Title
Review AC Transit’s Draft Comprehensive Operations Analysis Study (Now Rebranded as the Service Enhancement Plan) (Linda Morris/Robert Del Rosario, AC Transit)
Body
Transportation Commission
July 22, 2015
Item 5A
REVIEW AC TRANSIT’S DRAFT COMPREHENSIVE OPERATIONS ANALYSIS STUDY (NOW REBRANDED AS THE SERVICE ENHANCEMENT PLAN)
BACKGROUND
The Comprehensive Operations Analysis (COA) began in the summer of 2014 as a planning effort by AC Transit to improve the operational efficiency of routes while maximizing the effectiveness of service. The COA achieves this by making improvements to existing schedules and routes and, when necessary, consolidating or creating new schedules and route alignments. In the fall of 2014, AC Transit staff conducted the initial round of public outreach for the COA. The purpose of the outreach was to solicit community feedback about existing service, discuss high-level proposals for service expansion/restoration, and explain common trade-offs between transit choices which could affect the outlook of the service network. With this community feedback, along with findings from the 2012 COA, AC Transit Board Policy 550, and other best practices in transit planning, staff developed a matrix of priorities which served as the basis for developing service enhancements.
In the spring of 2015 AC Transit began the second round of community outreach, presenting service improvement proposals to the community to ensure that such proposals met the needs of the community. The project has now been rebranded as the Service Expansion Plan (SEP) as the agency prepares to move from paper proposals to actual, on-street service enhancements. This second round of public outreach and the corollary comment period concludes July 31. After that, AC Transit will make final recommendations for service enhancements and conduct the appropriate CEQA and Title VI equity analyses, with a final report and public hearing scheduled for November 2015. If the plan is adopted by the AC Transit Board it is anticipated that service enhancements could be implemented in the spring of 2016.
DISCUSSION
The top two areas of concern emanating from public surveys were the reliability and frequency of service. AC Transit has received specific feedback regarding service gaps and missed connections from East-West routes to North-South Routes; that is, it is difficult to go from East-West to North-South because buses are either not showing up at their scheduled times or the appropriate routes do not exist in that pattern. Frequency of service is also a major item of concern which the public espoused and, if the frequencies with which buses arrive is increased, can also mitigate problems. Based on public input, AC Transit proposes to introduce a more simplified, legible, reliable service network with less complex routing, and increase frequencies on several core corridors. Practically speaking, many long and circuitous routes and routes which only have service once an hour or less are proposed to be either truncated or eliminated for more efficient service. The resources from these modifications will then be allocated to improve service effectiveness on existing, heavily travelled routes or non-existing routes with a high, potential demand for new service. The original recommendations for the COA in the city of Alameda included three changes:
1) Shift Line O to travel onto Encinal Avenue and eliminate the Fruitvale BART station segment.
2) A new route from Fruitvale BART to Alameda Landing via Shoreline.
3) Combine routes 11 and 31 so that one could travel from City Hall West to Dimond Point in Oakland via Alameda Landing and the 12th St. BART station. This route also provides a connection between the College of Alameda and Laney College, currently served by the Estuary Crossing Shuttle.
On July 8, City of Alameda (City) and AC Transit representatives met for the Inter-Liaison Committee and discussed the SEP recommendations along with long-term proposals. At the meeting, Alameda staff and officials advocated for bringing back the Line 19, which served Buena Vista Avenue. Staff agreed to explore this as an option for the SEP recommendations. On July 13, AC Transit staff met with staff from the City to discuss these recommendations along with other long-term ideas for transit routes in the City. Staff decided that one of the routes envisioned for the long-term could become a short-term SEP recommendation. The Northern Waterfront proposal travels from Fruitvale BART to 12th St. BART via Buena Vista Avenue, similar to the old Line 19. This route parallels much of the new development anticipated along Clement Avenue. With the first development slated for completion in spring 2016 and AC Transit’s plans to implement its expanded services in spring of 2016, staff from both agencies agreed it is beneficial to implement the Northern Waterfront route at this earlier date.
In order to collaborate on this new line, staff will develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and AC Transit to cover the responsibilities of each party and identify the funding sources and financing mechanisms to keep the route operational. Dependent on the MOU and the build-out of future developments, this Northern Waterfront route could be shifted to serve Clement Avenue at a later date. The early implementation of the Northern Waterfront route would mean that the original proposal for a new route between Fruitvale BART to Alameda Landing would be a longer term proposal. The Fruitvale BART to Alameda Landing route requires three buses to operate, as does the Northern Waterfront route. Consequently, one or the other can be implemented but both new routes could not be simultaneously implemented in 2016.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Not applicable.
RECOMMENDATION
Provided for information only.
Respectfully submitted,
Virendra Patel, Transportation Engineer