Meeting_Body
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
JULY 25, 2019
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS BONIN, GARCETTI, KREKORIAN, SOLIS AND GARCIA
Related to Item 22: NextGen Bus Speed Engineering Working Group
In June 2018, the Metro Board endorsed speed, frequency, and reliability as the highest priorities for Metro’s bus service in the NextGen Bus Study. In recent years, the primary contributor to slow speeds and poor schedule reliability has been growing traffic congestion on city streets. This congestion directly increases Metro’s operating costs and reduces the quality of the service that Metro can afford to provide. Providing high-quality transit options with competitive travel times is the single most important step Metro can take to retain and grow ridership, increase the carrying capacity of local roadways, and shift regional travel patterns toward more efficient modes. These goals are essential components of both Metro’s Vision 2028 Strategic Plan and the City of Los Angeles’ Mobility Plan 2035 and Sustainable City pLAn.
The phenomenon of traffic congestion impeding mass transit operations is particularly acute in Downtown Los Angeles and nearby neighborhoods -- and the experience of the recent Flower Street pilot bus lane has demonstrated the effectiveness of strategic bus-supportive infrastructure in allowing transit riders to bypass congestion. Other types of bus-supportive infrastructure may include queue jumpers, signal priority, or boarding islands. Combined with operational improvements like All Door Boarding, these types of infrastructure improvements can cut stop times and improve bus speeds by 20% or more.
Metro buses operate on streets controlled by local jurisdictions. Therefore, close coordination between Metro and local agency partners is essential to successfully implement infrastructure changes. A working group is needed to ensure close coordination between Metro’s Operations Department and city transportation agencies.
Subject
SUBJECT: NEXTGEN BUS SPEED ENGINEERING WORKING GROUP
Title
APPROVE Motion by Directors Bonin, Garcetti, Krekorian, Solis and Garcia that the Board direct the CEO to:
A. Develop a list of priority bus-supportive infrastructure projects needed to support the NextGen bus service plan, with an emphasis on near-term improvements that can be implemented concurrently with each phase of NextGen;
B. Form a NextGen Bus Speed Engineering Working Group co-chaired by the Metro CEO and the General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, or their designees, and establish a regular meeting schedule, at least monthly;
C. Assess the need for coordination with additional local jurisdictions and municipal operators where bus delay hotspots exist; and
D. Report back to the Operations, Safety, and Customer Experience Committee on the above in October 2019, and quarterly thereafter.