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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEast End Shuttle ProposalFive Town Rural Transit, Inc. PO Box 1433 Sag Harbor, New York 11963 Hank de CIIIla, Executive Director Tel/Fax: 631-725-5062 · E Mall: declllla@earthllnk.net Southampton, NY - December 12, 2005 Citizen Group Unveils Innovative Public Transportation Proposal For Long Island's East End Five Town Rural Transit (STRT), Inc., an East End citizen-based, not-for-profit corporation, presented its East End Shuttle Development Proposal today in Riverhead. The event included a slide presentation and a launch of the East End Shuffle brochure and website at www.eastendshuttle.org. NYS Assemblyman Fred Thiele was on hand to provide an update on his legislation for establishing a regional transportation authority. As presented, the EastEnd Shuttle concept would replace the current transit services of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Suffolk County Transit (SCT) with a coordinated rail and bus shuttle network to provide the extended transit services necessary for the region's residents, workers, second homeowners and visitors. Small-scale rail and bus shuttles would nm between the villages and hamlets as often as every 30 minutes, with bus shuttles meeting riders at train stations to take them to final destinations. Riders heading to and from New York City and other points west by rail would transfer at the Speonk (South Fork) and Ronkonkoma (North Fork) rail stations to L[P,~. trains or Shuttles. As the Development Proposal notes, "There is virtually no way for East End residents to travel throughout the region at present using the existing transit services. They are inadequate and inefficient." The concept behind the Development Proposal is no~ new. There have been many precedents, starting with the Southold Transportation Commission Report, "Core Transportation Concepts for the 21~ Century", in 1993. This was followed in 1994 by a proposal virtually identical to our coordinated rail and bus shuttle system, contained in "Blueprint for Our Future", a Report prepared by the East End Economic and Environmental Task Force. Most recently, in 2004, a comparable plan was suggested in the updated Transportation Section of the Southampton Town Comprehensive Plan. "Earlier this year, we commissioned the East End Transit Survey that was conducted for us by Appel Research LLC of Niskayuna, NY," said Kathleen Cunningham Faraone, President of 5TRT. "The survey confirmed East Enders' overwhelming support for our Shuttle concept and, perhaps most importantly, significant interest in actually using these new transit services." 5TRT recognizes that the MTA currently oversees mil services on the East End and hopes to work with the MTA, as well as SCT, to establish this expanded service. The group, however, also strongly supports the legislation filed by NYS Assemblyman Fred Thiele in Albany that would create a Peeonic Bay Regional Transportation Authority (PBRTA) to control and operate all new East End Shuttle rail and bus services. In its Development Proposal, 5TRT further recommends purchase of new rail and bus vehicles to provide the East End Shntfle services. Self Propelled Rail Cars, which permit cost- effective single railcar operation on a more frequent schedule, are recommended for rail transit. For bus transit, use of the new generation of Hybrid Electric Vehicles is strongly preferred. Environmental concerns are paramount. "In addition to reducing overall auto congestion and fuel consumption, these new transit vehicles will operate with extremely low emissions and noise, in comparison to existing equipment" notes John Rooney, 5TRT Board member. (Self Propelled Rail Car example shown manufactured by Colorado Railcar) 5TRT did not reach a final recommendation for passenger water shuffles as a seasonal supplement to the rail and bus services, but did agree that the possibility of using local bays to provide water transit within the East End should be examined further during the upcoming Feasibility Study phase. The Shuttle development proposal has been reviewed in advance by many transportation experts on the East End and around the country, including USDOT's Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, MA, a former LIRR Engineering executive, and SCT management. The USDOT/Volpe organization is proposing to assist 5TRT in its next development phase, the East End Shuffle Feasibility Study, that is expected to be conducted in the first half of 2006, in time for a voter referendum next November. "5TRT has also met with the management of the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) both on the Cape and here on the East End. CCRTA is very interested in our initiative and one of its executives is willing to personally assist us as we proceed." said Hank de Cillia, Executive Director of 5TRT. De Cillia added, "As a result of these expert reviews, we are now confident the basic Shuttle concept is sound, but there are many technical, operational, economic and environmental aspects of the proposal that will require independent expert verification". If the East End Shuttle concept is implemented as described, 5TRT estimates a fivefold increase in public transit ridership from the current level, based on its preliminary demand forecast. Hal Ross, 5TRT Vice President, who has overseen the forecasting process states, "Our initial estimates are very encouraging and probably conservative because we don't yet have complete data on some portions of our rider population, including second homeowners, visitors and some workers. During the feasibility study phase, these demand forecasts will be highly refined." 5TRT has identified capital improvement costs of "approximately $149 million" for developing the East End Shuttle system, primarily for rail infrastructure improvement and rail- bus vehicle acquisition. The principal source of capital improvement grants would likely be the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts Program. Estimated annual operating costs are expected to be "less than $40 million", based on an analysis of similar RTA systems. The primary source of annual operating revenues would be the East End portion of existing tax assessments currently allocated to the MTA. According to Hal Ross, "We have conducted extensive research on the MTA tax assessments and estimate that East Enders would have paid more than $60 million to the MTA in 2004 through assessments on their mortgage transfer taxes, sales taxes and several other sources. The $60 million figure includes increases granted to the MTA in 2004 on mortgage and sales taxes, to be effective in 2005." 5TRT does not believe any new taxes will be required to create the East End Shuttle system. '%Ve simply want to restructure a percentage of the monies we already pay for public transit to the MTA for services that are more relevant on the East End. Of course, we would still expect the MTA to retain some of the assessment dollars to provide services for the transit riders who need to get to and from New York City and other points west," de Cillia commented. With financial assistance via a grant from the Group for the South Fork, 5TRT has prepared its brochure outlining the East End Shuttle concept, as well as a website with more detailed information, www.eastendshuttle.org. Five Town Rural Transit, Inc. was originally scheduled to present the East End Shuttle Development Proposal at the East End Transportation Council's Transportation Summit meeting scheduled for December 8, but declined to do so when the Council requested that 5TRT modify its presentation by removing criticism of the current service provided by the Long Island Rail Road and Suffolk County Transit, as well as its recommendation for the formation of a regional transportation authority. For more information, contact Hank de Cillia, 5TRT Executive Director, at 631 725 5062 or decillia@ earthlink.net. EastEndShuttle Take the Shuttle www.eastendshuttle.org Five Town Rural Transit (5TRT), Inc. PO Box 1433 Sag Harbor, New York 11963 Hank de CIIlia, Executive Director Tel/Fax 631-725-5062 E Mall: decillia@earthllnk.net Fact Sheet Purpose of Organization: Five Town Rural Transit, Inc., (5TRT) is a not-for-profit corporation, structured to research and develop improved public transportation on Long Island's East End. 5TRT was organized to develop a comprehensive plan to create a new public transportation system that would be sufficiently functional and attractive enough to move people from the roads onto buses and trains. This is a critical necessity because of the current gridlock resulting from traffic congestion, with its resulting negative impact on the quality of life of the East End's residents and visitors. In addition, it would serve the specific needs of commuters, employers, and those who are dependent on public transit. Membership: Five Town Rural Transit, Inc. is comprised of a board of directors and related affiliates, as shown on the attached sheet. There are two or more directors from each of the five towns, with the exception of Shelter Island, which has one director. Most of these individuals have played significant roles in several of the different transportation initiatives, including the SEEDS (Sustainable East End Development Strategies) Project, the Southampton Transportation Advisory Task Force, and the Transportation Commissions in Southold and Southampton. History: The organization began in early 2004, founded by Hank de Cillia and Hal Ross. Its main function was derived from a December 2003 article written for the Southampton Press by Mr. de Cillia, which outlined the coordinated bus and rail shuttle system that 5TRT is now developing. Five Town Rural Transit, Inc., has expanded to include other individuals who agree with the goals and the means to achieve them and desire to participate in the effort to carry them forward. Primary Activities: · Conceptual Design of East End Shuttle System (Complete) · East End Transit Survey (Complete) · East End Shuttle Development Proposal (Complete) · East End Shuttle Feasibility Study (January - July, 2006) · Public Referendum (November, 2006) · Negotiations with MTA, SCT and Government Officials (December 2006 - on) · Hand-Off to new Regional Transit Authority (Preferred Goal) Five Town Rural Transit (5TRT), Inc. Kathleen Cunningham Faraone, President (East Hampton Town Resident, SFFDS Stakeholder) Hal Ross, Vice President (Southampton Town Resident, Southampton Transportation Comm/ssion Member, SEEDS Stakeholder) Patricia Shillingburg, Treasurer (Shelter Island Town Resident, Town Zoning Board Member, SEEDS Stakeholder) Margaret Brown, Secretary (Southold Town Resident, Southold Transportation Commission Member) Hank de Cillia, Executive Director (Southampton Town Resident, SEEDS Stakeholder) John Rooney, Board Member (Southold Town, North Fork Environmental Council Board Member, SEEDS Stakeholder) Tom Ruhle, Board Member (East Hampton Town Resident, East Hampton Town Housing & Community Development Director, SEEDS Stakeholder) Vince Taldone, Board Member (Riverhead Town Resident, Suffolk County Transportation Advisory Board Member) Le~slative Liaison Fred Thiele (New York State Assembly) Legal Counsel J. Edward Shillingburg, Esq. Environmental Advisers Bob De Luca & Charlie Capp, Group for the South Fork Dr. Scott Carlin, Southampton College & Institute for Sustainable Development Maritime Adviser Tom Fox, Principal, Southold Maritime Services Corp. Statistical Adviser Professor Liz Granitz, Southampton College Local Government Adviser Tom Neely, Director, East End Transportation Council