NDSU and NDDOT Launch Statewide Mobility Study

With a mix of local and regional transportation options including everything from cars and taxis to school busses, personal-mobility in North Dakota is complicated. Add to that mix, links like airlines, Amtrak and Greyhound and the system gets even more complicated.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation and SURTC are studying ways to assure that more North Dakotans have more seamless and simple access to transportation and look for ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Representatives from nearly two dozen public transportation-related organizations and agencies met in Bismarck April 22 to learn about the study and to discuss statewide personal mobility issues and unmet mobility needs. "We wanted to hear, first-hand, from transit providers what issues and concerns they are facing," says Jill Hough, SURTC director. Representatives identified several key issues:

• Equipment accessibility. Some agencies have busses that are not accessible to all clients with disabilities. Some equipment such as scooters are getting larger and older busses don't have lifts capable of lifting them or doors are too small.
• Insurance. Insurance costs for transit agencies have increased by 300 percent or more.
• Purchasing. Agencies discussed purchasing equipment as a group to garner group discounts and other savings.
• Volunteer programs. How can volunteers be used effectively in transit programs? What works and what doesn't? What are the legal and insurance concerns?
• Regulatory issues. Staying current on federal regulations is a challenge for small transit agencies. How can they obtain required training for personnel?
• Demographics trends. Population is dropping in rural parts of the state and many of those that remain are elderly and require transportation assistance. Many school districts are closing or consolidating. Meanwhile, population is growing on the state's Indian reservations which are often remote and have significant mobility needs.
• Basic service levels. What basic service levels should be provided in all areas? How often?

The study is part of a statewide strategic transportation plan adopted in 2002 by the NDDOT to provide a shared vision for North Dakota's transportation system. The plan's goals call for a transportation system that allows optimum personal mobility. One of the initiatives is the development of a statewide personal mobility plan. That plan will be one of the results of the study, Hough says.

"Without reliable rural transit programs, small communities are at a greater risk. The lack of a comprehensive statewide transit network could mean more out-migration: people moving from small North Dakota communities to larger ones, or even leaving the state," says David Sprynczynatyk, director of NDDOT.

"We anticipate that the mobility plan will provide North Dakota policy makers with a guide to future public transit options," Hough says. "In the course of developing the mobility plan, we'll identify current and future gaps in service, allow stakeholders to discuss the desired level of personal mobility in the state, and identify financial and organizational resources to provide the desired mobility."

"We hope to do a little thinking outside of the box about how we can use our resources better," says Jack Olson, senior planner with the NDDOT. "We'll look at what options and opportunities exist to provide more service to the public. Then we'll identify the impediments to those options and what can be done to alleviate those impediments."

The NDDOT asked SURTC to help with the study because of previous collaborative transportation work and the expertise of its researchers, Olson says.

"We wanted to look at personal mobility options across the state from personal automobiles to taxis, busses, airlines," Olson says. "We want to know what the mobility needs are and how we can possibly meet those needs." The study will be comprehensive including intraand intercity bus, Amtrak, school transportation, paratransit, taxi services and air service.

Currently, SURTC is developing a demographic profile of North Dakota to help identify current and future transit needs. Center staff are also reviewing other state's plans and profiling existing service providers in North Dakota. That information will provide background for developing guidelines for basic levels of service to be provided.

Staff from the Center will also develop a web page to share study information and preliminary data and to allow agencies to share ideas and information. They will also recommend ways that transit providers can use technology to improve services. This technology, called intelligent transportation systems, can help with management, vehicle location tracing, scheduling and dispatching, and for providing easy access to information for travelers.

The study is expected to be complete by the end of summer 2005, Hough says.