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Transit Development Plan: 2013 – 2018

Stability for the Future

Community Transit's six-year Transit Development Plan (TDP) is updated annually. Updates provide a refreshed six-year forecast of agency financials, service levels and capital projects. The 2013-18 Plan was approved on March 7, 2013 by the Community Transit Board of Directors at their monthly meeting.

The TDP represents an important forum for developing strategic goals and helps set the tone for many agency work programs. Washington State Department of Transportation requires transit agencies to submit an updated plan, approved via a public process by April 1 each year.

The Transit Development Plan, 2013-18, forecasts no significant new service growth due to projected slow economic growth. However, the agency sets an ambitious goal to increase ridership by 25 percent - to 12 million annual riders by 2017. The plan spells out envisioned service demand growth and highlights the fact that more service is needed to meet market demand, if new funding can be found.

Other highlights of the 2013– 2018 plan include:

  • Establishment of an affordable cost structure.
  • Financial forecasts show capacity to maintain current service without further service cuts.
  • Financial reserves restored to recommended levels in near-term future.
  • Facility upkeep and preservation projects funded.
  • A strategic conversation is required to prioritize future spending.

Long Range Plan Looks Ahead to 2030

Resources
Long Range Transit Plan

The Long Range Planning Project builds on the corridor vision described in the Six-Year Transit Development adopted by Community Transit’s Board of Directors. That plan identified a series of possible transit emphasis corridors that will serve as the backbone of Community Transit’s future route network (see map). The Long Range Plan refines those corridors and proposes a planning framework to guide their development as we work toward implementing the corridor vision.
 
The Long Range Plan project kicked off in February 2009. Community Transit, working with our consultant team from Nelson\Nygaard, began by meeting with city officials from throughout Snohomish County, followed by focus groups composed of riders and community leaders. We were anxious to learn about their needs and thoughts about the future of transportation in Snohomish County. Summaries of what we heard from each group are here. The plan was adopted by the Community Transit Board on March 3, 2011.

The long range plan includes performance guidelines that set targets for each Community Transit route and help monitor the system’s performance to determine whether Community Transit is getting value for the taxpayer investment. Route design measures will also inform local jurisdictions about the population densities, development patterns and infrastructure that support effective transit service, helping us to better coordinate future transit services with planned residential and commercial growth.

A strong emphasis on partnerships and coordinated planning will help to ensure that all agencies are working efficiently toward a common transportation vision that will enable more people to "think transit first." The Long Range Transit Plan will be important in helping to define Community Transit’s leadership role in providing transportation solutions for the Puget Sound region.

Impact on Service

The Long Range Transit Plan will not have an immediate impact on service.  This plan sets a strategic direction calling for coordination between Community Transit, the State of Washington, Snohomish County, cities and other partners to focus planning, development and service implementation efforts in corridors that everyone agrees are a priority for multi-modal transportation.  The plan identifies the need for upwards of 500,000 hours of new transit service and significant new transit infrastructure in future decades.

The Long Range Transit Plan recognizes that the economic downturn which began in 2007 may extend full implementation of these new services and facilities significantly beyond the 2030 horizon of this plan.  The objective of the plan is not to propose a specific list of projects and a precise calendar for their development.  Instead, the goal of the plan is to identify future transit market potential and a framework for inter-agency cooperation in developing and serving that market.

As economic conditions improve and partnerships for corridor development emerge, specific elements of the Long Range Transit Plan will become priorities for implementation.  As this occurs, these priorities will be documented in short-term plans such as the Six Year Transit Development Plan and will become the focus of more intensive planning, funding and construction/implementation.

Projected Growth

Here are some things that we are being told will happen in Snohomish County between now and 2030:

  • The county will be home to 981,000 people, 375,000 more than in 2000. Regional plans, still being refined, call for residential growth to be focused on urban centers such as Everett, Lynnwood and Edmonds.
  • There will be 132,000 new jobs in the county but many county residents will continue commuting to King County.
  • Most of the county’s employment growth will occur in the southwest part of the county, especially Everett and Lynnwood. Other cities will also experience significant numbers of new jobs.
  • Eastern King County – Bothell, Woodinville, Redmond, and Bellevue – will attract increasing numbers of Snohomish County commuters.
  • New highway and road construction will not keep pace with population growth. Roads – both freeways and city streets – will become more congested. Throughout the county, local jurisdictions see public transportation, especially Community Transit, as an important part of their strategies for maintaining mobility as congestion increases.
  • Sound Transit’s Link Light Rail system will reach Lynnwood within the next 15 years. Community Transit will need to design its services to coordinate with that system.
Links

Community Transit understands the importance of coordination in planning transportation solutions for our region. The Long Range Transit Plan must complement and integrate with plans from local jurisdictions, WSDOT, Puget Sound Regional Council and other transit agencies. This coordination will ensure that we develop an efficient and sustainable transportation system for the entire region. The links below represent some key plans, local, regional and state, that Community Transit is considering as we develop the Long Range Transit Plan.
 

Corridor and Urban Center Plans
Regional Transportation Plans