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Transit
Land use patterns have not warranted public transportation
Land use patterns within the County play a defining role in determining the nature and effectiveness of public transportation within the County. Based on 2000 US Census data, one-third of the County’s population was within ¼ mile of public transportation. Yet, residential growth has largely occurred outside of the current public transportation service area. Moreover, while employment growth has generally occurred within the existing public transportation service area, new employment centers have emerged away from highest levels of public transit service.
While demand exists to expand the coverage and frequency of transit beyond present service areas, research suggests that land use densities of at least 4 units per acre are necessary to sustain minimum levels of public transportation. Therefore, outside of the County’s urban areas and major commercial arterials, residential and employment densities are generally too low to warrant cost-effective, open-door, public transportation service. Only 31% of the current population is currently being served by public transportation.
Suburban land uses within the County are frequently designed for the automobile and lack sidewalks, thus discouraging walking and transit usage. Within Chester County, many train stations still have pedestrian impediments and most bus stops lack pedestrian connections. There are few bus shelters along existing bus routes. Therefore, despite having a favorable location and density, the site design of land uses that may generate transit ridership, such as shopping and office centers, is precluding the practicality of taking transit and walking.
As Chester County continues to develop at a relative low density spreading out in all areas it becomes increasingly difficult to provide public transit services. The cost of long bus routes with limited ridership becomes inefficient and expensive.
Shifting commuting patterns; more difficult for transit
Residential and employment growth has transformed the County from a “bedroom community” into a regional employment center. With this new influx of jobs in the County, there are considerably more County residents commuting within the County. The number of workers commuting here from other counties has also increased dramatically. This growth in suburb-to-suburb commuting has shifted travel patterns away from the traditional commuting patterns that the region’s passenger rail infrastructure was built to accommodate, primarily travel to and from Philadelphia.
As of 2000, there were about 100,000 work trips per day between Chester County and Montgomery County but only limited public transportation opportunities. Chester County residents commuting to New Castle County, Delaware increased 25% from 1990 to 2000, while commuting to Philadelphia decreased by 10%. Oddly enough there was a fairly sharp increase in commuting from Philadelphia to Chester County As a result of these fairly dramatic shifts in commuting, the County has experienced continued growth in single-occupant vehicle usage (16) and an increased demand for last mile bus connections from rail stations for “reverse commuters”.
Fulfilling special transportation needs
Within the County there is a need to provide a mobility alternative for those unable or not desiring to drive. Employers and community services within the County have cited the difficulty of providing accessibility for their workers, patients, clients and residents. Human service providers have noted that there is a growing proportion of “non-qualifying” residents who are not eligible for paratransit service, but need transportation assistance. As the number of elderly in the County will grow over the next 20 years and residential growth continues to expand into suburban and rural landscapes, the demand for expanding public transportation services and transportation alternatives will continue to increase.
Passenger rail investment and expansion
While some capital investment in public transportation has been made in the County, additional passenger rail investment is needed. The R5, Chester County’s only regional rail line, is the most heavily traveled branch in the SEPTA system. While SEPTA has expanded station parking (and additional expansion is planned), parking is currently limited at the County’s most accessible rail stations such as Paoli, and Exton. There is strong interest in expanding rail service to un-served urban centers such as Coatesville, Parkesburg and Atglen, as well as Phoenixville and to the West Chester area. Funding limitations and policies towards system maintenance have deferred considerations for rail expansions. As the demand for expanded public transportation grows, so to will the demand for increased funding.
Overcoming existing bus limitations
While buses can be a flexible, cost-effective public transportation mode, there are limitations that potentially impact ridership, such as parking availability and bus travel speed. There are few parking opportunities for bus riders. Given the land use patterns of the County, providing parking would greatly expand bus service areas beyond the standard ¼ mile walking distance. Additionally, the service speed of buses is not competitive with travel speeds by car. For example, a 30-minute commute from Coatesville to West Chester by car takes 60 minutes by bus. Without any form of prioritization, bus operations are equally subject to congestion on roadways. Therefore, any increase in congestion, equally affects bus travel speeds.
(16) From 1990 to 2000, County residents driving alone to work increased from 78% to 81%, an increase of nearly 22,000 single-occupant drivers. Chester County’s percentage was above the state (77%) and national (76%) averages.
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System-wide | Aviation | Bicycling | Bridges | Freight | Highway | Parking | Pedestrian | Transit