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BICYCLE & PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
6:30 PM
VTA Conference Room B-106
3331 North First Street
San Jose, CA
AGENDA
COMMITTEE MISSION STATEMENT:
The VTA BPAC provides expertise and guidance to the Board of Directors on promoting and
enhancing non-motorized transportation opportunities throughout Santa Clara County and
serves as liaison between VTA and the Member Agency bicycle and pedestrian advisory
committees.
CALL TO ORDER
1. ROLL CALL
2. ORDERS OF THE DAY
3. PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS:
This portion of the agenda is reserved for persons desiring to address the Committee on
any matter not on the agenda. Speakers are limited to 2 minutes. The law does not
permit Committee action or extended discussion on any item not on the agenda except
under special circumstances. If Committee action is requested, the matter can be placed
on a subsequent agenda. All statements that require a response will be referred to staff
for reply in writing.
4. Receive Committee Staff Report. (Verbal Report) (Ledbetter)
2016 Measure B Update (Verbal Report)
5. Receive Santa Clara County Staff Report. (Verbal Report) (Talbo)
6. Receive Chairperson's Report. (Verbal Report) (Hertan)
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee February 13, 2019
Page 2
CONSENT AGENDA
7. ACTION ITEM – Approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of November 7, 2018.
REGULAR AGENDA
8. ACTION ITEM - Conduct voting to determine the Committee's chairperson and vice
chairperson for 2019.
9. ACTION ITEM - Recommend that the VTA Board of Directors approve a Transit Speed
Policy for VTA.
10. INFORMATION ITEM - Receive an update on the development of the 2019 New
Transit Service Plan.
11. DISCUSSION ITEM - Discuss 2016 Measure B Bicycle & Pedestrian Capital Projects
Competitive Grant Program draft criteria.
12. DISCUSSION ITEM - Discuss draft countywide pedestrian and bicycle education and
encouragement program activities.
OTHER
13. Receive Reports from BPAC subcommittees. (Verbal Report)
Best Practices for Transit Operators Training
Across Barrier Connections
14. Receive Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) and 2000 Measure A Citizens Watchdog
Committee (CWC) Report. (Verbal Report) (Wadler)
15. Review BPAC Work Plan. (Ledbetter/Talbo)
16. ANNOUNCEMENTS
17. ADJOURN
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title VI of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964, VTA will make reasonable arrangements to ensure meaningful access to its
meetings for persons who have disabilities and for persons with limited English proficiency who
need translation and interpretation services. Individuals requiring ADA accommodations should
notify the Board Secretary’s Office at least 48-hours prior to the meeting. Individuals requiring
language assistance should notify the Board Secretary’s Office at least 72-hours prior to the
meeting. The Board Secretary may be contacted at (408) 321-5680 or e-mail:
board.secretary@vta.org or (408) 321-2330 (TTY only). VTA’s home page is on the web
at: www.vta.org or visit us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/scvta. (408) 321-2300:
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee February 13, 2019
Page 3
中文 / Español / 日本語 / Çѱ¹¾î / tiếng Việt / Tagalog.
All reports for items on the open meeting agenda are available for review in the Board
Secretary’s Office, 3331 North First Street, San Jose, California, (408) 321-5680, the Monday,
Tuesday, and Wednesday prior to the meeting. This information is available on VTA’s website
at http://www.vta.org/ and also at the meeting.
VTA Advisory Committee
February 2019
Committee Staff Report
VTA Advisory Committees
February 7, 2019
2016 Measure B Update
VTA Advisory Committees
February 7, 2019
VTA Advisory Committees
February 7, 2019
2016 Measure B Press Event – January 2019
2016 Measure B Program Categories
VTA Advisory Committees
February 7, 2019
• Master Funding Agreements to Member agencies for Execution• Review & distribute LSR Program Manual and required forms
• No 2016 Measure B funding needs anticipated
• Capital Projects grant program criteria; Anticipate call for projects summer 2019• Planning Projects grant program development;Anticipate call for projects winter 2019/2020• Education/Encouragement - master funding agree-ment under development
• Implementation Plan - Finalize scope/cost/schedule; Exe-cute contract• Continue coordination with three cities and Caltrain• Scheduling staff level technical working group meetings
• Draft funding agreement for $4.3 mil overhaul project - internal review• Reschedule of three train schedule - anticipate upon completion of PTC: July 2019
• VTA staff consulting with cities/county on Hwy projects• Noise abatement program - Develop program through 2019• Anticipate call for projects winter 2019/2020
• Overall program development• Working with County on project prioritization• Funding agreement/s development
• Transit Guideway Study contract Phase II kick-off meeting • Noise mitigation pilot projects contract - To release RFP
• Innovative Transit Service Models grant program devel-opment through 2019• Anticipate call for projects fall/winter 2019 or winter 2020
• Develop FY20/FY21 2016 Measure B Program projects and allocations for BOD approval• Develop web presence
2019 Anticipated Activities for 2016 Measure B2019 Anticipated Activities for 2016 Measure BTAC - Item #4CAC - Item #4BPAC - Item #4PAC - Item #4
Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER
The Regular Meeting of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) was called to
order at 6:32 p.m. by Chairperson Hertan in Conference Room B-106, Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority (VTA), 3331 North First Street, San José, California.
1. ROLL CALL
Attendee Name Title Representing Status
Wes Brinsfield Member City of Los Altos Present
Kristal Caidoy Member City of Milpitas Present
Barry Chaffin Member City of Monte Sereno Present
Susan Cretekos Member Town of Los Altos Hills Present
Jaime Fearer Vice Chairperson City of San Jose Present
Peter Hertan Chairperson Town of Los Gatos Present
Erik Lindskog Member City of Cupertino Present
Robert Neff Member City of Palo Alto Present
Rafael Rius Member City of Santa Clara Present
Carolyn Schimandle Member City of Gilroy Present
David Simons Member City of Sunnyvale Present
Jim Stallman Member City of Saratoga Present
Paul Tuttle Member City of Campbell Present
Greg Unangst Member City of Mountain View Present
Herman Wadler Member County of Santa Clara Present
Vacant Member City of Morgan Hill n/a
Vacant Ex-Officio Member SV Bicycle Coalition n/a
Shiloh Ballard Alt. Ex-Officio Member SV Bicycle Coalition Absent
A quorum was present.
2. ORDERS OF THE DAY
There were no Orders of the Day.
3. PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS:
Betsy Megas, Interested Citizen, noted the following: 1) encouraged the Committee to
provide feedback on the City of Santa Clara’s bike plan; 2) safety concerns when riding
bicycles; 3) bike storage issues; and 4) congratulated Member Stallman for his work on
the Bay Trail that got accepted in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC)
project proposal list.
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Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Minutes Page 2 of 6 November 7, 2018
4. Committee Staff Report
Lauren Ledbetter, Senior Transportation Planner and Staff Liaison, provided an overview
of the staff report, highlighting the following: 1) actions taken at the November 1, 2018
Board of Director’s meeting; 2) update on EZFare; 3) rescheduled Ad Hoc Financial
Stability Committee meeting to November 16, 2018, at 3:00 p.m.; 4) update on
October 17, 2018, Caltrans District 4 Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting; 5) update on
September 26, 2018, Caltrans District 4 Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting; 6)
VTA to host a webinar for the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals
(APBP) on November 14, 2018, at 12:00 p.m.; and 7) update on VTA’s Bike Ped
Program.
A Member of the Committee requested to receive crash data analysis.
On order of Chairperson Hertan, and there being no objection, the Committee received
the Committee Staff Report.
5. Santa Clara County Staff Report
Ben Aghegnehu, Santa Clara County Transportation Engineer, provided a report,
highlighting the following: 1) update on the Homestead Road corridor study and a
community meeting scheduled on November 26, 2018, at 6:00 p.m.; 2) update on the
Page Mill Road Expressway study project; and 3) appointment of Jacqueline Ociano, new
Director of the Planning and Development Department.
A Member of the Committee inquired about the timeline to complete the Page Mill Road
Expressway study project.
Upon inquiry, Mr. Aghegnehu provided project timeline for Page Mill Road Expressway
study project.
On order of Chairperson Hertan, and there being no objection, the Committee received
the Santa Clara County Staff Report.
6. Chairperson’s Report
Chairperson Hertan urged the Committee to attend the Ad Hoc Financial Stability
Committee meeting. He noted that it is a great meeting to learn about the organization’s
financial status and practice.
On order of Chairperson Hertan, and there being no objection, the Committee received
the Chairperson’s Report.
CONSENT AGENDA
7. Regular Meeting Minutes of October 10, 2018
M/S/C (Stallman/Unangst) on a vote of 14 ayes to 0 no to 1 abstention to approve the
Regular Meeting Minutes of October 10, 2018. Member Brinsfield abstained.
NOTE: M/S/C MEANS MOTION SECONDED AND CARRIED AND, UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED, THE
MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
7
Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Minutes Page 3 of 6 November 7, 2018
8. VERBS Cycle 3-Supplemental Program of Projects
M/S/C (Stallman/Unangst) on a vote of 14 ayes to 0 no to 1 abstention to recommend
that the VTA Board of Directors: 1) Approve a program of projects for the Vehicle
Emissions Reductions Based at Schools (VERBS) Cycle 3 Program; and 2) Reprogram
$1,000,000 from the City of Los Altos Miramonte Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Access
Improvements project if, by January 31, 2019, the City of Los Altos is unable to proceed
with the Miramonte Avenue original project scope approved by the VTA Board of
Directors. Member Brinsfield abstained.
9. SR 87 Technology Corridor Study Report
Upon inquiry, staff indicated the bicycle and pedestrian group provided significant input
in the State Route 87 Technology Corridor Study.
M/S/C (Stallman/Unangst) on a vote of 14 ayes to 0 no to 1 abstention to receive the
State Route 87 Technology Corridor Study Report. Member Brinsfield abstained.
RESULT: APPROVED – Agenda Items #7 - #9 MOVER: Jim Stallman, Member
SECONDER: Greg Unangst, Member
AYES: Caidoy, Chaffin, Cretekos, Fearer, Hertan, Lindskog, Neff, Rius,
Schimandle, Simons, Stallman, Tuttle, Unangst, Wadler
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: Brinsfield
REGULAR AGENDA
10. Station Access Policy
Aiko Cuenco, Transportation Planner III, provided a presentation entitled “Station Access
Policy,” highlighting the following: 1) Policy consistency; 2) Access policies and
practices; 3) Station access policy; 4) Guiding principles; 5) Station access hierarchy;
6) Applies to; and 7) Next steps.
Members of the Committee and staff briefly discussed the impacts of the proposed policy
to the design of BART Silicon Valley stations and the policy’s nexus to VTA’s land use
and development initiative.
M/S/C (Unangst/Wadler) to recommend that the VTA Board of Directors adopt a
Station Access Policy for VTA.
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Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Minutes Page 4 of 6 November 7, 2018
RESULT: APPROVED – Agenda Item #10 MOVER: Greg Unangst, Member
SECONDER: Herman Wadler, Member
AYES: Brinsfield, Caidoy, Chaffin, Cretekos, Fearer, Hertan, Lindskog, Neff,
Rius, Schimandle, Simons, Stallman, Tuttle, Unangst, Wadler
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
11. VTA Land Use and Development Review Policy
Melissa Cerezo, Senior Transportation Planner, provided a presentation entitled “Land
Use and Development Review Policy,” highlighting the following: 1) Policy consistency;
2) Why are we creating this?; 3) Policy outreach; 4) Principles; 5) Strategies to fulfill
principles; 6) Policy tools; and 7) Next steps.
Members of the Committee provided the following comments: 1) importance of
involving impacted users in gathering data for projects; 2) staff to be proactive and get
involved early in the process; 3) include metrics to measure success; 4) consider
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the policy, and treat it separate from
pedestrians; and 5) questioned the effect of the policy on multiple projects.
M/S/C (Simons/Schimandle) to recommend that the VTA Board of Directors approve
the VTA Land Use and Development Review Policy. Further directed having the BPAC
liaison or appropriate staff flag nexus to the development of bicycle and pedestrian
projects on the list, and to have appropriate pedestrian input be used on pedestrian
projects.
RESULT: APPROVED – Agenda Item #11 MOVER: David Simons, Member
SECONDER: Carolyn Schimandle, Member
AYES: Brinsfield, Caidoy, Chaffin, Cretekos, Fearer, Hertan, Lindskog, Neff,
Rius, Schimandle, Simons, Stallman, Tuttle, Unangst, Wadler
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
12. North San Jose Deficiency Plan Update
Ms. Cerezo and Ramses Madou, Division Manager, City of San Jose Department of
Transportation, provided a presentation entitled “North San Jose Deficiency Plan,”
highlighting the following: 1) Deficiency Plan/Multimodal Improvement Plan (MIP)
background; 2) MIP required elements; 3) North San Jose Deficiency Plan background;
4) Deficiency/MIP plan structure; 5) progress to date; 6) City of San Jose’s proposed
approach – goals; 7) proposed plan update; 8) phasing; 9) MIP required elements and
North San Jose potential changes; and 10) next steps.
Committee discussion ensued about the following: 1) effects regarding the change from
Level-of-Service (LOS) to Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT); 2) considerations for road
widening would create safety issues for bicycle and pedestrians; 3) Mabury Road/U.S.
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Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Minutes Page 5 of 6 November 7, 2018
Route 101 Interchange project; 4) bring the plan to the City of San Jose’s BPAC;
5) promote safe routes from one jurisdiction to another; 6) need to update the project list,
making it multimodal, and aligned with development; and 7) need to increase housing
density.
Public Comment
Robin Roemer, Interested Citizen, expressed concern about the mode share distribution
of the plan, and inquired about viable actions to reduce traffic impact.
On order of Chairperson Hertan, and there being no objection, the Committee received
the North San Jose Deficiency Plan Update.
13. Election Process for 2019 Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Leadership:
Nomination Subcommittee Report
Chairperson Hertan provided the Nomination Subcommittee report, noting the following:
1) nominate Vice Chairperson Fearer as Chairperson for 2019; and 2) nominate Member
Stallman as Vice Chairperson for 2019.
On order of Chairperson Hertan, and there being no objection, the Committee received
the Nomination Subcommittee Report.
OTHER
14. Reports from BPAC Subcommittees
Best Practices for Transit Operators Training
Vice Chairperson Fearer reported that the Subcommittee will meet on
November 9, 2018, at 3:00 p.m. to discuss next steps. She noted Member Wadler
is on the Subcommittee, and encouraged BPAC members to join.
Across Barrier Connections
Member Stallman reported on the following actions taken by the Subcommittee at
its November 7, 2018 meeting: 1) reviewed scoring criteria for projects on the list;
and 2) provide attention to the Cross County Bicycle Connectors (CCBC) and
determine near term project opportunities.
On order of Chairperson Hertan, and there being no objection, the Committee received
reports from BPAC subcommittees.
15. Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) and 2000 Measure A Citizens Watchdog
Committee (CWC) Report
There was no CAC/CWC report.
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Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee Minutes Page 6 of 6 November 7, 2018
16. BPAC Work Plan
Ms. Ledbetter provided an overview of the work plan and provided a list of queue items.
On order of Chairperson Hertan, and there being no objection, the Committee
reviewed the BPAC Work Plan.
17. ANNOUNCEMENTS
Member Brinsfield acknowledged City of Mountain View BPAC for hosting a joint
meeting with the Los Altos Complete Streets Commission. He also announced that there
are residents in the City of Los Altos that oppose the reprogramming of $1,000,000 for
the Miramonte Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Access Improvements project.
Member Unangst announced the unfortunate fatality that occurred at Google
headquarters. He added that LinkedIn is doing major development on the City of
Mountain View resulting in planned modifications to the intersection of Middlefield
Road and California State Route 237.
Member Simons announced that the John Christian trail needs to be updated to align with
the planned development in the City of Sunnyvale.
Vice Chairperson Fearer provided the following announcements: 1) honor recent bicycle
fatalities; 2) City of San Jose had its 39th fatality yesterday; 3) distributed World Day of
Remembrance San Jose flyer; and 4) job opening for Walk San Jose Program Manager.
Member Neff announced that the City of Palo Alto is working on improvements to the
Grand Boulevard. He added that a community meeting is scheduled o November 8, 2018
at 6:30 p.m.
Member Stallman provided the following announcements: 1) received the North San Jose
Mobility Plan; and 2) attended the Pedestrian Symposium.
Member Rius invited the Committee to provide feedback on the City of Santa Clara’s
Bike Plan.
Chairperson Hertan shared his experience in riding the Bird electric scooter in San Jose.
18. ADJOURNMENT
On order of Chairperson Hertan and there being no objection, the meeting was
adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Michael Diaresco, Board Assistant
VTA Office of the Board Secretary
7
Date: February 8, 2019
Current Meeting: February 13, 2019
Board Meeting: N/A
BOARD MEMORANDUM
TO: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
THROUGH: General Manager, Nuria I. Fernandez
FROM: Board Secretary, Elaine Baltao
SUBJECT: Election Process for 2019 Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
Leadership: Conduct Elections
Policy-Related Action: No Government Code Section 84308 Applies: No
ACTION ITEM
RECOMMENDATION:
Conduct voting to determine the Committee's chairperson and vice chairperson for 2019.
BACKGROUND:
The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) bylaws require that the committee elect
from its membership a chairperson and a vice chairperson annually to serve as the committee
leadership for the upcoming year. The bylaws also provide that the chairperson and vice
chairperson positions serve one-year terms coinciding with the calendar year and are eligible for
election to multiple terms. Only members, not alternates, are eligible to serve in these positions.
The elections for the BPAC leadership positions are conducted during the committee’s last
meeting of the calendar year (usually December), if practical.
The duties of the chairperson are to preside at all meetings of the committee and represent the
committee before the Board of Directors. The duty of the vice chairperson is to perform the
duties of the chairperson when the chairperson is absent. It is the responsibility of all advisory
committee chairpersons and vice chairpersons to participate in periodic coordination meetings
between themselves and the leadership of the VTA Board of Directors.
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DISCUSSION:
The election process for chairperson and vice chairperson is comprised of three distinct steps.
The first step is appointing the nomination subcommittee. The second is presentation of the
nomination subcommittee’s report. The final step is conducting elections to select the
chairperson and vice chairperson. Each of these components is conducted during the committee
meeting.
Appointing the Nomination Subcommittee
The chairperson requests volunteers to serve on the nomination subcommittee, which is typically
comprised of two or three members. If there are no volunteers or an insufficient number, it is the
chairperson’s prerogative to appoint committee members to serve on it. It is required that the
committee votes to approve the appointment of members to the nomination subcommittee. This
step normally takes place two meetings prior to conducting the elections.
The nomination subcommittee identifies members interested in serving as the chairperson or vice
chairperson. This is done by soliciting nominations from members, either for themselves or
other members, and is done at a time other than during the committee meeting. Additionally, it
is the nomination subcommittee’s responsibility to determine that members who have been
nominated are willing to serve. The nomination subcommittee may, but is not required to, make
a recommendation on its recommended candidate for each position.
At its October 2018 meeting, the BPAC approved the appointment of Members Peter Hertan and
Wes Brinsfield to serve on the nomination subcommittee.
Report from the Nomination Subcommittee
At the meeting immediately preceding the elections, the nomination subcommittee provides a
verbal report to the committee identifying committee members who have confirmed their
willingness to serve. This establishes the initial list of candidates for the elections to be held at
the next meeting. The nomination subcommittee is automatically discharged when its report is
formally presented to the committee. No action is required of the committee other than to
receive the report.
At the November 2018 BPAC meeting, the nomination subcommittee reported that the following
individuals had been nominated and had confirmed their willingness to serve:
Chair: Jamie Fearer, representative for the City of San José and current
BPAC Vice Chairperson
Vice Chair: Jim Stallman, representative for the City of Saratoga
On January 23, 2019, Jaime Fearer withdrew her interest in serving as the Chairperson for 2019.
At the February 13, 2019 BPAC meeting, the Chairperson will open up nominations from the
floor for the position of Chairperson.
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Election of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson
Due to the cancellation of the both the December 12, 2018, and January 16, 2019 meetings, the
elections for these positions are now scheduled to be conducted at the February 13, 2019 BPAC
meeting. The elections for the chairperson and vice chairperson positions are conducted
individually and in sequence. Immediately preceding the vote, the nomination subcommittee
report on individuals willing to serve in either position will be reiterated, and the chairperson will
verify that the named candidates still wish to be considered for the respective position. Next, the
chairperson will ask if there are any nominations from the floor, then close the nomination
process to establish the final list of candidates for each position. For instances of multiple
candidates for the same position, the order of voting for each candidate is alphabetically by last
name.
For BPAC, the affirmative vote of a majority of the total authorized membership, which is nine
votes, is required to elect each position. The term of office for each position for 2019 begins
immediately following the successful vote for each position.
ALTERNATIVES:
There are no alternatives since the Committee’s bylaws specify the election process.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact resulting from the election process.
Prepared by: Board Office
Memo No. 6756
8
Date: February 7, 2019
Current Meeting: February 13, 2019
Board Meeting: March 7, 2019
BOARD MEMORANDUM
TO: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
THROUGH: General Manager, Nuria I. Fernandez
FROM: Director - Planning & Programming, Chris Augenstein
SUBJECT: Transit Speed Policy
Policy-Related Action: Yes Government Code Section 84308 Applies: No
ACTION ITEM
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommend that the VTA Board of Directors approve a Transit Speed Policy for VTA.
BACKGROUND:
The average transit speed of VTA’s transit vehicles has declined 20% over the past 30 years.
When transit speeds decline, on-time reliability suffers, and transit becomes less appealing to
riders. Furthermore, slowing routes become increasingly more expensive to operate since VTA
must add more buses and trains to maintain the same frequency of service. This is especially
concerning on VTA’s highest ridership routes in the frequent network, which are among the
slowest in the system. For example, between July 2014 and January 2019, VTA added 33,000
service hours to the frequent network to compensate for slow transit speeds. This comes at a cost
of about $4M per year. However, if the average speed of the frequent network improves by just 1
mile-per-hour, it would reduce annual operating costs by over $15M per year. To address these
issues and improve overall system performance, VTA has developed a Transit Speed Policy,
provided as Attachment A.
Making Transit Faster
The primary sources of transit delay are increasing congestion, dwell time at stops/stations for
passengers to board and alight, and time spent approaching and waiting at traffic signals. For
example, VTA’s frequent network buses spend 32% of their time in traffic signal related delay
and 25% of their time dwelling at bus stops. The other 43% is spent moving along their routes.
A variety of treatments are necessary to mitigate sources of delay. Some of the treatments are
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Page 2 of 3
within VTA’s control and ability to improve, while others require close coordination and
partnership with local jurisdictions. For example, VTA can improve the boarding process and
eliminate bus stops to reduce dwell time but providing the traffic signal priority and right-of-way
improvements necessary to move transit faster through intersections and along corridors is
generally outside VTA’s purview. Similarly, land use policies that determine the intensity of
people and activities close to transit are decisions made by local jurisdictions. Accordingly, fast
and reliable transit is dependent on support from, and coordination with, local jurisdictions.
To increase speed and improve reliability system-wide, in 2018 VTA initiated the Fast Transit
Program. A key component of this program is the creation of a transit speed policy that
formalizes VTA’s position to prioritize speed and reliability in planning and investment
decisions. This policy will support the work of the Fast Transit Program and provide structure
and direction to agency-wide efforts that impact transit speed and reliability.
DISCUSSION:
The proposed Transit Speed Policy is VTA’s commitment to improve systemwide transit speeds
and reliability, principally, but not exclusively, within the frequent network. It sets forth guiding
principles and strategies for implementing improvements aimed at making transit fast, and it
provides a framework for advancing these strategies with local jurisdictions. Additionally, the
policy provides guidance for local jurisdictions to develop or enhance their own local mobility
policies and procedures to support the fast and safe operation of transit in throughout the county.
Successful implementation of the policy will result in a significantly more efficient and effective
transit system that is attractive to riders and supports the broader mobility goals of the
jurisdictions where VTA operates.
The policy fulfills two of VTA’s Business Lines as described in the 2016 adopted Strategic Plan:
a network of Fast, Frequent, and Reliable transit service and Delivering Projects and Programs
through land use and transportation integration. The principles and strategies outlined in the
policy are designed to advance these VTA directives. Additionally, the policy will work hand in
hand with other VTA policies including but not limited to the Complete Streets Policy, the Land
Use and Development Review Policy, the Commuter Shuttle Policy, the Station Access Policy,
and the Transit Service Guidelines. Ultimately, the success of the policy depends on the ongoing
cooperation, support, and partnership between VTA and local jurisdictions or other partners.
The policy is divided into the following sections:
Guiding Principles
A set of principles to guide VTA’s efforts to make transit fast and reliable. The principles
describe how VTA will work to increase ridership, reduce operating costs, and build effective
partnerships.
Strategies
A set of strategies that provide a starting point for VTA to develop and implement specific speed
and reliability solutions to fulfill the vision contained in the guiding principles. This includes
removing sources of delay within VTA’s control; working with local jurisdictions to reduce
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Page 3 of 3
delay on streets and at intersections; funding and implementing improvements; and measuring,
monitoring, and reporting on the effectiveness of speed and reliability improvements and the
performance of the Policy.
Next Steps
VTA’s proposed Transit Speed Policy is presented to the Advisory and Standing Committees for
discussion. Based on input received, staff could revise the draft policy and provide it to the
Board of Directors for policy adoption in March 2019.
ALTERNATIVES:
The VTA Board of Directors could decide not to adopt the policy, or request staff to modify
certain aspects of the policy.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No direct fiscal impacts are identified. However, the adoption of this policy could result in a
reduction in operating costs because faster transit speeds will reduce the amount of service hours
necessary to maintain frequency.
Prepared by: Tamiko Percell
Memo No. 6841
ATTACHMENTS:
8756_Att_A (DOC)
9
POLICY Document Number: 340.005
Transit Speed Version Number: 1
Date: 1/17/2019
Original Date:
01/17/2019
Revision Date:
N/A Page 1 of 6
1. Purpose:
The Transit Speed Policy establishes planning and investment priorities for the Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority (VTA) to address the long-standing trend of declining speeds and reliability across
VTA’s bus and light rail network. The policy is a commitment to align VTA’s internal planning, design,
funding, and operating practices, and strengthen partnerships with local jurisdictions to make transit fast and
reliable.
2. Scope:
This policy applies to all departments and personnel within VTA, including consultants and contractors,
who have a role in policy development, planning, design, funding, implementation, and operations of
transportation projects and programs that impact transit speed in Santa Clara County. The policy also acts as
guidance when working with local jurisdictions and developers that propose projects and changes to traffic
operations that may impact VTA’s transit lines.
3. Responsibilities:
3.1. VTA Divisions will incorporate the guiding principles and strategies established in this policy into all
phases of their projects when and where those projects or programs have the potential to positively or
negatively impact transit speed and reliability, or where new projects are proposed by local jurisdictions
or private parties.
3.2. Recognizing that VTA does not have authority over the streets on which it operates, the success of the
policy will rely on the ongoing cooperation, responsiveness, and partnership of local jurisdictions. The
policy also acts as guidance for local jurisdictions to enhance or adopt their own local mobility policies
that embed fast and reliable transit as a core function of their mobility systems.
3.3. VTA’s Planning and Programming Division will review and update the policy on a regular basis.
4. Policy:
Providing fast and reliable transit service is critical to operating an efficient and attractive transit system.
Faster transit will increase ridership, reduce operating costs, and relies on building effective partnerships in
the cities in which VTA operates. Successful implementation of the policy demands VTA show proactive
leadership to prioritize transit speed and reliability.
A. Guiding Principles
The policy establishes a set of foundational principles to support and guide VTA’s work to make transit
fast and reliable.
9.a
POLICY Document Number: 340.005
Transit Speed Version Number: 1
Date: 1/17/2019
Original Date:
01/17/2019
Revision Date:
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Increase Ridership
Enhance the passenger experience by quickly, reliably, and safely moving customers to their
destinations.
Prioritize speed and reliability improvements to the Frequent Network, to improve service on
VTA’s most productive routes.
Achieve and maintain VTA’s goal of an average bus route speed of at least 15 mph for non-
express routes per the current adopted Transit Service Guidelines.
Achieve and maintain an average light rail system speed of at least 20 mph.
Ensure safe accommodation for all riders of all abilities and safe operating conditions for transit
vehicle operators.
Improve the passenger perception of speed and reliability with accurate real-time information and
timely updates for service delays.
Provide convenient, comfortable, and safe access to transit stops and stations per the current
adopted Station Access Policy.
Reduce Operating Costs
Promote speed and reliability improvements that reduce delay and increase speed to lower operating
costs.
Target combinations of speed improvements to spots, hubs, and corridors within the Frequent
Network to maximize benefits and minimize costs.
Consider life cycle costs including capital and maintenance costs in the design of speed
improvements and investments in technology, infrastructure, and services that speed up transit.
Promote cost-effectiveness by prioritizing projects that leverage other fund sources and local
matches to maximize the value of VTA’s investments, including local development
contributions.
Build Effective Partnerships
Work in partnership with local jurisdictions, advocacy groups, mobility and technology providers,
private entities, and the community to develop context-sensitive speed and reliability improvements to
unlock the broad benefits of quality transit.
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Encourage local jurisdictions to incorporate transit first policy statements into their own mobility
policies, or adopt their own transit speed policy that supports the technology, infrastructure,
right-of-way optimization, and signal priority necessary to move transit vehicles faster along city
streets.
Collaborate with local jurisdictions and developers to proactively incorporate speed and
reliability improvements at the earliest stages of their projects.
Coordinate with third party shuttle providers to encourage responsible use of VTA facilities so as
not to impede VTA access to bus stops per VTA’s current adopted Commuter Shuttle Policy.
Facilitate partnership opportunities between public and private sector to test and evaluate
emerging technologies aimed at improving transit speeds.
Leverage resources for speed improvements through cost-sharing, data sharing and information
sharing with partners.
Partner with local jurisdictions to jointly plan and fund targeted improvements to make transit
faster and help local jurisdictions achieve their mobility goals.
B. Strategies for Implementation
The following strategies serve as the starting point to develop and implement specific speed and
reliability solutions that can increase average transit speed and improve reliability of transit.
Remove Sources of Delay within VTA’s Control
Employ strategies that reduce dwell time caused by frequent stopping such as eliminating
unnecessary or underutilized stops, setting thresholds to upgrade routes to Rapid service, and
implementing new headway management practices.
Prioritize transit speed in service planning and route design, emphasizing the importance of
routes that are straight and direct, with limited deviations and turning movements as defined in
the Transit Service Guidelines.
Implement strategies to expedite boarding and alighting such as fare policy changes, new
technology, off-board fare collection, smart cards, and all-door boarding.
Ensure existing and new VTA operating policies and procedures do not inadvertently slow down
transit.
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Work with Local Jurisdictions to Reduce Transit Delay on Streets and at Intersections
Work with local jurisdictions to establish transit signal priority agreements that provide the
highest level of transit priority and define protocols for signal timing changes, monitoring, and
evaluation criteria.
Encourage local jurisdictions to prioritize transit speed and reliability improvements to the
Frequent Network.
Pursue infrastructure changes and policy actions that minimize delay to help transit move faster
such as queue jumps, leading bus lights, bulb outs, in lane stopping, removing parking,
eliminating turning conflicts, implementing bus lanes, and enforcement of loading zones.
Ensure multi-modal street improvements and transit speed and reliability improvements
complement each other as outlined in VTA’s current adopted Complete Streets Policy.
Encourage cities and developers to mitigate potential sources of transit delay generated by new
developments by locating driveways and signals away from on-street bus stops.
Ensure that new access across light rail is provided via grade separation in order to safeguard the
traveling public and minimize transit delays. Per VTA’s current adopted Land Use and
Development Policy, VTA will not support new at-grade crossings of light rail.
Fund and Implement
Incorporate speed and reliability design elements into capital projects led by VTA, local
jurisdictions, and private developers.
Seek grant funding, public-private partnerships, joint funding with local jurisdictions, and/or
other funding sources for construction and maintenance.
Identify opportunities to tie VTA-administered grant funding to the policy so as to encourage
local jurisdictions to improve transit speeds.
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Monitor, Measure, Report
Measure the effectiveness of speed improvements based on metrics such as ridership, signal
delay, passenger seconds of delay, travel time, on-time performance, average mph, dwell time,
layover time, and seconds per boarding.
Periodically re-evaluate VTA’s measure of on time performance against industry standards and
best practices for its impact on operating cost, reliability, and rider expectations.
Incorporate quarterly speed and reliability updates into the quarterly performance monitoring and
reporting as set forth in the Transit Service Guidelines.
Enhance and support the policy by including an update on the performance of the policy in the
Annual Transit Service Plan highlighting cost savings, travel time savings, partnerships,
challenges, lessons learned, and recommended refinements to the policy.
5. Definitions:
Annual Transit Service Plan is the annual process and adoption of a plan to implement policies set forth in
VTA’s Transit Service Guidelines.
Dwell time is the amount of time a transit vehicle spends at a scheduled stop.
Frequent network refers to VTA’s core routes that provide service every 15 minutes or better all day on
weekdays. VTA’s frequent network includes all light rail lines, rapid lines, and routes 22, 23, 25, 26, 57, 60,
61, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 73, 77.
Layover is the time that a bus or light rail vehicle waits at the end or beginning a trip.
On-time performance measures the percentage of actual arrival times that are within three minutes early
and five minutes late at designated points along transit routes. It is a leading indicator of service reliability
and a reflection of customer experience.
Passenger seconds of delay is the amount of delay multiplied by the number of people on board.
Reliability is the ability of transit vehicles to arrive at stops at consistent and predictable times.
Seconds per boarding is the total dwell time at a bus stop divided by total boardings.
Signal delay is the amount of time a bus spends dwelling in traffic because of signal timing.
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Transit Service Guidelines are an adopted set of actions that establish a framework to objectively monitor
and evaluate VTA’s transit services, develop service change recommendations, and develop annual service
plans that move VTA toward achieving the current adopted Strategic Plan goal of providing fast, frequent,
and reliable transit.
Travel time is the amount of time a bus takes to travel from stop to stop or from end to end of a route.
6. Summary of Changes:
None
7. Approval Information:
Prepared by Reviewed by Approved by
Tamiko Percell
Transportation Planner
Chris Augenstein
Director of Planning and Projects
Nuria I. Fernández
General Manager/CEO
VTA Board of Directors
Date Approved:
9.a
Transit Speed PolicyAdvisory Committees
February 2019
TAC Agenda Item #8
CAC Agenda Item #9
BPAC Agenda Item #9
PAC Agenda Item #8
2
TOD
Policy Consistency
Complete Streets
Transit Speed
Complete Streets
Commuter Shuttle
Land Use & Development Review
Station Access
3
• VTA
• CitiesTransit Speed Policy
• Identify all causes of slow speeds
• Determine potential solutionsSpeed and Reliability
Analysis
• Projects
• Procedures/MeasurementRecommendations
Fast Transit Program
VTA Transit Speeds are Declining
4
14.1 MPH1988
12.8 MPH2005
12.6 MPH2001
11.6 MPH2016
5
25%
43%
32%Dwell Time at Stops
Travel Time
Delay Time atSignals
Causes of Delay in the Frequent Network
Time Moving
6
Route by Route Analysis of Delay
Route 25
7
Bus Stop Balancing
Operations
Infrastructure
Transit Lanes
Ci
Traffic Control
Spots Hubs Corridors
Fast Transit Program Toolbox
Policy
Policy Guiding Principles
8
Increase Ridership
Reduce Costs
Build Effective Partnerships
9
Next Steps
Policy Approval
VTA Committees | February 2019
TAC, BPAC, CTMA (March), CAC, PAC,
CMPP, SSTPO, A&F
VTA Board | March 2019
Fast Transit Program update | March/April 2019
Date: February 5, 2019
Current Meeting: February 13, 2019
Board Meeting: N/A
BOARD MEMORANDUM
TO: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
THROUGH: General Manager, Nuria I. Fernandez
FROM: Director - Planning & Programming, Chris Augenstein
SUBJECT: Proposal for 2019 New Transit Service Plan
FOR INFORMATION ONLY
BACKGROUND:
This is a staff proposal for a 2019 New Transit Service Plan that incorporates the direction
provided by the VTA Board of Directors at its December 2018 meeting.
Following an intense two-year planning effort in collaboration with Jarrett Walker + Associates,
the community, and transit stakeholders, the VTA Board of Directors adopted the Next Network
transit service plan in May 2017. The plan was to be implemented with the start of BART service
to Milpitas and Berryessa. As adopted, the Next Network plan comprised 1,601,000 annual bus
hours and 192,000 annual rail hours of service, with an 83% ridership and 17% coverage mix.
Since adoption, VTA's existing service network (in place and largely unchanged since 2008)
remains in effect until the introduction of BART service.
To help address VTA's structural deficit and improve its long-term financial stability, in
December 2018 the Board of Directors adopted the Ad Hoc Financial Stability Committee's
recommendations. Included in these recommendations was direction to develop a 2019 New
Transit Service Plan that would replace the original Next Network plan at approximately the
same service level as FY2018, but with a higher ridership focus, in order to achieve a $14.7M
annual operating cost savings.
Per VTA's Transit Service Guidelines and the Title VI Major Service Change policy, any major
service change must be developed as part of a comprehensive service plan development process,
which must include outreach/engagement with the community, an analysis of ADA paratransit
impacts, a CEQA environmental analysis, and a Title VI service equity analysis. Accordingly,
the necessary first step of this process is for staff to develop and present this network proposal
for Board and community consideration.
DISCUSSION:
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At its December 2018 meeting, the VTA Board of Directors directed staff to develop a new
transit service plan, based on the original Next Network, but with several changes. The proposed
service plan presented here generally meets all three of the Board’s parameters for the new plan:
1. Maintain transit service at levels approximately the same as what is offered today,
1.52M annual hours of bus service and 156K annual hours of rail service, to achieve
a $14.7M reduction in annual operating costs. The proposed plan would achieve a net
$14.7M reduction in annual operating costs, however the plan divides the cuts between
bus and rail service to preserve BART connections, ridership, and efficiency.
2. Adjust the network’s ridership/coverage balance to 90% ridership and 10%
coverage. The proposed plan would achieve a 90/10 ridership/coverage balance.
3. Protect service in South County. All local bus service as adopted in the original Next
Network plan is maintained in South County with no reductions. Route 68, which is South
County’s “backbone” transit route into San Jose, is improved significantly (resulting
from the shift to a 90/10 network). Express bus service to South County would be
reduced, however, as part of coverage reductions in the entire Express Bus program.
The original Next Network transit service plan was used as the baseline for this proposal,
and as such, the proposed plan is presented by prescribing changes as compared to the
original service plan. While service cuts are always difficult because the loss of transit service
impacts real riders, staff aimed to focus cuts on the least productive services in the network
(routes with the fewest boardings per hour of service) to minimize the impact to riders and
improve the proposal’s systemwide ridership. Accordingly, the proposed plan minimizes cuts to
VTA’s Next Network light rail system plan, as it represents the foundation of VTA’s ridership-
oriented service. To follow the direction to move to a 90/10 network, the proposal focuses most
of the service cuts to coverage services throughout the Local and Express route network. The
most significant major changes are also illustrated on the map in Attachment A. Attachment B
lists the municipalities impacted by each change.
Service Reductions
The proposed service plan includes 61 reductions in service as compared to the original Next
Network plan. All the reductions are to coverage service (to limit ridership impacts). Each
change in service is detailed below; the most significant major changes are highlighted in bold.
Purple Line (Almaden)
1. Discontinue Purple Line rail service (Almaden spur)
2. Replace Purple Line rail service with a new bus route that will stop at all three
stations (Ohlone/Chynoweth, Oakridge, Almaden) at 30-minute frequency, on the
same days and generally the same hours as the Purple Line
Blue Line (Alum Rock – Santa Teresa)
3. Shorten to end at Baypointe Station instead of Alum Rock Station; stations east of
Baypointe would be served by the Orange Line (Mountain View – Alum Rock)
All Light Rail Lines
4. Change weekend frequency to every 20 minutes on all lines (to provide better
connections with BART’s 20-minute weekend train frequency)
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Rapid 523 (Berryessa – Lockheed Martin)
5. End Saturday service at Sunnyvale Transit Center instead of Lockheed Martin after 8:00
PM
6. End Sunday service at Sunnyvale Transit Center instead of Lockheed Martin after 7:30
PM
Route 20 (Milpitas BART – Sunnyvale Transit Center)
7. End weekday service at 8:30 PM instead of 10:00 PM
Route 21 (Stanford Shopping Center – Santa Clara Transit Center)
8. End weekday service at 9:30 PM instead of 10:00 PM
Route 22 (Palo Alto – Eastridge)
9. Discontinue overnight service (1:00 AM to 4:00 AM)
Route 27 (Winchester Station – Kaiser San Jose)
10. Start weekday service at 6:00 AM instead of 5:30 AM
11. End weekday service at 9:00 PM instead of 10:00 PM
12. Reduce Saturday frequency to every 40 minutes from every 30 minutes
13. End Saturday service at 8:00 PM instead of 9:00 PM
14. End Sunday service at 7:30 PM instead of 8:00 PM
Route 31 (Evergreen Valley College – Eastridge)
15. Discontinue Sunday service
16. Start Saturday service at 8:30 AM instead of 7:30 AM
Route 40 (Foothill College – Mountain View Transit Center)
17. Start Saturday service at 8:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM
Route 44/47 (Milpitas BART – McCarthy Ranch)
18. Start weekday service at 6:00 AM instead of 5:30 AM
19. End weekday service at 9:00 PM instead of 10:00 PM
20. Reduce Saturday frequency to every 40 minutes from 30
21. Reduce Sunday frequency to every 60 minutes from 30
22. Start Saturday service at 8:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM
23. End Saturday service at 8:00 PM instead of 9:00 PM
24. End Sunday service at 7:00 PM instead of 8:00 PM
Route 52 (Foothill College – Mountain View Transit Center)
25. End weekday service at 9:00 PM instead of 10:00 PM
Route 53 (Sunnyvale Transit Center – Santa Clara Transit Center)
26. Start weekday service at 6:30 AM instead of 5:30 AM
27. Discontinue Saturday service
28. Eliminate deviation to Stevens Creek (stay on Homestead)
Route 56 (Lockheed Martin – Tamien Station)
29. Eliminate deviation to downtown Sunnyvale (stay on Fair Oaks)
30. Start Saturday service at 7:00 AM instead of 6:30 AM
31. Start Sunday service at 8:00 AM instead of 7:30 AM
Route 57 (Old Ironsides Station – West Valley College)
32. End weekday service at 11:00 PM instead of 12:00 midnight
Route 59 (Valley Fair – Baypointe Station)
33. Start weekday service at 6:00 AM instead of 5:30 AM
34. Reduce Saturday frequency to every 60 minutes from 30
35. Start Saturday service at 8:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM
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36. End Saturday service at 8:00 PM instead of 10:00 PM
37. Start Sunday service at 8:00 AM instead of 7:30 AM
Route 61 (Sierra & Piedmont – Good Samaritan Hospital)
38. End weekday service at 11:00 PM instead of 12:00 midnight
39. End Saturday service at 10:00 PM instead of 11:00 PM
Route 63 (San Jose State – Kooser & Blossom Hill)
40. End weekday service at 9:00 PM instead of 10:00 PM
Route 65 (San Jose State – Kooser & Blossom Hill)
41. Discontinue route
Route 71 (Milpitas BART – Capitol Station)
42. Start Saturday service at 7:00 AM instead of 6:30 AM
Route 72 (Downtown San Jose – Senter & Monterey via McLaughlin)
43. Reduce weekday frequency to every 30 minutes from every 20 between 8:00 PM and
9:00 PM
44. Reduce Saturday frequency to every 30 minutes from every 20 between 7:00 PM and
9:00 PM
45. Reduce Sunday frequency to every 60 minutes from every 30 between 8:00 PM and 9:00
PM
Route 73 (Downtown San Jose – Senter & Monterey via Senter)
46. Reduce weekday frequency to every 30 minutes from every 20 between 8:00 PM and
9:00 PM
47. Reduce Saturday frequency to every 30 minutes from every 20 between 7:00 PM and
9:00 PM
Route 77 (Milpitas BART – Eastridge)
48. End weekday service at 11:00 PM instead of 12:00 midnight
49. End Saturday service at 11:00 PM instead of 12:00 midnight
50. End Sunday service at 10:00 PM instead of 11:00 PM
Route 83 (Ohlone/Chynoweth Station – Almaden & McKean)
51. Discontinue route
Express 101 (Camden & Highway 85 – Stanford Research Park)
52. Discontinue route
Express 102 (South San Jose – Stanford Research Park)
53. Eliminate 2 of 7 daily trips in each direction
Express 103 (Eastridge – Stanford Research Park)
54. Eliminate 1 of 4 daily trips in each direction
Express 121 (South County – Lockheed Martin)
55. Eliminate 3 of 9 daily trips in each direction
Express 122 (South San Jose – Lockheed Martin)
56. Discontinue route
Express 168 (South County – San Jose Diridon Station)
57. Eliminate 2 of 7 daily trips in each direction
Express 182 (Palo Alto – IBM/Bailey Ave)
58. Discontinue route
Express 185 (South County – Mountain View)
59. Discontinue route
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Route 251 (St. Francis High School – Mountain View Transit Center)
60. Discontinue school-oriented route
Route 255 (Fremont High School – Lawrence & Tasman)
61. Discontinue school-oriented route (regular Route 55 trips would remain)
Route 266 (Santa Teresa High School – Bernal & Via Serena)
62. Discontinue school-oriented route
Service Improvements
Since the proposed plan aims to achieve a 90/10 ridership/coverage balance as compared to the
original Next Network plan’s 83/17 balance, the proposal also includes additional investments in
the Frequent Network, VTA’s ridership-oriented network of frequent routes that are designed for
serving and attracting high ridership. The proposed service plan includes 6 improvements to
routes in the Frequent Network as compared to the original Next Network plan. Each
improvement is detailed below.
Rapid 500 (Berryessa BART – Diridon Station)
1. Improve weekday frequency to every 7.5 minutes all day (average) from every 10-15
minutes
Route 23 (De Anza College – Alum Rock Station)
2. Improve weekday and weekend service frequency between 7:00 PM and 11:00 PM
Route 26 (West Valley College – Eastridge)
3. Improve weekday service frequency between Curtner Station and Westgate to every
15 minutes from 30, extending the all-day Frequent segment of the route west
beyond Curtner Station
4. Improve weekend service frequency between Curtner Station and Westgate to every
20 minutes from every 30
Route 68 (San Jose Diridon Station – Gilroy Transit Center)
5. Improve weekday midday service frequency between Santa Teresa Station and
Gilroy to every 15 minutes from 30, which would make the entire route from San
Jose to Gilroy frequent all day
Rapid 522 (Palo Alto – Eastridge)
6. Improve early morning and evening frequency to every 15 minutes from every 20,
daily
Service Levels
The proposed service plan would divide the service cuts between bus and rail to achieve the
Board’s goal of a net annual $14.7M savings versus the original plan. The Ad Hoc Financial
Stability Committee recommendation was to focus more of the cuts on the light rail network;
however, such extreme cuts to the light rail network would have been contrary to the direction to
create a more ridership-oriented network (since VTA light rail carries far more riders per hour of
service than VTA bus). Therefore, the revised plan as proposed focuses the cuts on coverage
service throughout the bus network. As Table 1 shows, the proposal includes 1.49M annual
hours of bus service and 172K annual hours of rail service.
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Table 1: Summary of Proposed Plan Service Level
Original Ad Hoc Committee Proposed % Reduction
Next Network Plan Recommendation Plan from Original Plan
Annual Hours (Bus) 1,601,000 1,520,000 1,490,000 – 6.9%
Annual Hours (Rail) 192,000 156,000 172,000 – 10.4%
Ridership Impact
The reduction in service levels will have a negative impact on VTA transit ridership, as well as
BART ridership in Santa Clara County. At the same time, the transition to a 90/10
ridership/coverage network through additional investments in the Frequent Network will have a
positive impact on ridership. Table 2 provides a planning-level estimate of the proposal’s net
change in ridership as compared to the original Next Network plan.
Table 2: Estimate of Ridership Impacts
Annual Boardings
Current Ridership (Dec. ‘17 – Nov. ‘18) 36,141,014
Original Next Network VTA Ridership 40,372,000
Impact of Light Rail Reductions – 566,000
Impact of Bus Reductions – 607,000
Impact of Bus Improvements + 662,000
Net Impact – 511,000 (– 1.3% from original plan)
Proposed Plan VTA Ridership 39,407,000
In addition to the impact on VTA transit ridership, the proposed plan would also impact BART
ridership at both stations in Santa Clara County due to fewer VTA transit connections,
particularly at Milpitas Station. For example, the longstanding plan to provide Blue Line and
Orange Line service at Milpitas Station (service every 7.5 minutes) would be cut in half to just
the Orange Line (service every 15 minutes). Quantifying the proposal’s BART ridership impact
would require significant further analysis not possible in the timeframe of this memorandum.
The revised service levels and VTA ridership impacts discussed above are anticipated to result in
a $14.7M net annual savings versus the cost of the original Next Network plan (a 4% reduction).
Outreach and Next Steps
Following the January VTA’s Board of Directors meeting, staff will immediately begin an
intensive two-month community outreach effort to gather feedback on the proposal, as dictated
by VTA’s Transit Service Guidelines and Title VI Major Service Change policy. Community
and stakeholder feedback will be used to revise the plan for the final version that will be
presented to the Board of Directors for adoption in the spring.
To complete the process and have sufficient time to prepare for and deploy the revised network
in time for day one of BART service, the process will need to move quickly and there is little
room for delay in the schedule:
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December 2018: Board directs staff to develop new service plan
January 2019: Staff presents new service plan proposal to Board
January 2019 to February 2019: Staff conducts community outreach, ADA paratransit
analysis, CEQA analysis, and draft Title VI service equity analysis
March 2019: Staff revises plan based on community and stakeholder input
April 2019: Staff presents final service plan to VTA Board Committees
May 2019: Staff presents final service plan to VTA Board of Directors for adoption
May 2019 to September 2019: Staff conducts implementation activities (prepares
schedules, revises customer information, fabricates and installs new bus stop signage, and
a host of other activities to implement the new network on day one of BART service)
Staff will provide updates to the Board of Directors throughout the spring as staff conduct
outreach, analysis, and develops the final plan. The final plan to be presented for the Board’s
adoption in May will include service details, analysis, and maps.
Related Efforts
Fast Transit Program. Alongside this effort to revise the transit service plan, staff is actively
ramping up efforts to speed up VTA buses and trains, which are suffering from a long-term
gradual decline in average speeds due to a variety of factors. Since the cost of VTA transit
service is directly related to the speed of buses and trains, slower speeds are effectively a service
cut because they result in higher costs to deliver the same service. Alarmingly, VTA’s speeds
have declined 20% over the last 30 years, resulting in a 20% increase in operating costs to
maintain the same miles of service, and that trend has accelerated significantly in recent years.
To illustrate the potential impact of faster transit, a speed increase on VTA’s Frequent Network
of just 1 mile-per-hour would reduce annual operating costs by well over $15M, which would
eliminate the need to make any of the cuts as proposed in this plan. Staff are actively studying all
sources of delay to VTA buses and trains and will be working with the VTA Board and our
municipal partners to implement policies and actions that put transit first. Accordingly, staff are
exploring cost-effective strategies that other transit properties have implemented to great success
in speeding up transit, including transit signal priority, removing and consolidating bus stops, all-
door boarding, and fare policies that reduce the delays related to cash fare collection.
Express Bus Study. VTA staff in late 2018 began a comprehensive study of VTA’s nine-route
Express bus program. Following a VTA Committee and Board report on the program’s poor
performance in spring 2018, staff have begun an effort to conduct a thorough analysis of each
route, collaborate with stakeholders on new ideas for commute services, and develop a new
service plan that will better meet the needs of commuters as well as VTA’s performance
standards. While this 2019 New Transit Service Plan proposal would reduce the Express bus
program’s total service level by half, staff will continue the study on the remainder and make
recommendations with the remaining resources (likely late 2019 or early 2020).
ALTERNATIVES:
Alternatively, the Board could reject the proposal and elect to proceed with a different transit
network plan altogether. One alternative could be implemented without any further outreach or
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analysis and could be in place on day one of BART service:
1. The Board could elect to abandon the direction to revise the transit service plan, in which
case staff would implement the original Next Network transit service plan as adopted in
2017.
However, implementing the service levels in the original Next Network transit service plan
would not achieve the desired $14.7M and would seriously jeopardize VTA’s long-term
financial stability.
Aside from the original Next Network plan or the revised plan as proposed in this memo, any
other network plan would require development, subsequent analysis, and a full Title VI outreach
and community engagement process. Unfortunately, there may not be sufficient time to complete
the necessary tasks in time for day one of BART service, meaning the new network may not be
ready and VTA would continue to operate today’s network after BART service begins. Although
not recommended by staff because it is likely the network would not be ready for day one of
BART service, the Board could elect to:
2. Direct staff to develop a new transit service plan based more strictly on the Ad Hoc
Financial Stability Committee’s original recommendation to focus the cuts on the light
rail network (i.e. a light rail network without the new Orange Line). Staff would present
such a plan to the Board in February and proceed along a similar timeline. However, due
to the delay, it may be a challenge for staff to implement the network in time for day one
of BART service.
3. Direct staff to develop a new transit service plan based on a new set of criteria. Staff
would present the new plan to the Board in February. The delay would push the schedule
out and the network would not be ready for implementation until November 2018 at the
earliest.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is minimal direct fiscal impact from directing staff to conduct outreach on the proposed
Next Network service plan revision. However, if the proposed plan revision is implemented, the
updated service levels and VTA ridership impacts discussed above are anticipated to result in
annual net savings of $14.7M versus the cost of the original Next Network plan.
Prepared By: Jay Tyree
Memo No. 6878
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S a n Fr a n c i sco B ay
Express Bus changes not shown on map:
Discontinue routeExpress 101 Camden & 85 – Palo AltoREDUCTION
Discontinue routeExpress 122 REDUCTION
Discontinue routeDiscontinue routeExpress 185 South County – Mountain ViewREDUCTION
Discontinue routeExpress 182 Palo Alto – IBM/Bailey AveREDUCTION
Discontinue 2 unproductive trips each direction(currently 7 trips each direction)
Express 102 South San Jose – Palo AltoREDUCTION
Discontinue 1 unproductive trip each direction(currently 4 trips each direction)
Express 103 Eastridge – Palo AltoREDUCTION
Discontinue 3 unproductive trips each direction(currently 9 trips each direction)
Express 121 REDUCTION
Discontinue 2 unproductive trips each direction(currently 7 trips each direction)
Express 168 South County – San JoseREDUCTION
Improve frequency to every 15 minutes during early morning and evening
Rapid 522IMPROVEMENT
Improve evening frequencyRoute 23IMPROVEMENT
Improve weekday frequency between Westgate and Curtner Station from 30-min to 15-min
Route 26IMPROVEMENT
End at Baypointe Station instead of Alum Rock Station
Blue Line light railREDUCTION
Eliminate deviation to Stevens Creek (stay on Homestead)
Route 53REDUCTION
Discontinue overnight serviceRoute 22REDUCTION
Discontinue Sunday serviceRoute 31REDUCTION
Eliminate deviation to downtown Sunnyvale
Route 56REDUCTION
Discontinue routeRoute 83REDUCTION
Discontinue routeRoute 65REDUCTION
Discontinue Almaden light rail;replace with bus every 30 minutes
Purple Line light railREDUCTION
Improve weekday midday frequency in South County from 30-min to 15-min
Route 68IMPROVEMENT
23
26
68
522
22
52250023
22
53
56
83
65
31
68
Improve weekday midday frequency in South County from 30-min to 15-min
Route 68IMPROVEMENT
Improve weekday frequency to every7.5 minutes (average), all day
Rapid 500IMPROVEMENT
MorganHill
San Martin
Gilroy
Major Changes in the Revised Next Network Service PlanAttachment A
This page shows the major and as compared to the original Next Network planIMPROVEMENTS REDUCTIONS
10.a
Attachment B(compared to original Next Network plan)
Annual Municipalities Impacted by Change
Change Number and Description Hours Cam Cup Gil LA LAH LG Mil MS MH MV PA SJ SC Sar Sun
Purple Line (Almaden)
4 1. Discontinue Purple Line Almaden rail service -6,170 X
1 2.Replace Purple Line rail service with a new bus route that will stop at all three stations at 30-
minute frequency, on the same days and generally the same hours as the Purple Line5,800 X
Blue Line (Alum Rock – Santa Teresa)
1 3.Shorten to end at Baypointe Station instead of Alum Rock Station; stations east of Baypointe would
be served by the Orange Line (Mountain View – Alum Rock) only-13,562 X X
All Light Rail Lines X X X X X X
4.Change weekend frequency to every 20 minutes on all lines (to provide better connections with
BART’s 20-minute weekend train frequency)n/a
Rapid 523 (Berryessa – Lockheed Martin)
5. End Saturday service at Sunnyvale Transit Center instead of Lockheed Martin after 8:00 PM -89 X
6. End Sunday service at Sunnyvale Transit Center instead of Lockheed Martin after 7:30 PM -110 X
Route 20 (Milpitas BART – Sunnyvale Transit Center)
7. End weekday service at 8:30 PM instead of 10:00 PM -489 X X X X
Route 21 (Stanford Shopping Center – Santa Clara Transit Center)
8. End weekday service at 9:30 PM instead of 10:00 PM -990 X X X X
Route 22 (Palo Alto – Eastridge)
1 9. Discontinue overnight service (1:00 AM to 4:00 AM) -3,789 X X X X X X
Route 27 (Winchester Station – Kaiser San Jose)
10. Start weekday service at 6:00 AM instead of 5:30 AM -144 X X X X
11. End weekday service at 9:00 PM instead of 10:00 PM -587 X X X X
12. Reduce Saturday frequency to every 40 minutes from every 30 minutes -416 X X X X
13. End Saturday service at 8:00 PM instead of 9:00 PM -307 X X X X
14. End Sunday service at 7:30 PM instead of 8:00 PM -168 X X X X
Route 31 (Evergreen Valley College – Eastridge)
1 15. Discontinue Sunday service -478 X
16. Start Saturday service at 8:30 AM instead of 7:30 AM -49 X
Route 40 (Foothill College – Mountain View Transit Center)
17. Start Saturday service at 8:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM -63 X X X
Route 44/47 (Milpitas BART – McCarthy Ranch)
18. Start weekday service at 6:00 AM instead of 5:30 AM -561 X
19. End weekday service at 9:00 PM instead of 10:00 PM -510 X
20. Reduce Saturday frequency to every 40 minutes from 30 -546 X
21. Reduce Sunday frequency to every 60 minutes from 30 -598 X
22. Start Saturday service at 8:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM -110 X
23. End Saturday service at 8:00 PM instead of 9:00 PM -111 X
24. End Sunday service at 7:00 PM instead of 8:00 PM -116 X
Route 52 (Foothill College – Mountain View Transit Center)
25. End weekday service at 9:00 PM instead of 10:00 PM -238 X X X
Route 53 (Sunnyvale Transit Center – Santa Clara Transit Center)
26. Start weekday service at 6:30 AM instead of 5:30 AM -179 X X X
27. Discontinue Saturday service -498 X X X
1 28. Eliminate deviation to Stevens Creek (stay on Homestead) -1,403 X X
Route 56 (Lockheed Martin – Tamien Station)
1 29. Eliminate deviation to downtown Sunnyvale (stay on Fair Oaks) -2,405 X
30. Start Saturday service at 7:00 AM instead of 6:30 AM -137 X X X X X
31. Start Sunday service at 8:00 AM instead of 7:30 AM -205 X X X X X
Route 57 (Old Ironsides Station – West Valley College)
32. End weekday service at 11:00 PM instead of 12:00 midnight -485 X X X
Route 59 (Valley Fair – Baypointe Station)
33. Start weekday service at 6:00 AM instead of 5:30 AM -540 X X
34. Reduce Saturday frequency to every 60 minutes from 30 -598 X X
35. Start Saturday service at 8:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM -140 X X
36. End Saturday service at 8:00 PM instead of 10:00 PM -189 X X
37. Start Sunday service at 8:00 AM instead of 7:30 AM -139 X X
Route 61 (Sierra & Piedmont – Good Samaritan Hospital)
38. End weekday service at 11:00 PM instead of 12:00 midnight -485 X X X
39. End Saturday service at 10:00 PM instead of 11:00 PM -99 X X X
Route 63 (San Jose State – Kooser & Blossom Hill)
40. End weekday service at 9:00 PM instead of 10:00 PM -518 X
Route 65 (San Jose State – Kooser & Blossom Hill)
1 41. Discontinue route -7,017 X X
Route 71 (Milpitas BART – Capitol Station)
42. Start Saturday service at 7:00 AM instead of 6:30 AM -120 X X
Route 72 (Downtown San Jose – Senter & Monterey via McLaughlin)
43. Reduce weekday frequency to every 30 minutes from every 20 between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM -510 X
44. Reduce Saturday frequency to every 30 minutes from every 20 between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM -208 X
45. Reduce Sunday frequency to every 60 minutes from every 30 between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM -122 X
Route 73 (Downtown San Jose – Senter & Monterey via Senter)
46. Reduce weekday frequency to every 30 minutes from every 20 between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM -510 X
47. Reduce Saturday frequency to every 30 minutes from every 20 between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM -208 X
Route 77 (Milpitas BART – Eastridge)
48. End weekday service at 11:00 PM instead of 12:00 midnight -510 X X
49. End Saturday service at 11:00 PM instead of 12:00 midnight -104 X X
50. End Sunday service at 10:00 PM instead of 11:00 PM -116 X X
Route 83 (Ohlone/Chynoweth Station – Almaden & McKean)
1 51. Discontinue route -3,383 X
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10.b
Attachment B(compared to original Next Network plan)
Annual Municipalities Impacted by Change
Change Number and Description Hours Cam Cup Gil LA LAH LG Mil MS MH MV PA SJ SC Sar Sun
Express 101 (Camden & Highway 85 – Stanford Research Park)
1 52. Discontinue route -2,295 X X X X
Express 102 (South San Jose – Stanford Research Park)
1 53. Eliminate 2 of 7 daily trips in each direction -2,242 X X
Express 103 (Eastridge – Stanford Research Park)
1 54. Eliminate 1 of 4 daily trips in each direction -1,075 X X
Express 121 (South County – Lockheed Martin)
1 55. Eliminate 3 of 9 daily trips in each direction -4,178 X X X X
Express 122 (South San Jose – Lockheed Martin)
1 56. Discontinue route -1,020 X X
Express 168 (South County – San Jose Diridon Station)
1 57. Eliminate 2 of 7 daily trips in each direction -2,406 X X X
Express 182 (Palo Alto – IBM/Bailey Ave)
1 58. Discontinue route -897 X X X
Express 185 (South County – Mountain View)
1 59. Discontinue route -5,223 X X X
Route 251 (St. Francis High School – Mountain View Transit Center)
60. Discontinue route -144 X
Route 255 (Fremont High School – Lawrence & Tasman)
61. Discontinue route (regular Route 55 trips would remain) -457 X
Route 266 (Santa Teresa High School – Bernal & Via Serena)
62. Discontinue route -211 X
Various
Miscellaneous minor reductions in trips (not listed individually) -3,369
Rapid 500 (Berryessa BART – Diridon Station)
1 1. Improve weekday frequency to every 7.5 minutes all day (average) from every 10-15 minutes 7,887 X
Route 23 (De Anza College – Alum Rock Station)
1 2. Improve weekday and weekend service frequency between 7:00 PM and 11:00 PM 2,312 X X X
Route 26 (West Valley College – Eastridge)
1 3.Improve weekday frequency between Curtner Station and Westgate to every 15 minutes from 30,
extending the all-day Frequent segment of the route west beyond Curtner Station13,552 X X X
1 4. Improve weekend service frequency between Curtner Station and Westgate to every 20 from 30 n/a X X X
Route 68 (San Jose Diridon Station – Gilroy Transit Center)
1 5.Improve weekday midday service frequency between Santa Teresa Station and Gilroy to every 15
minutes from 30, which would make the entire route to Gilroy frequent all day5,614 X X X
Rapid 522 (Palo Alto – Eastridge)
1 6. Improve early morning and evening frequency to every 15 minutes from every 20, daily 4,169 X X X X X X
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10.b
2019 New Transit Service Plan
VTA Board Advisory CommitteesFebruary 2019
BPAC Agenda Item 10CAC Agenda Item 11TAC Agenda Item 9PAC Agenda Item 10
Plan Overview + Outreach Update
2016 Next Network development + community engagement
2017 VTA Board adopts final Next Network plan
…waiting for BART service to start new network…
2018 VTA Ad Hoc Financial Stability Committee recommends service change
Dec 2018 VTA Board directs staff to develop new service plan
Jan 2019 VTA Board directs staff to conduct outreach on new plan
January Community engagement
February Community engagement
Background
2
VTA Board Direction for the 2019 New Transit Service Plan
3
Maintain today’s service level (no service increase)
More ridership service & less coverage service
Minimize cuts in South County
1
2
3
4
current service
$360M / yeartotal cost
70/30ridership/coverage
Next Network
$375M / yeartotal cost
83/17ridership/coverage
Service Plan
$360M / yeartotal cost
90/10ridership/coverage
Draft 2019New Transit
Two Types of Transit Routes
• Ridership routes: service to areas with higher ridership
• Coverage routes: service to areas with lower ridership
70%RIDERSHIP
30%COVERAGE
VTA SERVICETODAY
Fundamentals of the Next Network service plan
6
Intensive community outreach (10,000+ points of input)
Transit network built on a core Frequent Network of bus + rail routes
More residents and jobs near the Frequent Network
Less service in low ridership areas and more service in high ridership areas
New transit connections to BART
Improved weekend service
All of these Next Network fundamentals still apply to this revised plan
ProposedLight Rail Service
7
Shortened (Baypointe – Santa Teresa)
No change (Old Ironsides – Winchester)
No change (Mountain View – Alum Rock)
Replaced with bus route
Bus Service Improvements (compared to Next Network)
8
Frequent Service to New Areas
26 68
More Frequent Service Between BART and Downtown San Jose
500
More Morning and Evening Trips on Popular Routes
522 23
Bus Service Cuts (compared to Next Network)
9
Discontinue Entire Route
65 83
Fewer Early Morning & Late Evening Trips
Reduce Weekend Service Frequency
27 44
20 21 22
31 40 44 47
52 53 56 57
59 61 63 71
77
27
47 59
72 73Change Route Alignment
53 56
Discontinue some Express Bus Trips
101 122 182 185102 103 121 168
Ridership Impact
7-9%higher ridership
than current service
10
1%lower ridership
than Next Network
COUNTY RESIDENTS
NEAR FREQUENT TRANSIT
More County Residents & Jobs Near Frequent Transit Ridership Increase
11
COUNTY JOBS
NEAR FREQUENT TRANSIT
current42%
NextNetwork
51%proposal
56%
current41%
NextNetwork
57%proposal
59%
Other Impacts to be Analyzed
12
Impact to VTA Access ADA paratransit customers
Service for Title VI low-income and minority riders
both Title VI and paratransit analyses to be conducted in March
Community Engagement
13
6 VTA-hosted community meetings
Presentations at other meetings
YouTube Live online meeting
Flyers on buses + trains
Email blasts, blog posts
newtransitplan.vta.orgcollecting feedback through February 28
January Community engagement
February Community engagement
March Revise plan
April Final plan to VTA committees
May Final plan to VTA Board of Directors
June
July Implementation activities (scheduling, manufacturing signage,
August preparing and printing passenger materials, operator training, etc.)
September
Oct – Dec New service starts when BART service begins
Next
14
15
Engagement Activities So Far
5 of 6 VTA-hosted community meetings
10 of 17 community-hosted meetings
665 email suggestions/questions
86 in-person comments/suggestions
121 written comments submitted
Online virtual meeting (recording available)
vta.org discussion area comments/suggestions
Community Engagement Update
as of February 12
16
Dominant Themes
1. High volume of feedback on proposal’s service cuts
2. Riders like frequency improvements on core Frequent Network
3. Overwhelming majority of feedback concerns a handful of routes:
Community Engagement Update
210
85
77
62
34
197
Express Bus
Almaden Valley
Route 22 Overnight
Light Rail
Route 65
Other
as of February 12
17
Many rider comments about slowdown of
buses + trains over time
VTA’s Fast Transit program
Community Engagement Update
14.1 MPH1988
12.8
MPH2005
12.6 MPH2001
11.6 MPH2016
Average Bus Speed, Systemwide
Extra Slides
18
19
Original Next NetworkLight Rail Plan
66
54
45
33
28 2827
2625 24 23 23 23 22 22 22 21 21 21 21 20 20 19 19 19 18 18 18 18 17 17
16 15 15 15 15 15 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 13 13 13 12 12 12 11 1110 10 10 9 9 8 8 7 7 7 7 6 6 6
3
Route-by-Route Productivity (Weekday Boardings per Hour)
20
minimum
productivity
standard
Express routes local routes
Productivity for VTA Express Bus & VTA Local Bus
21
15riders onboard
each bus trip
42%full
(seats occupied)
6.3boardings per
hour
3%farebox
recovery
$33.09cost per boarding
19.2 11% $8.33
Reductions to Coverage-Oriented Service
22
Discontinue all service on 2 Local routes (65,83)
Consolidate/reduce trips on 4 Express Bus routes (102,103,121,168)
Discontinue all service on 4 Express Bus routes (101,122,182,185)
End evening service earlier on 11 routes
Eliminate out-of-direction deviation on 2 routes (53,56)
Discontinue overnight trips from 1:00am – 4:00am (22)
Reduce evening and weekend frequency on 5 routes
Start morning service later on 8 routes
Discontinue 3 school-oriented extra service trips
Reduction inAnnual Hours
10,400
9,900
9,435
4,742
3,808
3,789
3,716
2,387 812
Improvements to Ridership-Oriented Service
23
Expansion of Route 26 frequent segment from Curtner to Westgate
Improved frequency on Rapid 500 Berryessa BART connection
Expansion of Route 68 frequent segment from San Jose to Gilroy
Improved morning and evening frequency on Rapid 522
Improved evening frequency on Route 23
Increase inAnnual Hours
13,552
7,887
5,614
4,169
2,312
Date: February 1, 2019
Current Meeting: February 13, 2019
Board Meeting: N/A
BOARD MEMORANDUM
TO: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
THROUGH: General Manager, Nuria I. Fernandez
FROM: Director - Planning & Programming, Chris Augenstein
SUBJECT: 2016 Measure B Bicycle & Pedestrian Capital Projects Competitive Grants
Program Draft Criteria
FOR INFORMATION ONLY
BACKGROUND:
On November 8, 2016, the voters of Santa Clara County approved by over a two-thirds margin
Measure B, a 30-year, ½ cent sales tax measure supporting transportation projects and service in
nine program categories. Per 2016 Measure B, the intent of the Bicycle & Pedestrian Program
Category is:
“To fund bicycle and pedestrian projects of countywide significance identified by the cities,
County, and VTA. The program will give priority to those projects that connect to schools,
transit, and employment centers; fill gaps in the existing bike and pedestrian network; safely
cross barriers to mobility; and make walking or biking a safer and more convenient means of
transportation for all county residents and visitors. Bicycle and pedestrian educational
programs, such as Safe Routes to Schools, will be eligible for funding.”
The VTA Board of Directors adopted the 2016 Measure B Bicycle & Pedestrian Program
Category Guidelines at their October 5, 2017, meeting. The guidelines are designed to direct the
implementation of the Bicycle & Pedestrian Program Category and advise how the program
category funds should be allocated. The VTA Board of Directors-adopted Bicycle & Pedestrian
Program Category established a competitive grant program for bicycle and pedestrian capital
projects. The capital projects competitive grant program was brought to the Bicycle Pedestrian
and Technical Advisory Committees as a 10-year grant program at their June and August 2018
meetings, respectively.
DISCUSSION:
As presented at the June and August 2018 Bicycle Pedestrian (BPAC) and Technical (TAC)
11
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Advisory Committee meetings, the next step in the development of the 2016 Measure B Bicycle
& Pedestrian Capital Projects Competitive Grant Program is to determine the criteria of the 10-
year competitive grant program. The draft criteria were developed in the spirit of 2016 Measure
B requirements and to address the purpose of the competitive grant program: deliver 2016
Measure B funded bicycle and pedestrian capital projects from development of a 10-yeaer
fiscally-constrained, ranked priority list.
Draft criteria were shared with the TAC’s Capital Improvement Program Working Group
(CIPWG) throughout 2018 and January 2019. Robust discussion occurred at each of the CIPWG
meetings over the summer, and the fruits of those discussions have yielded comprehensive draft
criteria for the grant program. The draft criteria are provided as Attachment A.
Next steps
VTA staff will take into consideration comments shared by BPAC members at their February
2019 meeting. The draft criteria will then be shared for a final time with the CIPWG at their
February 2019 meeting. The final criteria are scheduled to be taken to the appropriate
committees for approval in March 2019 with the Board of Directors taking action at their April
2019 meeting. A call for projects for the 2016 Measure B Bicycle & Pedestrian Capital Projects
Competitive Grant Program in anticipated for summer 2019.
Prepared By: Jane Shinn
Memo No. 6692
11
Page 1 of 5
2016 Measure B Bike/Ped Capital Projects Competitive Grant Criteria
DRAFT – 02.01.19
Screening Criteria
• 2016 Measure B Eligible: identify source
• Complete Streets Reporting Requirement Attached
• Grant request ≥ $50,000
Criteria Max Points
1. Connections to/serves schools, transit or employment centers
20
2. Gap Closure/Crosses Barriers 20
3. Safety 20
4. Convenience/Comfort 20
5. Project Readiness/Project Delivery 10
6. Non-2016 Measure B Contribution 10
Bonus – Community Support 5
Bonus – Targets Populations with Specific Needs
5
Bonus – High-quality design/improvements 5
TOTAL 115
Criteria #1 – Connections to/serves schools, transit, or employment centers
Does the project provide new connections to schools, transit or employment centers within required
biking or walking distance?
Points awarded if:
• Bicycles: Any point of project is within 1 ½ miles actual biking distance
• Pedestrians: Any point of project is within ½ mile actual walk distance
Point Distribution:
• Can receive a maximum of 20 points
11.a
Page 2 of 5
o If the project scores in the HIGH category for all three elements, 20 points can be
received.
Points
Schools (K-12) Combined Enrollment
# of Jobs (w/n actual bike/ped distance)
Transit (Frequency of Service)
High 15 - 20
> 1501 Under development Connects to >1 Frequent transit route or regional rail service
Med 8 - 14
301 ≤ 1500 Under development Connects to 1 Frequent transit route or regional rail service
Low 1 - 7
≤ 300 Under development Connects to local transit service
Other:
• Include map identifying project and biking or walking distance and corresponding element/s
• School is K-12; Colleges & universities can be captured in the ‘# of Jobs’ element
• Employment center is defined by number of jobs
• Transit is defined as: ‘Transportation by a conveyance that provides regular and continuing
general or special transportation to the public, but does not include school bus, charter, or
sightseeing transportation.’
o FTA: https://www.transit.dot.gov/about/regional-offices/region-9/there-fta-dictionary
• Frequent transit route as defined by VTA:
o 15 minute or better frequency from 6:30a to 6:30p, M through F
• Local transit route as defined by VTA
o All non-frequent routes
• Regional rail service is defined as:
o Caltrain
o ACE
o Capital Corridor
o BART
Criteria #2 – Gap Closure/Crosses Barriers
Does the project provide for a continuous bicycle or pedestrian travel-way where there was
previously none?
Points awarded if:
• Project builds new bicycle or pedestrian infrastructure where there is currently no
infrastructure;
o e.g. Closes gaps in sidewalk; completes trail segments; constructs new bike/ped bridge
or undercrossing; provides dedicated space for bicyclist on roadway where there is
currently shoulder less than 4 feet.
• OR - Project builds a new bicycle or pedestrian connection across a major barrier (waterway,
railway, freeway, expressway).
o Facilities provided must be dedicated
▪ e.g. Class I, II, or IV bikeways; sidewalk
11.a
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Point Distribution:
• Can receive a maximum of 20 points
o High: 9-13pts
▪ 75% or more of the project cost is for gap closure
o Med: 4-8pts
▪ 25% - 74% of the project cost is for gap closure
o Low: 1-3pts
▪ Less than 25% of the project cost is for gap closure
o 5 pts: Project builds a new bicycle or pedestrian connection across a major barrier
o 2 pts: Project is identified as an ABC in Appendix 6.1 of the 2018 Countywide Bicycle
Plan
Other:
• Include map identifying gap closure/s and/or major barrier crossing
Criteria #3 – Safety
Does the project make bicycling or walking safer?
Definition of Safety: Potential for reducing the number and/or rate or the risk of pedestrian and bicyclist
fatalities and injuries, including the identification of safety hazards for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Points awarded if:
• Project demonstrates improved safety for bicyclists and/or pedestrians
Point Distribution:
• Can receive a maximum of 20 points
• High: 15-20pts
o Project will address a demonstrated safety issue using proven/demonstrated
countermeasure
• Med: 8-14pts
o Project will improve a situation with safety issues
• Low: 1-7pts
o Project will generally improve safety issues; Has potential to reduce exposure/risk of
conflicts between motor-vehicles and bikes/peds
Other:
• Project sponsor to provide narrative describing safety issue/s that project will address
Criteria #4 – Convenience/Comfort
Does the project make bicycling or walking more convenient or comfortable?
Points awarded if:
11.a
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• Project provides a shorter route, reduces pedestrian or bicyclist delay, and/or upgrades existing
bike/ped infrastructure to lower-stress infrastructure
Point Distribution:
• Can receive a maximum of 20 points
o High: 15-20pts
▪ Project significantly reduces delay, provides a shorter route, and/or decreases
current level of traffic stress by two or more factors
o Med: 8-14pts
▪ Project moderately reduces delay, provides a moderately shorter route, and/or
decreases current level of traffic stress by less than two factors
o Low: 1-7pts
▪ Project provides minimal reductions in delay, minimally shorter route, and/or
does not change current level of traffic stress.
Other
• A level of traffic stress analysis is not required. However a project that provides the analysis to
substantiate reductions in traffic stress may receive the maximum points versus those projects
that do not.
• Tools/methods to measure level of traffic stress will be included on the application.
• Though this criteria overlaps some with criteria #2, Gap Closure/Crosses Barrier, criteria #2 is
specific to new facilities/infrastructure where none exist. It is possible for a project to receive
points for both criteria #2 and criteria #4.
Criteria #5 – Project Readiness/Project Delivery
How close is the project to being delivered?
Points awarded if:
• Project has any of the following phases completed.
• Points are additive.
Point Distribution:
• Can receive a maximum of 10 points
Categorical Exclusion or Categorical Exemption
Points Not CE Points
Design Complete 5 ENV Complete 4
ROW Complete 5 Design Complete 3
ROW Complete 3
Criteria #6 – Non-2016 Measure B Contribution
How much non-2016 Measure B Contribution is the Project Sponsor providing?
11.a
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Points awarded if:
• The project sponsor pledges/provides more than the required 10% non-2016 Measure B
contribution
Point Distribution:
• 10pts: Provides ≥ 21% non-2016 Measure B contribution
• 8pts: Provides 19% - 20% non-2016 Measure B contribution
• 6pts: Provides 16% - 18% non-2016 Measure B contribution
• 4pts: Provides 13% - 15% non-2016 Measure B contribution
• 2pts: Provides 11% - 12% non-2016 Measure B contribution
• 0pts: Provides the minimum 10% non-2016 Measure B contribution
Other:
• If the project sponsor states that they will provide a higher percentage of matching funds, they
will be required to provide the matching percentage.
• If project costs increase and anticipated to be over budget, 2016 Measure B funds will not be
increased. Project sponsor is responsible for cost overruns.
• If the project is anticipated to be delivered under budget, 2016 Measure B funds will be reduced
in proportion to project sponsor’s contribution
Bonus Points
Points awarded if:
• Community Support – 5pts
o Project is included in an adopted local Bicycle/Pedestrian plan, Vision Zero plan, SRTS
plan, etc. – Source must be identified
OR
o Project is developed through a collaborative planning process that included broad
partnerships among a variety of stakeholders (e.g. documents community
input/outreach including local BPAC)
• Targets Population with Specific Needs – 5pts
o 50% or more of the project limits is located within reasonable proximity to, or have a
direct connection to a Community of Concern (as defined by MTC.);
▪ Map identifying the project and relationship to the COC required
▪ The project sponsor must articulate the benefit of the project to the COC
▪ MTC definition/map of Communities of Concern:
https://mtc.maps.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=1501fe1552414d569ca747e0
e23628ff
• Utilizes High-quality Design/Improvements – 5pts
o Includes, but not limited to:
▪ Art-related place
▪ Project context/Seamless integration
▪ Sustainable materials
11.a
Date: January 31, 2019
Current Meeting: February 13, 2019
Board Meeting: N/A
BOARD MEMORANDUM
TO: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority
Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee
THROUGH: General Manager, Nuria I. Fernandez
FROM: Director - Planning & Programming, Chris Augenstein
SUBJECT: Draft Countywide Pedestrian and Bicycle Education and Encouragement
Program
FOR INFORMATION ONLY
BACKGROUND:
In November 2016, Santa Clara County voters passed 2016 Measure B, a half-cent sales tax that
funds transportation projects in nine program areas. Included in the sales tax is an estimated $250
million for Bicycle and Pedestrian projects. Up to fifteen percent of this $250 million ($37.5
million) can be used for education and encouragement activities that promote safe walking and
bicycling. Per the 2016 Measure B Guidelines adopted by the Board of Directors, the Santa Clara
Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) will allocate the education and encouragement funds as
follows:
• $250,000 annually to fund countywide education and encouragement programs
• Remaining funds allocated annually by city population formula with a $10,000 annual
minimum allocation per city
DISCUSSION:
Currently, VTA and the County Department of Public Health collaborate to provide countywide
education and encouragement programs. These programs include staffing Safe Routes to Schools
Providers Network quarterly meetings, updating and publishing a countywide bicycle map, and
funding Bike to Work activities in the county. VTA is seeking input from committees to
determine how these efforts can be expanded through the additional funding provided by 2016
Measure B.
A draft five-year list of countywide education and encouragement activities are detailed in
Attachment A and listed below. These activities are designed to complement cities’ existing
programs. As such, countywide education and encouragement activities focus on coordination
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between agencies, developing resources that can be used by multiple agencies, and encouraging
new policies that support increased physical activity and safe walking and biking.
Countywide Education/Encouragement Activities: Five-Year Program
• Support Local Safe Routes to Schools Programs through Information Sharing and
Collaboration
• Develop Shared Safe Routes to School Media and Communication Collateral
• Develop Countywide Safety Messaging for Drivers, Pedestrians, and Bicyclists
• Fund Adult Bicycle Education Courses
• Update and Maintain Countywide Bicycle Map
• Provide Education and Technical Assistance for Member Agency Staff on Effective
Education and Encouragement Programs
• Award Micro-Grants to Support Community-Led Education and Encouragement Activities
• Fund Countywide Bike to Work Day Activities
• Pilot New Education and Encouragement Programs
NEXT STEPS:
After receiving comments from committees, VTA will consider modifications to the draft
program. The program will be implemented pending the outcome of the 2016 Measure B
litigation.
Prepared By: Lauren Ledbetter
Memo No. 6849
12
Attachment A: Draft Countywide Education and Encouragement Programs Five-Year List of Activities
January 15, 2019
1
Activity Lead Agency Description Evaluation Metrics (Proposed)
Support local Safe
Routes to School (SRTS)
programs
County Public
Health
Department
(PHD)
Staff & manage quarterly SRTS
Providers Group meetings
Technical assistance for data
collection & reporting
Technical assistance and outreach to
cities, County Office of Education,
and school districts regarding benefits
and tools for effective SRTS
programs
Technical assistance to city/school
staff on SRTS implementation
Training/shadowing opportunities for
local SRTS coordinators, especially
new hires
Countywide SRTS Conference
Number of participating local
agencies
Amount of ad hoc assistance
provided
Number of SRTS coordinators
trained
Number of people participating in
countywide conference
Develop and distribute
shared SRTS media and
communication
PHD Educational materials and flyers to
support promotional events such as
Walk to School Day and traffic safety
topics, as needed.
Monthly newsletter topics and
activities
Number of schools that use materials
Number of students/families that see
materials
Number of students who participate
in events advertised by media
12.a
Attachment A: Draft Countywide Education and Encouragement Programs Five-Year List of Activities
January 15, 2019
2
Activity Lead Agency Description Evaluation Metrics (Proposed)
Countywide safety
messaging for motorists,
bicyclists, and
pedestrians
VTA/PHD Countywide analysis of contributing
factors and risk factors of bike/ped
crashes, building on PHD walking
and biking data analyses
Identify target audience, preferred
methods of communication
Develop and test messaging
Roll out media campaign
Build on lessons learned &
experience from PHD's "We Choose"
campaign
Public perception of bicyclists,
pedestrians and drivers
Reach of campaign
Adult bicycle education
courses
VTA Deliver ongoing in-classroom & on-
bike adult bike education classes
Schedule certification courses for
bicycle instructors as needed
Maintain relationships with
instructors and track their training
efforts.
Find locations that can be used for
adult bike education classes
Number of people who take classes
Number of classes
Geographic distribution of classes
Quality of courses/participant
satisfaction
Demographics of participants
Updated Countywide
Bicycle Map
VTA Update and print Countywide Bicycle
Map every 3 to 4 years
2016 map comprised of 50,000
printed English copies and 10,000
printed Spanish copies
Number of maps distributed
Number of hits to online map
12.a
Attachment A: Draft Countywide Education and Encouragement Programs Five-Year List of Activities
January 15, 2019
3
Activity Lead Agency Description Evaluation Metrics (Proposed)
Education for Member
Agency staff on effective
education &
encouragement
programs
VTA Research and provide training for
local city staff
Develop menu of potential activities,
with costs, effectiveness, and
potential measures of success
Organize webinar, brochure, and
technical assistance/training
Number of city staff trained
Participating jurisdictions
Quality of training/satisfaction of
participants
Use of training on the job
Micro-grants to support
community-led
education &
encouragement activities
VTA Provide grants to individuals or
organizations to run local activities
that support biking and walking.
Sample activities include themed bike
rides, educational walks, mini open
street events, and school-based events
Grants will be between $250 to
$2,000
Number and amount of grants
Demographics of recipients
Types of activities
Location of activity
Number participating in activity
Countywide Bike to
Work Day
VTA Continued support for Bike to Work
Day in Santa Clara County
Number of bicyclists counted at
Energizer Stations
Demonstration or pilot
projects that can be
scaled
PHD/VTA To be determined To be determined
12.a
BPAC Work Plan
February - August 2019
Doc ID Origin Short Title
BP
AC
2/1
3
BO
D
2/2
2
BO
D
3/7
BP
AC
3/1
3
BO
D
4/4
BP
AC
4/1
0
BO
D
4/1
9
BO
D
5/2
BP
AC
5/8
BO
D
6/6
6841 Dept - Transportation Planning / Jim Unites Transit Speed Policy A A
6756 Board of Directors / Tracene Crenshaw BPAC Election Process for 2019 Committee Leadership: Conduct Elections A
6692 Division - Planning and Programming / Jane Shinn 2016 MB Bike/Ped Capital Projects Competitive Grants Program Draft Criteria Discussion
6849 Dept - Transportation Planning / Chris Augenstein Countywide Ped-Bike Education and Encouragement Program Discussion
6878 Division - Planning and Programming / Adam Burger Proposal for 2019 New Transit Service Plan I
6848 Dept - Transportation Planning / Chris Augenstein Bicycle Expenditure Program Semi-Annual Update I I
6868 Dept - Programming and Grants Management / Marcella Rensi 2019/20 TFCA Program Manager Fund A A
6869 Dept - Programming and Grants Management / Marcella Rensi FY2019/20 TDA3 Project Priorities A A
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