City Council - Special Meeting

Hello, everyone.

I am CEO Jefferson, who convened a special meeting of the High Point Commission. All the commissioners, except for Proton Peters and Johnson, attended. Before we start the meeting, I would like to ask if you agree with the adoption of the case. Yes, I agree. Mr. Mahomes agreed and Mr. Andrew re-appointed. Is there any discussion on the adoption of the case? No. If you agree, please say yes. If you disagree, please say yes. Let's take a look at today's meeting case. The first case is 2026-292, a short-term traffic plan announcement in 2026 at High Point. Before the presentation, I would like to introduce you to Mr. Greg Venable, the Director of Transportation. Mr. Mayor, thank you for your support. First of all, I would like to introduce Jennifer Oudal today. She is our traffic manager. She is a new manager, but she is not a new employee. She has been working for about three months and is doing a lot of good things for us. So I'm glad she's with us. Last week, I submitted a short-term traffic plan to the Department of Environment and Safety. I'm going to be included in the consent case tonight. But Mr. Hamon asked the entire committee to report the progress. You can review it tonight before the hearing. Today, Mr. Alex Moore of SRF Consulting Group is with us. He is a hired consultant for the construction of a short-term traffic plan. I'll pass the microphone to Alex. All right.

I'm glad to see you again, Mr. Jefferson, and the members. As Greg mentioned, we had a presentation at the PLS committee meeting a few weeks ago, so early this month. As far as I know, this is an abbreviation, and a few weeks ago, we announced a much more comprehensive version. Of course, if you have any questions, we will answer them anytime. To tell you about the progress and schedule, I think you all saw this picture. This picture shows the planning process. Now the plan itself and all related technical work and documents are completely completed and ready to be released to the public and local communities. From the beginning to the end of all aspects of the High Point public transportation system service, and it was a very new-level process that was thoroughly reviewed from left to right. Now I'm happy to share with you the main content of the plan. So, what specific content is included in the plan? If there is a picture that summarizes this entire plan, it is this picture. We created this document so that anyone can easily understand it from the beginning. The picture, the story, and the brief explanation are rich, so anyone can easily understand it. You can fully understand the concept proposed by a general worker who is not familiar with public transportation. There will be something that will be helpful to people who have worked in the industry for more than 20 years like me. This diagram shows several changes in the overall context, and I will briefly explain some of the key points. The first is the route that extends north-south of Main Street, which is our core service route. Route 10 and 11 are the most important routes in the current system, and we want to commemorate them. For example, if additional resources such as finance and assets can be inserted into the lines, we can expect the highest profits compared to investment in terms of passenger increase or development of public transportation. These two lines are core service lines, so it is desirable to increase the frequency of one bank that allows resources and extend the banking section. This is expected to bring high investment profits. The next stage of the lines are called support service lines. These are lines that extend from the Broad Avenue Terminal to the surrounding area because they are marked in light blue. These lines can be improved in the direction of increasing the operating frequency depending on resource availability or operation. In other words, we focused on connecting the local community with the city and connecting it with the major transportation network that extends to the south and north. Finally, the red line is the city cross-section line. These lines were designed for people moving east and west of High Point City. Instead of having to come to the Broad Avenue Terminal and then return to the city, you can shorten the travel time to cross the city through this route and connect with multiple routes. Each route was individually reviewed and some adjustments were made while maintaining the most efficient section at the moment. We tried to preserve and commemorate some parts of the route, but the route within the system may be slightly modified by reflecting current land use patterns or better density. This is ultimately to maximize the cost-benefit effect of increasing the number of passengers and investing in the city. I would like to emphasize a few other features on the map. It may not be visible on the screen, but Walmart South One has a specific location like a Thales branch. We call these places Community Connector or Community Transfer Point. The term is a bit confusing. This transfer point is a representative bus stop located outside the city, where at least two bus lines meet. Through this, citizens can travel from the outskirts of the city or to wider areas, making public transportation convenient. However, these facilities are not designed in a grand scale like the Broad Avenue Terminal. Rather, it was designed as a simpler but unique bus stop. Also, in the future, there will be facilities that can play a comprehensive transportation hub, including bicycles, pedestrians, and even police calls for emergency situations. These facilities are being considered as development goals by many local communities. For example, it will give companies the confidence that the station will continue for a long time and will have a positive impact on other development projects that support public transportation. So we are dealing with a lot of these parts in the overall plan. The last thing I want to emphasize on this map is It is the Micro Transit Area 1, 2, 3 near the 70th Weekly Expressway, that is, the 74th Weekly Expressway. Currently, HPTS Go Service in High Point is a good micro transit service.

A lot of communities in this organization, why?

One of the important things I forgot to mention is that we are reviewing how to expand fixed-line services to the Deep River region along with the route adjustment I mentioned earlier. In other words, we are trying to provide fixed-line services to local communities that are growing rapidly or are expected to grow in the near future. You can see the main changes and simplified routes on the left side of the screen. The route system we designed provides a service that runs in both short and double directions, increasing the chance of return, including routes that connect the main work area and new areas, including the city. Also, during the process of establishing this plan, we had a thorough discussion about the interoperability and interaction of the Toronto Tourism Authority and the GTA. We have also negotiated with relevant agencies. I would like to emphasize that this plan was designed to be operated within the range of resources currently available. This includes not only financial aspects, but also assets such as vehicles and drivers. Therefore, while maintaining resource neutrality, we made it possible to determine where to start if investment is needed. I will explain this in detail in the implementation stage in a moment. Lastly, this system was designed to maximize efficiency. In other words, the goal is to make the most of the resources, considering the budget and the use of resources. I will briefly explain the micro transit that I mentioned. This service is a transportation service for the local community, and it combines the convenience of services such as Uber and Lyft, which are familiar to many people, with the efficiency of public transportation. We have selected three areas where fixed-line services are not yet available or are not easy to use. In these areas, there is a local community connection point or transfer point. For example, in places like Walmart North or East Town Village, people use the micro-transit to return to the fixed route, or vice versa, they use the fixed route and switch to the micro-transit to move to a destination where the fixed route has not yet reached. These services are scheduled to be implemented step by step depending on the available resources. Therefore, this plan does not imply that the city must support the transfer at a certain point. This plan was designed to be able to proceed step by step within the scope of the required and available resources. Fixed route connections will also be included in each area. Lastly, I will briefly talk about the implementation. Our implementation plan consists of three stages. The first stage is system adjustment. System adjustment is the same as target service investment in the first stage. In other words, it is reviewing how to rebuild the current fixed-line service and improve the first micro-transit area.

Is this related to the line correction I just mentioned? Yes, that's right. So, again, if you look at the first three system adjustments, system investment, and the first two years of the plan, for example, we will start with service adjustment, but we also need to consider asset replacement. Vehicle replacement should be long-term. We also discussed the improvement of the facilities with the employees, and these will be carried out within the first three years. Thank you. The second stage of investment is system investment. After this adjustment, we will consider larger-scale investments, distribute resources in a balanced manner, and think about what is needed and what the opinions of the local residents are. It may include the construction of a bus stop, the construction of a transfer center, and the additional expansion of the HBTS service for high-speed buses. And finally, it is the expansion of the system. This means expanding the system to a new area, securing additional funds to improve the operating range or adjust the operating frequency, and investing in important technological changes that many institutions are promoting. Yes, this concludes the brief presentation. I hope the members of the PLS will understand. Greg and I will answer as many questions as Jeff can. Thank you. There are two questions. Thank you for the presentation. The first question is, how are we currently connected to the Part Micro Transition System? If you look at this map again, I think you can explain it the easiest way. As far as I understand it, the current PART general service is circulating the High Point Northeast area. Oh, the pointer doesn't work on the screen. I'm sorry. So, as I said before, when considering expanding the fixed line service to the Deep River area or investing in the area, so that at least part of the route overlaps, people can use the fixed route service or return to the place marked with a red dot in the deep river stop. Currently, that place is a fixed route stop, and people can use it. Yes, I understand. And look at the next slide. It is designated as Microtransit Area 1, 2, and 3, but it is not decided which area to implement first. Is that right? Yes, it's just a number for discussion. That's a good question, Mr. Chairman. For example, if you want, you can invest in this area first. Because the service is currently running in this area. We especially feel the need to introduce services such as micro-transit in the city area such as ski clubs. Of course, you can adjust it flexibly depending on the situation. First of all, I think it is logical to start with three places first, but we will discuss this part again later. What? Is there a budget allocation content related to these execution items? Will we be able to get information about potential impact on the budget? That's a good question. Mr. Mayor. Yes. I have summarized the account details of the budget in the plan. We tried to provide information on the costs and investment options required for additional services. Yes, we also provided some budget-related information. What? I'm sorry for the sudden question. May I move on to the actual slide? Yes, of course. I have a few questions. Well, in my opinion, two things at the same time. It seems to be hovering in my head. One is what is needed in terms of implementation, and how much investment is needed for this. The other is how much demand there will be to justify that amount of investment. And Just like what we did last year, we talked to other organizations. I don't remember the exact name, but the organization asked questions about our public transportation use rate and demand and conducted a survey. I think it was a citizen participation organization for this issue. Is that right? It's a long time ago, so I can't remember. So, um... Basically, I can explain more about the Alangni part, but from the perspective of usage rate and investment yield rate, When we implement the new service and what we planned, we expect the usage rate to increase by about 10%. Is that right? Do you want to add more? Yes. Yes. The rate of investment was the key part of the overall discussion on all the proposals this year. The overall plan has a total of 40 proposals in three areas. The first is policy adjustment. For example, it's like the Park Nam-hae or the public transportation center development policy. The second is system adjustment. We tried to make the most of the existing resources in this area. The third is capital improvement. It is a systematic and comprehensive review of the future investment size required to implement the entire plan. I will show you this map again. This map shows the overall situation best. If we implement this network as it is, we can expect a 10% increase in population than we currently have. As I said, that's a conservative estimate. We actually saw a little higher number in the model, but it would be better to say it from a conservative point of view so as not to go too far ahead. Yes, that's right. Now let's take a closer look. The public. In discussions on transportation, we know that we are a service provided by the government. Public transportation is not independently operated. However, public transportation is not a service for independence, but a service to help citizens move around the city. That's because it has an economic impact. Your plans and research It will be an important data to show how the influence of the current public transportation system on the economy and how it will increase in the future. I don't know if we can calculate the exact numbers, but I think if more people find jobs, go to grocery stores, and receive medical services, the actual profits of our local society will come back, and the profits will be able to be measured financially someday. But I think a lot of speculation is needed. Yes, it's a good expression. Yes, as you said, it is true in many ways. If time and resources are given, we will be able to do such analysis. There were many things we wanted to deal with through this plan, but as you said, it seems that we could not achieve deep analysis. However, we applied some economic factors I tried to build a strategy, and I wrote a report about it. To be honest, this project is just a part of that activity. But even if it's not a specific result because of the actual economic factors, we analyzed the market potential in certain areas of High Point, and based on the cases of other regional societies where we had previously done business. In other words, we tried to answer questions about economic profits that people would be curious about. In particular, we looked at the overall accessibility of local communities, including restaurants and hospitals, and expected the use of public facilities, including schools, to increase. We are also participating in that part. Therefore, compared to existing networks, will be able to use these facilities more easily. However, the exact minimum profit value has not been exposed. Well, that could be a follow-up measure, but to be clear, there are many things to discuss in the short-term transportation plan, and I think that all of you at the PLS meeting will have explained it in great detail. I will tell my colleagues at the demonstration what I think about this issue. Well, could you go back to slide 1? Well, I... I thought about whether it was physically possible to invest in the content on the screen while looking at this slide. There is a discussion about other investment methods, such as annual budget impact, investment yield, ROI, and final results, as well as home investment or organizational system change. When we discuss public transportation and budget next time, if we have to make a serious investment, and everyone, I want to discuss with confidence about what the committee members can tell us. I think it would be helpful to know more about the actual economic impact of public transportation and the expanded public transportation plan. That way, if we increase the budget by a few percent for these investments, we can explain what effect it will have on our local society. I want to know this information. That way, we can discuss it based on more information. Local societies often hear opinions such as extending the route and shortening the travel time. Of course, these opinions are all positive and good stories, but when you actually invest, you need a practical way to understand the economic impact of ROI and the local community. I think that will help me. I wonder what you think. Yes, and to add to that, if you look at the national average data just shared by Jennifer, $1 for public transportation, regardless of whether it is a small-scale system or a large-scale system, has an economic effect of $4. This is national statistics.

Washington D.C.A. is a data from the U.S. Public Transportation Association, APTA.

I saw a study that suggested that number. How did that number come out in the results of the study? It's explained. There are two main reasons why people use public transportation. To make money or to spend money. No. But the U.S. Public Transportation Association is conducting national research.

In the past, N had an economic effect of $3 per $1 investment, but now it has an economic effect of about $4 per $1 investment. Yes, then it could be useful and beneficial data nationwide.

I also know that public transportation systems have different usage levels for each model. What I mean is that it's common for me to take the subway when I'm in Washington, DC. So, um, to tell you with respect, Washington DC subway or Atlanta-Marta. It means that there are a lot of people who make a lot of money and spend a lot of money on public transportation in New York City. Then, how can this statistics be applied or divided into other southern cities like a high point? How much money is made and how much is spent there? Maybe... I think so. Mayor.

Yes, in my opinion, at this point, if we proceed with the current content, we will no longer make any promises except for the implementation and revision work. Is that right? Yes, that's right. Yes. Then when will the questions about additional investment come out? How many years do you expect?

Is it the second year out of the five-year plan? Yes. Hello, Mr. Mayor, Members, Deputy Mayor Damian Dane. I will take permission from the Senate and tell you. All the content in this document is just a plan. Therefore, some service adjustments or System adjustment does not cost at all. These things will start tomorrow and you will be able to see the effect in six months. Yes, I heard it well. Regarding economic influence, of course, we will be able to analyze it and tell you the results. In particular, when reviewing short-term public transportation plans during the budget creation period, considering that you can expect 4 times the economic growth with 1 dollar investment, I think it's important. But this is a really important part, and it's something that's been going on for a long time. We haven't updated our short-term public transportation plans for seven years. So I really wanted to show you. The current estimate is conservative, but I don't know if increasing the number of passengers by 10% financially means 4 times the growth. The 10% increase is not limited to specific economic indicators, but I want to know the exact numbers, so I'm curious. Did it help? Yes, and I'm sorry. I should have told you, but the additional study does not need to trigger tonight's vote. I think the result of today's vote should trigger additional research. I think there is no problem in approving the plan. However, I realize that more information is needed to proceed with other investments. As I expected, The employees are already planning how to proceed with this plan. In other words, we will consider the financial and economic benefits when we build this plan and submit a proposal to the committee. Yes, I understand.

Then, what do you think are the problems that can be solved more easily and quickly? When will the citizens feel these changes, that is, fundamental changes or relatively simple changes? That's a good question.

Generally speaking, I recommend changing the bus route for about six months. To change the bus route, you need to communicate with the public. It also includes the necessary administrative time to consider operation timetable adjustment, vehicle layout, and general changes. Therefore, in the case of such a system, it takes at least 6 months. Of course, it may be a little shorter than that, but if you consider it as a standard point for bus lane change, you can think of it as about 6 months. Of course, if you change multiple lanes at the same time, you can complete it within that period. However, there are parts of the plan that are relatively easy to achieve and parts that require long-term planning. For example, the public transportation center development strategy may take a little longer, and it may take two to five years. Think about what you want to achieve through policies or strategies for public transportation development related to this new plan. What economic indicators do you think are important? And think about how it relates to city development contracts, UDO, and other area setting-related promises. This part may take some time, but as we said, there are about 40 recommendations in this plan, and we tried to make it systematic. Some of them are goals that can be achieved easily intentionally. For example, there are relatively easy goals such as vehicle approval and overall schedule. These measures and activities were designed to be implemented early. In other words, starting with a goal that can be easily achieved, it is a plan that includes all the long-term needs that take a little longer to become more mature and reflect your opinions. I don't know if you're doing well. As you said, there are several methods that can be implemented relatively quickly without being affected by the budget. For example, we can reduce the operating cost of some lines and add the assets to other lines, especially lines 10 and 11, to increase the operating frequency in the North Street area. Therefore, there are possible methods.

All right. Finally, I will give you a few more questions. Could you please tell us more about the Uber, Lyft, and micro-transit areas you just mentioned?

This industry is constantly changing rapidly. What are you doing in this field, and how do you think this field will help our business? That's a good question. As you said, there are many areas that have not been developed yet. It's still in the early stages. Many new companies are entering the market, and some leave according to experience. What we generally see is that communities tend to invest in technology platforms and deal with operation themselves. Others move in a completely different direction, and here is the key. We leave everything to foreign companies to negotiate contracts for technology, vehicles, drivers, etc. We hope that Highpoint's micro-transit service will operate similarly to the present. In other words, it provides more operation and movement by using existing disabled transportation vehicles. Operating schedule management can decide what kind of technology to invest in by discussing with officials such as Jennifer and Greg, or what kind of investment should be made in operating schedule management in the city. However, in general, many regional societies want an app-based system for operating schedule management. I left my cell phone over there. This is a mobile device-based communication method that requests movement within a specified time interval. The vehicle will start, so I'll come to the front of the house and bring it as close as possible to the destination. Again, if the travel distance is beyond the micro transit zone, you will be able to transfer to a fixed-line service. Transfer is probably free. If you pay for the micro transit fee, you will be able to transfer, but we need to look at the economy of this part a little more, but most systems are operated in this way. If you pay for the micro transit fee, you will be able to transfer to a fixed-line service and not be able to go directly to the destination. like Uber or Discovery. I understand the timetable, but how do you pay for micro transit? Do you pay with the app? Or do you pay when you get on a vehicle? It's like the old people are used to it on the bus. It's similar, but it's similar. Yes, like Uber or Lyft, there is no direct transaction between passengers and drivers, and there is no fee payment warehouse. Everything is processed. All financial transactions between passengers and systems are made through the app.

Thank you. Are you okay? Yes, yes. Keep going. Yes, yes.

Let's talk about buying a car first. What fuel are you talking about? Is it a hybrid or a regular diesel? Jennifer, what kind of car do you want to buy? Yes, I'll tell you. Yes, tell me.

I prefer eco-friendly diesel, but it's okay to do as you say. Me too.

I think the reason we prefer eco-friendly diesel is because of its reliability. And we need to consider parts and other related matters. But in general, the plan itself does not deal with such details as what kind of car to buy. Regarding vehicle purchases, yes, several institutions are still reviewing hybrid vehicles. Unfortunately, electric vehicles were in vogue at one time, but the current market has hit the bottom. I hope it will recover again, but this is a difficult task for the industry. So many agencies are still thinking between compressed natural gas diesel vehicles and hybrid vehicles. As for the electric line vehicle itself, the current state is very good and there is no need to replace the vehicle. One thing I would like to emphasize is that it is an area that should be invested quickly, which is the replacement of disabled transport vehicles. We have already finished ordering. We have ordered 4 units, so we will arrive in about 8 months. Oh, that's good.

You can arrive faster than that.

The procedure has already been completed. This is good news. What exactly is the bus stop Hyundai?

Thank you for your question.

We wrote a technical report, and to be honest, it contains everything you want to know about bus stops and more. What we're looking at is that there are several bus stops in the system. This is a common phenomenon in cities such as High Fall or Charlotte, but there are quite a few bus stops in the South East region of the United States, including North Carolina. There are signs on the sign board or on the ground that say something. We thought about the convenience facility structure, which is generally based on the number of visitors to the bus stop. I think we need to provide at least convenience and comfort to each bus stop. We start with at least three bus stop signs. We have a lot of old bus stops in our system. Some of the signs that have been installed all over the place still have old timetable information. Let's start with these simple improvements and consider installing lights on bus stops that are used by passengers a lot. It would be a good idea to install public furniture such as shimtas and benches in the parking lot that many passengers use. Furthermore, you can think about setting up various convenience facilities such as water supply connections, bicycle roads, and space to temporarily store bicycles at Hwanseung Station. Of course, lighting is very important. We have already talked a lot about the need for lighting, and various improvements are currently being made in the industry. There are cases where small bus stations that only use one or two passengers can install devices that can light up the lights with a solar power system or a button. Yes, that's why more people are actually losing their prices as they enter certain markets. So we know that we can modernize at various levels. However, if you think about it from the perspective of investment revenue strategy, we must of course consider resources. Therefore, it is better to expand from a bus stop with a high usage rate to another place. Yes, the last question. Of course, I don't know if it's possible to talk about bus modernization, but wouldn't it be possible to think about emergency calls for the police? Yes, it's just an idea. Well, this is a bit of a random story, but it's a story of a much longer future than four years. How big is the self-driving bus? I should have told you before the meeting.

I know that there is a story like this. In particular, it seems to be planned. In the big city area. I'm just asking because I'm curious.

Do you think they're going to let them go through all kinds of destruction before the autonomous bus is introduced? The High Point Commission has recorded that it criticized the autonomous bus. I was wondering if you were interested. Yes, it's done now. Mr. Chairman, let me give you a brief answer to the question. There was an APA SOP conference last week, and the conference also included a technical conference. I know it's a question from the industry. Honestly, I can't answer it today. I haven't reached that level yet. However, I can tell you that we are considering some form of self-driving shuttle in various regional societies. However, here it is. Thank you. Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Venable. And her name is Jennifer Oudal.

Hello, thank you for coming.

I hope everything goes well. Thank you. Now, let's move on. Would you like to hold an unannounced meeting?

I agree.

I request. Mr. Holmes proposed and Mr. Andrew requested. Do you have any opinions on holding an unannounced meeting? If you agree, please say me. Who is the opposite? The opinions are the same. We will hold an unannounced meeting.