r>choices that link where people live to where they want to work, shop and play. Transit
services are the most efficient form of passenger travel, providing an opportunity to diver-
sify travel choice by offering a high occupancy, high frequency person-trip mobility option
to solo driving and carpooling.
THE TRANSIT IMPERATIVE
Based on interviews with representatives from Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District,
over the next twenty years they target an approximately 25 percent increase in transit
ridership mode split, increasing locally from 8 percent to 10 percent and regionally from
3.8 percent to 4.75 percent.
Based on the travel analysis forecast, to achieve a no growth scenario, a more
aggressive 50 percent increase in transit ridership mode split needs to be achieved
for both "local" internal trips and "commute in" and "commute out" external
travel. To effectively achieve a higher transit mode split will require a long-term regional
transit strategy. An important element of that strategy will be supporting transit services
that move independently from the effects of vehicle congestion.
A long-term transit strategy must address regional mobility needs including alternatives
to vehicle traffic congestion on Highway 1 and addressing the forecast growth in the
south county areas and Watsonville, as well as serve the local Santa Cruz travel market.
Several key opportunities are available to the City of Santa Cruz to define and promote a
regional transit strategy that will support both local and regional achievement of MTS
goals:
1. The implementation of TDM measures as incentives and programs to ensure higher
levels of transit ridership at existing employment centers.
2. The potential for incremental BRT on arterial streets as a first step to address the
congestion issues facing the City.
3. The potential of the rail corridor in the mid-term for Bus Rapid Transit and in the
long-term -- with increasing residential density and higher density employment
along the corridor -- to support low cost rail services such as wireless diesel
multiple units (DMU).
4. The benefit of the existing high UCSC transit mode splits, and the potential to
continue to capture high levels of transit ridership with future UC growth.
5. The potential to increase transit ridership by developing higher density housing
and mixed-use village centers along transit corridors. Master Transportation Study
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VI-2. Transit, page 60
6. The potential to provide high occupancy Bus Rapid Transit on HOV lanes.
MARKETS, STRATEGIES & OBJECTIVES
Primary Markets and Destinations
The key destinations in the City of Santa Cruz for transit trips by the priority travel
groups are:
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UCSC - students, faculty and staff.
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City of Santa Cruz Schools - local school students.
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The Downtown - employment, shopping and tourism.
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The Boardwalk - tourism, local recreation and employment.
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Harvey West - employment.
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Mission/Soquel Retail - shopping and employment.
Short Range Strategies
Transit Strategies
MTS transit strategies focus on the key travel destinations in the City of Santa Cruz.
They are designed to maximize marketability to the student, employee, shopper and
tourist travel groups. The attractiveness of transit is enhanced through:
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Increasing service frequency - reducing wait times at bus stops.
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Providing direct service - reducing number of transfer from bus to bus, reducing
onboard travel time, and with the long-range strategies, avoiding highway and
street traffic congestion.
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Increasing service capacity - reducing crowding and standing.
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Giving priority to transit service - expanding and giving priority to transit
service on the street travelways, such as providing bus queue jump lanes, or
priority signalization timing necessary for all other improvements.
Transit Objectives
By making transit a more attractive alternative for local and regional travel, transit
services can support the following objectives:
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Shift regional trips entering the City of Santa Cruz from SOV to transit.
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Build on the existing METRO system with a minimization of service overlap, with
no reductions to existing local and regional services, and compatibility with
METRO's countywide service enhancements and development. Master Transportation Study
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VI-2. Transit, page 61
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Encourage a short walk to transit, given that a majority of City residences and
activities are currently within a five- to ten-minute walk to a METRO bus stop.
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Enhance services to increase and expand existing ridership and to attract new
transit riders from other travel modes.
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Establish a core, high frequency cross-town transit network that connects key
activity centers. Ensure good connections between core routes and where
possible, with local feeders.
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Reduce cross-town travel times with more direct, express services that minimize
the need to transfer from bus to bus and reduce wait times at bus stops.
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Increase Beach Shuttle ridership and productivity.
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Provide shuttle services between outlying, intercept parking and key destinations.
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Provide incremental BRT elements to move transit independent of vehicle
congestion
Short-Term Recommendations
Evaluation Criteria
The MTS evaluated several short and long term transit strategies for application to
Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz region, based on the following criteria:
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Vision - consistency and potential to achieve the MTS vision and goals.
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Mode shift - potential to affect a significant mode shift relative to other short
and long term strategies.
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Marketability - the potential to attract key travel group riders.
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Cost - both operating and capital costs.
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Capacity - potential to achieve the MTS twelve to sixteen percent SOV trip
reduction.
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Feasibility and implementation - when and how easily can the strategy be
introduced.
Key Recommendations
The following priorities emerged from the evaluation of a range of short-term (5-years)
concepts:
1. Refine and
build on the successes of the existing METRO system;
2.
Augment key transit services of the existing transit system to offer a core,
high-frequency limited-transfer transit network serving activity centers &
region; Master Transportation Study
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VI-2. Transit, page 62
3.
Develop Metro Base; It is required for the successful implementation of expanded
and improved transit services; and,
4.
Give right-of-way priority to transit where feasible, including exploration of
incremental Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) improvements leading to a long-term BRT
system. Incremental improvements include bus queue jump lanes and transit
priority signalization.
While the short-range enhancements improve the transit attractiveness primarily for the
City of Santa Cruz market, some initiatives will enhance transit attractiveness to regional
markets traveling to and from key destinations within the City of Santa Cruz.
Route Modifications
As shown on Figure 4: the following short-term (5-years) transit concepts have the high-
est potential to increase ridership:
Eastside UCSC Connector. Provide a direct, high frequency, local and express service
to bypass downtown between UCSC and East Side residential neighborhoods with service
extended to Cabrillo College.
North South Central Route. Provide a direct, high frequency service along the City's
central north-south area connecting the Harvey West, Downtown, Metro Center and
Boardwalk areas.
East West Connector. Provide direct, east - west transit route with limited stop
express and local service linking the West Side residential neighborhoods, Mission Street
retail, Santa Cruz High School, the Downtown, Soquel Avenue retail, East Side, and
residential neighborhoods, with Cabrillo College.
Ocean Street Hotel/Beach Shuttle. Seasonal, weekend shuttle providing 30-minute
service between the Ocean Street hotels and the Boardwalk area. Master Transportation Study
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VI-2. Transit, page 63 Master Transportation Study
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VI-2. Transit, page 64
Long-Term System Considerations
To be effective, transit needs to offer high occupancy and high frequency, minimum-
transfer service, serving higher-density housing and employment concentrations to
achieve sustainable levels of ridership. For the population and scale of the City of Santa
Cruz, transit options need to be considered within the planning framework of improving
regional mobility. Local and regional benefits of increased ridership, greater travel choice
and relieved vehicle traffic congestion can be achieved through coordinated transit
system planning, land use changes and parking management programs.
A long-term transit strategy can enhance transit for both local and regional markets. A
long-term, regional strategy will have a higher potential for influencing a 25% to 50%
increase in the transit mode shift over the next 20 years. This is especially true if these
more capital-intensive strategies are tied with park and ride facilities, higher density res-
idential development or more diverse, transit oriented developments. The longer-range
strategies should be used as tools to guide future land use development.
The type of transit technology and strategy that is appropriate for Santa Cruz and the
Santa Cruz region is dependent on the travel markets to be served; the clustering, densi-
ty, and mix of land uses at key destinations; the availability of right-of-way for routing
and stations; and long-term availability of capital and operations funding. The greater
the transit investment, the higher the density required to justify it.
Midterm to Long Range Options
The following key concepts underl