City looks at future transportation strategies
Pflugerville does not have a bus stop offering public transportation, but following a September City Council meeting focused on city transit, it appears city leaders intend to change that.
Transportation planning and development firm The Goodman Corp. made a pitch to the city to increase Pflugerville's transportation options Sept. 16. The potential plan may focus on transporting citizens within the city and to surrounding areas including Austin.
"We want to help you and staff develop a transportation development program," Goodman Corp. President Barry Goodman said to the City Council. "Beyond the comprehensive plan that we will create for you, we will also help you implement it and find the money to do that," he said later.
City Manager Brandon Wade recommended the city work with Goodman Corp. to develop transportation plans.
Wade's recommendation and City Council members' vocal interest expressed Sept. 16 regarding public transportation could mark a turn toward increased mobility in Pflugerville.
The city would likely search for outside funding to bring in transit options, Wade said.
"Frankly, I don't think we can do anything without the federal government's assistance," he said.
Goodman, a former senior legal counsel for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration in Washington, D.C., said his firm has expertise in securing federal funds for projects.
"Dealing with the federal process is an absolute pain in the butt, but it is something that we do every day," Goodman said.
Feeding a need
Beyond walking and cycling, there are few transportation options for Pflugerville residents who do not have a car or the ability to drive, such as Earnest Tomes.
Tomes is blind. He has lived in Pflugerville since 2005. When he moved to the city, transportation was "the first hurdle that stood in my way," he said.
Tomes said he relies on Capital Area Rural Transport Service, better known as CARTS, and a family member for transportation throughout Pflugerville and into Austin.
CARTS workers pick Tomes up from his home, but he said the service has its limits. CARTS does not run on the weekends, and Tomes said he usually needs to schedule his rides one or two weeks in advance.
Tomes said he hopes for more transportation options in Pflugerville that connect to the Tech Ridge Transit Facility at Howard Lane and I-35 and ultimately help him become more independent.
Pflugerville does have some limited nonprofit transportation services, however.
Drive a Senior, a nonprofit formerly called Faith in Action, provides about 250 rides per week to residents age 60 and older in the Round Rock and Pflugerville areas, Executive Director Serita Lacasse said.
Drive a Senior has more than 800 clients, 400 volunteers on its books and receives about four referrals each week for new clients, Lacasse said.
The nonprofit has done well in providing free transportation for seniors, she said, but that does not account for those younger than 60 with disabilities or without cars trying to move throughout town.
"The younger population, they have to figure out a way to get to Tech Ridge," Lacasse said. "Tech Ridge is not that far, but that 5 miles is sometimes hard for people to get to. So absolutely there is a need [for transportation options]."
Allison Phillips, executive director of Community Transport Services in Pflugerville, said her nonprofit has given more than 100 rides to Pflugerville residents, including Tomes, during the past year, but she said CTS has struggled to find outside funding for its operation. Phillips said she gives rides to community members in her own car and asks for $1–$2 per ride, if the client can afford it, to offset gas costs.
Goodman suggested Pflugerville consider a vehicle-for-hire ordinance, which would create guidelines for services such as Drive a Senior and CTS. An ordinance would also shield the city and citizens using the services from liability. Though Lacasse said Drive a Senior already provides liability for all its volunteer drivers.
Project Connect and Pflugerville
The discussion about bringing new transportation options to the city comes as Austin voters consider a $1 billion Nov. 4 ballot measure to extend rail service and improve roads.
Plans to use the bond money fit into Project Connect, a master transportation plan for the region that includes Round Rock, Pflugerville and Hutto.
The Project Connect North Corridor plan includes options of extending MetroRapid service, which uses large express buses, from Tech Ridge into Pflugerville. Wade said Pflugerville would prefer potential development of the MoKan corridor, which passes through downtown, that includes an enhanced hike and bike trail or light rail.
Though the North Corridor plan includes transportation infrastructure in Pflugerville, it does not define the projects, Wade said.
"One of the things that Project Connect showed is a very large transit node in the area of [Stone Hill Town Center] and Hawaiian Falls," Wade said. "The exact location of that is not yet determined. It is just a big fat dot on a map."
Wade said the Project Connect plan is focused on connecting cities in the region with Austin, not on transit within cities.
"The intent of [a park and ride] is not to provide a parking space so that people can get on a bus and go to Austin," Wade said. "Pflugerville is quickly becoming a destination as well, so you'll have the opportunity to get on the bus in Austin and come to Hawaiian Falls [] and to all of the things that are going to happen around Hawaiian Falls."
Goodman said Pflugerville could save money by partnering with a private company to operate public transportation in the city.
"If local communities take ownership of their mobility future, they will influence regional, state and federal decision-making that benefits them significantly more than if they don't take action," Goodman said.
