Breaking DOWN THE FTA GRANT The Woodlands Township was awarded a $400,000 planning grant by the Federal Transit Administration in June to fund research through 2023 on how to improve commuting services. The FTA grant provides funding for the following:
Haut noted there has been an increase in riders who have been uti- lizing the township’s trolleys through- out 2022. Information provided from the June 22 board meeting shows that in May 2022, there were 11,125 pas- sengers on the trolley system, a slight decrease compared to the previous numbers in March but higher than March 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic started. Prior to the pan- demic, the highest ridership in 2020 had been in February, with 10,037 rid- ers. The most recent data shows May 2022 had around an 11% increase since that time. Information from The Woodlands 2022 January to December scal year budget states the total expenditures for maintaining its transportation fund are around $6.4 million, down around $2.9 million compared to 2021. The township’s budget document indicates around 95% of revenue for the transportation fund comes from grants and passenger bus fares. The total cost for the trolleys them- selves, including personnel costs, was budgeted at around $949,000 for FY 2022, from January to December. Electric vehicle demands increasing Regional experts say the demand
for electric vehicles across the state has been seeing an increase over the past year. Information from the Texas Depart- ment of Motor Vehicles shows there was a 52% increase in alternative fuel vehicle ownership over the past ve scal years. The department reports there were a total of 322,603 vehicles registered in the state in FY 2021 com- pared to the 242,541 in the previous year. However, the DMV notes alterna- tive fueled vehicles only make up around 1% of vehicle ownership in Texas. There was also a 3% increase in electric vehicle registration between 2020 and 2021 to make up 19% of the total alternative fueled vehicles in the state, according to the DMV’s most recent report from November 2021. A DMV o cial said 2022 data is not available at this time. Gavin Dillingham, vice president of the The Woodlands-based Houston Advanced Research Center, which provides independent analysis on energy, air and water issues, said research indicates that despite cur- rent gas prices, driving patterns have not changed signi cantly. “I think it takes a while for people to
change those kinds of habits,” he said. Dillingham noted there has been an increased demand for electric vehi- cles. In The Woodlands, there are a total of 17 electric vehicle charging stations, according to information from energy provider Reliant. Infor- mation from the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration indicates a total of 10 stations around The Wood- lands Mall were registered and devel- oped in late 2019. There has also been an investment in electric vehicle systems at the fed- eral level. In February, the U.S. Depart- ment of Transportation announced a bipartisan bill that includes $7.5 billion to build out around 500,000 elec- tric vehicle charging stations across the country. Dillingham said the increasing number of electric vehicles raises concerns about Texas’s energy grid because of the increased demands from charging stations. “Due to the limited number of elec- tric vehicles, they are being sent to the places where there is a higher demand for them,” Dillingham said.
Finding ways to increase ridership
Reducing travel times
Making service adjustments to increase the quality or frequency of transit
service for low-income riders and disadvantaged neighborhoods or communities
No local match requirement
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
SOURCE: THE WOODLANDS TOWNSHIP, FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION • JULY 2022
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