Fixed-Guideway Transit for the Las Vegas Region

THE MISSION GROUP
1250 SIXTH AVENUE • SUITE 214 • SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92101
TEL (619) 232-1776 • FAX (619) 374-2785 • WWW.MISSIONGROUPONLINE.COM

Presentation to the
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada

Fixed-Guideway Transit
for the Las Vegas Region
Getting from Here to There
Alan Hoffman
alan@missiongrouponline.com
11 June 2009
© 2009 by The Mission Group Fixed-Guideway Transit for the Las Vegas Region 1

Sustainable Development


What Kind of Network
Would Get Us There?


Connectivity:
The Double Challenge
Connect as many places that Place access where it needs
matter in as few years as to be, not “near” where it
possible needs to be

GOAL: GOAL:
Shape regional growth and The system really becomes
solve regional problems useful and convenient


Transit & Land Use:
Weak Strategy
If you haven’t made transit Don’t expect transit to
a convenient means of travel shape urban growth, as the
among key regional centers auto will remain the defining
and destinations… transportation mode.

If transit systems are unable to provide superior connectivity
among a core set of points, they are unlikely to shape
the future growth of that region.

Transit & Land Use:
Strong Strategy
If you figure out a way to hook …then transit can begin to
your principle centers together shape urban growth, given the
as directly, rapidly, and usefulness of that system to
frequently as possible… its region.

Cities that develop strategies to connect their component
parts as quickly as possible create truly useful transit
systems—and markets tend to respond to such usefulness.

Is All Rail Light Rail?


Light Rail


Heavy Rail

Commuter Rail


High Speed Rail

Streetcar

Health Line BRT – Cleveland


LRT/Heavy Rail & Most BRT

Especially Effective: Challenges:
Dense Corridors Available Right-of-Way
Extensive Feeders Operating Subsidies

Relatively Short Trips Serving Dispersed Zones

Special Events Serving the Periphery

Well-Located Stations Costs of “Getting Closer”

Redevelopment Zones Getting Residents to Ride

Transit-Dependents Attracting Choice Riders


Commuter Rail

Long-Distance Commutes

Trades Off Frequency for Speed

Often Require Distribution Networks


Streetcar

Supports Linear (Not Nodal) Development

Excellent for Local Distribution & Short Trips
Often Confused with Light Rail

The Great Strategic Choice:
Force or Attract


Calgary:
The Highest Ridership
Light Rail System in the U.S./Canada


Transit Adjacent Development


Calgary: Forcing Ridership

Some Transit-Adjacent,
Poor integration with but Little True
surrounding land uses Transit-Oriented
Development (TOD)

Little Impact
Requires Extensive
Outside the Downtown:
Feeder System
Challenge to Planners


How Do You Attract
Someone to Transit?


Findings from Market Research
ATLANTA

SAN DIEGO
1/6 2/3 will use transit 1/6 will
prefer if and when it never use
transit meets their needs: transit
“… quickly “…and I
“Get me
and don’t want to feel
from point A
make me good about
to point B…”
wait…” it.”

A B NEXT VEHICLE:
< 10 minutes

Network System
Customer
Structure Performance
Experience
(Connectivity) (Time)


Building Effective Transit
“… quickly “…and I
“Get me
and don’t want to feel
from point A
make me good about
to point B…”
wait…” it.”

Network System
Customer
A Structure B Performance
1(;7 9(+,&/(
Experience
(Connectivity) (Time)V
PLX H
QW

How Can We
How Can We How Can We
How Can We
How Do We
How Do We How Do We
How Do We
Make Transit
Make Transit Ensure People
Ensure People
Connect the
Connect the Reduce Wait
Reduce Wait
Faster than
Faster than Will Respond
Will Respond
Region?
Region? Time?
Time?
Driving?
Driving? to It?
to It?

If transit can be not merely convenient or useful, but
indispensable, it can add to quality of life—and create real value.

Los Angeles:
A Cautionary Tale


To get to LAX from
Panorama City via
Rapid Transit:

1. Local Bus
2. Metro Orange
Line BRT
3. Metro Red Line
Heavy Rail
4. Metro Blue Line
Light Rail
5. Metro Green Line
Light Rail
6. Shuttle Bus

Stopping at all stops!

It’s Not the Mode,
It’s the Network


Build It…But Do They Ride?

June 30, 2007

Near the rails but still on the road
Research casts doubt on the region's strategy of pushing transit-oriented residential projects to get
people out of cars.
A dozen of the county's most powerful civic leaders— including the
mayor of Los Angeles, L.A. City Council members and county
supervisors—touted the latest and glitziest new development in
Hollywood: the planned W Hotel and apartments at the storied
corner of Hollywood and Vine.
This project, they pledged at the groundbreaking earlier this
year, would restore a sagging neighborhood while also minimizing
traffic—an important promise in increasingly gridlocked
Hollywood.
“People could live here and never use their cars,” declared MTA
Chief Executive Roger Snoble at the February event.
It’s a vision expressed frequently by local government officials, quarter mile of transit stations between 2001 and 2005.
who see building large mixed-use developments next to mass transit But there is little research to back up the rosy predictions.
lines as a key solution for not just the region's traffic congestion but Among the few academic studies of the subject, one that looked at
also its spread-out geography and reputation for being unfriendly to buildings in the Los Angeles area showed that transit-based
pedestrians. development successfully weaned relatively few residents from
In Los Angeles alone, billions of public and private dollars have their cars. It also found that, over time, no more people in the
been lavished on transit-oriented projects such as Hollywood buildings studied were taking transit 10 years after a project opened
Vine, with more than 20,000 residential units approved within a than when it was first built.


Planned
San Diego:
Household
Density

Households per Acre

Existing
Light Rail
(Trolley)


Mission Valley
Mission Valley, because of
Mission Valley, because of Actual land area within
its shape, appears to be a
its shape, appears to be a 5-minute walk of station
linear corridor, and hence
linear corridor, and hence
well-servicable by light rail.
well-servicable by light rail.

¼ mile radius
of Station

In fact, Mission Valley is
In fact, Mission Valley is
much thicker than a tradi-
much thicker than a tradi-
Major non-retail tional transit corridor. All
tional transit corridor. All
employment but a small share of non-
but a small share of non-
retail employment is within
retail employment is within
a 1/4 mile radius of a
a 1/4 mile radius of a
station, let alone 1/6 mile.
station, let alone 1/6 mile.


½ Mile
½ Mile

¼ Mile
¼ Mile
Radius
Radius


How Much Time Do You Have?
1:55

ES
IL
M
6

Source for times: Best case light rail
trip from www.sdcommute.com


“Choice Riders” on the Trolley
% of Trolley Riders Who “Had an Auto Available” for Their Trip
100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0% 1995 2003


It’s About the Network


Connecting
Enough Places Station Travel Time for
(both Origins Location Longer Trips
Destinations)


Rapid
Transit
Long-
Range
Strategy
Program
June 2009 45

Characterizing
the Transit
Challenge

“The Box”
Residential density

“The Core”
Most employment

“Beyond the Box”
Lower housing density
but 2/3 of residents

June 2009 46

2005 EmploymentDensity
2005 Population Density Characterizing
the Transit
Challenge

“The Box”
Higher residential
densities but only 1/3
of region’s residents

June 2009 47

2005 Employment Density Characterizing
the Transit
Challenge

“The Box”
Residential density

“The Core”
45% of regional
employment

June 2009 48

Characterizing
the Transit
Challenge

“The Box”
Residential density
Grid Transit “makes sense”
“The Core”
Most employment
Frontdoor vs. Backdoor

“Beyond the Box”
Lower housing density
How to “collect” people?

June 2009 49

2 mile
radius
LAS VEGAS REGIONAL EXPRESS TRANSIT SYSTEM

The ACExpress Network is the region’s
rapid express system. It connects
specially-located stations (mostly Beyond
the Box) with the key stations in the Core.
ACExpress stations will be designed to
appeal to both auto-access and transit-
access markets. They are located so that
most residents of the urbanized areas
Beyond the Box are within two miles of a
station.
Station
Stop
June 2009 50

LAS VEGAS REGIONAL EXPRESS TRANSIT SYSTEM

June 2009 51

/$6 9(*$6 5(*,21$/ (;35(66
75$16,7 667(0

June 2009 52

Rapid Transit
Connectors
/$6 9(*$6 5(*,21$/ 5$3,'
75$16,7

June 2009 53

Streetcar
Opportunities
Approximate
Streetcar
Opportunity
Zone

June 2009 54

Idealized
Infrastructure

Freeway-Based

Arterial Treatments

Intense Treatments,
including possibly
grade separation

June 2009 55

Idealized Transit
Infrastructure
Projects
(Grade
Separations)

June 2009 56

Idealized Transit
Infrastructure
Projects
(Grade
Separations)

Staging

The advantage of transit-
supportive grade separations is
that, properly done, they can be
staged and produce immediate
benefit for not just one route or
direction but multiple routes
traveling in multiple directions,
like this example at Sahara and
Las Vegas Boulevard.

June 2009 57

Brisbane: Quickways

“Brisbane is now at the leading edge in
urban mass transit… the new busway… will attract
international attention for the level of
quality and customer focus that [has been]
incorporated.”
— Hans Rat, Secretary General
International Public
Transport Association (IUTP)

Anatomy of a Quickway

Full Grade
Full Grade Passing
Passing Full-on
Full-on High-
High-
Separation
Separation Lanes
Lanes “Rapid
“Rapid Speed
Speed
from Autos
from Autos at
at Transit”
Transit” Road
Road
Pedestrians
Pedestrians Stations
Stations Stations
Stations Geometries
Geometries

Access is
Access is Stations are
Stations are
restricted to
restricted to directly tied
directly tied
trained
trained to supportive
to supportive
drivers only
drivers only land uses
land uses


What Makes Quickways Different?

Operating Costs Ridership
Time (Subsidy)
(Subsidy) (Revenues)
(Revenues)

Quickways systematically and continuously reduce transit travel time so
as to better manage operating costs and attract large numbers of new riders.


Brisbane relies on significant use of tunnels to
Brisbane relies on significant use of tunnels to
produce a Quickway infrastructure that is fast
produce a Quickway infrastructure that is fast
and direct, reducing bus operating costs and
and direct, reducing bus operating costs and
attracting more riders due to time savings.
attracting more riders due to time savings.

© 2005 by The Mission Group
2009 Fixed-Guideway Transit for the Las Vegas Region 74

Brisbane rejected the use of freeway medians
Brisbane rejected the use of freeway medians
or roadways for its core Quickways to speed
or roadways for its core Quickways to speed
access and better locate stations.
access and better locate stations.


at the Busiest Spot
Comparison: Peak Ridership during the Busiest Hour
in the Peak Direction

7,800 18,000 2,700

6-Lane Freeway Southeast Busway SD
(2-lane) Trolley

Brisbane: Ridership Growth
2008 Ridership:

Rail: 60 million
140%
Busway: 50 million

120% + 50%

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%
2003 2008


Brisbane vs Las Vegas

Tunnel
Surface
Bridge

TOD Planning
in Brisbane:
Complete urban redesign of
districts surrounding rapid
transit stations focused on
transit and pedestrian
connectivity and scalable
projects. Major arterials are
re-routed and a shopping mall
potentially cut in half!

Option “A” Option “B”


Regionally Effective Transit:
Save People Time


Einstein
discovers
that time
is actually
money.


Standard “Light Rail Lite” BRT
• Many trips involve transfers
• Stops at every station on route
• Stations need to be far apart to gain running time,
but that often means that many areas along the
corridors are not within an easy walk of a station.
• Passenger loads are often unbalanced, resulting in
crowded sections.

Quickway Network Structure
• Fewer Transfers—More “one seat” rides.
• Fewer Stops—Combination of expresses and
“split” arterial services, driven by demand.
• Faster Trips—Often faster than driving.
• Shorter Waits—Higher ridership drives demand.


1:13
1:25
Transit Travel
0:26 0:28 Times to
64%
0:46 67% Flamingo The
0:16 1:30
Strip (June 2008)
65%
0:28 Arrive by 3:45 pm
69% for 4:00 pm shift

0:46 0:46
0:16 0:18 TODAY
65% 61%
GOAL
0:30 0:46 TIME
0:10 0:17
67% 63%
SAVINGS

1:06
0:39
0:09
0:16 86%
59% Fixed-Guideway Transit
June 2009 85

1:13
0:44
1:25
0:35
Transit Travel
0:26
0:17 0:28
0:19 Times to
64%
61%
0:46 67%
46% Downtown
0:16 1:30
0:50
(June 2008)
65%
0:28
0:20 Arrive by 3:45 pm
69%
60% for 4:00 pm shift

0:46 0:46
0:20
0:16 0:18
0:07 TODAY
65% 61%
65%
GOAL
0:30
1:19 0:46
0:40 TIME
0:10
0:20 0:17
0:20
67%
75% 63%
50%
SAVINGS

0:38
1:06
1:11
0:10 0:39
1:10
0:09
0:18
74% 0:16
0:25 86%
75%
59%
64% Fixed-Guideway Transit
June 2009 86

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