Summary of Transportation Workgroup meeting – January 16, 2007
Phelps Murdock began the meeting with introductory comments and the "homework" assignment.
Sam Swearngin of the KCMO vehicles and fleet operations, gave a presentation on the City's use of alternative fuels.
He said that biodiesel is viable, although supply is limited, and it does not displace as many emissions as natural gas. Natural gas is a more plentiful fuel for the short-term future, but Sam believes that only plug-in hybrids are a true long-term solution because the electricity could be taken from renewable energy plants.
Natural gas vehicles require special modifications to the vehicle and natural gas stations; the initial investment is high.
Miles per gallon of all alternative fuels are very comparable to petroleum fuels.
Interestingly, the primary "drivers" for the City's use of such fuels are the desire to clean the air and security (less dependence on fuels that are scarce or non-domestic). Regulation is not currently much of a factor.
The question that needs follow-up: how much petroleum is needed to PRODUCE alternative fuels? Many people in the workgroup wanted a better understanding of the lifecycle.
Mark Huffer of KCATA gave a presentation on mass transit. The transit authority is a quasi-governmental organization with the power of eminent domain and the issuance of bonds, but it has no direct taxing authority. They have 800 employees and a $70 million budget. They make 15,000,000 passenger trips each year; a little over 1% of total commuter trips are by transit.
Funding for KCATA
Passenger revenue 15%
Local govt 61%
State funding 2%
Missouri state funding is very low compared to other states, which give, on average, 22% of the transit's budget. Even Kansas, with smaller cities, has a higher overall investment in transit than Missouri.
The MAX buses have been a success; ridership is up 35%. MAX buses are technologically advanced with GPS arrival times posted at the bus stop.
Another success is a daycare facility operated at 39th and Troost, so that parents can easily take the bus and drop off/pick up children. There are more plans to add buses in the urban core, but it is not financially feasible to add routes/buses too far north to the river.
Smart Moves funding passed in Missouri, but has yet to pass in Kansas. Johnson County does not seem interested in Smart Moves, but other municipalities may participate.
The Chastain light rail plan was not endorsed by KCATA. Huffer feels the funding estimates and engineering assumptions are not accurate. KCATA is seeking federal funds for an analysis study to see what parts of the plan are viable. The light rail plan, however, has increased the sense of urgency for transit alternatives.
Incentives for transit:
• Discourage parking structures
• Encourage developers to support transit stops
• Parking and zoning policies should not favor cars
• Discourage urban sprawl
• Trip Transit Ridership Incentive program, private corporations offer discounted bus passes to employees as a tax write-off
Kate Barsotti asked the group for input on the next meeting’s topics on Feb. 6 and they selected:
Incentives programs
Promotion of carpooling, ridesharing by Marge Gasnick, MARC