From: Kauffman, Jared D (DelDOT) <Jared.Kauffman@delaware.gov>
to: Judy <judyk15@verizon.net>,
"tammiegolden@comcast.net" <tammiegolden@comcast.net>,
E Lee <eulmlee@gmail.com>
cc: "Schwartzkopf, Peter (LegHall)" <Peter.Schwartzkopf@delaware.gov>,
"Lopez, Ernesto B (LegHall)" <Ernesto.Lopez@delaware.gov>,
"doug.hudson@sussexcountyde.gov" <doug.hudson@sussexcountyde.gov>,
"Cherry-Wall, Tremica (DelDOT)" <Tremica.Cherry-Wall@delaware.gov>,
"Smith, Catherine C (DelDOT)" <Cathy.Smith@delaware.gov>,
"Burris, Corey (DelDOT)" <Corey.Burris@delaware.gov>,
"Theyerl, Julie (DelDOT)" <Julie.Theyerl@delaware.gov>,
"Sisson, John (DelDOT)" <John.Sisson@delaware.gov>
Thank you for inviting us to Angola by the Bay on Friday, March 26th, to share your vision of transit service along Angola Road Camp Arrowhead Road. Our site visit showed multiple challenges to implementing transit service along these roads. The most visible challenge is the roadway as parts of Angola Road and Camp Arrowhead Road lack of shoulders, and it will need to be confirmed if the roadways are built to a standard that can handle the frequent heavy vehicular travel of a bus. Additionally, the lack of pedestrian pathways (i.e., sidewalks, shared use path) inhibits the creation of ADA compliant bus stops, and the lack of pedestrian crossings prevent riders from completing a round trip.
Aside from safety, operational, and bus facility challenges, there exist scheduling and rider generation challenges. Scheduling this deviation may be difficult with the existing Route 215 due to the Massey’s Landing deviation on each trip in both directions. DTC tries to minimize the number of deviations to maintain fast and high-quality transit trips for most riders, with a goal of providing streamlined and efficient service while serving as many customers as possible.
Finally, the results of the survey you compiled, coupled with the surrounding area’s land use types and housing densities, DTC determined there is not enough support to generate enough ridership to meet our service standards. The survey results showed that most respondents have not used the bus within a year (76.6%), the vast majority drive (92.6%), the majority would use it only a few times a month (54.4%), and the large majority would use it for recreation (87.3%). Finally, the survey showed most respondents said that the lack of public transit does not affect their ability to get around (61.5%). It was recognized that the intention of the question could have been misunderstood because respondents may have felt that traffic had affected their ability to travel and transit identified as a solution; thus, they feel a lack of transit has affected their ability to get around. This concept is much different than the intention of the question, which was whether public transit was necessary for someone to complete a trip, rather than public transit being used as a way to travel more conveniently.
One opportunity we discussed with you was the possibility of a Park and Ride along DE 24, for which DTC has been tasked to evaluate as part of the Five Points Study. As you and Eul Lee mentioned, Angola by the Bay residents drive to the Lewes Transit Center via Robinsonville Road to catch either the Route 204 to Lewes or the Route 201 to Rehoboth because they do not want to deal with traffic along DE 24. As you seemed to have agreed, a Park and Ride along DE 24 may be a good alternative to direct service along Angola and Camp Arrowhead roads because it will still allow people to choose transit without the need for major changes along these roads.
Again, thank you for sharing your vision. While DART cannot implement service along Angola nor Camp Arrowhead roads, we will continue to monitor roadway projects in this area. Also, DTC will continue to request pedestrian infrastructure from private development and DelDOT capital projects.
Jared Kauffman
DART First State
Fixed-Route Planner
119 Lower Beech St #100
Wilmington, DE 19805
Jared.kauffman@delaware.gov
Office: 302-576-6062