Research

Study Completed on Transportation and Apartment Choice

A SURTC study has been completed on how the availability of various forms of transportation influences the residential choices of apartment dwellers.

SURTC researchers Xinyu Cao and Jill Hough interviewed about 400 apartment dwellers in the Fargo area for the project. The results will offer direction for transit planners examining the location of apartment dwellers; urban planners determining where to zone and build apartments; and property managers deciding how to price and market apartments.

The full report, "Hedonic Value of Transit Accessibility: An Empirical Analysis in a Small Urban Area," is located on the SURTC research report Web page, www.surtc.org/research/reports.php

Research Report Completed on Mobility of Rural Elderly Women

A report on research into the mobility of elderly women in rural areas is now available from SURTC.

"Realized Travel Demand and Relative Desired Mobility of Elderly Women in Rural and Small Urban North Dakota" is available on the SURTC research reports Web page, www.surtc.org/research/reports.php. The report is the result of a study conducted by SURTC director Jill Hough.

She interviewed more than 1,000 women, half living in rural areas and half living in small urban areas. The research focused on women because their need for mobility is often particularly acute in rural areas. Women tend to live longer than men and many widowed women live alone. Studies also indicate that women tend to have more health-related problems that impact their driving. Hough says the research examined factors that influence the mobility of women living in rural areas such as social networks (family, friends, neighbors, etc.) and environmental factors.

Tribal Transit Needs Assessment

SURTC researchers Jon Mielke and David Ripplinger conducted a needs assessment to help identify the Indian reservations across the nation most in need of transit services. The assessment identified tribal transit needs for the distribution of funding under the 2005 SAFETEA-LU federal highway bill. This bill created a new program (5311c) to provide funding for tribal transit services in non-metropolitan areas.

There are approximately 332 federally recognized Indian tribes in the lower 48 states.

The tribal needs assessment proves a good starting point to identify areas of high need using census based demographic data related to mobility dependent populations such as seniors and the disabled. The key findings include:

• Nearly one-third of all reservations are less than one square mile in size. More than 10 percent cover over 1,000 square miles.
• More than three-fourths of all reservations have less than 5,000 residents. Only 10 reservations have more than 50,000 residents.
• Taken as a whole, reservations tend to mirror the nation in terms of the size of various mobility dependent subgroups. Certain reservations do, however, greatly exceed national averages.
• There is a stark difference in outcomes if need determinations are based on aggregate populations or on a percentage of population basis. It may, therefore, be appropriate to give consideration to both approaches.
• Many of the most need-intensive reservations, based on demographic data, received first-year 5311(c) tribal transit funding. However, several tribes and reservations with very small non-metropolitan populations also received funding.
• Demographic-based need assessments may be worthy of consideration by the Federal Transit Administration in future grant review, rating, and selection processes.

SURTC Examines Transit in Brookings

South Dakota State University may be an NDSU rival on the football field, but SDSU and its home city of Brookings, SD, have been looking to NDSU and SURTC to make its transit system a winner.

The Brookings Area Transit Authority (BATA) asked SURTC to explore possible opportunities to provide better transit service to students.

"Often, university communities have characteristics including high density, land use, and travel patterns that make them amenable to transit service," notes David Ripplinger, the SURTC researcher who conducted the study. "Brookings and SDSU have many of those characteristics, and BATA recognized that it could do more to satisfy the mobility needs of SDSU students, faculty, and staff."

"Often, university communities have characteristics including high density, land use, and travel patterns that make them amenable to transit service,"

notes David Ripplinger

In 2006, BATA identified the possibility that transportation needs of SDSU community members were going unmet. In response, BATA commissioned a study to:

• Determine the SDSU community's interest in and willingness to pay for transit service,
• Develop possible service alternatives and operating cost estimates,
• Identify other relevant issues, and
• Provide a framework for implementation of service.

Ripplinger developed a survey to gather information from SDSU students, faculty, and staff; attended public meetings; and sought the guidance of an advisory board.

The study recommends that BATA phase-in new fixed-route transit services to meet the needs of SDSU. Other considerations include: beginning with two circulator routes; providing services on the weekend; charging a $2/credit hour fee for students; using a UPASS program; implementing a fare of $1 or $2 per ride for non-students; reaching out to other entities to build support; and raising matching funds for operations and capital.

City of Brookings Study

Based on the results of the campus transit research, the City of Brookings asked SURTC to help identify gaps between transportation needs and services in Brookings. The study was motivated by a desire among members of the Brookings City Council to revisit the city's role in providing community transportation, including the process of allocating local funds to support transportation service providers.

The study was conducted by SURTC researchers David Ripplinger and Jon Mielke. An advisory group was formed, consisting of representatives from the city, public and private transportation providers, social service agencies, SDSU, Brookings Public School District and downtown Brookings business representatives. The group first met to identify available services. During a second meeting, the group discussed areas of concern and recommendations. Ripplinger and Mielke also conducted personal interviews with service providers and organizations whose clients use community transportation resources.

"The study did not identify any significant gaps in service, but did note certain areas that would benefit from ongoing attention," Ripplinger says. "These areas include service to areas of the city that are growing and opportunities that may arise to increase social welfare through expanded or coordinated transportation services." The major recommendations of the study are for the city to:

• Establish a coordinated transportation board
• Provide support for same-day coordinated service
• Revise the city transportation funding allocation and oversight policy
• Study expanded fixed-route service
• Consider the role of transportation in large event planning
• Consider the initiation of vanpool commuter services
• Incorporate community transportation into emergency planning