Title
Recommendation to Provide Comments on the Draft Strategies and List of Projects and Actions for the Citywide Transit and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan. (Transportation 91625)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Recommendation to Provide Comments on the Draft Strategies and List of Projects and Actions for 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 and employment growth throughout the Bay Area region. Although the City’s population, housing levels and actual volume of vehicles leaving Alameda during the morning commute have not changed significantly over the past several years, the increased traffic and construction on the freeways and the increase in employment rates have increased commute times, congestion, and the community’s interest in improving the City’s transportation system. In response, the following actions have occurred:
• On January 21, 2015, the City Council directed staff to begin efforts to conduct a holistic approach to transportation citywide.
• On February 25, 2015, a joint Transportation Commission and Planning Board meeting refined the proposed citywide transportation planning effort.
• On April 1, 2015 and September 15, 2015, the City Council directed staff to move forward with a refined approach and a request for proposal 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 with data collection/review, existing conditions and goals/objectives.
• In mid-2016, the consulting/staff team conducted the first round of outreach on the existing conditions and goals/objectives work. The Existing Conditions memo is shown in Exhibit 1. This first round of outreach includes:
o Organizational Advisory Group meeting #1: April 20
o Community Workshop #1: May 5
o Transportation Commission: May 25
o Commission on Disability Issues: June 8
o Planning Board: June 27
o Web Survey #1: June through August
o Public Opinion Survey: September
o Survey Results to Council: October 30
• In mid/late 2016, the consulting team prepared draft strategies, projects and actions, and began the second round of outreach, which is the purpose of this meeting. This second round of outreach includes:
o Organizational Advisory Group meeting #2: October 13
o Community Workshop #2: October 19
o Web Survey #2: October
o Transportation Commission: November 16
o Planning Board: December 12
o Commission on Disability Issues: December 14
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.
• TDM Plan: Create a more efficient transportation system by improving transit services, carpooling, car-sharing, 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.
DISCUSSION
The purpose of this meeting is to provide input on the draft strategies, projects and actions that are shown in Exhibit 2 (memo), Exhibit 3 (draft remaining projects that staff did not recommend) and Exhibit 4 (PowerPoint).
Goals and Objectives
The Draft Strategies Memorandum draws from the goals and objectives that were created earlier this year for the Transit and TDM Plan as follows:
Goals
• Estuary Crossings: No increase in drive alone trips at island crossings, especially in the peak period.
• Alameda Trips: Decrease drive alone trips within Alameda.
Objectives
The objectives were developed to define specific outcomes that help meet the goals.
• Access: Improve access to transportation facilities including BART stations, ferry terminals and bus stops.
• Climate Change: Provide programs and strategies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Drive Alone Trips: Provide programs and strategies to reduce drive alone trips, including those related to transit, bicycling, walking, car-sharing and ridesharing, and new transportation technologies.
• Equity: Ensure transportation improvements are applied equitably for all users including senior, low-income, and minority populations, and are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and guidelines.
• Land Use: Integrate land use changes and transportation improvements.
• Parking: Use parking management strategies to reduce incentives to driving.
• Partnerships: Maintain positive partnerships with transit operators, adjacent jurisdictions, the private sector and other key stakeholders to leverage monies and expertise.
• Prioritize: Elevate the priority of transit, bicycling, walking, car-sharing and ridesharing, especially for youth and for first-mile/last-mile transportation choices.
• Public Awareness: Increase public, employee/employer and residential association awareness of transportation options.
• Safety: Emphasize safety in the planning, design and implementation of all transportation improvements.
• Transit Frequency/Reliability: Improve transit frequency, reliability and times, especially in the peak period.
Community Input Summary
The Draft Strategies Memorandum draws from community input that was received to date for the Transit and TDM Plan. 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>), two web-based surveys, and the Transportation Commission, the Planning Board, the Commission on Disability Issues, the Mayor’s Economic Development Advisory Panel, and City Council meetings. Exhibit 5 shows the comments received to date on the draft strategies. Exhibit 6 provides a memo on the results of the public opinion survey.
A summary of the key findings from the public opinion survey is as follows with the full report shown in Exhibit 6:
• Free Bus Service: Two-thirds of respondents (69%) would use locally-sponsored free buses (supplementing existing AC transit) serving BART, ferry terminals and Alameda shopping. Only a third (33%) would support higher sales or property taxes to pay for locally sponsored free buses.
• BART to Alameda: Two-thirds of respondents (65%) would strongly support (47%) or support somewhat (18%) a BART station in Alameda.
• Island Crossings: 61% of respondents stated that traffic congestion at island crossings at rush hour is either a major issue (42%) or an issue (19%).
• School Access: 64% of respondents strongly agreed (46%) or agreed (18%) that Alameda should make it easier to walk, bicycle or take transit to and from schools.
• Multimodal Destinations: 58% of respondents strongly agreed (37%) or agreed (21%) that Alameda should make it easier to walk, bicycle or take transit to destinations rather than relying on a car. Only 29% of respondents would support higher sales or property taxes to improve transit, bicycling and walking conditions in Alameda.
• Bike Share: 58% of respondents strongly disagreed (48%) or disagreed (10%) that they would use a bike share system in Alameda.
• Parking: 54% of respondents strongly disagreed (39%) or disagreed (15%) that more of Alameda’s parking spaces should be dedicated to bicycle, transit and walking uses.
• Driving/Parking Easier: 50% of respondents strongly agreed (33%) or agreed (17%) that Alameda should make it easier to drive and park in our city.
The main themes that arose at the Organizational Advisory Meeting on October 13 and at the Community Workshop on October 19 are as follows:
• Transit and multimodal solutions should serve the entire island, including areas where future development is planned;
• Transit service should be expanded in terms of service frequency, affordability, and available routes as well as on existing routes, including for riders coming to Alameda as a destination;
• The pace of implementation should be speeded up, whenever possible; and
• The highest ranked projects that participants would use included:
o Estuary Water Shuttle to/from Oakland
o Enhanced West End Estuary Crossing
o BART to Alameda
o Bus Stop Improvements
o Free Bus Service
The main themes that arose from the Mayor’s Economic Development Advisory Panel on November 2, 2016, the Transportation Commission meeting on November 16, 2016, the Planning Board on December 12, 2016 and the Commission on Disability Issues on December 14, 2016 are as follows:
• Organize, “package” and prioritize the list of projects and actions in a way that creates a clear sense of focus on addressing the most pressing transportation issues with careful attention paid to the projects or groups of projects that best address congestion at the crossings.
• Expand on how a project or group of projects meet the goals and on the benefits/impacts associated with these groups of projects so that the City can prioritize its resources to focus on those groups of projects with the greatest potential benefit.
• Separate out policies from projects/actions and create better consistency among the types and level of projects/actions.
• Evaluate whether we should continue to focus the plan on projects/actions to San Francisco since these strategies are already working effectively.
• Evaluate whether the freeway project should be included in this planning effort.
• Ensure that the projects and actions address the TDM aspects of the planning effort not just the transit component.
• Address disability issues including accessible pedestrian signals.
• Improve the clarity of the project descriptions.
• Consider moving the free bus service up to mid-term, not long-term.
• Tie the TDM/Transit Plan to the Economic Development Strategic Plan.
• Provide a list of projects/actions that are easier to do and accomplish.
• Assess equity and use the assessment to inform the planning process.
• A request by Bike Walk Alameda to continue the Estuary Crossing Shuttle as it accommodates more bikes, odd-sized bikes and trailers, to provide more project details, to measure greenhouse gas reductions, and to reduce parking requirements for future construction.
• A request by the West Alameda Business Association to add a public parking garage to the district due to the loss of the Taylor/Webster lot and new developments.
• Include the use of ride-hailing services such as Lyft and Uber to the City’s paratransit program.
• Want short-term bike lanes on the Miller-Sweeney Bridge.
• Focus on improving the transportation options and not on the “stick” or the disincentives to drive alone.
• Consider adjusting school or City hours.
• Include transit incentives such as free rides as part of transportation awareness campaigns.
• Add a separate autonomous vehicle/smart city project.
Strategies Summary
The Draft Strategies Memorandum - as shown in Exhibit 2 - recommends four strategies, each with corresponding projects and actions that will expand the transportation options in Alameda based on the issues identified during the existing conditions phase of the planning effort. Each of the four strategies identifies a specific transportation issue and includes:
1) Improving multimodal access to/from Oakland and BART: Downtown Oakland is the destination for a high percentage of drive-alone trips from Alameda. More than 3,000 Alamedans travel to downtown Oakland for work, of which approximately 70 percent drive alone. Additionally, there are currently more than 20,000 people who commute to Alameda for work or school, of which 76 percent drive alone. Because Oakland and Alameda are close, the travel time to/from Oakland by transit, walking and bicycling can be short enough to encourage people to shift modes.
2) Improving multimodal access to/from San Francisco: The high level of transit service to/from San Francisco is an amenity that draws many people to live, work and play in Alameda. For example, almost 80 percent of Alamedans commuting to/from San Francisco use transit. Nevertheless, ferry and BART parking facilities and Transbay buses are at capacity so investing in improved access to ferry terminals and BART stations, increased carpooling options and improved speed and reliability for AC Transit Transbay service will result in transit ridership growth and will capture new residents and employees as riders.
3) Improving multimodal access within Alameda: Promoting alternative modes for intra-island trips contributes to a higher quality of life for people who live and work in Alameda, and improves mobility for those who do not have a car or may not have the ability to drive such as youth, seniors and individuals with disabilities. It also can encourage trips to business districts, which can be congested or have limited available parking.
4) Effectively managing and monitoring transportation efforts: Effectively managing and monitoring transportation programs is a complex task that needs ongoing resources to address transportation issues and evaluate performance, which will in turn ensure that the City will be able to meet its goals of reducing drive alone trips and of improving multimodal mobility.
The projects and actions in each strategy are categorized by: in progress - implementing, ability to complete in the near term (one to three years), mid-term (three to eight years) and long term (over eight years). The memo also shows the projects and actions by mode: transit, bicycling/walking and multimodal, their effectiveness at meeting the goals and objectives, ease of implementation and cost as well as a map that highlights the projects geographically. For the draft plan, the consultant team and staff will review all of the community and Board input, and will evaluate changes to the project list; restructure the format and approach to grouping and prioritizing the projects/action to provide clearer focus; provide more analysis on project costs and the potential impacts of groups of projects and synergies between projects.
Bike Share Feasibility Study
As part of this citywide Transit and TDM Plan, the consulting team prepared the Bike Share Feasibility Study (Exhibit 7) in response to a November 17, 2015 Council referral, interest from the business community, and a Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) regional grant program that covers bike share capital costs. Bike share is a rapidly expanding new transit option used around the U.S. and world that provides a network of bicycles that can be checked out for a fee. Bicycles are typically used for short trips to connect to and from transit and major commercial, employment and tourist destinations. Beginning in spring 2017, the regional “Bay Area Bike Share” program will expand from 700 to 7,000 bicycles with networks for the first time in three East Bay cities (Oakland, Berkeley and Emeryville).
The development of the Feasibility Study and a Letter of Interest for the MTC grant program guided staff in considering and deferring the idea of pursuing implementation of a full-scale bike share system in Alameda at this time. Such a system would require significant capital and annual operating expenses, and staff time to establish. While Alameda could become a part of the Bay Area Bike Share system, the costs of this system are set in a contract between MTC and the private owner/operator (Motivate) and are higher than other more flexible systems. Although the MTC grant would cover most of the capital costs, the minimum size of the grant was larger than the City would likely need to initiate a program here.
Instead, staff suggests pursuing a phased approach starting with the Alameda Point bicycle loaner program that is required as part of the Site A development, and to continue to monitor the evolving technology and the development of other bike share systems in the Bay Area, some of which may be better suited to Alameda’s size and needs. MTC is expected to issue a second call for projects for their bike share capital program in the next few years, at which time the City may be ready to apply for funding. Because other topics ranked higher than bike share as a priority for community members in the Transit and TDM Plan public opinion survey - such as making it easier for students to walk, bike or take transit to/from schools - staff has proposed this lower cost and more incremental approach to bike share.
Next Steps
The next steps involve incorporating input received into a Draft Transit and TDM Plan, which is expected to come to the City Council in spring 2017. For the draft plan, the consultant team and staff will review all of the community and board input, and will evaluate changes to the project list; restructure the format and approach to grouping and prioritizing the projects/action to provide clearer focus; provide more analysis on project costs and the potential impacts of groups of projects and synergies between projects. Upon preparing a draft plan, City staff will engage the community in a review and comment period. The study team is expected to request City Council approval of the plan by July 2017.
To assist with this stage of the planning effort, the study team is requesting the City Council provide input on the Draft Strategies Memorandum. Specific questions to answer include:
• What do City Council Members think about the draft projects/actions?
• Are there other projects/actions that should be included?
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The total estimated cost for the Citywide Transit and TDM Plans 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 the 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 Plans 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 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
Provide comments on the Draft Strategies and List of Projects and Actions for the Citywide Transit and 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. Draft Existing Conditions Memorandum
2. Draft Strategies Memorandum
3. Draft Remaining Projects and Actions List
4. Community Member Comments
5. Public Opinion Survey Results
6. Bike Share Feasibility Study