ANALYSIS:
Given the TPO Board's approval of the Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Project under the TPO SMART Demonstration Project Grant Program and pursuant to direction from the City Commission, the City's Transportation Department staff has completed the following tasks:
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Evaluated market demand and made recommendations for a potential route and stops on Miami Beach, including terminus locations (subject to negotiation and further refinement with the County).
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Prepared a draft Term Sheet outlining responsibilities of all project partners for inclusion in the Interlocal Agreement. During negotiations it will be determined which project parties participate in the Interlocal Agreements.
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Prepared a draft Business Plan outline for the 3-year Beach Express North BERT Demonstration service.
These tasks are further described below:
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Market Demand Analysis and Recommended Route
Staff has evaluated potential terminus locations within the City. The number of employees in target areas of Miami Beach was evaluated with the goal of serving areas of the City with high concentrations of employees. The potential market of choice riders surrounding the Golden Glades Multimodal Facility and the Earlington Heights Metrorail Station was also evaluated with the goal of attracting riders who live in those areas and work in Miami Beach but may not have convenient transit connections at the present time.
Criteria
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Miami Beach
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Mt. Sinai
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Collins Ave.
30th to 50th
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Collins Ave. 17th to 30th
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South Beach
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Enter-
tainment District
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RDA
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Convention Center
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High Number of Employees
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52,734
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3,321
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6,064
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8,496
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33,464
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6,444
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4,868
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2,016
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High Employees/Sq. Mile
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7,533
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36,900
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24,256
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33,984
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17,249
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28,388
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11,321
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2,016
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Potential Choice Riders- GG
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M
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M
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M
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L
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M
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M
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M
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M
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Potential Choice Riders- EH
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M
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M
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M
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H
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M
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M
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H
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H
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Square Miles
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7
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0.09
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0.25
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0.25
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1.94
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0.227
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0.43
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1
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Based on staff's analysis, a potential route that serves Mount Sinai Medical Center and major employment destinations and activity centers along Collins Avenue between 50th Street and 17th Street could serve a large number of workers and areas with a large concentration of employees per square mile. The route proposed by Miami-Dade County once on Miami Beach would serve Mount Sinai Medical center then travel south via Alton Road to the Convention Center. This would require trolley transfers to the Collins Avenue 17th Street to 50th Street employment centers. A revised route on Miami Beach to minimize transfers to these employment centers would need to be further negotiated with Miami-Dade County, including exact stop locations on Miami Beach. It is important to note that the route outlined in the County's Adopted SMART Plan includes 41st Street and Washington Avenue rather than Alton Road.
Both the TPBPFC and NCAC have endorsed staff’s recommended route consisting of 41st Street and Collins Avenue/Indian Creek Drive corridors. Finalization of the route alignment, stops, and terminus within Miami Beach is pending negotiation with and approval by Miami-Dade County.
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Business Plan
The goal of the Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Service is to provide a one seat ride from the Golden Glades Multimodal Facility to Miami Beach, connecting to the Earlington Heights Metrorail Station, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and a terminus location (to be determined) in Miami Beach. The service is targeted to serve people working on Miami Beach, particularly those living in north and northwest Miami-Dade County.
Note: The proposed Beach Express North BERT route on Miami Beach stops at Mount Sinai Medical Center, then continues south along Alton Road to a terminus to be determined in the City Center area. The City's Transportation Department will work with Miami-Dade County to modify the route in order to more effectively serve major employment and activity centers along Collins Avenue and Indian Creek Drive between 50th Street and 17th Street.
Below is a Draft Business Plan outline to be negotiated with Miami Dade County, the TPO and FDOT:
I. Objectives
- Implement the BERT service envisioned in Miami-Dade County’s SMART Plan;
- Connect to major Miami Beach major employment centers with their workforce through convenient, reliable, and comfortable transit service, including the many employees of Miami Beach residing in Miami-Dade County north of I-395 and east of I-95; and
- Connect to local Miami Beach Trolley service and regional Metrorail and Tri-Rail service.
II. Roles and Responsibilities
A. City of Miami Beach Commitments:
- Provide $1,720,000 annually for up to the three (3) year life of the Beach Express North Demonstration Project.
- Promote the service (e.g. multi-lingual marketing materials, full use of services offered by the Miami Beach Communications Department, utilization of the services offered by South Florida Commuter Services as well as Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau).
B. Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works Commitments:
- Provide new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and branded buses for the duration of the Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Service (estimated at $9.5 million).
- Operate the Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Service for the three (3) year life of the demonstration project.
- If the Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Service is deemed successful, work with FDOT to identify funding for the continuation of the BERT service.
- Technology and amenities, including, but not limited to, On-board Wi-Fi, transit signal priority, GPS, Automatic Passenger Counters, mobile applications for Android and IOS phones providing real-time “Next Bus Arrival” and Rider Alert information, and digital “Next Bus Arrival” signs at major stops/transfer points.
- Promote the service (e.g. multi-lingual marketing materials, full use of services and resources offered by Miami-Dade County and City of Miami Beach Communication Departments, utilization of the services of South Florida Commuter Services as well as Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau).
C. Miami-Dade County Transportation Planning Organization Commitments:
- Provide $1,720,000 annually for the three (3) year life of the Beach Express North Demonstration Project through the SMART Demonstration Project Grant Program.
- Coordinate with project partners, as necessary, to agree to a Business Plan for the Beach Express North BERT Demonstration service.
D. Florida Department of Transportation Commitments:
- Remove the rumble strips on the outer shoulders of the Julia Tuttle Causeway by the end of calendar year 2018 in order to provide a smooth surface for bus-on-shoulder operation.
- Allow bus-on-shoulder operation on the outside shoulder of the Julia Tuttle Causeway until the inside shoulder is improved to allow bus operation.
- Expedite the construction of the improvements to the inside shoulders and restriping the Julia Tuttle Causeway in a 1-2 year timeframe in order to allow bus operation on the inside shoulders as early as possible during the 3-year Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Service.
- If the Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Service is deemed successful, work with Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works to identify funding for the continuation of the Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Service.
III. Timeline
Pre-Implementation
- Conduct community and stakeholder outreach to obtain input.
- Execute Interlocal Agreement with Miami-Dade County, including a Business Plan.
- Promote the service.
Year One
- Initiate demonstration service.
- Monitor effectiveness of service (see metrics below).
- Monitor effectiveness of connections to Miami Beach Trolley routes.
- Market services, as a system, effectively to a number of targeted market segments.
- Charge fares consistent with Miami-Dade Transit standard fares, not premium fares, for the life of the demonstration project.
- Update connections to Miami Beach Trolley routes, if required.
Year Two
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Determine if the demonstration route should be continued (i.e. exercise termination option) if performance metrics are not being met.
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Continue to update connections to Miami Beach Trolley routes, if required.
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Continue to market services, as a system, effectively to a number of targeted market segments.
Year Three
- Continue to update connections to Miami Beach Trolley routes, if required.
- Secure public (federal, state, county) and/or private partner funding in order to continue the Beach Express North BERT service on a permanent basis, if desired.
IV. Keys to Success
- Comfortable, reliable vehicles with unique branding and technology amenities.
- Easily accessible information about the service route and schedule changes/problems.
- Drivers trained to provide courteous customer service.
- Convenient and comfortable stop locations.
- An experienced service provider.
- Hearing the voice of the customer throughout (including the use of facebook, twitter, etc.)
- Exclusive lanes of travel to avoid traffic congestion.
V. Market Feasibility Analysis (Summarized Above)
VI. Proposed Route and Stops (In Development)
VII. Costs, Sources, and Uses of Funds
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Operating:
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Annual Operating Cost: $3,440,000
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Three-Year Demonstration Program Cost: $10,320,000
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Sources:
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City of Miami Beach : 50% of Annual Operating Cost
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TPO Grant: 50% of Annual Operating Cost
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Miami-Dade County : $9.5 million equivalent capital contribution of buses
VIII. Marketing Strategy (In Development)
IX. Implementation Strategy (In Development)
X. Performance Metrics
- Mode shift (i.e. number of new transit riders)
- Total ridership on route
- On-time performance
- Mystery rider evaluations of customer service, comfort, convenience, cleanliness, etc.
City Funding Sources
When considering funding sources for the City’s contribution toward the proposed Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Project, existing Miami Beach policies needed to be carefully considered. Pursuant to Resolution No. 2006-26341 (Attachment B), the City will use one-time, non-recurring revenue for capital expenditures or one-time expenditures and not to subsidize recurring personnel, operations and maintenance cost. Because the proposed Beach Express North BERT Service is a one-time demonstration project for a defined three (3) year period of time, it meets the intent of the policy and the use of non-recurring revenue is feasible.
In 2016, funds were allocated toward the Miami Beach Light Rai/Modern Streetcar Project as part of the $36 million funding package. Resolution No. 2017-29939 (Attachment C) allocated the $36 million funding package more broadly to transportation projects. The $36 million is comprised of the following funding sources:
- Concurrency Mitigation Funds: $5 million
- Resort Tax Funds: $10 million
- City Center Redevelopment Area Non Tax Increment Funds (RDA): $21 million
Concurrency Mitigation Funds are restricted to one-time/non-recurring revenues limited to use for Transportation capital expenditures that increase Transportation capacity, including transit projects. The proposed Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Project is intended to divert vehicle trips from the Causeways, thereby reducing congestion and eligible to use this funding source.
Resort Tax Funds are limited in use for tourism-eligible activities. Given that workers are the target market for this service, the use of Resort Tax Funds is not appropriate. In addition, the proposed route only minimally services the RDA, thus, the use of RDA Funds is not recommended.
Therefore, $5 million of Concurrency Mitigation Funds is available from the $36 million capital appropriation for use on the Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Project. An additional $160,000 would need to be identified from Transportation funds. Given the Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Project was awarded funding through the TPO Smart Demonstration Grant Program, a budget amendment will be required.
It is important to emphasize that if the Beach Express North Demonstration Project is deemed successful, Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works and the Florida Department of Transportation would need to identify funding for the continuation of the Beach Express North BERT service after the three (3) year demonstration period. Miami Beach would not be able to fund any service after the 3 year demonstration period.
Next Steps
Given the June 21st TPO Board approval of the City's grant application for funding through the TPO SMART Demonstration Project Grant Program, and subject to confirmation of exclusive right-of-way use of expressway shoulders for this demonstration service, the next steps to advance the Beach Express North BERT Demonstration Project would include:
- Conduct outreach and refine route with Miami-Dade County
- Develop marketing plan and implementation strategy
- Finalize an Interlocal Agreement and Business Plan with Miami-Dade County
- Interlocal Agreement execution with Miami-Dade County, TPO, and/or FDOT.
- Miami Beach budget amendment approval.
The budget amendment and Interlocal Agreement could be heard at the July 25th City Commission meeting, at the earliest.
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