Metro - File #: 2023-0387

• File #: 2023-0387
• Type: Motion / Motion Response
• Status: Agenda Ready
• File created: 5/23/2023
• In control: Executive Management Committee
• On agenda: 7/20/2023
• Title: RECEIVE AND FILE the status report on the pilot intervention strategies to improve community health and safety at Westlake/MacArthur Park Station (WMP).
• Sponsors: Board of Directors - Regular Board Meeting
• Indexes: Access control (Transportation), City of Los Angeles, Cleaning, Cleanliness (Graffiti Abatement), Hilda Solis, Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker, Janice Hahn, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, Low-Income Fare is Easy (LIFE), Maintenance, Partnerships, Pilot studies, Police, Ridership, Safety, Safety and security, Security, Specialized training, Strategic planning, Surveillance, Surveys, System safety, Transit Homeless Action Plan, Transit System

Meeting_Body
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
OPERATIONS, SAFETY & CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE
JULY 20, 2023

Subject
SUBJECT: WESTLAKE/MACARTHUR PARK STATION INTERVENTION STRATEGIES
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE

Heading
RECOMMENDATION

Title
RECEIVE AND FILE the status report on the pilot intervention strategies to improve community health and safety at Westlake/MacArthur Park Station (WMP).

Issue
ISSUE

The WMP is one of the highest utilized stations in the Metro system, with more than 20,000 boardings per day. The station has disproportionately experienced the pandemic side effects of increased opioid usage, homelessness, and mental health issues. Consequently, the WMP station has suffered from high crime, high code of conduct violations, and cleanliness issues.

As a result, staff developed pilot intervention strategies with the purpose of restoring safety and improving customer experience for our riders, employees, and the surrounding community. This report provides an update on the status of the strategies and a response to Motion 30 (Attachment A) by Directors Solis, Dupont-Walker, Mitchell, Hahn, and Horvath, approved at the February 2023 Board meeting.

Background
BACKGROUND

WMP is located just west of Downtown LA in the Westlake District on Alvarado St between Wilshire Bl and 7th St. It is located across the street from MacArthur Park. WMP is located in one of the densest neighborhoods in the United States and is served by frequent Metro Rail and Bus service, with nearby buses operating 24 hours per day. There are typically over 22,000 daily boardings and alightings within the station footprint. The vending program on the plaza level, which officially ended in 2020, continues to operate in an informal/unregulated setting. Previous rider surveys indicate that 94% of Metro riders along the Alvarado St corridor do not own or have access to a car, indicating that they rely on Metro service for their access to work, school, medical, a...