Case Study:

Orange County, California

Context

The Orange County Transportation Authority is the consolidated transportation agency responsible for planning, funding, and operating county-wide transportation services in Orange County, California. Orange County has more than 2.5 million residents in 33 municipalities and surrounding unincorporated areas. The County has more than 1.24 million jobs, many of which attract workers from other counties. Figure 1 is a map of the county.

Figure 1. Orange County, California

Development patterns in Orange County present a challenge to the provision of effective transit services. Much of the county and its transportation system developed after World War II when travel has been dominated by the automobile. During that time, the urban areas within Orange County have grown and spread toward each other. The result is a relatively dispersed land use pattern that is served by an extensive network of freeways and arterial streets.

Within this setting, OCTA manages a regional transit system that is among the largest and fastest-growing in the nation. More than 60,000 individuals per day ride OCTA's 400 buses on 73 local, express and rail feeder routes. Ridership has increased nearly thirteen-fold since 1972, when county-wide bus service was launched with five leased vehicles serving approximately 1,300 daily riders. Figure 2 provides a map of the current fixed route transit system.

Figure 2. OCTA Fixed Route Transit System

Even with the auto-oriented development patterns in the county, mass transit plays a vital role in the transportation system. Demographic data indicate a growing transit-reliant population in the county. The transit-reliant population includes:

• Senior citizens;

• Teenagers and children;

• Persons with disabilities; and

• Residents of low-income households that cannot afford an automobile.

In addition to the transit-reliant population, a growing number of people in the county are choosing transit for their commutes to and from work. OCTA's bus system serves all employment concentrations within the county and also provides connections to nearby commuter rail and light rail services. By attracting automobile drivers to transit, OCTA's bus system helps to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.

Because of the critical services provided by the transit system and the challenges presented by development patterns in the county, OCTA must manage its resources carefully in the provision of bus services. To accomplish this objective, OCTA must deal with complex questions on transportation behavior, demographics, and land use. This task requires data, spatial analysis techniques, and skilled personnel. OCTA uses a geographic information system - a GIS - as a primary tool in answering these questions.

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