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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-10-2018 - MTC Agenda - Final PacketService Complaints: Complaints regarding bus service or routes are to be directed to the Transit Coordinator at 781-7531. Reports of complaints/commendations are available to the public upon request. MISSION: The purpose of the Mass Transportation Committee is to assist with the ongoing public transit program in the City and Cal Poly. As requested, the Committee provides advisory recommendations and input to the Council regarding routes, schedules, capital projects, fares, marketing and additional services. ROLL CALL: John Osumi (Chair – Business), Cheryl Andrus (Vice Chair - Cal Poly), Denise Martinez (Disabled), Elizabeth Thyne (Senior), Louise Justice (Member at Large), James Thompson (Technical), Torina Wilson (Student), Diego-Christopher Lopez (Alternate), David Figueroa (Alternate) ANNOUNCEMENTS: None 5 min. PUBLIC COMMENT: 10 min. At this time, the public is invited to address the Committee concerning items not on the agenda but are of interest to the public and within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Mass Transportation Committee. Public comment is limited to three minutes per person. The Committee may not discuss or take action on issues that are not on the agenda other than to briefly respond to statements or questions, or to ask staff to follow up on such issues. MINUTES: November 8, 2017 (Attachment 1) PRESENTATION: 1. None 0 min. Action Items: 2. None 0 min. DISCUSSION ITEMS: 2. Committee Items - None 0 min. 3. Staff Items 30 min. a) Analysis of Phillips St. Stop b) TAM Report c) Update on SB1 d) Transit Manager’s Report ADJOURNMENT: The next regular meeting will be held March 14th, 2018 The City of San Luis Obispo is committed to including the disabled in all of its services, programs, and activities. Please contact the Clerk or staff liaison prior to the meeting if you require assistance. Agenda Mass Transportation Committee Council Hearing Room, City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo Wednesday, January 10, 2018 – 2:30 pm Page 1 of 8 DISCUSSION ITEMS: Agenda Item 2: Committee Items - None Agenda Item 3a: Staff Items – Phillips Bus Stop Analysis of boarding and alighting’s at the Phillips St. bus stop in relation to other stops (attachment) Agenda Item 3b: Staff Items – TAM Report Transit asset management (TAM) is a business model that prioritizes funding based on the condition of transit assets, in order to achieve or maintain transit networks in a state of good repair (SGR). In July 2016, FTA issued a final rule requiring transit agencies to maintain—and document—minimum TAM standards. The new standards will help transit agencies keep their systems operating smoothly and efficiently. Every agency must develop a transit asset management (TAM) plan if it owns, operates, or manages capital assets used to provide public transportation and receives federal financial assistance under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53 as a recipient or subrecipient. Each transit provider must designate an Accountable Executive (49 CFR 625.5) to ensure appropriate resources for implementing the agency's TAM plan. There are two tiers for agencies that covers nine elements. Tier I agencies must comply with all nine elements of the TAM plan. Tier II agencies are responsible only for the top four elements. The City of San Luis Obispo (SLO) falls under Tier II and must comply with the following four elements: An inventory of assets – Maintain a register of capital assets and information about those assets. A condition assessment of inventoried assets – Rate each assets' physical state; to be completed for assets an agency has direct capital responsibility for, should be at a level of detail sufficient to monitor and predict performance of inventoried assets. Description of a decision support tool – Perform an analytic process or utilize a tool that (1) assists in capital asset investment prioritization and/or (2) estimates capital needs over time does not necessarily mean software. A prioritized list of investments – Maintain a prioritized list of projects or programs to manage or improve the SGR of capital assets. Transit Asset Management (TAM) Plan SLO Transit’s proposed TAM Plan is for all revenue vehicles to be no more than 25% beyond the FTA- defined useful life standard in terms of years or miles as the established goal; barring lacking the financial means to replace them. Equipment goal is set based on current age and when the replacement is tentatively set to take place. Agenda Item 3d: Staff Items – Update on SB1 On April 28, 2017 Governor Brown signed Senate Bill (SB) 1 (Chapter 5, Statutes of 2017), known as the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. SB 1 will provide over $50 billion in transportation funding over the next decade to repair highways, bridges and local roads, to make strategic investments in congested commute and freight corridors, and to improve transit service. These funds will be allocated under the State Transit Assistance (STA) Program formula to eligible agencies pursuant to Public Utilities Code (PUC) section 99312.1. Half is allocated according to population and half according to transit operator revenues. Page 2 of 8 SB1 transit assistance is comprised of two parts. One part of the program augments the base of the State Transit Assistance program by an estimated $175 million in 2017-18 and $274 million in 2018-19 stemming from a portion of the new sales tax on diesel fuel. From this, the City of San Luis Obispo is anticipated to receive approximately $137,000 or more annually to supplement operational cost. This latter program does not require pre-approval of projects before funding allocation. The other part of SB1 is for to be used for capital purchase assistance. This investment in public transit is referred to as State of Good Repair (SGR) Program. Access to SB1 SGR requires an annual grant application for both allocated and the competitive discretionary amounts. Such grant applications also require board/council approval. In FY 17-18 approximately $397,338 is available to transit operators in San Luis Obispo County for eligible transit maintenance, rehabilitation and capital projects. It is estimated that similar amounts will be available in this program thereafter. State of Good Repair (SGR), Capital Project The SGR Program provides funding for capital assistance to rehabilitate and modernize California’s existing local transit systems. SGR funds are available for capital projects that maintain the public transit system in a state of good repair. Statutes list the projects eligible for SGR funding, which are: Transit capital projects or services to maintain or repair a transit operator’s existing transit vehicle fleet or transit facilities, including the rehabilitation or modernization of the existing vehicles or facilities. The design, acquisition and construction of new vehicles or facilities that improve existing transit services. Transit services that complement local efforts for repair and improvement of local transportation infrastructure. The City of San Luis Obispo’s direct annual allocation of SGR SB1 funding for FY 17/18 is only $7,358. This amount is only sufficient for smaller transit projects. SB1 allows for annual roll-over and combining of multiple years, up to four years to help achieve a larger project. Further, Staff recommends pursuing up to the maximum in discretionary competitive award amounts, towards pursuing capital purchases. Specifically, with regard to transit fleet needs, such capital needs are pursuing alternative energy vehicles. The next meeting will be held: March 14th, 2018 ATTACHMENTS: 1. November 8, 2017 (Attachment 1) G:\Transportation Division\_Transportation Committees\MTC Committee\FY 2018 Page 3 of 8 Minutes - DRAFT MASS TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Wednesday, November 8, 2017 Meeting of the Mass Transportation Committee CALL TO ORDER A Regular Meeting of the Mass Transportation Committee was called to order on Wednesday, November 8, 2017 at 2:30 p.m. in the Council Hearing Room, located at 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California, by Vice Chair Andrus. ROLL CALL Present: Committee Members Cheryl Andrus (Vice Chair - Cal Poly), Elizabeth Thyne (Senior), James Thompson (Technical), David Figueroa (Alternate), Diego-Christopher Lopez (Alternate) Absent: John Osumi (Chair – Business), Louise Justice (Member at Large), Denise Martinez (Disabled) Staff: Transit Manager Gamaliel Anguiano, Transit Assistant Megan Weeks, Recording Secretary Lareina Gamboa Oath: Torina Wilson (Student) PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA None. ANNOUNCEMENTS None. MINUTES Draft Meeting Minutes for July 12, 2017 On Page 3, the first paragraph states “deter off Mill street” and it should state “detour off Mill street”. The paragraph pertaining to the Diablo Canyon Loop should be clarified as Descanso Loop or Prefumo Canyon Loop. The following paragraph that references the “placards” is referring to the straightline maps. Corrections to punctuations were also addressed. Page 4 of 8 DRAFT Minutes – Mass Transportation Committee Meeting of November 8, 2017 Page 2 ACTION: MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER FIGUEROA, SECONDED BY COMMITTEE MEMBER THYNE, CARRIED 5-0, to approve the Minutes of the Mass Transportation Committee Meeting amendments for July 12, 2017. Draft Meeting Minutes for September 13, 2017 The minutes should reflect past tense which will be corrected, as well as corrections to punctuations, and rephrasing of a few sentences for clarification. There was also a request for clarification about the Route 1A stop at the new airport terminal. The airport stop was included in the route and schedule, but the stop remained closed since the terminal was not yet open. The new terminal and airport bus stop are now open. There was also a request for more information regarding Route 4B, which will be updated in the past minutes if necessary. ACTION: MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER THYNE, SECONDED BY COMMITTEE MEMBER LOPEZ, CARRIED 5-0, to approve the Minutes of the Mass Transportation Committee Meeting amendments for September 13, 2017. PRESENTATION 1. City Fiscal Health Contingency Plan Daryl Grigsby, Public Works Director, informed the committee that in light of recent events with the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), the City of San Luis Obispo will be paying out over $7.5 million over the next three years. On December 12, City employees will meet with the City Council for direction on which payout option will be best. In regards to the Transit system, the general public will not likely see an effect due to the recent fare increase. ACTION ITEMS None. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Committee Items a.) Committee Member Thyne is hoping the long waits and coordination of the new bus schedules will be improved by the end of the fiscal year. b.) Committee Member Andrus informed the committee that Cal Poly’s master plan is now open to the public for review and comment, and it will be online for 40 days. 3. Staff Items a.) Introductions of the First Transit General Manager, Damon Dash, and Operations Manager, Kenny Gazin, occurred. b.) Transit Manager’s report: Page 5 of 8 DRAFT Minutes – Mass Transportation Committee Meeting of November 8, 2017 Page 3 • Ridership Updates The new routes and fares went into effect on June 18, along with an initial decline in ridership as the community familiarized themselves with the new system. Mr. Anguiano asked the committee to keep in mind that these changes are being made with room for growth in the future. The 1, 3, and 5-Day pass sales have declined while the 7-Day pass sales have increased. Some pass types may be eliminated in the future. Though the general public ridership has declined, Cal Poly riders are still holding ground. The Runabout is saving costs by encouraging free RTA and fixed route rides for those who generally take Runabout. There is a cost line labeled CP Invalid, which refers to when a student swipes their PolyCard and is does not register in the system. When this occurs, the driver manually accounts for that ride electronically. This is done with other pass types as well. Cal Poly students become general public riders once they graduate. Historical views of ridership was asked to be presented at the next MTC meeting. • Fire Department Assistance SLO Transit recently used its resources to assist the SLO Fire Department battling a house fire in extreme outdoor temperatures. A bus was provided as a cool place for the firefighters to take shelter and rehydrate. • E-Passes Demo SLO Transit entered an agreement with Token Transit for an app to enhance quick and easy boarding. Those who have a smartphone can text “token” to 41411 and will receive a link to download the app. Once the app is downloaded, a pass can be purchased minutes before boarding. The pass is then shown to the driver, the driver hits a button to account for that passenger, and by the time the rider reaches their destination, if it is a one-time pass, the pass has likely expired. E-passes do have a time limit, whether it is a single ride or multiple days. It can be sent to another person. For example, a guardian can send a pass to their child who lost or forgot their bus fare. There will be a one year long demo. RTA is considering the Token Transit app as well, but no further information was given. • Real-Time Bus Stop Info Signage Demo Two new real-time digital bus stop signs have gone up at two separate bus stops. The first sign is at Froom Ranch and LOVR. It is solar powered with LED lights and an audio message. The second is the new airport stop and will consist of e-ink, Page 6 of 8 DRAFT Minutes – Mass Transportation Committee Meeting of November 8, 2017 Page 4 like calculator font. This option would be best placed in residential areas where the bus stop is close to home windows. • Updated Policy on Folding Bikes, E-Bike Policy Folding bikes will be allowed on buses and will be treated as a carry-on item with the same rules and policies as carry-on baggage. c.) Update on Short Range Transit Plan (SRTP) As of September 8, the feedback from the June 18 changes from the general public has diminished. Routes 4A and 4B (formerly 6A and 6B) are struggling to meet its timepoints at its final stop along Grand Ave. High volumes of passengers traveling through campus is a big contributor to these delays. There is desire to increase bus frequency for Routes 4A and 4B to every half hour; however, there are no funds to do so yet. Routes 3A and 3B appear to have a longer route time, which is still a concern to the general public. Though the timeframe on paper has been extended, this route was rarely on time, so the City published a more accurate timetable. Though there is still a huge demand for service, bus routes like the Kennedy Library Tripper were seeing high volumes of riders only at certain times of the day and was not being used to its full potential resulting in many passengers regularly left behind. Though it appears routes have been eliminated, those particular routes were not seeing sustainable ridership. On November 13, Route 3A service will increase to every half hour between the hours of 6 a.m. and 1 p.m., and Route 3B service will increase between the hours of 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Route 3B has also been extended to 10 p.m., while Route 4B will run until 10:30 p.m. The Highland Tripper was also introduced to help alleviate leave behinds. Students will be informed through both Transit and Cal Poly announcements. PUBLIC COMMENT Logan Hunter, City resident, urged the committee to pursue eliminating the Phillips and Pepper loop altogether. There is still a lot of concern from the neighborhood about the bus routes continuously traveling on these narrow streets. The neighborhood members are feeling ignored and Mr. Hunter urged the committee to revisit removing this segment of the route. Mr. Hunter reminded the committee that they have the impact to do so as they have pushed for other stops and route changes in the past and have succeeded. Mr. Anguiano has tried for this as well and has a desire to move the route to Monterey Street for a number of reasons, but it remains out of his pursuance at this point. Page 7 of 8 DRAFT Minutes – Mass Transportation Committee Meeting of November 8, 2017 Page 5 STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS Megan Weeks, Transit Assistant, announced the Downtown Holiday Trolley will begin service the day after Thanksgiving and will run through Christmas Eve. The Trolley does require a separate fare. ADJOURNMENT ACTION: MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER THYNE, SECOND BY COMMITTEE MEMBER ANDRUS, CARRIED 5-0, to adjourn the meeting at 4:49 p.m. until the next Regular Meeting of the Mass Transportation Committee, January 10, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lareina Gamboa Recording Secretary Megan Weeks Transit Assistant APPROVED BY THE MASS TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: XX/XX/2017 Page 8 of 8