Alternative Transportation Modes

T-10

Observation

Downtown livability requires attention to modes of travel other than the long-dominant private vehicle access.

Discussion

Traffic pressures on Downtown roads would be reduced considerably through the introduction of viable bicycle, jitney and transit routes within the downtown.

Recommendation A

North Boulevard should be designated as a major bicycle path, and the path should extend along the riverfront through the length of Downtown Baton Rouge. Both of these bicycle path elements are major components of the planned regional bicycle system.

[The Baton Rouge Downtown Transportation Plan recommends that North Boulevard be designated as a major bicycle path.

DPW contracted with Reich Associates and Perez As-sociates to design the bicycle path on the levee connecting downtown with LSU. DPW received TEA-21 funding for this project. Construction is scheduled to begin in Spring 2003.]

Recommendation B

A transit jitney loop should be operated through the Downtown, connecting Spanish Town, Beauregard Town, the Capitol grounds and the institutional and commercial part of Downtown. This transit service, operated at frequent in-tervals and using small vehicles would serve all of the numerous travel demands for circulation within Downtown. These travel demands include trips by Downtown residents to retail and per-sonal business destinations, travel by Downtown employees be-tween contract parking spaces and places of employment, travel by Capitol employees to all of the daytime destinations within Downtown, and extension of the radius of destinations accessible to the occasional visitors (State Capitol, Casinos and Civic Center) to Downtown.

These improvements and project T-11 below, are summarized in Exhibit D: Alternative Transportation Systems.

Responsibility

Downtown Development District and Office of the Mayor

Project Status

Recommendation

Recommendation A The Baton Rouge Downtown Transportation Plan recommends that North Boulevard be designated as a major bicycle path. DPW contracted with Reich Associates and Perez Associates to design the bicycle path on the levee connecting downtown with LSU. DPW received TEA-21 funding for this project. Construction is scheduled to begin in Spring 2003.

Recommendation B Capitol Transportation Corporation (CTC) has provided additional bus service downtown along Florida Street (Gold Line) and Highland Road (Purple Line).

Capital Region Planning Commission (CRPC) and Capitol Transportation Corporation are very interested in providing a shuttle system within the downtown. State agencies provided funds to match federal funds to launch the five-day-a-week Capitol Park trolley. The route follows the jitney loop recommended in the plan. Four trolleys run every six minutes from 10:30 - 2:30 pm and stop at eighteen locations downtown. The trolley has become such a popular feature downtown, Plan Baton Rouge and the DDD are exploring the possibility of expanding the service hours.

Implementation

Explanation of Terms

Product

Feasibility Study

Responsibility

OM & DDD

Implementing Agent

DPW

Feasibility Analysis

DPW

Initial Financing

Project Financing

SCB & FF

Timing