Meeting_Body
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
FEBRUARY 16, 2022
Subject
SUBJECT: SYSTEMWIDE BICYCLE PARKING PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS AND CAPITAL UPGRADES
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
AUTHORIZE the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to execute a five-year firm fixed price Contract No. PS78889000 to eLock Technologies, LLC for the bicycle parking program in the amount of $6,094,458, subject to resolution of all properly submitted protest(s) if any.
Issue
ISSUE
In September 2018, the Metro Board put forth a motion (Attachment D) to assess the Secure Bicycle Parking Program (Program) and evaluate opportunities to improve access through changes to its management practices and/or increasing capacity at high-demand locations. The motion directed the CEO to inventory existing secure bike parking facilities, assess demand for additional secure bike parking, evaluate alternative rental models, and identify locations that could be good candidates for future bike parking.
Staff conducted an internal review of the Program and issued the Secure Bicycle Parking Program Assessment Report (Assessment Report). The Assessment Report evaluated existing conditions, parking utilization and demand, safety and security challenges, and the existing business model (Attachment C). An update was provided to the System Safety, Security and Operations Committee in February 2019 (2018-0792) The purpose of this board report is to introduce the new proposed Program and seek approval for the contract to implement the Program.
Background
BACKGROUND
Existing Program
Metro’s current bicycle parking consists of bicycle racks, lockers, and bicycle hubs. Bicycle racks are located at each station along the transit corridors, are free of charge, and are currently the only daily bicycle parking option. Bicycle lockers are available at 57 stations and rented on a 6-month subscription basis. Bicycle lockers are fully subscribed and long waitlists are applied for anyone wishing to occupy a locker; however, daily utilization of the bicycle lockers is very low. Metro Bike Hubs are located at five stations, offer membership-only parking, and are also currently underutilized. Bicycle theft has seen an increase over the last three years, causing parking concerns for many patrons.
Secure Bicycle Parking Program Assessment Report
The Assessment Report provided to the board in February 2019 focused on assets, accessibility, auditing, and availability as some major challenges. Below are some highlighted findings from the Report:
• The current subscription rate for lockers is above 80%, while the daily utilization of the lockers is below 20%. Metro Bike Hubs are very much underutilized at below 10%.
• Secure bicycle parking is currently only offered through subscriptions and requires a pre-registration process. Daily parking options and immediate on-site subscriptions are not currently available and is a deterrent to potential one-off or non-recurring users.
• Bicycle theft has increased systemwide. However, actively monitoring hubs and identifying when breaches occur can help curb some security challenges.
• Reporting and reconciliation are challenging as the master spreadsheet is updated with data from multiple bicycle locker payment system reports. The reports are not comprehensive and are not account based.
• The current locker program is labor intensive with physical keys that require rekeying and physical collection/delivery of keys when a subscriber cancels and the locker transitions to another user.
The new Program offers solutions to the challenges identified in the Report.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Surveys
Subsequent to the Assessment Report, staff conducted surveys with bicycle locker subscribers and patrons on the program wait list. This survey provided information on what the program needed to encourage Metro patrons to use bicycle parking infrastructure. It also helped guide the direction of the design for the new Program.
Some key findings from the survey are:
• 79% of current monthly renters and 88% of patrons on the wait list would utilize daily use lockers
• 73% of current monthly renters and 83% of patrons on the wait list [would] use the bicycle lockers more than 11 days per month
• Only 22% of current monthly renters are traveling to farther stations because of lack of availability of bicycle lockers at their home station
• 73% of patrons on the wait list have been waiting over six months
Overall, the survey results have suggested that Metro retain the bicycle locker program as lockers are overwhelmingly the preferred bicycle parking option for renters and patrons on the waitlist. Daily use bicycle lockers, which will create turnovers, are a popular option for Metro parons and require capital investment for upgrades.
Staff also consulted with other municipalities, transit agencies, universities, equipment providers and Metro internal departments to gather best practices and lessons learned.
Research/Best Practices
Staff consulted with and researched similar agencies and local bicycle coalitions to gather best practices and lessons learned with their respective bicycle parking programs. Many agencies shared similar challenges to the ones that Metro is facing. However, common goals are ease of use, daily parking, and equitable options. The City of Vancouver eliminated its pre-registration process for the communal bicycle parking areas and experienced an increase in utilization. UCLA staff demonstrated their solution of daily parking and cash acceptance options for bicycle locker use. Bicycle coalitions also expressed their wish list for the program, which included daily parking options in secured areas.
Goals
Goals for the newly developed Program are as follows:
• Offer a variety of parking options through daily and monthly parking,
• Increase locker utilization,
• Reduce and/or eliminate rental wait lists,
• Improve security, and
• Offer secure daily parking without pre-registration
Proposed New Program
The new Program concept shall use a pricing and transit patron focus to manage demand and to balance the high demand bicycle lockers with the low demand bicycle hubs. Key considerations for the new Program include:
• Offer free secured parking at Metro Bike Hubs until demand reaches a designated threshold before a very modest pricing policy is implemented.
• Create a pricing policy for daily and monthly parking for bicycle lockers (where demand is already high) to promote the turnover of underutilized lockers and create availability for new active users.
• Remove pre-registration. Simple identification and contact information can be processed on-site through a digital kiosk. This on-site kiosk will allow more patrons to park bikes at a moment’s notice rather than having to research how to use a hub, pre-register, or wait to gain access to a bike locker.
• Transition bicycle lockers from a mechanical keyed system to a digital keyless system, offering daily locker options to those patrons that prefer to promptly park in lockers and removing the physical coordination of keys and rekeying. The new bicycle lockers will also have an option for patrons who do not use credit cards or smartphones, allowing more patrons to access the preferred parking method.
• Where possible, bicycle lockers will be placed inside bicycle shelters or Metro Bike Hubs to offer more secure parking options. The newly developed shelters will be equipped with monitoring equipment and will be actively monitored while occupants are inside the bicycle shelters. This concept provides a proactive response to suspicious activity, reduces theft, and provides a secure bicycle parking environment.
Other Program Benefits
Other benefits of the new Program include parking guidance system capabilities and online account management capability. Once implementation of the new Program begins, Metro will have the ability to broadcast available bicycle parking spaces to patrons through websites and mobile apps. Patrons will be able to know what option of bicycle parking is available at each station before leaving for their commute.
The new customer management portal will allow patrons to manage their accounts online, with various payment methods and locker reservations. Staff will be able to accurately reconcile revenue and have usage data available to manage the program and make business decisions properly.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
The Program will not create any safety impacts. All contractors and subcontractors are required to attend Metro Safety Training prior to working at any Metro station. Any equipment installation will be coordinated with Metro’s Track Allocation program to ensure that proper assistance and support is present.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Program will be funded through local funds, capital budgets and annual operational budgets. The total estimated project cost is $6,094,458, including five years of annual operating costs. Future years of operating costs will be budgeted through the annual operating budget.
Impact to Budget
The source of funds for this action will be local funds including Measure M 2% Active Transportation funds.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
This Program aligns with Metro’s equity platform. Staff conducted cyclist surveys and consulted bicycle coalition groups to learn what the communities wanted and needed. The Program goals were shaped by those wants and needs.
Bicycle locker locations have remained at the same stations since the program's inception. Staff has reviewed each station and placement of current bicycle lockers and has determined the need for additional locker locations. Under the new program, bicycle parking will be offered to communities that have not previously had access to equitable parking options. Bicycle lockers will also have a payment option for patrons who do not have or choose not to use credit cards or smartphones.
Metro Bike Hubs and bicycle shelters will be free to utilize, offering many patrons a secured bicycle parking option when arriving at the station. This parking option will no longer require a pre-registration process and can be accessed once on-site, making this parking available to anyone that chooses to park in the secured area.
Additionally, on-site kiosks and the mobile app are capable to be translated into the seven required languages: Armenian, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. This will allow for multilingual transactions and benefit marginalized communities with limited English proficiency. Overall, the Program will be more inclusive, allowing more patrons who need to rely on bicycle transportation to park at the stations. More bicycle parking options will be available at more transit corridor stations across the system.
Lastly, the Diversity and Economic Opportunity Department (DEOD) established a 6% Small Business Enterprise (SBE) and 3% Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise (DVBE) goal for this solicitation. The proposed Contractor team, a Small Business Prime, exceeded the goal by making a 68.76% SBE commitment and 4% DVBE commitment.
Metro’s Workforce Initiative Now - Los Angeles (WIN-LA) program is applicable to this professional services contract. This is the first contract in which WIN-LA provisions were successfully part of the solicitation process. As part of their proposal, the proposed Contractor has committed to allocate 10% of the contract total wages and benefits to the creation of jobs and employment opportunities for WIN-LA participants.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
Implementing the Program at Metro facilities and stations will support:
a. Goal 1: Provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling. Providing daily bicycle parking will enable cyclists that once relied on vehicles to transition to their bicycle for commuting.
b. Goal 2: Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system. Updating bicycle parking and making it available to all patrons adds to the user experience and makes it easier for patrons to access transportations.
c. Goal 3: Enhance communities and lives through mobility and access to opportunity. Secure bicycle parking options will be expanded to communities that previously did not have these options available.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board may choose not to approve the contract for Metro’s Secure Bicycle Parking Program This is not recommended as the Program needs to be updated in order to offer more robust and secure parking options for Metro patrons. The award of this contract is necessary to update the bicycle parking program to meet the new program and agency goals.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon approval by the Board, staff will negotiate and execute Contract No. PS78889000 with eLock Technologies, LLC for bicycle parking equipment and services to implement the Bicycle Parking Program.
Program planning and scheduling is intended to start at contract award with the implementation of the Program anticipated to start in FY23 Q1.
After the capital upgrade and proof of concept, Staff will also assess the potential expansion of the program based on the bicycle parking demand at both new and existing transit stations.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Procurement Summary
Attachment B - DEOD Summary
Attachment C - Secure Bicycle Parking Program Assessment Report
Attachment D - Board Motion Item 22 September 20, 2018
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Stacie Endler, Manager, TDM Programs, (213) 922-2538
Shannon Hamelin, Sr. Director, TDM Programs, (213) 418-3076
Frank Ching, DEO, Transportation Demand Management, (213) 922-3033
Holly Rockwell, SEO - Real Estate, Transit Oriented Communities and Transportation Demand Management, (213) 922-5585
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: James de la Loza, Chief Planning Officer, (213) 922-2920
Debra Avila, Deputy Chief, Vendor/Contract Management Officer, (213) 418-3051
