TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: Quarterly Report on District Involvement in External Planning Processes
BRIEFING ITEM
AGENDA PLANNING REQUEST: ☐
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider receiving the Quarterly Report on the District’s involvement in external planning processes.
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 between cities, AC Transit, and other stakeholders about their proposals affecting transit. The District’s participation in these activities is generally designed 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.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
AC Transit’s operations and service are affected not just by our own planning, but also by the planning of governmental agencies at multiple levels-state, regional, county, and city. Our district includes 13 cities and portions of 2 counties. Actions of these agencies can affect AC Transit positively or negatively in funding, policymaking, roadway design, transit performance and land use. Therefore, the District seeks to monitor and affect other agencies’ plan-making on an ongoing basis. Resources permitting, the District seeks to take an active role in these planning processes. Activities include: participating on Technical Advisory Committees, submitting comments on plans, designs and other documents, and speaking before staff and governing bodies.
This report summarizes transportation and land-use planning processes led by these other agencies, which affect AC Transit. It focuses primarily on long-range planning activities rather than project-level implementation. A list and summary of these planning processes is included as Attachment 1. The report covers planning activities from May through July 2022.
Planning activities in early 2022 continued to be conducted primarily on-line, although some agencies were considering holding in-person or hybrid meetings. Large scale regional and sub- regional planning processes and plans did not reach milestones during this period.
Comprehensive Multimodal Corridor Plans (CMCPs)
Preparation of CMCPs has been increasing in frequency in 2022. CMCPs are based on policy guidance from the California Transportation Commission issued in 2018. New corridor projects and planning area studies are increasingly using the CMCP format if they intend to draw on funds from the State’s Congested Corridor Program. Key features of the format include robust public engagement, performance assessments and greenhouse gas evaluation. The CMCP format will likely become the de-facto format for future corridor projects.
CMCPs are based on the State Highway Code and are:
1. Designed to reduce congestion in highly traveled corridors by providing more transportation choices for residents, commuters, and visitors to the area of the corridor while preserving the character of the local community and creating opportunities for neighborhood enhancement projects.
2. Reflect a comprehensive approach to addressing congestion and quality-of-life issues within the affected corridor through investment in transportation and related environmental solutions.
3. Developed in collaboration with state, regional, and local partners.
4. Evaluated for the following criteria as applicable: safety, congestion, accessibility, economic development and job creation and retention, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and efficient land use.
5. Consistent with the goals and objectives of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).
As shown in the attached tracker document, AC Transit is participating in all of these processes, advocating for the greatest possible degree of transit improvements.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
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:
Staff Report 22-256 - External Planning Processes
ATTACHMENTS:
1. External Planning Tracker
Prepared by:
Nathan Landau, Senior Transportation Planner, Long Range Planning
In Collaboration with:
Jim Cunradi, Transportation Planning Manager
Approved/Reviewed by:
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Robert del Rosario, Director of Service Development and Planning
Claudia Burgos, Director of Legislative Affairs & Community Relations