Title
Recommendation to Adopt Draft City of Alameda Transportation Choices Plan. (Transportation 91625)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Jill Keimach, City Manager
Re: Recommendation to Adopt Draft City of Alameda Transportation Choices Plan
BACKGROUND
On November 7, 2017, the City Council reviewed the Draft Transportation Choices Plan after receiving input from the Planning Board on September 25, 2017, the Transportation Commission on September 27, 2017, and 2 years of community process and review. The City Council directed staff to return to a subsequent City Council meeting for final approval of a Draft Plan that shows a redline version and a final copy clean version as a consent item. At tonight’s City Council meeting, City staff is requesting that the City Council approve the Draft Transportation Choices Plan (Exhibit 1), which incorporates comments received at the November 7, 2017 City Council meeting. The revisions to the Draft Plan are shown in the redline version (Exhibit 1), and are summarized in the Discussion section below in this staff report.
Purpose
The Transportation Choices Plan tackles transportation issues with a comprehensive citywide approach by providing more transportation options for Alamedans with the goal of reducing thousands of drive alone trips at the crossings and through Alameda over the next 15 years. The purpose of the Transportation Choices Plan is to help ensure that the City sustains its high quality of life during a time of current and anticipated population and employment growth throughout the Bay Area region. During this two year citywide planning effort, the City and the consultant team identified numerous diverse and scalable opportunities for strategic transportation investment and coordination with transit operators to provide Alamedans with enhanced transportation options and safety while reducing congestion, our carbon footprint and air pollution.
Goals
The Transportation Choices Plan provides an implementation-focused blueprint for how the City can improve transportation infrastructure and services in Alameda over the next 15 years to achieve the two goals discussed below:
• Estuary Crossings: Decrease drive alone trips at estuary crossings, especially in the peak period back to 2010 levels of drive alone trips at the estuary crossings before the economy boomed and congestion increased. By implementing the Plan’s proposed projects and programs, it is expected that drive alone trips at estuary crossings will decrease from the 2030 baseline of 14,400 drive alone trips in the morning peak hour to 11,900, which is a 17 percent decrease and the high mode shift estimate and comparable to 2010 levels of drive alone trips. Staff and the consulting team are recommending this high end estimate as a stretch goal after hearing from community members and the Planning Board and Transportation Commission in September.
• Within Alameda: Increase the share of walking, bicycling, bus and carpool trips within Alameda. The Plan’s projects and programs are expected to increase non-drive alone trips by almost 14 percent from the 2030 baseline, an increase from 24,200 non-drive alone trips to 27,500 non-drive alone trips throughout a typical weekday. By implementing the Plan’s proposed projects and programs, it is expected that drive alone trips within Alameda will decrease from the 2030 baseline of 41,000 drive alone trips on a typical weekday to 37,700, which is a total of 3,300 trips.
The next steps involve implementing the Plan, which already is partially funded through grants and local monies in the City’s two-year budget and the Capital Improvement Program totaling $61 million. These funded projects include the Cross Alameda Trail, dedicated bus lanes on Appezzato Parkway, Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan updates, Central Avenue safety improvements, Otis Drive traffic calming, a transportation awareness campaign and monitoring/evaluation. Staff will be working on these funded projects and programs, and will be seeking funds with its partner agencies - AC Transit, Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), Caltrans and the Alameda Transportation Management Association (Alameda TMA) - to implement the remaining projects and programs that are listed in the Plan.
DISCUSSION
Staff is requesting approval of the Draft Transportation Choices Plan, which is shown in Exhibit 1 with revisions in redline text that capture input from the City Council meeting and in Exhibit 1 as a finalized Draft Plan document. A summary of the revised completion time frame and priorities in the Plan are shown below.
Three time frames for completion are identified:
• Near-Term Completion: 1 to 3 Years (18 projects)
• Mid-Term Completion: 3 to 8 Years (16 projects)
• Long-Term Completion: 8 + Years (5 projects)
Each near-term and mid-term project was identified as either:
• High Priority (24 projects)
• Medium Priority (10 projects)
• Long-term projects will need further analysis for an assessment of priority (5 projects)
The following section summarizes the key themes from the City Council meeting on November 7, 2017 and shows how staff and the consultant team addressed them:
1. Explore an Alameda intra-city shuttle, as proposed by the Greater Alameda Business Association, with specific direction from the City Council to include exploration of a shuttle program; evaluation of potential phasing options, including the Crosstown Bus (Project #22) as a first phase; and consultation and coordination with AC Transit.
Response: Staff and the consultant team added a new project titled “Alameda Shuttle Exploration” that includes conducting an evaluation by City transportation staff, in consultation with the Alameda community, AC Transit and shuttle experts, of the requirements for implementation of a free, frequent citywide shuttle system with connections to BART and the ferry terminals. Shuttle costs and funding requirements as well as phasing opportunities will be developed and assessed.
2. Want the Plan to be a “living document” with a near-term progress report in one year to the City Council, which may direct staff to make adjustments as necessary.
Response: Staff and the consultant team added a preface in the Executive Summary and Introduction chapters, which defines the Plan as a “living document” that provides a framework for implementing citywide transportation projects and programs. The preface explains that the Plan will be adapted and modified over time, including the potential removal of projects, to ensure that the City is meeting the highest priority needs of community members as the nature of transportation and development change. Additionally, the Plan will be integral to the development of the City’s 5 year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) which is updated with the biennial budget. It is also expected that the Transportation Commission will continue to monitor Plan implementation progress on a quarterly basis as required in its bylaws. The City Council will provide staff direction upon review of annual reports of Plan implementation. Furthermore, the list and ranking of projects will change as further information is developed for each project and as there are changes in the City’s priorities and the desires of the community. Finally, acceptance of this plan does not constitute approval of the projects and programs that are identified. Each project and program will need to undergo additional levels of review, public comment involving community members and key stakeholders such as Caltrans, Alameda County, AC Transit and the City of Oakland, environmental study and design development before an actual decision is made to move forward.
3. Provide more data in the Plan on existing conditions related to Oakland and BART access.
Response: Staff and the consultant team added travel pattern data related to Oakland and BART in the Existing Conditions chapter, which is summarized as follows:
• The top three destinations for Alameda commuters are San Francisco totaling 7,189 Alameda commuters, Oakland at 6,290 commuters and within Alameda at 4,565 commuters.
• 51 percent of morning vehicle trips from Alameda are going to Oakland with 24 percent specifically to downtown Oakland.
• Daily BART boardings originating from Alameda total 2,395, and the Fruitvale station attracts the most riders from Alameda with more than 1,300 daily trips originating in Alameda.
4. Work with the homeowners on Bay Farm Island to reconsider the Island Drive bus lane project from the Plan.
Response: Staff and the consultant team met with Bay Farm Island homeowner associations and after receiving significant feedback and several HOA resolutions opposed to the project, staff removed the Island Drive bus lane project from the Plan as shown in Exhibit 2 - Public Comments.
5. Want the AC Transit EasyPass expansion to be completed in the near term.
Response: Staff and the consultant team identified the EasyPass expansion program as a high priority and moved it to near-term completion.
6. Add the consideration of speed limit reduction to 25 miles per hour for Tilden Way and Main Street projects.
Response: Staff and the consultant team included the consideration of posted speed limit reductions as part of the Clement Avenue/Tilden Way and Main Street complete street projects that are listed under Project 30 - Vision Zero Safety Improvements and Traffic Calming.
7. Add more details to the congestion management description to clarify this project and to continue exploration of this possibility.
Response: Staff and the consultant team added more details to Project 36 - Comprehensive Congestion Management. The new text describes that pricing can be used to encourage motorists to use alternative travel modes or to schedule their trips outside of the peak periods of congestion. Bridge and tubes, such as those crossing the estuary, are common candidates for pricing. Congestion pricing is a potential means of funding other long-term projects that may have ongoing operating costs, such as a new bike/pedestrian bridge or the EasyPass program. The City would need to obtain legislative approval at the state level to levy tolls and it would need to be coordinated with Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Additionally, staff will be coordinating with experts to prepare a technical memorandum exploring how this could work in Alameda and what alternatives and issues may arise.
8. Request to advance progress on a west end crossing, including the bicycle/pedestrian bridge (Project 39) and the dedicated transit/bike/pedestrian tube (Project 37).
Response: Staff is developing a work scope for a detailed west end crossing engineering study.
9. Want the Main Street bikeway gap to be completed in the near term.
Response: Staff and the consultant team have highlighted this project as near-term completion under Project 30 (Vision Zero Safety Improvements and Traffic Calming). Staff will prioritize this Main Street gap project in the biennial budget process for City Council consideration.
10. Move Vision Zero as a higher priority, and emphasize the importance of traffic calming.
Response: Staff and the consultant team have placed the vision zero projects as high priority as shown in the Vision Zero Safety Policy/Plan related to the Bicycle Plan Update (Project 2) and the Pedestrian Plan Update (Project 9) and the Vision Zero Safety Improvements and Traffic Calming (Project 30). Public Works staff is in the process of creating a traffic calming policy and evaluation criteria to ensure a comprehensive approach to improving safety.
11. Prioritize ferry access at both the Main Street and Harbor Bay ferry terminals, including ferry parking charges that could be used to fund other access improvements and monitoring impacts of transportation network company (TNCs) such as Uber, Lyft, Waze and Scoop.
Response: Staff and the consultant team have moved the ferry access projects to high priority and near-term completion as shown in Project 5 (Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal Access) and Project 6 (Main Street Ferry Terminal Access). These projects have new language that addresses how proceeds from parking charges could be used to fund other access improvements and services and that monitors TNCs to ensure that these services are not physically interfering with the reliability of bus access.
12. Address the need to enforce the Constitution Way carpool lanes (Project 15).
Response: Staff and the consultant team, in consultation with the Police Department, added this enforcement requirement that will need to be considered as part of the project costs.
In conclusion, staff recommends City Council adoption of the Draft City of Alameda Transportation Choices Plan (Exhibit 1).
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The total estimated cost for the Transportation Choices Plan is $395,000, and is expected to be within budget. 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 Transportation Choices Plan on January 19, 2016. Funding for future projects outlined in the Transportation Choices Plan will come from a variety of sources, and will be identified as part of the City’s budget process as projects move forward.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
This action does not affect the Alameda Municipal Code. Undertaking the Transportation Choices Plan is consistent with the Transportation Element of the City's General Plan, which states that the City shall update planning documents as shown below:
• 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.
• Policy 4.3.1.a: Update and implement the recommendations of the Alameda Long Range Transit Plan.
• Policy 4.3.2.d: Develop and implement a Pedestrian Master Plan with regard to physical system improvements, as well as programs and policies relating to encouragement, education and enforcement.
• Policy 4.3.3.a: Maintain and implement the Bicycle Master Plan with regard to physical system improvements (especially the identified priority projects), as well as programs and policies relating to encouragement, education and enforcement.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Transportation Choices Plan implements the Transportation Element of the General Plan adopted in January 2009. The General Plan Transportation Element Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), certified in January 2009 by the City Council, considered adoption of subsequent, implementation plans. When individual construction projects are advanced in the implementation process, a more detailed, project-specific analysis will be conducted to determine if there are any significant environmental impacts requiring mitigation. Implementation of the proposed Plan will result in a reduction in the number of motor vehicle trips and automobile related greenhouse gas emissions in Alameda and the region. Further, this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3), which states “The activity is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA.”
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt Draft City of Alameda Transportation Choices 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 Transportation Choices Plan - Redline Edits and Final
2. Public Comments