officials can go a long way in prioritizing (or deprioritizing) transit investments. ⢠Legislative Barriers: In many states, there are limits on the use of motor fuel tax revenues that have negatively affected transit funding for transit projects. In some places, this challenge has been overcome through voter willingness to fund transit by directly enacting sales taxes and other local taxes or bond issues. Messaging ⢠Winners and Losers: There is concern about âwinners and losersâ in prioritization. There is a notion that changes that benefit one mode will necessarily disadvantage another and thereby produce winners and losers. Transit suffers from a perception that public transportation is underutilized, not universally available, and/or only for those who are âdependentâ on transit. ⢠Understanding of Subsidies: While it is well known that transit rides are subsidized, the level of subsidy necessary to support automobile mobility is not as widely understood, creating a political liability for transit. The high public cost of transit operations and maintenance continues to negatively impact the perceived competitiveness of transit projects.
