Meeting_Body
2028 OLYMPICS COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 14, 2022
Subject
SUBJECT: 2028 MOBILITY CONCEPT PLAN UPDATE
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE AND FILE
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE AND FILE the progress report on the 2028 Mobility Concept Plan.
Issue
ISSUE
This is the third biannual progress report to the Metro Board of Directors regarding efforts to develop a 2028 Mobility Concept Plan ("the MCP”) in anticipation of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games (“the Games”) and pursue state and federal funds to support the transportation infrastructure needed for the Games and beyond.
Background
BACKGROUND
2028 Mobility Concept Plan
At its December 3, 2020 meeting, the Metro Board of Directors approved Motion 42: “2028 Mobility Concept Plan” (Attachment A) and directed staff to work with regional partners to assign staff resources and proceed with the development of a regional investment plan to include a federal engagement strategy and funding proposal to implement transportation improvements that would provide permanent, long-term benefits to the people of Los Angeles County. Motion 42 described six actions, two of which directed staff to report back to the Board to apprise them of the progress.
In January 2022, the Board received its second progress report on the MCP, including a draft initial project list (“the initial project list”) for stakeholder review and input (<https://boardagendas.metro.net/board-report/2021-0730/>). The initial project list of over 200 projects was developed by Metro’s 2028 Games Task Force (“the Task Force”), starting with the projects listed in Motion 42 (including 28 by ‘28) and building on: 1) LA28’s core transport goals; 2) the draft 2028 Games Transport Funding Parameters; 3) a review of existing plans/programs as well as operational, capacity and safety needs to reveal areas of opportunity for enhancing mobility leading up to and during the Games and; 4) best practices from other world games events.
The initial project list included operational improvements, such as bus stops, bus lanes, transfer centers, mobility hubs, communications and security equipment, and system reliability investments; state of good repair and maintenance work; and optimized customer experience improvements, such as wayfinding, digital information, and payment technology. This initial project list was screened and prioritized by the Task Force based on a three-step screening methodology. For the first step, each project was evaluated to determine whether it could be completed in time to be operational by the 2028 Games assuming full funding was provided. The second step includes three criteria: 1) provides permanent/legacy benefits after the Games per Motion 42; 2) provides significant value to support LA28’s core transport goals; and 3) serves the needs of and enhances the quality of life for disadvantaged communities. As a last step in the evaluation, the projects were categorized into three tiers based on the preliminary scoring results of the screening. The first tier comprised projects with the highest scores; the second tier received average scores, and the third tier includes projects with the lowest scores.
Agency Coordination
Metro has partnered with and actively supported the City of Los Angeles and the Games Organizing Committee (LA28) since the bid preparation. Since then, and as part of the development of the MCP, Metro staff has continued to coordinate closely with LA28 and our major mobility partners on the Games planning and legislative issues. To ensure continued coordination and collaboration, LA28 created the Games Mobility Executives (GME), comprised of leadership from key city and regional transportation agencies, responsible for the public right-of-way and public transportation services that will support the Games.
The GME group includes executives from:
• LA28 Organizing Committee
• City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office
• Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)
• Metro
• California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
• Metrolink
Metro is thelead mobility partner in planning and delivery of mobility services for the Games spectators and workforce, along with the GME, and is working with LA28, and state and federal transportation agencies to align and act on regional opportunities. Metro is also the aggregator of the project list through the MCP. The GME will also work together to pursue federal, state and local funding and legislative initiatives to drive the implementation of prioritized MCP projects.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
The Task Force has made significant progress on the MCP regarding technical analysis, outreach, and coordination. During this reporting period (February 2022 - August 2022), the team has focused on:
• Seeking stakeholder feedback from transit operators, GME members, and councils of governments (COGs) on the initial project list
• Coordinating with LA28 and the GME on overall transport strategy for the Games, project funding parameters and roles and responsibilities
• Project refinement - Gathering more detailed data to evaluate projects and identify the potential for bundling projects
• Refining criteria and measurement scales (e.g., supplement criterion #3 with LA County equity data to assess more accurately the impacts/benefits)
• Funding and legislative efforts
The Task Force has received case studies and lessons learned from other World Games, such as London 2012, Rio 2016, and Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. The Task Force has also held workshops to evaluate strategies related to safety and security, transit/venue access, and transportation demand management.
Agency Outreach
Since the last Board update on the MCP, staff has conducted outreach and sought input from stakeholders, including Metro Service Councils, (COGs), venue cities, GME partner agencies, municipal operators, and other organizations. In general, stakeholders applauded Metro’s efforts to start planning for the Games early. The GME partners and venue cities provided feedback on refining the initial project list and adding new projects. Staff will continue efforts to update and engage stakeholders on the MCP.
LA28 and GME Coordination
Staff has been meeting bi-weekly with the LA28 mobility team to ensure Metro’s internal planning efforts align with the Games. Over a dozen workshops have been held with LA28 to understand their needs. The GME staff has met several times over the past few months. As described above, Metro has collaborated with the GME to be the aggregator of MCP projects. Other GME discussions have centered around the overall transport vision and strategy for the Games, as well as roles and responsibilities for each agency. While the MCP final project list will be subject to the approval of the Metro Board, other GME agencies will plug in their recommended projects subject to each jurisdiction’s governing structure. This approach will ensure Metro’s role as the aggregator while respecting each agency’s independent jurisdiction. The final decision on which projects to prioritize is subject to the consensus of the GME. The MCP will also identify the delivery lead for each project, which may include planning, design, and implementation.
Customer Experience
The Task Force hasprepared a customer experience needs assessment that identified the various customer segments (out-of-town spectators, local spectators, general public, Games workforce, and Games officials). The analysis identified each customer segment's shared and unique needs to enhance the customer experience for the Games.
Transit/Venue Access
While venues are not yet solidified, the Task Force evaluated key pedestrian and bicyclist pathways between Metro stations and potential venues. The assessment identified preferred paths of travel and potential improvements, including customer/user experience, safety, wayfinding, and ADA accessibility.
Transportation Demand Management
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) has been a key strategy for the World Games and was a major success during the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Staff is working on a multi-faceted TDM approach for the 2028 Games. The first part includes a series of communications and marketing strategies, as well as policy initiatives to reduce demand, minimize impacts to goods and freight movement, and encourage mode shift. The second part is a mobility hub strategy centered around Metro stations and LA28’s supplemental bus system. Lastly, it includes a park-and-ride strategy focused on Metrolink stations to capture commuters and spectators as early as possible on the rail system.
Safety and Security
The 2028 Games will be a National Special Security Event led by U.S. Secret Service, which may impact Metro and other transit operations. The Task Force team held workshops to identify areas of potential impacts on Metro operations and possible mitigations required to enable a car-free Games. The workshops also identified various coordination and planning needs to prepare for the Games.
Demand Modeling
Although not initially part of the MCP, the need to develop a travel demand model to forecast travel behaviors has become clear. Metro will build a living model that can be modified as more information is released on the scheduling and programming of LA28 events and validated from other major events, such as the 2026 World Cup.
Prioritization Methodology
Staff is working on updating and refining the prioritization process used for the Draft Initial Project List (described in the Background section of this report) to be more quantitative. The criteria will remain the same, but the metrics will be updated to enable the projects' scoring to be more data-driven. There will also be a harmonization step that evaluates funding probability, gaps, variety of project types, duration, and other factors.
Project List
Since the January 2022 Board Meeting that presented the Draft Initial Project List, staff has worked with GME partners, COGs, and venue cities to refine and add to the project list. Staff has also updated the project list based on the findings of the technical work presented above. The next steps include re-evaluating project readiness, grouping projects based on estimated costs, re-scoring the projects, and conducting the prioritization and screening to create the Final Project List. At the next Ad-Hoc Committee meeting in November/December 2022, staff anticipates presenting the final project list with a sub-list of MCP projects to be recommended for future endorsement by the GME.
State Advocacy Strategy
Earlier this year, the Metro Board of Directors transmitted a letter to the Los Angeles County Legislative Delegation recommending that the State allocate $2.5 billion for projects that support the Games from the historic budget surplus. The Board recommended that these funds should be subject to controlling criteria separate from the regular Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) and consistent with the draft 2028 Games Transport Funding Parameters. Unfortunately, the State budget was approved without a specific funding allocation for the Games. Our advocacy team in Sacramento is and will continue to be actively engaged in advocacy efforts to advance legislation that can support the Games. This year for example the Legislature passed SB 922 which extends the sunset date for transit projects in the public right-of-way. This exemption could be utilized to accelerate the projects in our Mobility Concept Plan.
Federal Advocacy Strategy
With Congress adopting and President Biden signing into law the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (P.L.117-58) last year (November 15, 2021), robust federal funding has become available that could be directed to provide funding for mobility enhancing projects and programs across Los Angeles County ahead of the 2028 Paralympic and Olympic Games. The new law significantly increases federal resources available for new transit projects, bus and bus facilities, state of good repair programs, among many other grant and formula programs. Metro is actively working with federal stakeholders, including but not limited to members of the House and Senate and the U.S. Department of Transportation, to identify the existing and new funding programs that can be used to direct federal funds to Metro projects in advance of the Games. This engagement will involve a shared dialogue with the White House, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator, members of the Los Angeles County Congressional Delegation, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) and other key congressional committee leaders - especially those serving on the House and Senate Committee on Appropriations. Metro supports the creation of a White House Task Force for the 2028 Games - which would enable coordination across federal agencies with respect to their support for this global event.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Approximately 90% of the proposed 2028 Games venues within Los Angeles County are located in or near Equity Focused Communities (EFCs), using the latest 2022 EFC Map for the analysis. As a result, staff is using Metro’s Equity Planning and Evaluation Tool as guidance to ensure the screening criteria include an equitable approach and EFCs receive their fair share of beneficial outcomes and are protected from a disproportionate amount of the potential adverse impacts.
The goal will be to link the MCP project list to other social benefits and policy goals beyond mobility for the Games and ensure that underserved and heavy transit user communities can realize those benefits. This is being achieved by working with the Office of Equity and Race to update the equity criteria and metrics to be more quantitative, data-driven, and refined to reflect social benefits and Metro’s policy goals, including improving access to opportunity. As proposed, equity is being emphasized in prioritizing the project list with a weighted score of 40% for criterion #3.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The development of the MCP supports strategic goals #1 “Provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling, #2 “Deliver outstanding trip experiences for all users of the transportation system,” and #4 “Transform LA County through regional collaboration and national leadership” by providing a roadmap and strategy to deliver permanent transit and transit-supportive projects and programs that can help serve the 2028 Games.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
In the near term (2-3 months), staff will be conducting a final screening of the project list using the prioritization criteria described above. Staff will also continue to coordinate with the GME on 1) the development of a GME-endorsed project list, and 2) the development and implementation of a legislative funding strategy. Following this, staff will develop a detailed implementation plan and prepare a final MCP report. Staff will continue to coordinate with LA28.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Motion 42: 2028 Mobility Concept Plan
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Ernesto Chaves, SEO (Interim), Countywide Planning & Development, (213) 418-3142
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: James de la Loza, Chief Planning Officer, (213) 922-2920
Seleta Reynolds, Chief Innovation Officer, (213) 922-4656
Nicole Englund, Chief of Staff, (213) 922-7950
