Morrisville Public Transportation Study

Needs Assessment

The Market for Public Transportation in Morrisville Overview The success of public transportation is determined as much by the environment in which the service operates as by the design of the service itself. This public transportation market analysis evaluates the potential market and demand for public transportation service in Morrisville based on several key factors:  Underlying demand for public transportation based on population, employment, and demographic characteristics  Major activity centers in Morrisville where people travel, and which may generate demand for public transportation  Town zoning regulations that show current and planned land use patterns  Active development projects within Morrisville that demonstrate what types of development are planned and the potential demand for service in the future  Travel patterns within Morrisville and between Morrisville and other places in the Research Triangle region that show where people want to travel today Underlying Public Transportation Demand Population and employment density are key metrics for identifying where there is demand for public transportation. When more people live in one place, there is higher demand for public transportation, which can support more frequent service. Furthermore, the more closely grouped together people are in a place, the more people a service may be able to serve. This is because:  People are generally willing to travel up to one quarter mile (about a five-minute walk) to a bus stop, and so the reach of public transportation is generally limited to within a quarter mile of a bus route. As a result, the size of the travel market is directly related to the density of development in that area.  Public transportation service frequencies, in turn, are closely related to market size. Bigger markets support more frequent service, while smaller markets can support only less frequent service. Places with large numbers of people, jobs, and other activities produce the greatest demand for public transportation service. As a result, population density (residents per acre) and employment density (jobs per acre) provide an indicator of just how much demand there is for service in a particular area. Higher population and job densities can support higher levels of service. In addition to population and employment density, socioeconomic characteristics influence demand for public transportation. Differences in socioeconomic characteristics mean that different groups of people are more or less likely to use public transportation. Minorities, lower-income individuals, and those without access to a car generally use public transportation more frequently relative to the overall population. Underlying demand for public transportation was estimated using the population density and employment density of Census Block Groups, as well as the socioeconomic characteristics within each block group with regard to their public transportation propensity. The characteristics included in this analysis include race, income level, and access to a vehicle. Demand for public transportation varies across Morrisville. Although underlying demand for service is low or moderately low throughout much of

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