Downtown Norfolk
Transportation Needs
Assessment Study
January 2002
A service of Hampton Roads Transit
Prepared by THE MARKETING SOURCE, INC.
1
Overall Study Objective
To help
reduce traffic congestion
to and from
the study area.
2
Specific Objectives
 Determine the perceived impact of area traffic
on congestion.
 Identify current transportation modes used.
 Determine parking concerns.
 Measure awareness and usage of alternative
transportation options.
 Measure how willing employers and employees
are to adopt and implement alternate
transportation programs.
3
Study Area
Outer Core
Inner Core
4
About the Study
Area
 Current Transportation Alternatives





Express Bus (recently discontinued)
Ferries (Harborlink and Portsmouth Park and Sail)
Regular HRT bus service
NET shuttle service
Some parking areas offer preferential parking for
car/vanpools.
 Parking
 Limited
 Most pay for parking
5
Study
Components
Employer
One-on-One
Interviews
Commuter
Self-Administered
Surveys
6
About the study
 32 Employer Interviews
 586 Commuter Surveys
 Inner Core – 459 surveys
 Outer Core – 127 surveys
 Conducted July – October 2001
7
Employers Interviewed
<50 employees
Chamber of Commerce
Downtown Norfolk
Council
Hipage Company, Inc.
Systems Engineering
Service
50-99 employees
Glenn & Sadler
Associates
Hanbury Evans et al
Hofheimer Nusbaum
et al
Infinet Co.
Paine Webber, Inc.
S.L. Nusbaum
Taylor & Walker PC
Wachovia
100-249 employees
250-499 employees
Advantis
Coast Guard
KPMG Peat Marwick
Goodman & Company
McArthur Center Mall
Marriott
Merrill Lynch
Norfolk Southern Corp.
Nordstroms
Tidewater Community
Norfolk Housing &
College (TCC)
Redevelopment
NYT Shared Service
500+ employees
Cntr.
Bank of America
Radisson
City of Norfolk
R S Glasser & M Glasser
Norfolk State
Wilcox & Savage PC
VA Pilot
WVEC Television, Inc.
8
Employer Findings
9
Employers do not think
traffic congestion is a big
problem.
 Traffic congestion caused few problems
for business.
 To a few, the unpredictability of traffic flow
was most problematic.
 Parking problem
more serious
 However, they fear that Hampton Roads
traffic has the potential to become a
major problem.
10
Bridges and tunnels
are the major trouble
spots.
 Trouble spots:
 Bridge and tunnel congestion during peak
travel times.
 Downtown back-ups during inclement
weather.
11
Employers ideas to relieve
traffic congestion.
 Increase/improve tunnel crossings
 Offer more flextime or staggered work
hours
 Encourage ridesharing
 Improve and expand current bus service
 Implement light rail
12
Who pays for parking?
Among those interviewed…
 Over half paid all parking costs for
employees.
 Another quarter subsidized parking costs.
 Employees who do not receive paid or
subsidized parking from their employer are
generally:
 low-level service workers
 employees in commission-based financial jobs
13
Employer’s ideas to
address parking
issues.
 Build more parking decks
 Improve frequency and convenience of the
NET
 Provide better information about the NET
schedule
 Post better signage to tourists to identify
parking areas
 Improve parking conditions at Harbor Park
 Implement consistent parking fees
 Relocate business out of downtown
14
Most employers were not
favorable towards
Harbor Park.
 Inconvenient location for employees
 Perceived security risks - especially during evening
hours and for female employees
 Lack of lighting
 Lot is partially paved and not always wellmaintained
 No protection from the elements
 Floods during rain
 NET is not consistently available when needed
 Lot is unusable during daytime ball games
15
Employers want to see
NET schedules.
 Employers are aware of the NET.
 Unfamiliar with the schedule.
 Unaware that service was available to
downtown workers other than for parking
lot shuttling.
 Fear the NET would not move in a timely
manner. This perception was in part, due to
the absence of printed schedules.
16
Employers suggested
improvements to the
NET.
 Provide shuttle schedules.
 Offer more service during non-peak times,
including evenings.
 Select more convenient pick-up sites.
 Build shelters to protect commuters from bad
weather.
 Revise NET route maps to improve
comprehension.
 Train NET drivers in customer service issues.
 Consider offering smaller buses for non-peak
times.
17
Employers just don’t know
about TRAFFIX .
 Currently, there are only two formal
transportation programs in the
companies that were interviewed.
 Interviews revealed low awareness of,
and participation in employee-sponsored
transportation programs.
18
But they are willing to help.
Employers unfamiliar with the
TRAFFIX program eagerly volunteered
to provide employees with information
about alternative transportation and
the NET shuttle system.
19
Preferential Parking
was preferred.
 Employers prefer preferential
parking for carpoolers as a
ridesharing program.
 Minimal investment of time and
money
 Commuters would use it
20
Commuter Findings
21
Who participated?
Other
23%
Finance
33%
Education
5%
Retail
3%
Government
Contractors
8%
Suppliers/Services
41%
22
Occupation of
participants
48%
Office Support
13%
Financial
Professional
10%
Technical/R&D
10%
Retail
6%
13%
Other
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
23
The Commute to
Work
 Where do downtown Norfolk
workers live?
 How do they travel to and from
work?
 What is their workweek like?
24
Where do downtown
Norfolk workers live?
VA Beach
37%
Norfolk
24
Chesapeake 21
Peninsula
7
Portsmouth 5
Suffolk
4
Other
2
25
Current Commute
Mode
Area
Drive alone 87%
Carpool
7
Bus
2
SOV %
Oceanfront area
66%
Naval Station Norfolk
81%
Oakland Industrial Park
85%
Norfolk Commerce Park
86%
87%
Combination
2
Hampton Area
Other
2
Downtown Norfolk
87%
Oyster Point area
88%
Lynnhaven Mall area
91%
26
The daily commute
 Average distance to work: 14 miles
 Very compressed morning and evening
“rush hours” (8:00 –9:00 a.m.; 5:006:00 p.m.)
 Most work a traditional Monday-Friday
workweek.
 41% use their car at least once a week
for work-related travel.
 Commonly use the area’s major
roadways for their commute (I-264,
I-64, I-464).
27
Where do commuters stop
on their way to and from
work?
61%
Grocery/Convenience Store
37%
Bank/ATM
28%
Fast Food/Dine-in Restaurant
20%
Daycare/Childcare Facility
12%
Physical Fitness Center
12%
Dry Cleaners
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
28
Transportation
Alternatives
 Are commuters familiar with
area alternatives?
 Do commuters use these
alternatives?
29
Area Transportation
Alternatives
Tested
 NET (Norfolk Electric Transit) Shuttle
Service
 Harborlink Park and Sail Program
 Portsmouth Park and Sail Program
 Downtown Norfolk HOV Express Bus
service
 Guaranteed Ride Program
30
Familiarity and usage of
area services.
% who
are
familiar
% who
have used
the service
NET
78%
48%
Harborlink
Park & Sail
33%
6%
HOV Express
Bus 26%
Portsmouth
Park & Sail
28%
15%
Guaranteed
Ride Home
22%
12%
7%
31
Parking
 Where do commuters park?
 How much do employers and
commuters pay for parking?
 Do commuters think that
parking is a problem?
32
Where commuters
park.
Parking Garage
71%
Worksite
14%
Off-Site Parking
Lot
8%
Side Street
1%
Varies
2%
Do not park a
vehicle 4%
33
Who pays for
parking?
Employer
Pays All
Employer
Pays Part
Commuter
Pays All
% of Sample
49%
21%
20%
Avg. monthly
Cost to
Commuter
$0
$30
$70
Avg. monthly
cost to
employer
$76
$35
$0
Parking Garage
Parking Garage
Off-Site Parking
Lot
Most often park
at…
34
Commuters say parking
is a problem.
35%
30%
30%
25%
21%
24%
20%
14%
15%
11%
10%
5%
0%
5
Very Big
Problem
4
3
2
Problem
1
No
35
How does this
compare to other
areas?
Area
% who view parking
as a problem
Oceanfront area
66%
Downtown Norfolk
45
Norfolk Commerce Park
35
Lynnhaven Mall area
9
36
Interest in
Harbor Park
Would commuters park in
Harbor Park and walk or
take the NET to their
worksite if their employers
paid for parking?
23%
said
“YES”
 However, employers are critical.
Inconvenient location
Lot is partially paved
Lack of lighting
Perceived security risks
No protection from weather
Flooding when it rains
NET is not always available
Lot is not available during
daytime ballgames
37
Willingness to
Rideshare
 Are SOV commuters willing
to share a ride at least once
a week?
 Who is the target audience?
38
42% say they will consider
ridesharing.
40%
29%
32%
26%
30%
20%
13%
10%
0%
Very likely Somewhat
likely
Not very
likely
Not at all
likely
39
Among commuters…willingness to
occasionally rideshare is
high.
Area
% Willing
to Rideshare
Downtown Norfolk
42%
Naval Station Norfolk
42%
Oakland Industrial Park
39%
Norfolk Commerce Park
33%
Hampton Area
30%
Oyster Point
26%
Oceanfront area
26%
Lynnhaven Mall area
24%
Highest
40
Who is the target
audience?
41
As in other studies, carpool is
the preferred alternate
mode.
39%
Carpool
16%
Light Rail
9%
Express Bus
Vanpool
4%
Regular Bus
3%
Ferry
3%
Walk
1%
24%
Multiple Modes
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
42
Incentives boost interest
among the target
audience.
Park & Ride
Lot/Shuttle
50%
48%
Vanpools
44%
Employer subsidies
38%
Ridematching
34%
Guaranteed Ride
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
43
More frequent pick-ups and
access to information would
encourage bus usage.
Suggestion
%
Nothing
53%
More frequent pick-ups
23
Access to route and
schedule information
19
More drop-off points
17
Employer pays a portion of
bus costs
11
Offer a bus route near home
3
Offer Express bus route
2
Other
4
44
Key Findings
45
The Work
Commute
 Majority drive alone.
 Have longer work trip than commuters in previous studies.
 Peak morning and evening travel periods are very
compressed.
 Four in ten (41%) commuters say they use their car
for work-related travel at least once per week.
 Commuters most often stop at grocery stores during
their work commute.
46
Transportation
Alternatives
 Downtown commuters have several transportation
alternatives.

Awareness and usage is highest for the NET.
 Over half (53%) of the sample indicated no
improvements to HRT bus service would encourage
them to ride the bus.
 However, more frequent pick-ups and access to information
would encourage bus usage for some.
47
Traffic
Congestion
 Many employers say that traffic congestion does not
currently pose a serious problem for their business.
 Employers gave a variety of suggestions to help
relieve traffic congestion in the areas of concern.
48
Parking
 During the workday, the majority (71%) of commuters
park their vehicle in a parking garage.
 Over half of the employers questioned paid all parking
costs for their employees and another quarter offered
subsidized parking.
 Nearly half (45%) of commuters believe that parking
in Downtown Norfolk is problematic. Parking is the
REAL problem for employers.
 About one-quarter (23%) of commuters indicate they
would be interested in parking in Harbor Park and
walking or taking the NET to their worksite if their
employer paid for parking.
But employers are
skeptical.
49
Willingness
to Help
 Few employers currently offer formal transportation
programs to employees, but they are eager to provide
information.
 Four in ten (42%) of SOV commuters say they would
consider using an alternate mode of travel for their
work commute at least once a week.
 Information about several commuter incentives
programs increased willingness to rideshare.
50
Recommendations
51
Reach out to area
businesses and
commuters.
 Co-sponsor downtown activities.
 Offer a “Lunch and Learn” session.
 Contact Building Managers to coordinate
lobby promotions.
 Display TRAFFIX information on employer
bulletin boards.
 Make a presentation at Tenant meetings.
 Use the Clean Commute Day as a major
promotional event.
 Work with Chamber of Commerce and
Norfolk Council to gain access to employers.
52
Continue to “get the
word out”.
 Consider advertising in downtown publications.
 Place advertisements in student newspapers.
 Promote TRAFFIX on drive-time radio.
 Share the research findings with the City of
Norfolk.
53
Make ridesharing easier.
 Advocate more preferential parking for carpools
and vanpools.
 Increase dissemination of information about the
NET.
 Further investigate the Harbor Park parking
arrangement.
54
Downtown Norfolk
Transportation Needs
Assessment Study
January 2002
A service of Hampton Roads Transit
Prepared by THE MARKETING SOURCE, INC.
55