HomeMy WebLinkAbout01 Executive Summary_20200901 - sentIOWA CITY AREA TRANSIT STUDY | FINAL REPORT
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1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Background
The 2019-2020 Iowa City Area Transit Study, or ICATS, is the result of one year of public
outreach, technical analysis, and service planning conducted by CAMBUS, Coralville Transit,
Iowa City Transit (the study agencies), and consultant staff. The final product of the ICATS is a
fiscally constrained Preferred Alternative that makes detailed route-level recommendations for
improving public transit in the Iowa City area.
ICATS Goals
Goals for the ICATS were developed based on public input collected through surveys and in-
person outreach, as well as from study agency goals. The primary goals of the ICATS are to
increase transit ridership, better collaborate across agencies, improve communication to riders ,
and take a regional approach to transit planning.
Methodology
The ICATS included in-depth analysis of existing conditions at the study agencies and in the Iowa
City area. This analysis included a comprehensive review of local planning work, a review of
agency key performance indicators, an analysis of the local market and the distribution of likely
transit demand, and a route-by-route examination of ridership, on-time performance, running
time, alignment, and capacity. Comprehensive ridership and on-time performance data was
collected for all three agencies. This analysis is included in Chapters 3 through Chapter 6.
The ICATS also includes analysis of best practices for transit infrastructure and transit fare policy,
which are in Chapter 10 and Appendix D of this report, respectively.
Public Outreach
Three major phases of outreach were conducted as a part of the ICATS: an early fall onboard
survey, a late fall series of in-person outreach events and survey, and a winter series of in-person
outreach events and survey. The early fall onboard survey collected information on rider
behaviors, the late fall outreach and survey collected information on community visions and goals
for public transit, and the winter outreach collected feedback on three hypothetical s cenarios for
improving transit in the Iowa City area. Feedback collected on these three scenarios shaped the
Preferred Alternative. Detailed information on and results from outreach work are in Chapter 8.
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Recommendations
The ICATS Preferred Alternative for service was developed using public input, market conditions,
and existing ridership data. Initially, three scenarios were developed that represent different
principles of route planning and areas of emphasis . Following a public outreach and comment
period on these three scenarios, a fiscally constrained Preferred Alternative was developed to
address operational issues, future growth, industry-standard best practices for route design, and
established project goals. The most significant improvements made by the Preferred Alternative
are listed below by improvement category:
Increasing frequency on core routes
▪ 15-minute peak period service on Iowa City Transit’s most popular route, the Oakcrest,
and 15-minute all-day service on the Iowa City Transit Southside Downtown Shuttle
▪ 20-minute peak period service on the Iowa City Transit Mall route to Kirkwood
Community College and South Iowa City
▪ 20-minute all-day CAMBUS service between the Hawkeye Commuter Lot, Aspire at West
Campus, the University of Iowa hospitals, and downtown Iowa City
▪ Iowa City Transit Saturday service improvements
Simplifying routes
▪ Restructuring Iowa City Transit routes with a single set of alignment s, instead of
operating two different alignments for each route
▪ Shifting routes to arterials so riders can easily understand where a bus will take them
▪ Simpler CAMBUS service to and from the Hawkeye Commuter Lot
▪ A route numbering system to make the three systems easier for riders to use
Addressing on-time performance problems
▪ Shifting Coralville Transit and Iowa City Transit routes to major arterials for improved
speed and reliability
▪ Eliminating time-consuming and dangerous deviations into parking lots
▪ Shifting service off roads with operational problems, such as Lee Street in Manville
Heights, and off roads with congestion, such as Newton Road near the hospitals
Providing more direct service to popular destinations
▪ Better connections to major shopping destinations that eliminate the need to transfer
vehicles for many riders
▪ Direct, all-day service between Iowa River Landing and downtown Iowa City
▪ A one-seat ride from the Pheasant Ridge neighborhood to the Walmart-anchored
commercial area south of Highway 6
▪ Shifting route design away from ineffective loop routes to bi-directional alignments
▪ A one-seat ride from downtown Iowa City to commercial destinations in Coralville
▪ Direct service to and from the Hawkeye Commuter Lot
Maps of the preferred alternative for each transit system are in Figure 1-1 through Figure 1-3. A
detailed description of the Preferred Alternative is in Chapter 9 of this report.
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Figure 1-1 CAMBUS Preferred Alternative System Map
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Figure 1-2 Coralville Transit Preferred Alternative System Map
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Figure 1-3 Iowa City Transit Preferred Alternative System Map