01047621

Component

National Parks including the Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO) are experiencing increases in visitorship. By the mid 1990’s, it became clear to Congress and the National Park Service (NPS) that parks were not well positioned to handle current, much less increased, visitation through their transportation systems. This resulted in Section 3039 of TEA-21 to undertake a comprehensive study of alternative transportation needs in national parks, including CACO. Independent of this effort, there was a grass roots movement on Cape Cod determined to examine ways to handle the problems of congestion. A Cape Cod Transit Summit was held that resulted in the formation of the Cape Cod Transit Task Force (CCTTF) and the Five-Year Public Transportation Plan. Through that planning process, it was determined that the Outer Cape communities had a pressing need for dedicated transit services. A fixed route system was proposed, but deemed unrealistic due to costs and other considerations, and a better idea was developed. This resulted in the development of ‘The Flex’ transit concept. It is a fixed route system along Rt. 6 from Provincetown to Harwichport, with a ¾ mile deviation area on either side of Rt. 6. The NPS has furnished 12 low floor alternative fuel buses as well as flexible software and other hardware. This report examines the processes that lead development and implementation of the ‘Flex’ system, and progress to date.

01042056

07-2803

English

21p

2007

Transportation Research Board 86th Annual Meeting

CD-ROM

Maps; Tables (1)

Fixed routes; Low floor vehicles; National parks; Public transit; Tourism; Traffic congestion; Transportation planning

Cape Cod Transit Task Force; Geometric Design Task Force

Visitors

Cape Cod

Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2007 Paper #07-2803

TRIS, TRB

Feb 8 2007 7:30PM