Title
Discuss the Existing Conditions and Goals/Objectives of the Citywide Transit and Transportation Demand Management Plan and a Potential Expanded Transportation Management Association
Body
To: Honorable President and
Members of the Planning Board
From: Andrew Thomas, AICP
Assistant Community Development Director
BACKGROUND
The purpose of the Citywide Transit and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan is to help ensure that the City sustains its high quality of life during a time of population growth throughout the Bay Area region from 7 million to an expected 9 million population in 2040.
The work to date on this planning effort includes:
• On January 21, 2015, the City Council directed staff to prepare an approach to a comprehensive citywide transportation planning and implementation effort in response to a City Council referral from Councilmember Tony Daysog.
• On February 25, 2015, City staff presented its initial thoughts on an approach to a citywide transportation effort at a joint Transportation Commission and Planning Board meeting.
• On April 1, 2015, the City Council directed staff to move forward with a Request for Proposals (RFP), including a draft work scope for the Citywide Transit and TDM Plan.
• On September 15, 2015, the City Council authorized the Interim City Manager to issue an RFP for the Citywide Transit and TDM Plan.
• On January 19, 2016, the City Council approved the CDM Smith consulting team, which began this 18-month planning effort. In February, the consulting team initiated the project with data collection/review and an internal staff/consulting team meeting, and also began the existing conditions and goals/objectives tasks, which included an Organizational Advisory Group meeting on April 20 and a Community Workshop on May 5. Exhibit 1 summarizes comments received related to these meetings.
The purpose of this meeting is to provide input on the draft existing conditions (Exhibit 2) and draft goals and objectives (Exhibit 3) to assist with this citywide planning effort. Specific questions to answer include:
• Are there existing transportation conditions that we need to investigate further?
• What do you think about the draft goals and objectives of the Transit and TDM Plan?
DISCUSSION
The focus of the Transit and TDM Plan is as follows:
• Transit Plan: Implement transit-related services and infrastructure by directing City funding and by coordinating transit providers such as AC Transit, the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) and BART in their near- and long-term route planning and expansion activities. The Transit Plan also is evaluating the financial feasibility of establishing a free intra-city Alameda shuttle similar to the City of Emeryville’s Emery Go-Round service.
• TDM Plan: Create a more efficient transportation system by improving transit services, carpooling, carsharing, walking, bicycling and parking availability to benefit all Alameda residents and workers. Recommend how to best manage transportation funds and place requirements on new developments to most effectively support transportation options that reduce drive alone trips throughout the City. TDM refers to strategies that provide improved transportation options with the overall goal of decreasing congestion, oil dependence, carbon footprint and air pollution.
The work scope for the existing conditions and goals/objectives tasks is as follows:
• Existing Conditions: Prepare a written description and graphic-focused presentation of the existing conditions, opportunities and obstacles in the City of Alameda to provide data-driven talking points about the existing transportation trends and network. Exhibit 2 is the draft Existing Conditions Memorandum.
• Goals and Objectives: Prepare goals, objectives and evaluation criteria for the planning effort, which will help the City evaluate and prioritize potential transportation improvement strategies. Exhibit 3 is the draft Goals and Objectives Memorandum, which focuses on the following two goals that were discussed at previous Transportation Commission, Planning Board and City Council meetings, and various objectives related to these goals. The two goals included in the scope of work are shown below. Based on further discussions within the consultant team and with community members, we strengthened goal #1. Staff received further input to strengthen goal #2 to be more measurable. The team still is reviewing and discussing that request.
Scope of Work Goals
o Goal 1: Minimize the total net of new single-occupant vehicle trips at the island crossings.
o Goal 2: Enhance multimodal intra-city mobility.
Revised Goals
o Goal 1: No increase in drive alone trips at island crossings, especially in the peak period.
o Goal 2: Enhance multimodal mobility within Alameda.
The next steps for these existing conditions and goals/objectives tasks include updating the information based on input received at the Transportation Commission, Commission on Disability Issues, Planning Board and City Council meetings. The subsequent task work for this planning effort will include a public opinion survey and the development and analysis of strategies, which will be presented in the fall at a community workshop, the Organizational Advisory Group, Transportation Commission, Commission on Disability Issues, Planning Board and City Council. The consulting team is expected to complete the plan by July 2017.
Ongoing Efforts to Improve Transportation
While the Citywide Transit and TDM Plan is in process, the City and the local transit operators continue to work together to improve the City’s transportation system on other parallel tracks. These transportation efforts include the following:
• Bus Service Improvements: As part of AC Transit’s increased revenues from Measure BB, which passed in 2014, the City and AC Transit are working together to restore Line 19 along Buena Vista Avenue and through Marina Village, which is expected to begin in December. The City is working with AC Transit and the Northern Waterfront developers on a public-private partnership to increase frequency to 20-minutes during the peak commute periods and to access AC Transit EasyPasses. Additionally, AC Transit will modify Line 31 to provide new direct service between the College of Alameda and Laney College/Lake Merritt BART station after traveling through downtown Oakland. Minor improvements to Lines 51A, O and W are scheduled for June to improve reliability.
• Expanded Transportation Management Association: The City received a grant last year from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to implement the TDM Plan for Alameda Point. As part of this grant, staff is conducting employee and residential surveys, is preparing a bus service plan, and is recommending an expansion of the Alameda Landing Transportation Management Association (TMA) to include Alameda Point and the Northern Waterfront developments (Exhibit 4). Staff believes that a single consolidated TMA is preferred so as to leverage resources by having a single Annual Report, Transportation Coordinator, marketing effort and website, and there is the potential for other geographic areas to join.
• Main Street Ferry Terminal Access: On May 25, WETA and the City of Alameda hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Officer’s Club parking lot, a paved parking lot with 121 spaces, for Alameda Main Street ferry passengers. The O’Lot project included repaving and lighting along with the installation of a new crosswalk. In addition to the new O’Lot, 12 bicycle lockers were installed. The City and AC Transit are working to obtain funds for a feeder bus to the Main Street ferry terminal, and are exploring other ways to improve the parking situation at Main Street.
• Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal Access: On June 7, the City Council approved a conceptual plan that includes working with WETA and AC Transit to improve AC Transit’s Line 21 service to the ferry terminal, to provide a potential shuttle to the ferry terminal, to initiate a residential permit parking program to reduce impacts on the adjacent neighborhoods and to charge for parking at the ferry terminal parking lot to encourage ferry riders to take alternative modes. Additionally, the 16 existing bicycle lockers at the terminal were refurbished.
• Bike Share Feasibility Study: The City is responding to an MTC call for projects to potentially obtain capital start-up monies for bike share in the City of Alameda. As part of the Transit and TDM Plan, a task included a draft Bike Share Feasibility Study to analyze the potential for bike share. If MTC selects the City after reviewing its June letter of interest submittal then the full application is expected to be due in October.
• Cross Alameda Trail: The City is finalizing the soil remediation plan and the NEPA environmental review, and is expected to start soil remediation work this summer with construction expected later this year.
• Seeking Funding: This Spring, the City submitted a federal TIGER grant application to fully fund the Seaplane Lagoon ferry terminal and access improvements leading to Alameda Point, and also submitted an Active Transportation Program grant to fund the Central Avenue concept.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3).
PUBLIC COMMENT
This coordinated planning effort includes a comprehensive community engagement process consisting of community workshops, organizational advisory group meetings, a public opinion survey, a Citywide Transit and TDM Plan webpage (<http://alamedaca.gov/citywide-transit-tdm-plans>), an ongoing web-based comment page (<http://www.peakdemocracy.com/portals/198/forum_home>), and Transportation Commission, Planning Board, Commission on Disability Issues and City Council meetings.
RECOMMENDATION
Discuss the existing conditions and goals/objectives of the Citywide Transit and TDM Plan and a potential expanded TMA.
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Ott, Base Reuse Director
By,
Gail Payne, Transportation Coordinator
Exhibits:
1. Community Comments on Existing Conditions and Goals/Objectives
2. Draft Existing Conditions Memorandum
3. Draft Goals and Objectives Memorandum
4. Memorandum of the Potential Organizational Structures for Alameda Point Transportation Management Association
5. PowerPoint Presentation