OLD BUSINESS  6.

COMMITTEE MEMORANDUM

KEY INTENDED OUTCOME:
Ensure Comprehensive Mobility Addressing All Modes Throughout The City

HISTORY:

On March 1, 2017, the City Commission discussed a potential extension of the Miami Beach trolley service to provide a connection to the Wynwood/Midtown neighborhoods in the City of Miami. At the meeting, the City Commission requested that an update be provided at its April 26, 2017 meeting. The item was finally referred to the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee (NCAC) and discussed at its September 27, 2017 meeting. Pursuant to the NCAC request from September 27, 2017, Transportation Department staff has been working with the City of Miami, Wynwood Business Improvement District (BID), and Miami-Dade County staff to identify partnership opportunities including sharing the cost of enhancing the existing County-operated Route A bus service, connecting City of Miami Beach and City of Miami.  

The original Route A operated along the Venetian Causeway connecting Omni Station in Miami and Washington Avenue/Lincoln Road area in Miami Beach (Attachment A depicts the original (pre-2014) route alignment of Route A). As a result of weight restrictions imposed by the County along the Venetian Causeway bridges in 2014, the route and service plan was modified and currently consists of limited service between Omni Station and Sunset Harbour using smaller vehicles (cutaways) with limited passenger capacity, operating at approximately 30 minute headways on a limited schedule of 8 hours per day (7:00AM to 9:45AM and 2:00PM to 7:00PM). The service currently connects to the South Beach Trolley service in the Sunset Harbour area. While the average monthly ridership of the original Route A prior to the limited service was approximately 20,000 passengers per month (approximately 670 passengers per day) until March 2014, the average monthly ridership  has significantly decreased to 3,269 passengers per month (approximately 109 passengers per day) during Fiscal Year 2014/15, and 2,812 passengers per month (approximately 94 passengers per day) during Fiscal Year 2015/16. 

The City of Miami currently operates a Wynwood Trolley route from Omni Station to Wynwood (Attachment B). The service operates every 20 - 30 minutes from 6:30AM to 11:00PM, Monday through Saturday, with no service on Sundays.

ANALYSIS:

At the NCAC meeting on September 27, 2017, Transportation Department staff presented two (2) options for enhancing service on the existing Route A.  Due to weight limitations on the Venetian Causeway bridges, cutaway vehicles similar to those currently used by the County are likely what would be allowed (Attachment D). The County staff provided order of magnitude costs for the following two (2) enhanced service scenarios: 

1. If the service frequency, hours of service, and route alignment of Route A was restored to the original service level that was in effect in 2014 prior to commencement of the current modified service, the estimated incremental cost would be $223,000 annually. 
2. In addition to the above, if Route A alignment was extended from Omni Station to the Wynwood/Midtown neighborhoods, the estimated incremental cost would be $400,000 annually.

Both options would require entering into an Interocal Agreement with the County (subject to approval by both the City Commission and the Board of County Commissioners (BCC)).

Pursuant to the NCAC request at its September 27, 2017 meeting, Transportation Department staff has been working with the City of Miami, Wynwood BID, and Miami-Dade County staff to identify partnership opportunities including sharing the cost of enhancing the existing County-operated Route A service connecting City of Miami Beach and City of Miami.

The City of Miami staff has stated that it would not be able to contribute any funding towards the operation of a inter-city trolley connection service at this time. The City of Miami staff also had concerns that additional ridership demand on its existing Wynwood Trolley route could increase operations cost. 

Transportation Department staff also reached out to the Wynwood BID, including presenting the enhancement to the BID Board, and is awaiting its response regarding a potential funding contribution towards the cost of Route A service enhancement and extension to Wynwood/Midtown neighborhoods.  

Based on conversations with County staff, the County would not be able to contribute any funding towards enhancing Route A, though it would not be opposed to having the cost of the enhanced service funded by others.

No funding was appropriated for this enhancement in the City's FY 2017/18 budget. Given the current funding constraints in the Transportation Fund, funding this potential service would result in increased transfers from the General Fund to the Transportation Fund which would need to be offset by service cuts in other areas of the General Fund.

CONCLUSION:

Given that no funding contribution has been proffered by City of Miami, Wynwood BID, or Miami-Dade County at this time towards enhancing Route A bus service to the service plan that was in effect prior to the 2014 weight restrictions on the Venetian Causeway bridges, should the City Commission wish to move forward with this initiative, the Administration will request funding for this enhancement through the FY 2018/19 budget process. 

This item is presented to the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee for discussion and further direction.