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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980-10-07; City Council; 6381; Policy for Bus Stop Facilities in Major ProjectsE CITY OF CARLSBAD INITIAL AGENDA BILL NO. ZP 3 _Dept. Hd. DATE: _ October 7 1980 Cty. Atty. VF.9 DEPARTMENT: Planning Department C ty . Mgr. <; SUBJECT: PROPOSED POLICY FOR BUS STOP F-,CILITIES IN MAJOR PROJF,1TS STATEMENT OF THE MATTER The North County Transit District does not have a clear policy for the scheduling of bus routes and in locatjng additional bus stops along estab- lished mutes at the present time. However, the North County Transit District will consider adding extra bus stops in front of new projects which contain at least 30 units if certain constraints can be overcome. The current bus stop practice of the North County Transit District, the city's additional obligations, and the additional costs and liabilities proposed to developers, is fully set forth in the attached m mra a un to the Planning Director. Fiscal Impact No adverse fiscal impact to the city is expected since any additional costs are expected to be borne by the developer of the project. EXHIBITS 1. randun to the Planning Director, dated September 25, 1980 RECCHENDATION Staff reconnends that the proposed policy relative to bus stop facilities in major projects be APPROVED by the City Council. JCH:JD:jt Council Action: 10-7-80 Council approved the proposed policy as stated above. fu u 6 C d ui DATE: September 25, 1980 TO: James Hagaman, Planning Director FROM: Tom Hageman, Principal Planner SUBJECT: COUNCIL POLICY REIWIVE TO BUS STOP FACILITIES IN MAJOR PROJECTS SITUATION Currently the North County Transit District (NTCD) lacks a clear policy for the scheduling of bus routes and additional bus stops along established routes. Instead the NCTD considers a number of individual factors that determine both the economic feasibility of providing service to new projects as well as the constraints that would limit such service. For example, relative to new residential develop- ment NCTD would consider extending service to isolated projects if those projects were large enough to yield a potential ridership. At present NTCD does not recognize a threshold size of a project but they have indicated that between 100 to 300 residential units might satisfy their economic needs. The example NCTD cites for such rationale is the 307-lot Spinnaker Hills residential development so that the 300-unit figure appears to be more realistic. Furthermore, it Geems reasonable to asume that NCTD would extend service to already developed areas when those areas approach approximately 300-units of development. In areas where established bus routes exist NCTD will generally consider adding extra bus stops in front of new projects if those projects contain at least 30-units. Relative to large commercial projects NCTD will furnish upon request a bus stop in front of a project provided the stop does not pose a safety hazard and the commercial development is located along an existing route. It should be noted that commercial development normally locates along heavily travelled streets and in areas of maximum accessibility such as city or community centers. These are also areas where bus service already exists. Remote areas without bus service that are designated commercial in the Land Use Element of the General Plan will probably develop after a residential consumer base develops in those regions so that subsequent to residential development bus routes will probably become established. Since it is unlikely that a large commercial project would locate away from population centers and therefore away from established bus routes, a condition of approval of large commercial development located along existing bus routes could be that the project requested NCTD service adjacent to the said development. Isolated commercial projects not located along established routes are usually small in scale or recreational in nature, or are travel service oriented and therefore would probably not provide NCTD with a ridership that would warrant an extension of bus service to the development. Therefore it would not be reasonable to require these isolated projects to request either extension of service of bus stop facilities of NCTD. NCTD additionally has no policy for the provision of service to industrial development. The areas designated for industrial use in the Land Use Element are located in the vicinity of Palomar Airport from the city's eastern limit to the rail tracks on the west. This area is not well served by exist- ing or proposed bus routes. Furthermore, it is not likely that NCTD will extend service to this area as it develops since bus patronage by industrial workers would probably occur at only two times per day and would therefore not economically justify such service. Alternatively, NCTD does solicit of large industrial developments a contract to provide a ride to work and home program for employees. This program is dependent upon a minimum ridership of 40 pas- sengers all arriving and leaving work at the same time. So far, NCTD has Deem unsuccessful in developing this program in Carlsbad. Since a ride to work and home program in the absence of regular bus service would benefit energy conser- vation, air quality, traffic circulation, etc. it would seem appropriate that the city promote such programs. Therefore, a condition of approval of an industrial project could attempt to limit staggered employee shift times as well as recommend solicitation of a ride to work and home prograv with NCTD. The major constraints which would limit the provision of service to new projects are based upon accessibility, street standards, and availability of buses. Since the majority of buses are both heavy and massive, conventionally engineered residential streets present a maintenance problem brought about the constant use by large buses. Furthermore, large buses require ready access to wide through streets because of maneuvering problems related to their size. Since the streets in commercial and industrial developments are designed and engineered to accommodate heavy truck traffic, street standards and accessibility problems as a constraint would not seem to apply to these types of developments. Finally, NCTD after considering a request for service may actually schedule said service but condition the service on the availability of vehicles. -2- It should be noted that NCTD is currently phasing out their mini -buses in favor of the larger 40 feet length 8.5 feet wide type so that future -transportation planning considerations relative to intra subdivision (project) bus service utilizing the smaller vehicles may not be realistic. Futhermore, as a corollary to the subject of bus stop facilities, the NCTD has a policy of only providing the bus stop signs so that auxiliary facilities such as benches, shelters, etc. would have to become the responsibility of the developer. Since these auxiliary bus stop facilities would become the responsibility of the developer then in instances where bus service could be provided, the developer could provide said facilities that are of a compatible design with the project and their design could be subject to Council or Planning Director approval. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council require all new residential projects of 30 units or more and all new commercial projects with a gross floor area of over 50,000 square feet and located along an existing bus route to request bus service from NCTD and that tract approval for such projects contain the condition as follows: "The project shall provide bus stop facilities at locations subject to the satisfaction of the North County Transit District. Said facilities shall at a minimum include a bench, free from advertising and a pole for the bus stop sign. The bench and pole shall be designed in a manner so as to not detract from the basic architectural theme of the project and said design shall be subject to the approval of the Planning Director and North County Transit District. Moreover for large projects where intra-bus service is feasible an additional condition would read: Streets to be utilized by bus traffic shall be designed so as to provide ready access to through streets and engineered so as to accommodate heavy vehicle traffic. Said street design shall provide a minimum 40 feet roadway and be subject to the approval of the City Engineer." It is recommended that the City Council, relative to all new industrial projects not located along existing bus routes and having a minimum of 50 employees per shift, promote the establishment of a ride to work and home program as part of the mitigation measures designed to conserve energy, reduce traffic congestion and enhance air quality. Approval of such projects should contain the condition as follows: -3- "The project shall attempt to develop a ride to work and home program for its employees with the North County Transit District. Furthermore, the project should attempt to limit the staggering of worker shifts so as to facilitate the success of said program." GW:ar 9/25/80 IME 0