A report on unmet San Fernando Valley Transportation Needs Wednesday, January 2, 2013
About The Transportation Tiger Team The team consists of CSUN Urban Planning students concerned about public transportation needs in the San Fernando Valley. The CSUN Tiger Team reviews and analyzes current public transportation services and documents unmet needs in order to recommend projects that improve service. The CSUN internship program provides interns a professional experience and opportunities for networking. Araujo 2
Metro Bus Line 741 Extension Proposal Current Issues and Challenges to Line 741: Current Metro Rapid Line 741 route is unsatisfactory according to Metro Warrants. Little time savings when traveling from end to end over local Metro Bus Line 241 and Line 741 is one of shortest Rapid Bus Lines in the Metro Rapid system. The current northern end of line is at an abrupt location. Multiple meetings were held between Metro Planning staff and students in order to insure the methodology used follows standard Metro bus planning procedure. Unresolved issues with Rapid Warrants and Line 741 calls for action to identify a possible solution. Araujo 3
Metro Bus Line 741 Extension Proposal Unmet Needs Currently there is a lack of service connectivity from Sylmar to CSUN and the Reseda Corridor. An extension of Line 741 will address the first and last mile issues between CSUN and Sylmar Metrolink Station. Four possible routes evaluated: Devonshire St. Chatsworth St. San Fernando Mission Blvd. Rinaldi St. Tiger Team research discovered the Chatsworth St. route has the most unmet needs from CSUN to the Sylmar Metrolink Station. Chatsworth St. route would be a rapid style service with limited stops, resolving the end of line problem with the current service. Araujo 4
Line 741 Extension Araujo 5
Line 741 Extension Diversity Index Diversity highest along Chatsworth St. Corridor. Araujo 6
Line 741 Extension Median Household Income Median Household Income lowest along Chatsworth St. Corridor. Araujo 7
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Recommendations to address Metro Bus Line 741 Issues; Proposed Extension Funding possibilities: Request Metro Board create 5 year Pilot Program to fund unmet operations needs in the San Fernando Valley. Possible JARC (Job Access, Reverse Commute) grant funding candidate. Metro Bus Line 741 has a significant chance of success, due to connecting the Reseda Corridor and Sylmar Station, which addresses route length and adds stop combinations. Metro added d service hours when adding rail lines elsewhere in LA County, but did not add local bus service hours when the Orange Line was created. Araujo 9
Sylmar Metrolink Station Bus/Rail Connectivity Lack of connectivity for Trains and Buses were noted through observation and research. Research methods employed: Surveys conducted with riders to document issues. Interns updated connectivity charts with current bus and train schedules. MTA / Metrolink provided documents that were used as a base document to evaluate connection rates. Hernandez 10
Sylmar Metrolink Station Bus/Rail Connectivity Hernandez 11
Metrolink Station Disconnect Orange / Red = Connectivity Issues Green / Blue Workable Connections Weekday Connection Rate for Arrivals Weekday Connection Rate for Departures Hernandez 12
Metrolink Station Disconnect Orange / Red = Connectivity Issues Green / Blue Workable Connections Sunday Connection Rate for Departures Sunday Connection Rate for Arrivals Hernandez 13
El Cariso Park/Mission College Play grounds, golf course, 5 baseball fields, 8 basketball courts, picnic tables, 11 tennis courts, 2 swimming pools, multipurpose fields, open playing fields and fitness zone, 1,000 parking spots. 9,977 Total Students 320 Staff 637 Faculty (full time and part time) 1200 parking garage spaces Hernandez 14
Metro Bus Line 230 Unmet Service Needs El Cariso Park Sports fields / ball courts are utilized daily until 10 p.m. New Recreational Center is open until 10 p.m. No weekend Hubbard Corridor Bus Service available. Mission College Majority of classes end at 6:40 p.m. and 10 p.m. There are weekend classes. No weekend Hubbard Corridor Bus Service available. Hernandez 15
Recommendations to address Sylmar/San Fernando Bus/Rail connectivity Later and earlier bus arrivals and departures at Sylmar Station in order to connect with all scheduled Metrolink service. Metro Bus Line 230, which h has short turns at Sylmar Metrolink Station, needs all trips to commence and end at LA Mission College. Earlier service north on Balboa route is recommended for San Fernando in order to provide connectivity with Train #200 in the morning on Metro Bus Line 236. Hernandez 16
Recommendations to address Sylmar/San Fernando Bus/Rail connectivity Later departures are recommended south on Balboa route in order to service Sylmar Station train commuters whom are arriving on trains #221, #222, #223 for Metro Bus Line 236. Add service to southbound route in order to accommodate Sylmar Station commuters whom are arriving in the morning on train #200 for Metro Bus Line 239. Add service to northbound route in order to feed Sylmar Station commuters to train #223 at 9:56 pm for Metro Bus Line 239. Hernandez 17
Lack of Accessibility Due to Missing Sidewalks We recommend that undeveloped corners in the community of Sylmar be completed so that residents will not be prevented from using bus service provided by Metro Bus Lines 230, 234 and 236. Improve Mobility for Everyone Because of the undeveloped corners that exist on these lines, Metro is unable to add a stop to offer service for those with disabilities. The corners that need to be addressed are: Glenoaks and Cobalt Glenoaks and Bledsoe Hubbard and Borden Hubbard and Dronfield Gutierrez 18
Lack of Accessibility Due to Missing Sidewalks Buses do not stop, unless landing pads, curb cuts and sidewalks are completed. Hubbard/Borden Glenoaks/Bledsoe Glenoaks/Cobalt Hubbard/Dronfield Possible City of Los Angeles Call for Projects candidate to fund improvements. Gutierrez 19
Unmet SFV Transportation Needs Orange Line brought BRT type service to the San Fernando Valley allowing direct guideway access from Chatsworth to North Hollywood to Red Line. Issues indentified with the Orange Line: Lack of local line feeder services after 7 p.m. connecting to the Orange Line creates a Last Mile problem for patrons. Night, Late Night and Owl service implementation for feeder lines connecting with the Orange Line would allow transit riders better connections. Gutierrez 20
Bike space shortage on Orange Line buses. Image shows an issue that arises when there is no interior space allocated for bikes. This bicyclist is forced to place the bike by the doors. This bicyclist is not allowed inside the bus. This situation is common during evening hours due to low frequency and high demand for bike-racks on buses Gutierrez 21
Night Time Findings: (Findings of Eastbound and Westbound combined ) Buses run every 20 minutes on average. 29% of buses leave at least 1 or more cyclists behind on average (19/66). 26% of cyclists miss the first bus on average (31/119). 60% of bike-racks are occupied on average(119/198). Gutierrez 22
Orange Line Bicycle Recommendations: Alternatives: Allow bicycles inside buses when front bikeracks are full. Coach Operators need to be instructed to let riders accommodate their bikes in the rear part of the buses. OR Increase service frequency at night. By adding more service, the total bike capacity will expand and accommodate more riders. OR Install bike-racks inside the buses directly across from rear doors. Other agencies in the western U.S. are already using these bike- rack systems mounted on the wall of buses. By adding three slots inside buses, total capacity will double. www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0vj19cb6li Gutierrez 23
Tiger Team Advisor Bart Reed Post Office Box 567 San Fernando, CA 91341-0567 Voice: 818-367-1661 Fax: 818-364-2508 info@thetransitcoalition.us www.transitcoalition.org Team Members: Brianda Hernandez Cristina Cruz Dorian Aguilar Jorge A. Martinez Jose Tchopourian Kevin Kay Liza Wright Manuel Araujo Neema Kazemi Samuel Gutierrez Saud Alsair Zachary D. Stern www.csuntigerteam.org TC-TigerTeam-29ga-2013-01-02-MetroSFV-ServiceCouncilPowerpoint Gutierrez 24