Transportation Director Chris Turner
AppalCART, the local public-transit authority, is gearing up for possible changes in the next fiscal year.AppalCART held a public forum on route plans that would take effect in August. The hearing at the Watauga County Public Library in Boone drew little input but allowed AppalCART director Chris Turner an opportunity to talk about funding, increased numbers of riders and expansion of the bus fleet. Turner said any plans were dependent on funding levels and grant applications through the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Chris Turner
“Anything we say today is dependent on the outcome of funding,” Turner said. The transportation authority started in 1981, with 9,886 rider trips in its first month of operation. That has grown to a record 179,476 riders in October, with over a million riders so far this year. The annual number of route miles has increased from 277,000 the first full year to 620,000 last year.Turner said he’d asked his staff about the need for interest was generated along the Green Route because of growth east of Boone. Turner said the increased numbers of riders and stops had led to some delays in running time, so AppalCART proposes to shorten the route.It currently starts at Wood Circle and goes downtown before looping around George Wilson Road, essentially orbiting Boone. Turner proposed removing the stop at Brookshire Park and Industrial Park Drive to shorten the route’s duration.AppalCART also proposes to add a second bus on the Orange Route and extend its hours. “That’s a major increase in service,” he said, with a second route requiring 15,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel to cover 60,000 additional miles of service. Fuel and driver costs would be significant, he said, but the route was needed because it would take some of the pressure off the Green Route. Turner said one of the reasons for increased frequency of the routes was the pending roadwork on King Street, which is scheduled to begin in April. “Any gains (in time) we make here may be offset by highway construction,” Turner said.AppalCART is ordering an all-wheel drive van, which Turner said was desperately needed to help carry people to medical appointments. One minivan will be replaced this year, and the fleet will have 16 rear-engine buses and 30 total vehicles next year. “That’s about as big as we can get with the space we’ve got,” Turner said.AppalCART is planning a new transfer station and facility on NC 105, with property and plans ready and the project awaiting funding. Turner said the new facility would allow the fleet to expand and create more service bays for garage maintenance. He said estimating fuel costs next year would be tricky, since energy costs have fluctuated wildly this year. He said with the recent decline in fuel prices, the budgeted amount for last year would nearly match the average cost at around $2.77 per gallon for biodiesel and gasoline. The authority gets its money from the Federal Highway Fund, with contributions from Appalachian State University, the town of Boone and Watauga County. The transit authority began offering no-fare rides to everyone a couple of years ago, leading to an escalation in ridership.Turner said typically ridership peaks at the beginning of the university semester, but then declines a little as students adjust their schedules.He said larger apartment complexes of over 400 units would be needed to create a new route or a bus stop in an unserved area.Turner estimated it would cost more tham $100,000 to add the second run for the Orange Route, which doesn’t include capital costs for a new vehicle. He also said the transit authority had a mission to represent the entire community, not just Appalachian State University students.The funding applications are likely to arrive in January 2009. AppalCART will then begin making final route plans for the next fiscal year.
AppalCART Board Members left to right
Chair Jerry Moretz, Vice Chair Greg Lovins, Stephen Phillips
and Watauga Democrat's Scott Nicholson
Chair Jerry Moretz, Vice Chair Greg Lovins, Stephen Phillips
and Watauga Democrat's Scott Nicholson
AppalCART plans 2009 changes amid state, local budget constraints
By Scott Nicholson Watauga Democrat
By Scott Nicholson Watauga Democrat
AppalCART, the local public-transit authority, is gearing up for possible changes in the next fiscal year.AppalCART held a public forum on route plans that would take effect in August. The hearing at the Watauga County Public Library in Boone drew little input but allowed AppalCART director Chris Turner an opportunity to talk about funding, increased numbers of riders and expansion of the bus fleet. Turner said any plans were dependent on funding levels and grant applications through the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Chris Turner
“Anything we say today is dependent on the outcome of funding,” Turner said. The transportation authority started in 1981, with 9,886 rider trips in its first month of operation. That has grown to a record 179,476 riders in October, with over a million riders so far this year. The annual number of route miles has increased from 277,000 the first full year to 620,000 last year.Turner said he’d asked his staff about the need for interest was generated along the Green Route because of growth east of Boone. Turner said the increased numbers of riders and stops had led to some delays in running time, so AppalCART proposes to shorten the route.It currently starts at Wood Circle and goes downtown before looping around George Wilson Road, essentially orbiting Boone. Turner proposed removing the stop at Brookshire Park and Industrial Park Drive to shorten the route’s duration.AppalCART also proposes to add a second bus on the Orange Route and extend its hours. “That’s a major increase in service,” he said, with a second route requiring 15,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel to cover 60,000 additional miles of service. Fuel and driver costs would be significant, he said, but the route was needed because it would take some of the pressure off the Green Route. Turner said one of the reasons for increased frequency of the routes was the pending roadwork on King Street, which is scheduled to begin in April. “Any gains (in time) we make here may be offset by highway construction,” Turner said.AppalCART is ordering an all-wheel drive van, which Turner said was desperately needed to help carry people to medical appointments. One minivan will be replaced this year, and the fleet will have 16 rear-engine buses and 30 total vehicles next year. “That’s about as big as we can get with the space we’ve got,” Turner said.AppalCART is planning a new transfer station and facility on NC 105, with property and plans ready and the project awaiting funding. Turner said the new facility would allow the fleet to expand and create more service bays for garage maintenance. He said estimating fuel costs next year would be tricky, since energy costs have fluctuated wildly this year. He said with the recent decline in fuel prices, the budgeted amount for last year would nearly match the average cost at around $2.77 per gallon for biodiesel and gasoline. The authority gets its money from the Federal Highway Fund, with contributions from Appalachian State University, the town of Boone and Watauga County. The transit authority began offering no-fare rides to everyone a couple of years ago, leading to an escalation in ridership.Turner said typically ridership peaks at the beginning of the university semester, but then declines a little as students adjust their schedules.He said larger apartment complexes of over 400 units would be needed to create a new route or a bus stop in an unserved area.Turner estimated it would cost more tham $100,000 to add the second run for the Orange Route, which doesn’t include capital costs for a new vehicle. He also said the transit authority had a mission to represent the entire community, not just Appalachian State University students.The funding applications are likely to arrive in January 2009. AppalCART will then begin making final route plans for the next fiscal year.
No comments:
Post a Comment