Meeting_Body
AD HOC 2028 OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC GAMES COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 23, 2024
Subject
SUBJECT: PARIS 2024 LESSONS LEARNED REPORT
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE the report on lessons learned by Metro staff that observed public transport for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Issue
ISSUE
By some measures, the 2028 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the largest transportation event held in the United States. With over one million spectator trips expected per day, the anticipated activity is equivalent to hosting seven Superbowls each day during the Olympics and two Superbowls each day during the Paralympics. To allow Metro staff to experience and learn from the challenges of planning for and executing transportation for a global mega-event firsthand, staff developed an Observation Program for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in collaboration with LA28 and the City of Los Angeles.
Background
BACKGROUND
During every Olympic and Paralympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) organizes an official observer program that is intended to allow staff from future host cities to learn about the work required to host the Games. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the official observer program was canceled for the 2020 Tokyo Games. As a result, Paris 2024 represented the only opportunity for Los Angeles agency staff to observe a summer Games before 2028.
While some Metro staff were granted access to participate in official observer sessions offered by the IOC, Metro organized a wide variety of complementary programming. This programming allowed subject matter experts to learn in-depth about how Paris handled challenges relating to their individual areas of specialization.
Metro Departments represented in Paris included:
• Office of the CEO
• Office of Strategic Innovation
• Operations
• Countywide Planning & Development
• Chief People Office
• Customer Experience
• System Security and Law Enforcement
• Office of the Inspector General
• Office of Civil Rights, Racial Equity, and Inclusion
• Office of Board Administration
• Ethics
The Observation Program agenda included the following:
• 95 unofficial observation opportunities at key venues and stations and ride-alongs of rail lines and supplemental bus services during peak times.
• Participation in 67 tours and presentations offered by the City of Paris, such as a visit to the city operations center and tours of new active transportation infrastructure built for the Games. These sessions explained the “how and why” behind key decisions and initiatives for the Games.
• Participation in 20 meetings and workshops led by local government officials and companies, such as the French national railway (SNCF), the largest Paris transit operator (RATP), and the regional transportation authority Ile-de France Mobilitiés (IdFM). These sessions allowed for knowledge exchange with technical experts and observation of control centers, bus facilities, volunteers, and key stations.
• Participation in 28 official/credentialed sessions offered by the IOC, which included access to venues and briefings from key staff involved in organizing Games transportation.
Alongside this report, Metro staff is developing an extended document that summarizes specific technical observations and lessons learned from Paris, and will also reflect feedback from the Metro Board members who were also able to participate in the delegation trips.
Last, participating staff will share their experiences with the rest of the agency in an upcoming all-hands meeting.
The lessons learned described in this report will influence how Metro prepares for upcoming mega-events like the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Superbowl, in addition to the 2028 Games.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Metro’s high-level takeaways from the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games are as follows:
• Coordination was evident in the Games experience, such as the clear and consistent sign and wayfinding program starting at the points of arrival. Despite jurisdictional complexity, the Paris region was able to deliver seamless and legible wayfinding and messaging, successful live sites, and overall positive crowd management. Multiple mobile apps were deployed - for tickets, events, and transit. The apps themselves had some useful features, including specific transit exits that get the user closer to Olympic venues, in-app notifications and more. Ensuring a single data source and coordinated messaging via apps will contribute to a positive experience. Metro must engage stakeholders in advance to ensure that customers have access to high quality, consistent information.
• Volunteer training and presence resulted in an improved feeling of safety and reduced anxiety for travelers unfamiliar with Paris. RATP sourced volunteers from students on vacation, family members of staff, and relied less on redeployment of agency staff. City of Paris had a large volunteer program serving areas around (but not inside) venues.
• Security had a visible presence that resulted in a safe Games. Security planning is linked with transportation planning for a national security event, and early coordination and establishment of a unified command structure to build relationships can lead to better outcomes and fewer unintended points of confusion and congestion.
• Early and intentional engagement with local businesses is necessary. Many restaurants, museums, and retail stores that would otherwise have closed during August remained open in anticipation of Games crowds. Thoughtful engagement for vendors at station activations and Mobility Hubs can ensure that small and local businesses benefit.
• Live sites and open streets were essential in making the Games accessible to everyone, regardless of whether they attended a single event. Local agencies responsible for planning these sites (if they choose to do so) should expressly include transit access as a criterion to ensure high levels of use by visitors and locals alike.
• Spectators were expected to travel, particularly walking, significant distances in order to access venues from the nearest transit station. During periods of extreme heat, this underscored the importance of shade and water stations to ensure the safety and comfort of attendees.
• Paris relied heavily on their extensive rail network to provide spectator transportation. Given that the majority of this legacy system is not accessible with elevators and escalators, customers with limited mobility used accessible fleet cars and the bus system, which were impacted by street closures and security perimeters. Clear promotion of these services and thoughtful service design that minimizes long travel distances between drop off and venue will ensure they are well used.
• Flow Management was key. Crowd management was coordinated, including designating transit entry points as entrance or exit only to support the better flow of traffic, as well as throttling the number of people allowed into a station at a time to prevent crowding underground. Paris Metro had frequent rail service to accommodate large crowds exiting from venues. Paris has 16 lines and 320 stations. Metro has six lines and 108 stations. The Games Enhanced Transit system will be critical to the efficient movement of people.
Near-Term Improvements
Based on observations and lessons learned in Paris, Metro plans to implement the following improvements:
Operations
• Metro will pilot best practices for crowd flow management during special events to minimize wait times and ensure safe movement.
• Metro will encourage implementation of a unified transport command center for the 2026 World Cup.
Safety and Security
• Metro continues to advocate for early engagement between security and transportation planning teams in order to maximize safety while facilitating efficient transit operations.
Customer Experience
• In response to the first-hand experience of staff that used digital tools in Paris, Metro will work with regional partners to develop a data and digital governance strategy ahead of the Games.
• The wayfinding program in Paris was highly effective. Metro is leading a newly established subcommittee of GME partners focused on delivering a world-class wayfinding program for the Games.
Planning
• Shade was crucial in Paris given the extreme heat and long walks required to reach some venues. Metro will engage regional partners at the upcoming Summit for Shade and Shelter on ways to expand access to shade across the county.
Accessibility
• Metro is working with regional partners to ensure that accessibility is a key consideration for all Games-related workstreams and has established a new accessibility subcommittee comprised of subject matter experts from Metro and other GME agencies.
Detailed tables in Appendix A provide an overview of key observations by Metro staff in Paris, as well as the relevant lessons learned for Metro as the agency works to prepare for the 2026 World Cup, 2027 Super Bowl, and 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Based on Metro staff observations, the Paris Games launched several equity efforts that were intended to address historical disparities between the wealthier urban core of Paris and its lower-income suburbs, which are home to large immigrant communities. Festivity sites were set up in each arrondissement (district) of Paris and were free and open to the public with programming throughout the Games period. These sites made it possible for residents to feel like they were a part of the Games even if they were unable to attend competition events. The development of new rail lines ahead of the Games was also done with an eye on improving accessibility to underserved neighborhoods and reducing travel times for those who travel between suburbs.
Staff observed equity issues in Paris. People experiencing homelessness, including many recent immigrants, were disproportionately impacted by the Games, with relocation from Paris to outlying towns and other parts of France. Major areas of the city were closed to accommodate security perimeters and large crowds, which meant that some residents had limited access to their neighborhoods. Equity challenges extended to those who attended the Games. People with disabilities contended with accessibility challenges at historic transit stations which lacked accessible paths of travel and in the first/last mile between stations and venues. Finally, attendees often needed to walk significant distances from transit stations to venues, and then to their seats. This proved challenging for older adults, particularly amid the extreme heat in Paris.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The Paris Observation Program, and the lessons learned contained in this report, will help further the development of the Mobility Concept Plan and inform project selection and design in addition to workforce planning and other components such as volunteer training and customer service amenities. The MCP supports strategic goals #1 “Provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling, #2 “Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system,” and #4 “Transform LA County through regional collaboration and national leadership” by providing a roadmap and strategy to deliver permanent transit and transit-supportive projects and programs that can help serve the 2028 Games.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Metro will continue to advance the implementation of the Mobility Concept Plan through collaboration with other GME partners. The lessons learned contained in this report will inform Metro’s planning and delivery of service for the 2028 Games, including the development of project implementation plans, the Games Enhanced Transit System, customer experience plans, safety and security plans and strategies, transportation demand management strategies, first/last mile strategies, and temporary workforce planning.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Detailed Observations and Lessons Learned by Focus Area
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Daniel Bernstein, Principal Transportation Planner, Office of Strategic Innovation, (213) 922 - 4135
Jacqueline Torres, Senior Director, Office of Strategic Innovation, (213) 547-4208
Kasey Shuda, Senior Director, Office of Strategic Innovation, (213) 454-6479
Ernesto Chaves, Executive Officer, Office of Strategic Innovation, (213) 547- 4362
Marcel Porras, Deputy Chief, Office of Strategic Innovation, (213) 922-2606
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by:
Seleta Reynolds, Chief Innovation Officer, (213) 922-4656
