WANTED: NATIONAL POLICY ON SUBURBAN TRANSIT

The questions are asked if transit operators serving low-to-medium density suburban areas should continue to be evaluated by the policies and standards designed for transit systems in the central city, and what standards should be used to evaluate suburban transit performance? The design of a transit system is dictated by the land-use characteristics of the market it serves. A flexible and multi-leveled transit system is needed to serve the dynamic nature of suburban land use. Paratransit systems such as dial-a-ride are effective in low-density residential areas. An effective combination of paratransit and fixed-route systems could significantly increase the modal split over that which fixed transit might achieve alone. One key to success of such a system lies at the transfer points. The Orange County Transit District (OCTD) has planned a series of transportation centers in response to this need. Experiences of OCTD in planning such centers are described. One obstacle that OCTD faces is the lack of coherent UMTA policy regarding suburban transit centers. Major issues regarding suburban transit which require UMTA attention are listed.