Meeting_Body
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
DECEMBER 3, 2020
Preamble
Motion by:
DIRECTORS GARCETTI, SOLIS, HAHN, KUEHL, BUTTS, AND GARCIA
2028 Mobility Concept Plan
Los Angeles County is currently investing billions in infrastructure for lasting mobility and equity benefits. The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leverage that investment for the long-term benefit of our community.
By some measures, the 2028 games will be the largest transportation event ever held. Altogether, over eight million ticketholders, 10,500 athletes, and 30,000 broadcasters and media will attend. The Downtown Sports Park area alone, including Exposition Park and Staples Center, is expected to see daily attendance of up to 360,000 people.
These eight million ticketholders will need to travel between lodging, venues, and other activity centers across all of L.A. County. The largest venues will be in Downtown L.A., Long Beach, Inglewood, Carson, and the San Fernando Valley. The Games Plan also includes other venues and activity centers in Westwood, Santa Monica, Burbank, Pasadena, and San Dimas. An unprecedented effort of planning and coordination between jurisdictions will be required to manage travel between these sites.
Mobility investments to help serve Los Angeles in 2028 could follow two possible paths. In the first path, venues and activity centers are connected with temporary facilities. After the games conclude, L.A. no permanent facilities would remain.
In the second path, venues and activity centers are tied together with permanent facilities that connect and benefit Angelenos for the future. Residents and visitors will continue to benefit from these facilities long after the games, leaving a lasting legacy that serves all Angelenos.
According to the LA28 organizing committee, it is clear that no new permanent infrastructure is needed to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. L.A. could successfully host the games tomorrow without new infrastructure, recognizing that the games will still rely on a carefully-planned route network of mobility corridors to efficiently link spectators, athletes, and media to venues and other activity centers. Through its Mobility Working Group, the organizing committee has already initiated planning efforts for this route network in collaboration with the City of Los Angeles, Metro, Caltrans, and Metrolink, with more agencies to be incorporated as detailed planning advances.
With LA28 advancing its mobility planning, the time has come for Metro to take the opportunity to integrate its larger vision and plans into LA28’s work. Otherwise, Metro risks not being able to take full advantage of the games planning for lasting and equitable infrastructure and mode shift for all Angelenos.
Metro also has a role to play as a convener across county lines. The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games are expected to have venues in at least three Southern California counties. Given the huge number of expected spectators and participants, multi-county coordination will be required to ensure efficient travel. A spectator living in the Inland Empire or an athlete’s family staying in Orange County should be able to take advantage of an improved Metrolink system or integrated ExpressLanes network, for example.
The top priority for Metro’s LA28-related investments will remain 28 by ’28, particularly four pillar projects. In addition, preparing a mobility concept plan of potential permanent projects and programs now means that Metro can ensure LA28-related mobility investments are planned, scoped, and implemented for lasting mobility and equity benefits for all Angelenos.
Subject
SUBJECT: 2028 MOBILITY CONCEPT PLAN
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE Motion by Directors Garcetti, Solis, Hahn, Kuehl, Butts, and Garcia that the Board direct the CEO to:
A. In consultation with LA28, the cities of Los Angeles, Inglewood, Carson, and Long Beach, Caltrans, Metrolink, and other relevant jurisdictions, prepare a mobility concept plan of permanent transit and transit-supportive projects and programs that can help serve the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including but not limited to:
1. Core Transportation Modes
i. 28 by ’28 projects;
ii. NextGen bus-only lanes and bus priority infrastructure (e.g., ATMS);
iii. Metro Rail service optimization and reliability improvements (e.g., Flower St. Wye, Centinela Grade Separation);
iv. Zero Emission Buses and charging infrastructure;
v. Regional rail improvements;
vi. Regionally-significant active transportation corridors and connections;
2. First-Last Mile Connectivity
i. Station and bus stop area sidewalk and bicycle improvements;
ii. Slow streets, open streets, and other local activations;
iii. Partnerships on street furniture and shade/tree cover detailed in the Customer Experience Plan;
iv. Microtransit and micromobility;
3. Additional Projects and Programs
i. Transportation Demand Management;
ii. Congestion Pricing;
iii. ExpressLanes;
iv. Inglewood Transit Connector to L.A. Stadium;
v. Fare capping and regional fare integration;
vi. Connected Corridors, RIITS, and other innovative regional traffic management solutions;
vii. Logistics and goods movement, including policy and technology solutions to improve last-mile delivery;
B. Identify an interdisciplinary Metro task force to pursue the above mobility concept plan and integrate that plan into LA28’s ongoing studies and the Mobility Working Group’s overall 2028 Mobility Strategy;
C. Develop, with LA28, an Olympic Games-related federal engagement strategy and funding priority proposal, including 28 by ’28 projects and projects/programs identified under the above mobility concept plan;
D. Initiate conversations with other Southern California county transportation agencies on regional transportation priorities and cross-county investments in support of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, such as federal advocacy, Metrolink, and ExpressLanes;
E. Report on all the above to the Executive Management Committee at the March 2021 Board cycle; and
F. Report bi-annually to the Board thereafter on the mobility concept plan, LA28 Mobility Working Group status, funding advocacy, and any other relevant LA28 preparedness efforts.