Transit and Commuter Assistance
The HRMPO coordinates with the Harrisonburg Department of Public Transportation (HDPT) and other regional transit providers to conduct transit planning for the MPO. Transit planning activities include route planning, analysis, and performance evaluations, identification of gaps in the connectivity and hours of transit service, evaluation of workforce mobility needs, provision of Park and Ride lots, and other transportation demand management (TDM) needs region-wide.
HRMPO plays a role in the following:
Transit
Harrisonburg Public Transportation Services
The City of Harrisonburg provides public transportation services via fixed bus routes, para-transit, and coordination with James Madison University. Public transit saves fuel, reduces road traffic, and decreases demand for public parking. Learn more about the public transportation services provided by the City on the Harrisonburg Department of Public Transportation (HDPT) website.
HDPT Transit Strategic Plan
A Transit Strategic Plan (TSP) is a short-range transit plan that outlines the services that HDPT intends to implement during the six-year planning horizon, estimates what resources will be needed, and what funding opportunities are likely to be available.
HDPT developed the TSP in 2024 which was approved by the Harrisonburg City Council in June 2024. The TSP planning process was guided by a Steering Committee that provides input throughout the study process. The technical study tasks were undertaken by Kimley Horn in close consultation with the Steering Committee, HDPT staff, and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT).
Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
The CSPDC’s Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program began in 2009 with the receipt of a Rideshare Transportation Demand Management grant for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT). TDM programs throughout Virginia promote ridesharing and other transportation alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles to assist individuals seeking transportation options to their workplaces and other destinations, mitigate congestion on Virginia’s roadways, and reduce environmental impacts caused by vehicle emissions, roadway expansion, and other transportation-related factors.
The CSPDC adopted the region’s Long-Range TDM Plan at its October 16, 2017 meeting. The TDM Plan provides an overview of the region’s TDM program, details existing services, and identifies program resources.
The TDM Plan provides 23 strategic initiatives that were developed in an effort to augment the CSPDC’s existing TDM program and implement new projects. These initiatives are broken into five categories – marketing and community outreach; carpool/vanpool/ride matching; employer services; alternative travel mode promotion; and TDM and regional planning and coordination.
DRPT requires all Commuter Assistance Programs (CAPs) that receive state funding maintain a Strategic Plan to identify mobility needs in their region and provide programming to meet those needs. The plan has a 5-year horizon, with minor updates occurring on an annual basis and a complete re-write required every 5 years. Rideshare’s current strategic plan (previously referred to as a Transportation Demand Management Plan) was written in 2017. In FY24, Rideshare staff will work with consultants and stakeholders over the course of six months to develop a new plan. The plan must be completed by November of 2024.
Rideshare
RideShare is a program of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission in cooperation with the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission that works to reduce traffic congestion and increase mobility throughout Central Virginia and the Central Shenandoah Valley.
RideShare offers free carpool matching, vanpool coordination, and operate a Guaranteed Ride Home program to provide free rides home in an emergency. RideShare also works with employers to develop and implement traffic reduction programs, and we market the region’s Park and Ride lots.
For more information regarding the CSPDC’s RideShare program, please visit the RideShare website at rideshareinfo.org, or contact Paula Melester at 540-688-3043 or paula@cspdc.org.