Meeting_Body
PLANNING & PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
MAY 20, 2026
Subject
SUBJECT: TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT MASTER PLAN AND POLICIES
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE status report on development and implementation of the Metro Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Master Plan and Policies (Master Plan).
Issue
ISSUE
In response to Board direction, staff has developed a Transportation Demand Management Master Plan and Policies (Attachment A) to address mobility demand in the greater Los Angeles region and to provide a TDM roadmap supporting the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games (2028 Games) as indicated in the 2028 Mobility Concept Plan <https://metro.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5384380&GUID=A7941CC9-69D0-46E1-842A-822685203AFC&Options=&Search=&FullText=1%5d>.
Background
BACKGROUND
In October 2017, the Board approved Motion 36 by Directors Garcetti, Dupont-Walker, and Butts (Attachment B), directing staff to explore and implement a markedly expanded role for Metro as a leader in TDM in Los Angeles County by creating a robust and comprehensive TDM program. Following the Board action, Metro established a regional TDM Policies and Program team (TDM team) in 2018.
In October 2022, the Board awarded a contract for the TDM Master Plan <https://boardagendas.metro.net/board-report/2022-0465/>to develop a comprehensive plan and recommend implementable policies and programs to map out TDM in Los Angeles County. This plan will expand TDM support services beyond large businesses and reenvision a program that comprehensively services all regional constituents.
In 2023, Metro launched a study to evaluate commuter mobility behavior and all existing Metro TDM policies, products, and available incentive programs that supplement transit services and other mobility options. The study includes rigorous research and analysis to ensure an approach that was grounded in data and aligned with the real needs of LA County’s diverse communities. This analysis includes a review of the most effective strategies for reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and encouraging behavior change. Key findings from the research indicate that Metro’s TDM strategy needs to extend beyond reducing single-occupancy vehicle commute trips to also promote multimodal flexibility through education about all available travel options and ensure Metro’s transit stations and mobility hubs are part of community members’ daily life. This approach responds to and advances Metro’s Vision 2028 Strategic Plan, which includes among its goals the need to “provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling”, “deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system, and enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity”.
Staff conducted internal and external stakeholder engagement to support the development and evaluation of the TDM Master Plan and Policies. In June 2023 staff reached out to all 88 cities, Los Angeles County, councils of governments within the county, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), local transit agencies, Transportation Management Associations , and the South Coast Air Quality Management District to offer two choices for participation in the plan’s development: complete a survey by email and/or participate in a virtual, 30-minute meeting with staff to discuss regional TDM topics in depth. Staff received 60 responses to the survey and conducted 28 in-person interviews, the results of which were compiled and evaluated to help inform staff’s approach to developing the TDM Master Plan and Policies. Internally, staff consulted with colleagues from the First/Last Mile Planning, Customer Experience, Office of Strategic Innovation, Shared Mobility, Transit Access Pass (TAP), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Commuter Services, Mobility Corridors, and Transit Oriented Communities teams in July 2023, conducting interviews to help shape the purpose and design of the plan, including potential partnerships and ongoing program coordination across departments.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Mobility demand in the greater Los Angeles region is rapidly evolving. More than two-thirds of trips in LA County are for social, recreational, dining, shopping, or errands, and over half of all trips are less than four miles. This presents a major opportunity to reduce car dependency and reshape transportation demand. The primary goal of the TDM Master Plan and Policies is to move people forward-not just physically, but in their ability to get more things done in life with fewer car trips.
Furthermore, the upcoming 2028 Games offer a unique catalyst to not only enhance mobility for the duration of the event but also to use TDM strategies to create lasting, positive changes in transportation behaviors. The TDM Master Plan and Policies envision the 2028 Games as a launchpad for reshaping how Angelenos move throughout the region, encouraging long-term behavior shifts away from car dependency to more efficient, accessible, and sustainable transportation options. With the 2028 Games two years away, this is a critical time to educate and motivate people traveling throughout Los Angeles County to adopt multimodal trip planning for daily commuting, leisure trips, and errands.
As such, it is crucial for Metro to re-envision the TDM program, including robust outreach to educate and encourage people using personal vehicles in Los Angeles County to transition to multimodal mobility options such as transit, vanpool, carpool, walking, biking, micro-mobility, and other options besides driving alone.
As the commute shed of the Los Angeles region expands beyond the LA County limits, Metro coordinates TDM efforts for the 2028 Games with SCAG, which serves as the lead agency for the 2028 Games TDM efforts and chairs the Games Mobility Executives (GME) Regional Passenger and Freight TDM Subcommittee, with participation from the counties of Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura. Metro’s TDM Master Plan will support SCAG’s recently approved Regional TDM Approach, which is aligned with the direction of the Master Plan but is focused specifically on the unique travel-demand challenges associated with the 2028 Games and the broader multi-county travel shed. SCAG’s baseline VMT reduction goal set in 2017 was 15%; Metro’s TDM Master Plan reflects a goal of increasing transit trips and reducing single-occupancy vehicle trips by 20% before the 2028 Games, as substantiated by more recent modeling conducted by LA28.
TDM Master Plan and Policies Initiatives
Staff incorporated the findings and results of the engagement process conducted in 2023 to develop a new regional TDM Master Plan and Policies. The TDM Master Plan and Policies introduces five initiatives targeted at TDM solutions to support multimodal mobility that, if implemented as a complete plan countywide, is estimated to achieve an estimated 20% reduction in VMT in Los Angeles County. These initiatives and the TDM strategy are summarized below:
• Mobility Hub Activation and Community Engagement:
• Scope: Activating communities around planned mobility hubs to boost walking and biking for short trips, alongside connections to transit for longer trips.
• Projected program budget: $3.1 million
• Fostering Multimodal Kids for the Future:
• Scope: Engaging kids and parents in walking, biking, and transit will help create a future generation that embraces multimodal travel habits.
• Projected program budget: $0. Due to budget constraints, this program has been folded into Mobility Hub Activation and Transit Corridor Zones.
• New Transit Corridor Zones:
• Scope: Engaging residents and businesses near new transit and active transportation corridors to help them discover how these services can improve their daily lives.
• Projected program budget: $3.5 million
• On-Demand Shared Mobility:
• Scope: Engaging residents in areas with limited transit access by offering incentivized, on-demand shared mobility options that make travel easier and more affordable.
• Projected program budget: $2.2 million
• Transit Tourism:
• Scope: Promoting transit-accessible destinations to tourists and locals, reducing vehicle demand, and promoting car-free tourism ahead of the 2028 Games.
• Projected program budget: $2.4 million
Each program’s projected budget reflects the higher end estimate to fully implement it across LA County; collectively, the cost to implement this entire program over three years is estimated at $11,295,606 million. Staff built flexibility into the plan’s implementation so that elements of these initiatives can be delivered over time as resources are acquired, thus achieving regional benefits from TDM programs incrementally.
To assist in achieving the goal of reducing LA County’s VMT by 20%, the TDM Master Plan and Policies recommend that Metro continue supporting commuters through large-employer transportation coordinators for daily commute efforts. The plan also recommends that Metro expand its TDM outreach and programs to include leisure, errand, tourist, and alternative trips, by promoting greater transit use and educating non-transit users about all their mobility options rather than driving alone. Further effort should also be put into connecting with non-transit users in Equity Focus Communities.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Accepting and implementing the TDM Master Plan and Policies will not create any direct safety impacts.
Recommendations within the TDM Master Plan and Policies include coordinated policies and resources that address safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, shared mobility users, and students to encourage residents and visitors to use active travel for both recreation and daily needs.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The TDM Master Plan focuses on neighborhoods near rail lines and mobility hubs. The approach is a grassroots neighborhood outreach plan that provides communities with mobility education, trip planning and incentives to increase their mobility options. Equity in the TDM Master Plan and Policies means ensuring that everyone can:
Access quality transportation options
Providing more ways for people to travel, whether by walking, biking, transit, or shared mobility options, especially in areas that are underserved by transit or lack safe, walkable streets.
Get around at reduced cost
Residents in low-income communities often spend a higher proportion of their income on transportation. TDM aims to reduce this burden through programs like discounted transit passes, carpool incentives, and shared mobility options.
Connect to essential services
Not everyone can easily reach jobs, healthcare, or schools. The five TDM initiatives in this strategy target specific areas and communities, ensuring that everyone has better access to the places they need to go.
The five TDM initiatives in this strategy are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of different parts of the county by implementing incentives and targeted outreach in the neighborhoods of more than 100 rail stations and 13,000 bus stops, promoting transit, as well as other available multi-modal options and ensuring that people can benefit from the programs no matter where they live. Some communities may need better access to shared mobility services, while others may need safer routes to schools or more transit options for daily errands. By aligning initiatives to the context and needs of each area, the strategy positions the TDM program to provide the best-fit support possible in every area. The dynamic carpool program specifically targets areas the Lancaster Palmdale area as those parts of the county are not as transit-rich. Incentivized dynamic carpooling is a lower cost on demand option than TNCs or driving alone.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled _Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide. These declining VMT trends are due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit*. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. All Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT to ensure continued progress.
As part of these ongoing efforts, this item is expected to contribute to further reductions in VMT. This item supports Metro’s systemwide strategy to reduce VMT through TDM incentives and policies that will benefit and further encourage transit ridership, ridesharing, and active transportation. Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets were designed to build on the success of existing investments, and this item aligns with those objectives.
Metro conducted a preliminary analysis to show that the net effect of this multimodal initiative is to decrease VMT.
Initiative 1: Mobility Hub Activation, 50 million VMT reductions annually.
Initiative 2: Multimodal Kids, 504,000 VMT reductions annually (implementation will be part of initiatives 1 and 3).
Initiative 3: New Transit Corridors, 90 million VMT reductions annually.
Initiative 4: On-Demand Shared Mobility, 70 million VMT reductions annually.
Initiative 5: Transit Tourism, 20 million VMT reductions annually.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001 and 2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The recommendation supports the following strategic plan 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
3. Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
To support implementation of the TDM Master Plan and Policies for the 2028 Games, Metro will partner with SCAG. Metro will initially implement the TDM Master Plan and Policies as targeted pilot projects and conduct stakeholder outreach. After completion, staff will review all the data collected from the pilot program. If the pilot analysis indicates effective VMT reduction based on the recommended five initiatives, the pilot will be expanded to serve the entire region.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Transportation Demand Management Master Plan and Policies
Attachment B - Motion 36 - Countywide Transportation Demand Management
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Jacquilyne Brooks de Camarillo, Senior Manager, (213) 547-4335
Avital Barnea, Senior Executive Officer, Multimodal Integrated Planning, (213) 547-4317
Nicole Ferrara, Deputy Chief Planning Officer, (213) 547-4322
Reviewed_by
Reviewed by: Ray Sosa, Chief Planning Officer, (213) 547-4272
Seleta Reynolds, Chief Innovation Officer, (213) 922-4098
Jennifer Vides, Chief Customer Experience Officer, (213) 922-4060
