TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager/Chief Executive Officer
SUBJECT: External Planning Processes Update
BRIEFING ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving the report on the District’s involvement in external planning processes.
Staff Contact:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Strong Public and Policymaker Support
Initiative - Service Quality
External planning activities develop public and policymaker support by facilitating dialogue and consensus among AC Transit, cities and other stakeholders about their proposals affecting transit. The District’s participation in these activities is intended to improve or maintain service quality. Proposals by cities and other entities can improve operating conditions for AC Transit service or degrade them if not monitored closely.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no direct budgetary/fiscal impact associated with this report. Some projects sponsored by others may affect the District’s operating costs by reducing or increasing transit travel times or by changing the general operating environment. Participation in external planning processes requires an expenditure of staff time.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
Priority Efforts by District Staff
Oakland Alameda Access Project
The largest external planning effort this quarter is associated with the Oakland Alameda Access Project (OAAP), led by the Alameda County Transportation Commission. This project is intended to reduce local traffic congestion in Oakland Chinatown and improve access to the City of Alameda. The project would be built in multiple phases that would require bus stop closures and relocations and roadwork that may require buses to detour onto alternate streets. The largest impact to bus service would be the extended closures of travel lanes in the Webster and Posey Tubes, the main ingress and egress routes for the island from Downtown Oakland for vehicles and buses. During construction, heavy traffic congestion is expected on both sides of the tubes with a larger impact to bus services occurring on the Oakland side of the estuary. Staff are working with Oakland and Alameda city staff, OAAP engineers and managers and Caltrans (The tubes are part of California State Route 260) to develop transit mitigations, create public communication protocols and other actions to minimize impacts and ensure timely public notification of routing or schedule changes.
Regional Network Management
AC Transit continues to be heavily involved in regional coordination efforts to improve and fund transit in the Bay Area. The General Manager is a member of the Regional Network Management (RNM) Council and the Clipper Executive Board, while staff are active participants in committees on fare coordination, regional mapping & wayfinding, transit priority, connected network planning, regional funding, and RNM governance. In addition, AC Transit houses two staff members, funded by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), who are co-project managers for regional transit priority initiatives, Transit 2050+ and connected network planning.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
Participating in external planning processes provide AC Transit with opportunities to influence decisions by cities, counties, and other agencies that affect roadway design, transit, and land use. In addition, our participation ensures transit service plans can anticipate and adjust to meet the needs of the community. The disadvantage is that participation in external planning processes can be time-consuming with no guarantee of positive results for the District.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
Because this report does not recommend an action, there is no alternatives analysis.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
Board Policy 522 - Policy for Transit-Oriented Development and Transit-Supportive Land Use
ATTACHMENTS:
1. External Planning Tracker
Prepared by:
Jim Cunradi, Transportation Planning Manager
In Collaboration with:
Michael Eshleman, Transportation Planning Manager
Approved/Reviewed by:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Robert del Rosario, Director of Service Development and Planning