Researchers: Stephanie Wade and Jimmy Farmer Department of

Researchers: Stephanie Wade and Jimmy Farmer
Department of Urban and Regional Planning
Academic Advisors, Dr. Otha Burton and Mr. Sean Perkins
Undergraduate students, contact information;
[email protected], [email protected]
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“T.T.S. - Tiger Transit System”
Concept Paper for a Research Project that Will Examine the Possibility of
an Intercampus-Intercity-Multi-Modal University Transit Service System
Submitted to
IMTRANS- Institute for Multimodal Transportation
Units:Jackson State University Department of Urban and Regional Planning
Jackson State University Geographic Information Systems Lab
Jackson State University Facilities and Construction Management
Abstract
The development of transportation models on university campuses have
increased in recent years due to the fluctuating schedules of students, faculty
and staff. In today’s society, non-traditional students are returning to schools
with the same responsibilities of adulthood, but pursuing higher education to
increase their marketability. Thus, it is critical to coordinate campus mobility
needs with a city’s overall transportation system. Studies that strive to
understand the student population of universities and colleges stand a greater
chance to increase the demand for that institution. Successful campus transit
systems include several factors such as careful planning, understanding user
preferences, efficient design of system services and coordination with existing
city transit service. This study will examine the impact of indicators such as
enrollment levels, size of community and campus locations at Jackson State
University in Jackson, Mississippi.
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Introduction
Located in Jackson, Mississippi, the state capital, Jackson State
University is a scenic 125-acre tract only five minutes from downtown and less
than twenty minutes from Jackson International Airport. Today, Jackson State
University is now Mississippi’s Urban University boasting a student population of
more than 8,600. The student to faculty ratio is approximately 35:1. The
institution has locations throughout the City of Jackson: a 125-acre main campus,
information technology, public health/health sciences, and lifelong learning
satellite campuses.
Jackson State University (JSU) has four campuses; JSU’s main campus is
located on John R. Lynch Street, directly west of the Central Business District
that is currently undergoing major developmental projects; the Mississippi ECenter is located on Raymond Road which is an electronics-based
teaching/learning (e-Education), research (e-Research), and community outreach
and service (e-Service) facility; the Jackson Medical Mall on Woodrow Wilson
Road houses local government/medical services, and the center of operations for
the School of Health Sciences and College of Public Services; the Universities
Center on Ridgewood Road which houses the department of Urban and Regional
Planning, Public Policy and Administration, School of Social Work as well as
Communicative Disorders. This location is near major government, medical, and
educational centers.
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The purpose of the research project is to develop a transportation network
that will allow administrators, faculty, staff, and students to commute between
Jackson State University’s four major campus sites. The Tiger Transit System
(TTS) will be the transportation network that will allow for a safe, environmentally
friendly, convenient, efficient, and inter-modal system that connects the four
campus sites of Jackson State University. This research is funded by the
Institute for Multimodal Transportation.
Background
The history of public transportation at Jackson State University (JSU) has
been documented back to the year 2001. Between the fall of 2001 and the
spring of 2007, a shuttle serviced JSU’s main campus, University center, Medical
Mall, and the Mississippi E-Center on a “continuous basis”. The shuttle would
provide services from 8:00 am until 5:00pm. There was also a shuttle scheduled
on Saturday’s to take students to Wal-Mart and the Metro Center Mall, which still
continues. During the spring of 2007, the shuttle did not run on a “continuous
basis” at the Mississippi E-Center location, only as a “special request”. During
the fall semester of 2007, the Transportation Supervisor at Jackson State
University, Alfrenette Williams, decided to change the shuttle services at the
Medical Mall, and the University Center from “continuous” to “special request”
due to a decline in ridership. The total number of passengers from the Medical
Mall, and University Center in March 2007 was 22, in April 2007 was 37, and in
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June 2007 was 0 (see Table 1). During a scheduled meeting on February 18,
2008, she stated:
“A number of factors contributed to the decline in ridership. We had
countless problems with staff, old vans that resembled the everyday vans
located on campus, and budgeting factors. The students had no way of
knowing which van was a shuttle van. The single distinguishing factor
was a blinking light on the top of the shuttle vans, and a sign that read
‘SHUTTLE’. There was also a problem with adequate staff being able to
provide ‘continuous services’. I would oftentimes have to ask office
personnel to multi-task and operate one of the shuttle vans. With all of
these problems at hand, and more that I can’t even begin to elaborate
upon, shuttle services had to be cut back from ‘continuous’ to ‘special
request.”
Table 1 JSU Shuttle Ridership
Month
Total: Main Campus
August
September
October
November
December
*Total
0
0
388
460
118
966
January
February
March
April
May
*Total
270
498
314
667
328
2077
June
July
*Total
737
658
1395
Total: JMM, University
Center, E-Center
FALL 2006
SPRING 2007
No data
No data
No data
No data
No data
N/A
*excluding e-center*
No data
No data
22
37
No data
59
Summer 2007
0
N/A
N/A
Source: Alfrenette Williams- Transportation Supervisor, Jackson State University Department of Facilities Management
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According to the data found in Table 1, students were utilizing the shuttle
services on the main campus, but the numbers were very low at the Jackson
Medical Mall and the University Center. JSU could have increased ridership by
including parking lot shuttles, an intra campus connector, and off campus city
routes. These are key factors for a balanced, effective campus transit network.
The Tiger Transit System would be an effective campus transit system
that meets the needs of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The campus transit
system could meet university administration goals to reduce parking needs on
the main campus, reduce infrastructure costs by allowing higher densities in the
core campus, and enhance campus planning. The TTS would also affect student
life by providing a low-cost transportation system that meets a variety of student
needs. Students would be allowed to study, work, and socialize without the need
to have an automobile at all times. TTS would increase access to and from
classes that are located at the different campus sites. Students would have
access to work opportunities off campus, which can be extremely important to
students from low- and moderate-income backgrounds.
Findings
Jackson State University is virtually becoming a city unto itself. With new
construction projects on the horizon, this dramatically increases the demand for
parking on campus. According to Best Work Places.org, the University of
Michigan conducted a detailed cost-benefit analysis and went with a more
progressive approach. They decided to combat the parking crunch with
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commuter benefits. The results of their analysis showed that an annual
investment of $700,000 in commuter benefits could decrease the need for new
proposed parking structures (Miller, 2009). It also saved space on campus for a
more important use, providing educational facilities for students.
Overall, University of Michigan students are fairly satisfied with the public
transportation system. The students feel, the University buses run regularly and
are, for the most part, safe and clean. However, students have one complaint
about public transportation; the system does not have the best operating hours.
Many students feel the buses should run later into the night when, arguably, they
are needed most. The current time for the bus to stop running is at 7:00 p.m.
The University of Michigan bus system is very convenient, and the
shuttles run on time. Thousands of students depend on them every day, and the
bus system consistently gets good reviews. However, when it comes to public
transportation reviews are much different.” With odd hours, and less-thanconvenient stops, it may not be worth your time,” stated an anonymous student
(Miller, 2009).
According to David Miller, Director of Parking and Transportation Services,
at The University of Michigan, in addition to saving money, the University has
helped curb air pollution in the region. Each year, the University’s comprehensive
commuter programs save more than one million gallons of gas, preventing more
than 1,400 metric tons of CO2 and 29 tons of NOx from polluting the air (Miller,
2009). According to Miller, taking the time to understand why people drive alone
to work has been one of the keys to the program’s success. For example,
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employees perceived that driving alone was cheaper than taking the bus so the
school raised the price of campus parking passes to more closely reflect the true
cost of parking. Next, employees thought that parking at park-and-ride lots would
be a slow way to get to work so he increased the frequency of bus stops at the
lots. Now, employees only wait a maximum of ten minutes to catch a bus to the
main campus (Miller, 2009).
Miller recommends working closely with a local transportation authority,
since these groups already have a system in place for schools to build upon.
Transportation coordinators should also evaluate the pricing of their parking
passes. A small price increase can encourage many employees to use public
transit. Finally, he suggested simply keeping an open mind when seeking
solutions to parking crises. If you look beyond parking lots, you can find big
savings.
Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, for example, is completing a
comprehensive master planning effort to not only guide campus development for
the next several decades, but also to help the campus focus its development
efforts around more sustainable practices (Harknett, 2009). Those practices
include campus transportation. The planning team, which includes planners,
architects, landscape architects, transportation engineers, infrastructure, utility,
and other specialists, are working together to ensure that Cornell’s future
development projects take advantage of existing infrastructure, such as utilities
and roads, and foster a more pedestrian, public-transit-oriented campus, all of
which contribute to a more sustainable campus.
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The catch, however, according to Thomas Harkett, principal engineer,
states that adding more buildings in the campus core usually means replacing
other spaces, like parking lots (Harknett, 2009). A sustainable transportation plan
can help solve that problem by establishing a circular roadway and transit system
that loops around to key buildings and parking garages (Harknett, 2009). A bus
or shuttle service, for instance, can transport students, employees, and other
campus visitors back and forth from larger parking areas to different locations on
campus, eliminating the need to find room for parking within the core and cutting
down on intra-campus traffic. To make this system even more appealing to
commuters, the shuttle could be free and any parking in the core (e.g., street
parking) should have meters or other fee systems.
For suburban and rural schools, there will, always be a contingent of offcampus commuters. To be more sustainable, a campus transportation plan
should de-emphasize accommodating all of the commuters’ cars and encourage
them to use transit and park-and-ride programs. The plan helps set an improved
environment that encourages remote parking and emphasizes internal non-auto
campus features, such as sidewalks, bike lanes, buses, and shuttles.
Coordinating with the local municipal bus services to best serve commuters is
essential. However, the system should not clog the campus with too many bus
routes. The key to a successful campus transportation plan like Cornell’s is to
thoroughly understand the way the campus works. If a school has truly adopted
a vision of sustainability, its transportation plan can support that goal by helping
to remold its transportation pattern into one that fosters density, encourages
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walking, public transit, and reduces a reliance on cars. And those efforts,
however small, can help your school do its part to protect its environment and its
community.
In order to gain insight into the practicality of using the TTS at JSU, a
research questionnaire was formulated to assess a small sample of faculty, staff
and students. The questionnaire was posted on the university webpage and
issued manually to willing participants. There were three components of the
survey which included demographic information and general assessment of
transit by the JSU population, see appendix C.
The data collected for this project, totaled 41 surveys; from undergraduate
students (65.9%), faculty 7.3% and staff (22%). There were two surveys from
participants not directly affiliated with the university and no graduate students
were assessed.
Table 2 Status of Respondent
Undergraduate
Faculty
Staff
Non-JSU
Total
Frequency
27
3
9
2
41
Percent
65.9
7.3
22.0
4.9
100.0
Valid Percent
65.9
7.3
22.0
4.9
100.0
Cumulative
Percent
65.9
73.2
95.1
100.0
Income and the status of the respondent seemed to have a significant impact on
the general use of a potential transit system. Those earning an income less than
20k dollars annually and undergraduates seemed to be more interested in the
general use of the transit system on a more consistent basis.
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How often would you be
interested in riding TTS?
10
8
Once/day
Twice/day
3x/day
Never
Count
6
4
2
0
Below 20k
20k-30k
30k-50k
Over 50k
Figure 1 Income of Respondent
In fact, those making fewer than 20K stated that they would use the
system at least two or more times a week. The major use of the system was
noted mainly for school and leisure activities. This is an indication that the
primary population for the transit would be our students who are full-time and
housed on campus. Although there were indications of frequent usage by staff
members, faculty members were not really receptive to the idea of using the
transportation system. However, there was a split in the responses concerning
participation with using the TTS for other services beyond the four campuses (i.e.
Northpark Mall, Metrocenter Mall, Medical mall, etc.). This is noted in the chart
below that there was a significant spread across all participants on this response.
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Transit to metro for work
8
Once/week
Twice/week
Three or more/week
Never
6
Count
4
2
0
Below 20k
20k-30k
30k-50k
Over 50k
Figure 2 Income of Respondent
The participants in this survey seemed to be less likely to use the service
for the full day on Sunday. The student population seemed receptive to using the
transit system for religious and leisure activities. It is important to note that the
level of income was the primary factor in how riders would pay for the transit
service. Student participants would prefer purchasing daily passes, whereas
faculty and staff preferred to purchase monthly passes.
Relieving congestion, assisting local governments in the Metropolitan
Planning Organization area with developing comprehensive plans to guide
growth and plan for future transportation needs, and assisting the City of Jackson
and JATRAN with identifying opportunities to expand transit services are just
three major concerns facing the Jackson Mississippi Metropolitan Area (as stated
by the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District). These problems
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are increasingly becoming prevalent in today’s transportation society and various
efforts have been proposed to curb these issues.
The American Public Transit Association (APTA) implemented the
National Transit Ridership Initiative (TRI) as a way to reverse a growing trend of
declining transit ridership in some areas of the country and increase transit
ridership nationally. The public transit system in the Jackson Metropolitan Area is
severely underutilized. JATRAN is the only public transportation service in the
city of Jackson and is performing below minimum standards. A report published
in the Clarion Ledger newspaper by Kathleen Baydala highlights the concerns
that many residents have with JATRAN’s new budget proposal. On March 25,
2009 a hearing at City Hall was held to discuss the proposed changes to
JATRAN due to budget cutbacks. Nina Holbrook, who oversees JATRAN, said
the proposed changes include eliminating 13 runs from six routes and combining
another two routes. JATRAN already is $400,000 over budget and on pace to
run out of money by June, City Administrator Rick Hill said. The fiscal year ends
September 30. Last year, JATRAN went over budget by $1.5 million and had to
be bailed out by the City Council. This fiscal year, the City Council cut JATRAN's
budget by $1.5 million. Bus rider Sheila O'Flaherty called some of the proposed
changes "unconscionable." She stated, "I'm in a bit of shock, eliminating the last
run of (Route) number 2 means I would have to leave work at the second of 5
p.m. to get to Union Station in time to catch my bus. How can people who work
8-to-5 jobs rely on that?”
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JATRAN is currently operating a fixed-route bus system that covers much
of the City of Jackson and demand response paratransit service. According to
FTA’s National Transit Database, JATRAN operates, on average, thirty five
vehicles during maximum service and have about fifty one vehicles available for
demand response. As suggested by Table 3, JATRAN’s total operating
expenses for demand response is mostly covered by local funds. For more
information please refer to Appendix A.
Table 3 JATRAN Performance Statistics
Category
Annual Passenger Miles
Annual Unlinked Trips
Average Weekday Unlinked Trips
Average Saturday Unlinked Trips
Average Sunday Unlinked Trips
Vehicles Operated in Maximum Service
Vehicles Available for Maximum
Service
FY 2004
1,479,468
789,940
2,923
801
0
35
48
FY 2005
1,477,171
795,022
2,975
799
0
35
52
FY 2006
1,472,753
802,098
2,986
880
0
35
61
FY 2007
2,188,680
807,209
3,003
508
0
39
43
Source: Federal Transit Authority National Transit Database
Figure 3 JATRAN Financial Information
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JATRAN currently operates 13 weekday routes and provides
approximately 768,000 annual passenger trips, see Table 1. The 13 routes are
illustrated in Appendix B with emphasis placed on JSU’s four campus sites. The
existing JATRAN service area is within the City limits of Jackson with no direct
connection between JSU’s four campus sites. JATRAN could establish a route
that connects the campus sites or collaborate with JSU to provide riders with the
opportunity to transfer from the TTS onto the JATRAN system. In general,
JATRAN could integrate the proposed JSU route (TTS) into their current route
system, or collaborate with JSU in such a way that riders would be able to ride
the TTS to go from one campus site to the next and use the JATRAN system to
access services within the City limits. If there was collaboration between the two
transit systems, then each agency would have vehicles at each stop located on
the TTS.
Student participation with the JATRAN system can enhance transit
services for all residents of the city if coordinated with our TTS or integrated into
one system. Off campus transit routes that serve the local community would be
an important part of the TTS. Working with the JATRAN system would reduce
overall auto traffic to campus. JATRAN would benefit from the TTS by increased
ridership, which could result in increased state and federal funding. More
importantly, high student ridership could require improved frequencies on routes,
which benefit city residents by making the bus system more attractive to them.
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Conclusion
The Tiger Transit System would be a viable system for the university with
particular emphasis placed upon the on-campus undergraduate students. This
would build a solid base clientele until further research is completed to market
the system to faculty and staff. The system would see a significant benefit in
allowing the students to purchase passes with their super cards or incorporate
cost into their tuition. As noted, the core population for use earns less than 20K
annually and may find it difficult to afford the system as often as they would like.
The faculty would prefer a monthly deduction from payroll.
The TTS fully operating on Sundays may not be beneficial to the overall
operating cost of the transit system. If the TTS contained direct routes to
shopping areas possibly around lunch hours could be more appealing for faculty
and staff. Faculty and staff participants seemed more receptive to the transit
system going beyond the four campuses. The questionnaire should be modified
and given to a larger population of faculty, staff and students with specific
questions regarding current residence and proximity to the campus and the
transit usage. Additionally, graduate students should also be included. Future
research should be done to design and layout possible routes, time schedules
and budgetary needs.
The TTS should be coordinated with the JATRAN system to allow
students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to have a direct route to JSU’s four
campus sites and access to the City’s public services and job market. As
concluded from the survey, the TTS riders would be interested in utilizing the
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TTS to gain trouble-free transfers to JATRAN routes. There exists a high interest
from the riders in gaining access to the new developments in and around JSU’s
four campus sites.
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References
1. Baydala, Kathleen. Riders Voice Opposition to Proposed JATRAN Changes.
(2009, March 26). The Clarion Ledger, p. B4.
2. Harknett, Thomas. (2009). Transportation Planning for a Green Campus.
Retrieved February 3, 2009 from College Planning and Management
website:http://www.peterli.com/cpm/resources/articles/archive.php?article
_id=1802
3. Miller, David. (2009). Best Work Places for Commuters; University Profile, Ann
Arbor Michigan. Retrieved March 2, 2009 from Best work places website:
http://www.bestworkplaces.org/pdf/u-of-m-casestudy-final.pdf
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Appendix A JATRAN Statistics
Figure A-1 Year 2004
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Figure A-2 Year 2005
20
Figure A-3 Year 2006
21
Figure A-4 Year 2007
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Appendix B Route Maps
Figure B-1 JATRANS Route Map
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Figure B-2 JSU TTS Map
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Appendix C Survey
RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE
TIGER TRANSIT SYSTEM
A Transportation System between Jackson State University’s Four Campuses
Research Funded by:
Institute for Multimodal Transportation (IMTrans)
Jackson State University
Purpose: This research focuses on developing a transit system between Jackson State University’s (JSU)
four campuses- JSU main Campus, the Mississippi e-Center, the Jackson Medical Mall, and the
Universities Center. The research will also consider some planning and policy implications for the
extension of such a system to the greater Jackson Metropolitan Area. Data collected will allow the
Researchers to determine the need, functionality, and financial constraints of operating a transit system
between the four campuses of JSU. Based on the data collected, the Researchers will design and layout
possible routes, time schedules, and budgetary needs for the transit system that would best suite the needs
of the transportation community in and around the campuses of Jackson State University. The Researchers
are: Stephanie Wade and Jimmy Farmer, Urban Studies majors and IMTrans scholarship recipients. The
information gained is for research purposes only that are related to the project as described.
Part I: Profile of the Respondent
A. Age: Under 18_____
18-25_____
26-65_____
Over 65_____
B. Gender:
Male_____
Female_____
C. Income:
Below $20K__
D. Status:
Under-grad student___ Grad-student___ Faculty___ Staff___ Non-JSU respondent___
$20K-$30K___ $30K-50K___ Over $50K___
Part II: General Assessment
Please check only the heading which best represents your response.
A. How often would you be interested in riding the Tiger Transit Bus/shuttle?
1.
Once a day____ Twice a day___ Three or more times per day ____ Never___
B. When traveling within Jackson, how often would you ride?
1.
A. For Work: Once a week___ Twice a week____ Three or more times per week___ Never__
2.
B. For Business: Once a week__ Twice a week___ Three or more times per week__ Never__
3.
C. For Leisure: Once a week__ Twice a week___ Three or more times per week___ Never__
4.
D. For School: Once a week___ Twice a week___ Three or more times per week___Never___
5.
E. Other: Once a week___ Twice a week____ Three or more times per week____ Never___
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C.
If Transit service to Metro Center Mall, North Park Mall, Mississippi E-Center, University Research
Center, JSU Medical Mall, or JSU main campus, how often would you use it?
1.
A. For Work: Once a week___ Twice a week___ Three or more times per week___ Never__
2.
B. For Business: Once a week__ Twice a week___Three or more times per week___Never___
3.
C. For Leisure: Once a week___Twice a week___Three or more times per week___Never__
4.
D. For School: Once a week___Twice a week___Three or more times per week___Never___
5.
E. Other: Once a week___Twice a week___Three or more times per week___ Never___
D. What type of bus/shuttle pass would you be most interested in?
1.
Daily___ Weekly___ Monthly____ Annual___
E. If Sunday transit/shuttle services were available, how often would you use it?
1.
A. For Shopping: Once a month___ Twice a month___3 or more times per month__ Never___
2.
B. For religious purposes: Once a month___ Twice a month___ 3 or more times per month___
Never___
3.
C. For Work: Once a month___Twice a month____3 or more times per month___ Never____
F. How often do you ride the J-Tran now?
1.
Once a day___Twice a day___ Three or more times per day ____ Never___
Thank you for your time and help with shaping our transportation future.
Contact Information: If you have any questions, you may contact the Researchers at:
([email protected] or [email protected]) or call the Urban Studies Program at (601) 979-1880
or (601) 432-6965.
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