Meeting_Body
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
MARCH 23, 2017
Preamble
Motion by:
Chair Fasana, Directors Dupont-Walker, Hahn and Solis
As Amended by Bowen
March 23, 2017
Relating to Item 5, File ID 2017-0047; Annual Program Evaluation
To maintain quality of life throughout Los Angeles County, MTA should aggressively manage congestion and incentivize carpooling on the LA County freeway system.
On an average day, highways in the Los Angeles Caltrans district carry 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
With recent population growth and economic recovery, freeways have become more congested. Efforts to increase freeway capacity, such as freeway widenings, can only be so effective in light of these recent trends. Every time new capacity is opened up, it is rapidly consumed by individuals who previously traveled by other routes, at other times, or by other transportation modes.
Caltrans District 7 is responsible for 1,113 miles of highway. To manage congestion and reduce single-occupant trips on these highways, District 7 operates 442 miles of High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on the 5, 10, 14, 57, 60, 91, 105, 110, 118, 134, 170, 210, 405, and 605 freeways.
Of the total 442 miles of High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes in District 7, 316 miles were defined in 2015 by federal criteria as degraded.
By federal definition, an HOV lane is degraded if the average traffic speed during the morning or evening weekday peak commute hour is less than 45 miles per hour more than 10 percent of the time in any 180-day period, or for more than two weekdays per month.
To reverse this degradation, MTA needs to look at all available options for managing congestion on the freeway system.
The I-10 and I-110 express lanes program was a great example on how we can manage congestion and improve reliability, but we need to do more to expand and improve upon the Express Lanes program.
Title
Motion by Fasana and Dupont-Walker that the Board direct the CEO:
A. Explore options to improve existing High-Occupancy Vehicle lanes in Los Angeles County, including:
1. Conduct a Performance Impact Study to explore raising the minimum occupancy requirement, where justified, from two-person to three-person for HOV lanes in LA County, in particular on the HOV corridors that are considered degraded;
2. Coordinate with Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to evaluate any safety and compliance impacts from raising the minimum occupancy requirement;
3. TDM strategies; mode shift incentives; dynamic work hours; Active Traffic Management and ITS
B. Explore options to expand and improve ExpressLanes, including but not limited to the following:
1. Develop an acceleration strategy for constructing first- and second-tier projects outlined in the MTA Countywide ExpressLanes Strategic Plan;
2. Collaborate between Los Angeles and Orange Counties on a region-wide approach to delivering ExpressLanes projects;
3. Coordinate with Caltrans on an I-105 ExpressLanes advance improvement project to update and improve lane configuration to discourage car weaving on I-105 between I-405 and I-605;
4. Report back on congestion demand management strategies on degraded general purpose lanes in Los Angeles County, including but not limited to pricing;
5. Report back on a process and implementation plan to ensure exempt vehicles pay their fair share of ExpressLanes costs;
6. Report back on status of program that will identify and deter scofflaws in the ExpressLanes, including individuals who set the transponder to HOV while driving alone;
7. Recommend options to use toll revenue on existing facilities to advance the above studies;
C. Explore additional carpooling benefits and incentives for Los Angeles County, including but not limited to a program similar to the Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District; and
D. Report back on all the above during the September 2017 Board cycle.
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