Downtown Norfolk Transportation Needs Assessment Study

1. Downtown Norfolk Transportation Needs Assessment Study January 2002 A service of Hampton Roads Transit Prepared by THE MARKETING SOURCE, INC.

2. Overall Study Objective To help reduce traffic congestion to and from the study area.

3. Specific Objectives • Determine the perceived impact of area traffic on congestion. • Identify current transportation modes used. • Determine parking concerns. • Measure awareness and usage of alternative transportation options. • Measure how willing employers and employees are to adopt and implement alternate transportation programs.

4. Outer Core Inner Core Study Area

5. About the Study Area • Current Transportation Alternatives • Express Bus (recently discontinued) • Ferries (Harborlink and Portsmouth Park and Sail) • Regular HRT bus service • NET shuttle service • Some parking areas offer preferential parking for car/vanpools. • Parking • Limited • Most pay for parking

6. Employer Commuter StudyComponents One-on-One Self-Administered Interviews Surveys

7. About the study • 32 Employer Interviews • 586 Commuter Surveys • Inner Core – 459 surveys • Outer Core – 127 surveys • Conducted July – October 2001

8. Employers Interviewed <50 employees Chamber of Commerce Downtown Norfolk Council Hipage Company, Inc. Systems Engineering Service 50-99 employees Glenn & Sadler Associates Hanbury Evans et al Hofheimer Nusbaum et al Infinet Co. Paine Webber, Inc. S.L. Nusbaum Taylor & Walker PC Wachovia 100-249 employees Advantis KPMG Peat Marwick McArthur Center Mall Merrill Lynch Nordstroms Norfolk Housing & Redevelopment NYT Shared Service Cntr. Radisson R S Glasser & M Glasser Wilcox & Savage PC WVEC Television, Inc. 250-499 employees Coast Guard Goodman & Company Marriott Norfolk Southern Corp. Tidewater Community College (TCC) 500+ employees Bank of America City of Norfolk Norfolk State VA Pilot

9. Employer Findings

10. Parking problem more serious Employers do not think traffic congestion is a big problem. • Traffic congestion caused few problems for business. • To a few, the unpredictability of traffic flow was most problematic. • However, they fear that Hampton Roads traffic has the potential to become a major problem.

11. Bridges and tunnels are the major trouble spots. • Trouble spots: • Bridge and tunnel congestion during peak travel times. • Downtown back-ups during inclement weather.

12. Employers ideas to relieve traffic congestion. • Increase/improve tunnel crossings • Offer more flextime or staggered work hours • Encourage ridesharing • Improve and expand current bus service • Implement light rail

13. Who pays for parking? Among those interviewed… • Over half paid all parking costs for employees. • Another quarter subsidized parking costs. • Employees who do not receive paid or subsidized parking from their employer are generally: • low-level service workers • employees in commission-based financial jobs

14. Employer’s ideas to address parking issues. • Build more parking decks • Improve frequency and convenience of the NET • Provide better information about the NET schedule • Post better signage to tourists to identify parking areas • Improve parking conditions at Harbor Park • Implement consistent parking fees • Relocate business out of downtown

15. Most employers were not favorable towards Harbor Park. • Inconvenient location for employees • Perceived security risks - especially during evening hours and for female employees • Lack of lighting • Lot is partially paved and not always well- maintained • No protection from the elements • Floods during rain • NET is not consistently available when needed • Lot is unusable during daytime ball games

16. Employers want to see NET schedules. • Employers are aware of the NET. • Unfamiliar with the schedule. • Unaware that service was available to downtown workers other than for parking lot shuttling. • Fear the NET would not move in a timely manner. This perception was in part, due to the absence of printed schedules.

17. Employers suggested improvements to the NET. • Provide shuttle schedules. • Offer more service during non-peak times, including evenings. • Select more convenient pick-up sites. • Build shelters to protect commuters from bad weather. • Revise NET route maps to improve comprehension. • Train NET drivers in customer service issues. • Consider offering smaller buses for non-peak times.

18. Employers just don’t know about TRAFFIX . • Currently, there are only two formal transportation programs in the companies that were interviewed. • Interviews revealed low awareness of, and participation in employee-sponsored transportation programs.

19. But they are willing to help. Employers unfamiliar with the TRAFFIX program eagerly volunteered to provide employees with information about alternative transportation and the NET shuttle system.

20. Preferential Parking was preferred. • Employers prefer preferential parking for carpoolers as a ridesharing program. • Minimal investment of time and money • Commuters would use it

21. Commuter Findings

22. Who participated?

23. Occupation of participants

24. The Commute to Work • Where do downtown Norfolk workers live? • How do they travel to and from work? • What is their workweek like?

25. Where do downtown Norfolk workers live? VA Beach 37% Norfolk 24 Chesapeake 21 Peninsula 7 Portsmouth 5 Suffolk 4 Other 2

26. AreaSOV % Oceanfront area 66% Naval Station Norfolk 81% Oakland Industrial Park 85% Norfolk Commerce Park 86% Hampton Area 87% Downtown Norfolk 87% Oyster Point area 88% Lynnhaven Mall area 91% Current Commute Mode Drive alone 87% Carpool 7 Bus 2 Combination 2 Other 2

27. The daily commute • Average distance to work: 14 miles • Very compressed morning and evening “rush hours” (8:00 –9:00 a.m.; 5:00-6:00 p.m.) • Most work a traditional Monday-Friday workweek. • 41% use their car at least once a week for work-related travel. • Commonly use the area’s major roadways for their commute (I-264, I-64, I-464).

28. Where do commuters stop on their way to and from work?

29. Transportation Alternatives • Are commuters familiar with area alternatives? • Do commuters use these alternatives?

30. Area Transportation Alternatives Tested • NET (Norfolk Electric Transit) Shuttle Service • Harborlink Park and Sail Program • Portsmouth Park and Sail Program • DowntownNorfolk HOV Express Bus service • Guaranteed Ride Program

31. Harborlink Park & Sail 33% % who have used the service 48% 6% 15% 12% 7% Familiarity and usage of area services. NET 78% HOV Express Bus 26% Portsmouth Park & Sail 28% Guaranteed Ride Home 22% % who are familiar

32. Parking • Where do commuters park? • How much do employers and commuters pay for parking? • Do commuters think that parking is a problem?

33. Where commuters park.

34. Who pays for parking?

35. Commuters say parking is a problem. Very Big No Problem Problem

36. How does this compare to other areas? % who view parking Areaas a problem Oceanfront area 66% Downtown Norfolk 45 Norfolk Commerce Park 35 Lynnhaven Mall area 9

37. Would commuters park in Harbor Park and walk or take the NET to their worksite if their employers paid for parking? 23% said “YES” Interest in Harbor Park • However, employers are critical. Inconvenient location Lot is partially paved Lack of lighting Perceived security risks No protection from weather Flooding when it rains NET is not always available Lot is not available during daytime ballgames

38. Willingness to Rideshare • Are SOV commuters willing to share a ride at least once a week? • Who is the target audience?

39. 42% say they will consider ridesharing.

40. Among commuters…willingness to occasionally rideshare is high. % Willing Areato Rideshare Downtown Norfolk 42% Naval Station Norfolk 42% Oakland Industrial Park 39% Norfolk Commerce Park 33% Hampton Area 30% Oyster Point 26% Oceanfront area 26% Lynnhaven Mall area 24% Highest

41. Who is the target audience?

42. As in other studies, carpool is the preferred alternate mode.

43. Incentives boost interest among the target audience.

44. Suggestion% Nothing 53% More frequent pick-ups 23 Access to route and 19 schedule information More drop-off points 17 Employer pays a portion of 11 bus costs Offer a bus route near home 3 Offer Express bus route 2 Other 4 More frequent pick-ups and access to information would encourage bus usage.

45. Key Findings

46. The Work Commute • Majority drive alone. • Have longer work trip than commuters in previous studies. • Peak morning and evening travel periods are very compressed. • Four in ten (41%) commuters say they use their car for work-related travel at least once per week. • Commuters most often stop at grocery stores during their work commute.

47. Transportation Alternatives • Downtown commuters have several transportation alternatives. • Awareness and usage is highest for the NET. • Over half (53%) of the sample indicated no improvements to HRT bus service would encourage them to ride the bus. • However, more frequent pick-ups and access to information would encourage bus usage for some.

48. Traffic Congestion • Many employers say that traffic congestion does not currently pose a serious problem for their business. • Employers gave a variety of suggestions to help relieve traffic congestion in the areas of concern.

49. Parking • During the workday, the majority (71%) of commuters park their vehicle in a parking garage. • Over half of the employers questioned paid all parking costs for their employees and another quarter offered subsidized parking. • Nearly half (45%) of commuters believe that parking in Downtown Norfolk is problematic. Parking is the REAL problem for employers. • About one-quarter (23%) of commuters indicate they would be interested in parking in Harbor Park and walking or taking the NET to their worksite if their employer paid for parking. But employers are skeptical.

50. Willingness to Help • Few employers currently offer formal transportation programs to employees, but they are eager to provide information. • Four in ten (42%) of SOV commuters say they would consider using an alternate mode of travel for their work commute at least once a week. • Information about several commuter incentives programs increased willingness to rideshare.