Title
Recommendation to Discuss the Existing Conditions and Goals/Objectives of the Citywide Transit and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan. (Base Reuse 819099)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Recommendation to Discuss the Existing Conditions and Goals/Objectives of the Citywide Transit and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan
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 anticipated population growth throughout the Bay Area region. Although the City’s population, housing levels and actual volume of vehicles leaving Alameda during the morning commute hasn’t changed significantly over the past several years, the increased traffic on the freeways and the increase in employment rates on the Island and in the region have increased commute times and the community’s interest in improving the City’s transportation system.
In response to community requests and a Council referral by Councilmember Daysog, the Council directed staff on January 21, 2015 to begin efforts to conduct a holistic approach to transportation Citywide.
Since the referral, the work to date on this planning effort includes:
• On February 25, 2015, a joint Transportation Commission and Planning Board meeting refined the proposed Citywide Transportation.
• On April 1, 2015, a Request for Proposals (RFP), including a draft work scope for the Citywide Transit and TDM Plan was prepared and then published on September 15, 2015.
• 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.
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 and Walnut Creek’s Shopper Shuttle 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. Transportation Demand Management (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: This is a written description 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: the articulated goals, objectives and evaluation criteria for the planning effort, are intended to 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 following two goals have been reviewed and strengthened based on community input.
From: 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.
To: Revised Goals
o Goal 1: No increase in drive alone trips at island crossings, especially in the peak period.
o Goal 2: Decrease drive alone trips 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 main themes that arose at these meetings are as follows:
• Enhanced Alameda Bus Service: A free and frequent bus service traveling within Alameda continues to receive support.
• Bike/Pedestrian Plan Updates: Do not want to forget about these important modes, and want this Transit/TDM Plan to inform the Bicycle Plan and Pedestrian Plan updates.
• Bike Share: The bike share feasibility study will be vetted separately from the citywide Transit/TDM Plan to help prepare the City for a bike share grant application.
• Ferries: Want improved bus services to/from the ferry terminals and want to address the parking issues at the ferry terminals.
• Goals: Want quantitative benchmarks for goals to act as targets for the prioritized strategies.
• New Technologies: Driverless and interconnected vehicles as well as other new transportation such as Uber/Lyft should be addressed.
• Safety: Improved safety for all modes should be a focus of the planning effort.
• Seniors/Disabled: Focus on the needs of individuals with disabilities and seniors, especially because the population is aging.
• West End Island Crossing Access: An additional estuary crossing on/off the island is needed in the west end, especially for bus riders, bicyclists and pedestrians.
• Youth: The transportation of children to/from schools and their activities could be done more efficiently.
As for the subsequent task work for this planning effort, it 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 Easy Passes. 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.
• 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). 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 responded 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 December.
• 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.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The total estimated cost for the Citywide Transit and TDM Plan is $395,000. The funding is coming from the General Fund for $195,000, Measure B for $100,000 and the Base Reuse Department for $100,000. The City Council approved the General Fund budget allocation for the Transit and TDM Plan of up to $200,000 on September 15, 2015 and amended Fiscal Year 2015-16 Budget on October 20, 2015. City Council amended the Measure B and Base Reuse Budgets to fund the remaining cost of the Transit and TDM Plan on January 19, 2016.
Funding for future projects outlined in the final Transit and TDM Plan will most likely come from a variety of sources, and will be identified as projects move forward.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action does not affect the Alameda Municipal Code. Undertaking the Citywide Transit and TDM Plan is consistent with the Transportation Element of the City's General Plan, which states that the City shall update transit and TDM planning documents as shown below:
• Policy 4.3.1.a: Update and implement the recommendations of the Alameda Long Range Transit Plan.
• Policy 4.1.6.e: Support and maintain an up-to-date Transportation System Management (TSM) and TDM plan consistent with state law to provide adequate traffic flow to maintain established level of service.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3).
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation to Discuss the Existing Conditions and Goals/Objectives of the Citywide Transit and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan.
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Ott, Base Reuse and Transportation/Planning Director
By,
Gail Payne, Transportation Coordinator
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Community Comments on Existing Conditions and Goals/Objectives
2. Draft Existing Conditions Memorandum
3. Draft Goals and Objectives Memorandum
4. Transit TDM PDF Presentation