An Economic Evaluation of Fixed Route Bus Service in Jackson County, North Carolina: A Rural Corridor Analysis
Abstract
Transportation policy evaluation involves identifying and measuring the benefits and
costs of a proposed investment. This paper evaluates the socio-economic impacts of
investing in fixed route bus service in Jackson County, NC. Traffic conditions along
NC-107, which is the main north-south arterial that runs from downtown Sylva to Cullowhee,
have deteriorated substantially over the past two decades. These conditions have
been brought on by commercial and residential development and an expanding Western
Carolina University student body. Without any significant investment in alternative
parallel routes or traffic demand management strategies, many segments of this roadway
are currently at or near engineered capacity throughout peak and mid-day hours. This
evaluation defines, quantifies, and, where applicable, values the costs and benefits
of a fixed route transit investment over the status quo throughout a 10 year time
period (2010-2020). The results reveal that several factors influence the success
of transit within the region. From an economic perspective, the most critical determinants
of success are service consumption levels, optimal route design, and the potential
changes in variable costs of travel like the real price of fuel. Recognition of long
term social benefits like reduced congestion and air pollution levels and well coordinated
land use policies that support sustainable community growth can also have a significant
effect on the feasibility of the investment.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/2182Citation
McAuley, Brian (2010). An Economic Evaluation of Fixed Route Bus Service in Jackson County, North Carolina:
A Rural Corridor Analysis. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/2182.Collections
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