HomeMy WebLinkAboutFort Worth Transportation Authority FY 2000 Strategic Planr I A%0%0%i
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STR����KAN
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STRATEGIC PLAN
2000
Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................. 1
A New Vision for A New Future.................................................................. 4
Strategic Goal 1 - Build a New Multi -modal System for a New
Generation of Customers............................................................................. 7
Strategic Goal 2 - Be Aggressively Regional ............................................ 11
Strategic Goal 3 - Use Technology to Make the T Easier to Use by
Increasing Numbers of Customers............................................................. 14
TheFuture is NOW.................................................................................... 17
STRATEWC PLAN
Z000
INTRODUCTION
With the beginning of a new millennium, the challenges are many and the opportunities great. A
strategic plan is vital to meet our goals and to propel the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (the T) into
the next several decades as a regional transportation authority. By identifying strategic goals and taking a
critical view of the steps required to meet the transportation demands of the public, the strategic plan will
provide a road map to best guide our efforts. The strategic plan will act as a measurement tool to assess
the progress of the transportation authority in promoting public transit and broadening its customer base
with services that provide both value and convenience.
The T's strategic plan is part of the comprehensive planning efforts of its member cities and the
3_7 region. As such, it is informed and consistent with the Comprehensive Plan of the City of Fort Worth and
the Regional Transportation Plan, Mobility 2025, adopted by the Regional Transportation Council (RTC)
of the North Central Council of Governments (NCTCOG). As inspiration for its plan, the T takes to heart
-3 the vision established in those plans. Specifically, the T's plan helps the City of Fort Worth implement its
Common Vision:
By the year 2020, Fort Worth will be commonly recognized as the most livable city in Texas. Resi-
dents will be able to enjoy Fort Worth's friendly atmosphere and the opportunities that are associated with
a growing, diversified economy. Fort Worth's public schools will produce well-rounded citizens and a
skilled workforce to fill high -paying jobs in local businesses. Fort Worth's air and water quality will also
be superior, meeting the highest national standards.
Residents and visitors alike will be able to enjoy Fort Worth's distinct blend of Western heritage and
high culture. These attributes will be displayed most vividly in Downtown, The Cultural District, the
Historic Stockyards, and the Southside Medical District, which will be linked by attractive pedestrian
corridors and a light-rail trolley. Many residents will choose to live in mixed-use neighborhoods where
they can safely and conveniently walk, bicycle, or take public transportation to work, shopping, and
t school. The Trinity Railway Express commuter rail system will connect Downtown Fort Worth to Down-
town Dallas and to DFW International Airport. Fort Worth will preserve its unique identity and quality of
life, while working with neighboring communities to make the Metroplex the world's next great metro-
politan area.
The plan contributes as well to the goals of the Regional Transportation Plan, Mobility 2025,
as stated:
Transportation
Enhance Mobility and Improve Access for the Movement of People and Goods.
• Reduce Traffic Congestion and Improve Travel Times.
• Develop a Balanced, Efficient, and Dependable Multi -modal Transportation System That
Reduces Demand for Single Occupant Vehicle Travel.
• Improve the Safety of the Transportation System.
• Provide Stronger, More Direct Linkages Between Project Planning, Funding, and
Implementation by Designating a Metropolitan Transportation System.
• Support Local, Regional, Statewide, National, and International Intermodal Transportation
Systems That Provide Mobility and Accessibility for the Movement of Freight.
• Provide Meaningful Public Involvement Opportunities in the Transportation Plan
Development Process.
Quality of Life
• Promote the Orderly Economic Development of the Region.
• Encourage Balanced Land Use and Transportation Plans and Programs Which Maximize
the Use of Transportation Investments.
• Provide Transportation Opportunities to the Traditionally Underserved.
• Encourage the Preservation and Revitalization of Communities and Neighborhoods.
• Support Recreation and Tourism.
• Encourage Transportation Investments That Promote Healthy and Active Lifestyles.
• Avoid, Mitigate, and Enhance the Environmental Impacts of Transportation Improvements.
• Reduce Energy Consumption.
• Improve Air Quality.
The strategic plan is a product of many contributors including federal, state and local representatives;
public transportation users; business interests; transportation employees and the general public. The goal
is to produce a useful and workable document to guide the efforts of the T in meeting the public transpor-
tation needs of the north Texas region.
ET r. T T M r4 7 ":. gh, 2
1
Foremost in this endeavor is the need to address three strategic goals:
• Build a new multi -modal system for a new generation of customers.
• Be aggressively regional.
• Use technology to make the T easier to use by increasing numbers of customers.
By identifying these strategic goals and making them the focus and foundation of future efforts, the
Fort Worth Transportation Authority endeavors to create an atmosphere to motivate its Executive Commit-
tee and employees to meet the challenges ahead. This atmosphere of change and technical innovation will
be a great way to improve personal mobility for the community and help address pressing environmental
and growth problems. It also should enhance the status of public transportation through forward thinking
and unique problem resolution.
The Strategic Plan will be a living document. The T will develop and implement a transportation
planning process to ensure sound plan development consistent with local and regional plans. Each year,
the Executive Committee will lead a process to gather input on the elements of the plan. This will include
meetings with stakeholders, elected officials and conversations with member city councils. Customer
feedback will be garnered through analysis of existing service, requests for new services and direct out-
reach to customers. The general public will be involved as well. Opinion surveys and public meetings
will seek public comment and ideas on how the plan can continue to increase personal mobility.
STRATE61C PLAN
i000
NEW VISION
FORA NEW FUTURE
Public transportation is entering a new era in Tarrant County. Explosive growth, unacceptable levels
of congestion and dirty air are challenging our citizen's quality of life. Many people now believe that
building more and more roads to accommodate more and more cars are beginning to make the problem
worse, not better. There are signs all around that the future of mobility in the region is tied to the expan-
sion and success of the public transportation system. These signs include increasing ridership on existing
modes of service, public votes in favor of transit, local city councils forming transit study groups and
providing subsidies for commuter rail, a public groundswell of support for rail transit, and the regional
planning agency pushing smart growth strategies that tie transportation funding to participation in a transit
system and the list goes on.
Based on these signs and research completed by the T, it is clear that a dramatic new vision for the T
is required. If our region is to ensure continuation of a high quality of life, the T must become a more
integral part of the fabric of the community. As such, the T committed itself to an ambitious Strategic
Plan that is a radical departure from previous efforts. Previously, the T provided an acceptable level of
service for customers who depended only on public transportation for mobility. Other services were
targeted at specific markets that could support ridership on traditional transit modes such as express bus
service to the downtown area. Due to philosophy and an overly conservative financial ethic these targeted
services were very limited. The plan that follows is very different. The vision for the T contained in the
plan follows:
Within the next twenty years, everyone in the region will see the T as a legitimate alterna-
tive to driving their cars. We will live, work, shop and play in well planned areas conve-
niently served by the T. People will favor commuting by rail and bus to their jobs in all
parts of the region. The ridership experience will be spectacular. Speedy, clean, safe,
modern and comfortable vehicles will whisk commuters and other riders to their destina-
tions. Everyone will know how to use the T. Real time information, not only about sched-
uled service, but about the exact location and routing of the vehicles will be available to
transit users at home and at all transit stops. Transit waiting areas will be attractive addi-
tions to surrounding neighborhoods where people will want to congregate. Customers will
use cashless methods to pay fares. No one will be left behind in a system that is fully
accessible. The T will work with the entire region to make the Metroplex the world's next
great metropolitan area.
STRATUM PLAN
2000
To accomplish this vision the T will be guided by the following mission statement:
All of this must be accomplished by reinforcing and growing values that support the vision and
mission. Six core values define the T's public transportation services:
State of the art facilities
Community involvement
Efficient commuter rail
Excellence
Teamwork
Environmental Responsibility
Accountability
Fairness and Equity
Innovation
Excellence
The T is committed to excellence in all its endeavors. We
strive to be the best in all we do.
Teamwork
The T will be a proactive part of the community team work-
ing to solve congestion, air quality and growth management
issues. Internally, the T strives to build and maintain out-
standing working relationships among all employees.
Environmental Responsibility
Keeping the environment clean and useable by all our citi-
zens for future generations is a must. The T will produce and
provide services in an environment friendly way and encour-
age its employees to be environmentally responsible.
STRATUM PLAN
2000
Alternative fueled fleet
Mobility training
Innovation
Accountability
As stewards of public funds, the T is committed to providing
high quality, safe and efficient public transportation services
through the appropriate use of available resources.
Fairness and Equity
The T will treat all customers with dignity and respect.
Utilize new technology to inform, promote and improve public transportation in the north Texas
region. Accomplishment of this vision will be built around strategic goals that emphasize the new at-
tributes of the T that will be necessary to accomplish success.
These strategic goals are as follows:
GOAL 1: Build a new multi -modal system
for a new generation of customers.
GOAL 2: Be aggressively regional.
GOAL 3: Use technology to make the T
easier to use by increasing numbers
of customers.
Intermodal Transportation Center
What follows is the actualization of the Strategic Plan. By necessity the plan focuses in detail on
activities and actions in the short term even though the vision is for a longer period of time. The rest of
the document is organized around each of the strategic goals. Each goal begins with a statement of how
the future will appear when the goal is accomplished. This is described in actions, performance measures
and activities to give the reader a sense of the kinds of things that will be happening in each goal area. All
of this is brought together in a concluding section.
STRATEGIC PLAN
STRATEGIC GOAL 1
Build a new multi -modal system for a new generation of customers.
t To succeed in the new environment the T must have a system that efficiently serves traditional
markets and customers while building a future that serves the vast majority of citizens who may never
have thought public transportation was a viable option. This demands aggressive and innovative develop-
ment of new services and modes other than traditional bus service.
ACTION
Provide new service in the
fastest growing areas.
Improve general customer
information.
Complete Trinity Railway i.
Express. �;,
PERFORMANCE MEASURE
Double ridership to 12,000,000 by 2006.
7 s'2of?ia :� k�k
Pr.
v R " le ridership to 12,000,000 by 2006.
s to T&P by October 28, 2001.
Improve service level on Equal headways and level of service on east
Trinity Railway Express. and west sides of corridor by January 1,
2002.
Expand TRE to Southwest Fort Concurrent activity in all corridors. Plan -
Worth, Northeast Tarrant ning starts 2001. Revenue service by 2010.
County and the Union Pacific
Corridor through Central
Arlington and Grand Prairi
Plan and implement a light rail Construction underway by October 1, 2003.
system in Fort Worth.'
Make the organization and Double ridership to 12,000,000 by 2006 and
services more customer "' v. reduce the number of customer service
friendly. r " complaints each year.
f
ACTION PERFORMANCE MEASURE
Improve customer service Training in customer service for all T
attitude of all T employees. employees completed by March 2001.
Reduce customer complaints each year and
I double ridership to 12,000,000 by 2006.
Make T services easily �'`Clearly identify all bus stops by September
recognizable by existing and 2001. Real-time service information avail -
potential customers. able at all major bus stops and transfer
centers by 2006.
Improve existing bus service f Double ridership to 12,000,000 by 2006.
to gain more customers. s ' ''•�
Increase marketing efforts. Increase the percentage of residents agree-
�ury ing that the T does a good job of providing
.,transportation services from the current 31
1 percent to 75 percent.
Within this goal area, the following are the kinds of activities you can expect to see:
• Complete Alternatives Analysis on light rail trolley project, get the project on the regional plan
and aggressively seek local and federal funding partners.
• Clear all roadblocks to implementation of Phase II of TRE.
• Market and operate Phase II TRE service so that ridership goals are exceeded.
• Complete planning and feasibility study for extension of TRE to Southwest Fort Worth, Northeast
Tarrant County and the UP corridor through the center of Arlington.
• Develop and implement financing plan for rail to include consideration of Federal earmarks, bond
financing, reallocation of T's transit street use program and new funding sources.
• Develop and deliver a public education program on rail with specific emphasis on need for TRE
expansion.
STRATgi
N
000
• Use opinion surveys to find out what our customers and non -customers expect from the T.
• Develop a "T School" program to educate our next generation
of riders.
• Monitor non-member city council meetings to stay informed
about upcoming transit issues.
aPartner with colleges and universities to provide information
on commute alternatives.
J
J
• Incorporate and participate in funding a national "positive image of public transportation"
campaign in all T marketing efforts (i.e., APTA- Visibility, Image and Positioning [VIP]).
• Focus on a positive image of the T and public transportation through the community outreach plan.
• Include more print and radio advertisements in the T's marketing campaigns.
• Market the beneficial use of the T's services through promotion of flex time, carpooling,
vanpooling, riding the bus and train, high gas cost savings and air quality issues.
• Develop Transportation Ambassador Relocation Program to
assist businesses relocating to Tarrant County.
• Lobby councils and zoning boards to ensure that new
developments are planned around transit.
• Lobby for ordinance changes and partner with cities
concerning land use planning.
• Develop and implement a system to allow policy decisions to be made on the basis of objective
criteria and performance evaluation.
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