Windham Regional Mobility Study Completed
The primary goal of this study was to identify opportunities to better coordinate, and integrate, transportation resources to improve efficiency and mobility, and to identify possible new transportation resources. In terms of vehicles used, these resources include buses and vans owned by the transit providers, as well as school buses, vans and buses owned by human service agencies, municipalities, private institutions, churches, nursing homes, and others. Existing resources also include miles traveled by these vehicles that could be more productive than they currently are (to be described in more detail later in this report). New resources include more funding from the federal or state government, from private foundations, or through in-kind donations from local partners.
The Study addresses the existing transportation resources, including public transit services, school bus transportation, higher education, human service and workforce transportation, and taxi services. It identifies the transit needs through the transit dependant population and through four stakeholder outreach meetings. The stakeholders included: transit providers, the school districts, the higher education institutions, human service agencies, health providers, non-profits, the workforce and economic development sector.
Based on information gathered from these outreach meetings and the demand for transit services, a number of coordination concepts were set-forth, to improve the overall regional coordination. The concepts include:
- Establishing new transit services alongVT30 and improve existing service along US5.
- Utilize the school bus deadhead trips (this includes times when the school bus is empty, after dropping off kids, and returning to base).
- Establish a clearinghouse, where existing public transit, ride-share, van-pool, Greyhound, Amtrak etc…information can be accessed from one source.
- Coordinate a volunteer driver network (i.e. parents, CARES groups) to provide trips.
- Coordinating transportation with the Brattleboro Boys and Girls Club to allow more youth to attend the Teen Night (that happens every Friday night).
The above coordination concepts became the five pilot projects (and the short-term recommendations) for the study. Over the next year the five Project Teams will be meeting and implementing the overall objective of this Study.
WRC would like to acknowledge the support of the James M. Jeffords Center for Policy Research at the University of Vermont, which funded the study, and the many hours of time contributed by the project stakeholders. The study was conducted by Steadman Hill Consulting, Inc., assisted by Diana Wahle, Collaboration & Planning Consultant, and TranSystems.
For more information contact Matt Mann, Senior Planner, 802-257-4547, ext 120.
Please click here to view the Mobility Study Final Report.
