Memorandum

08.23.13 Citizens Advisory Committee

August 28, 2013

Citizens Advisory Committee

Tilly Chang – Deputy Director for Planning

– Update on the Travel Demand Management Partners Project

The Authority’s Travel Demand Management (TDM) Partnership Project is developing new policy approaches and partnerships between the public and private sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from solo vehicle trips. The project team completed important milestones in 2013. Participating employers and partner agencies developed several pilot programs to encourage alternatives to single-occupant vehicle travel, including a sustainable transportation marketing campaign in the Southwest; a medical institution ride-matching program; a program to coordinate private employer shuttles in the Showplace Square neighborhood, and a program to encourage employers to offer flexible transportation subsidies in lieu of free parking. A final pilot project involves developing a policy to allow private employer shuttles to use select Muni stops in exchange for a fee. Finally, the study team is developing a strategic plan for how San Francisco agencies can more effectively deliver the next generation of TDM strategies in the city. This is an informational item.

The Authority is the lead agency for the San Francisco Transportation Demand Management Public-Private Partnership Project (Partnership Project), which launched in 2011. The intent of the Partnership Project is to coordinate and streamline transportation demand management (TDM) policy efforts in San Francisco, and offer a forum for employers and other organizations to explore and implement priority TDM strategies of mutual interest. The project is a collaboration of the Authority, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), the San Francisco Department of the Environment (SFE), and the San Francisco Planning Department. The project is funded by a $750,000 grant of federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program funds through the Bay Area Climate Initiative. Local matching funds are being provided by both Prop K and the county-share (Authority-programmed) Transportation Fund for Clean Air. The project will be completed by December 2014.

In 2013, the TDM Partnership Project launched several neighborhood pilot projects to test methods of managing travel demand and reducing greenhouse gases, described below.

Southwest Neighborhoods Sustainable Transportation Marketing Campaign. Partner agencies are working with San Francisco State University and the Parkmerced residential development to deploy a sustainable transportation marketing campaign through existing digital display monitors in student centers and residential buildings. Marketing displays will promote available transit, shuttle, bicycling, and ridesharing programs and services and feature real time transit information. The campaign aims to increase awareness of alternatives to single-occupant vehicle travel, and to test the relationship between increased awareness and use of alternative modes (e.g. walking, bicycling, transit, and ridesharing). Development of marketing materials, funded by project grants, is underway.

Medical Institution Ride-matching Program. Partner agencies are working with a group of 6 medical institutions including University of California at San Francisco, California-Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco General Hospital and the Veterans Association Hospital among others to implement a unified ride-matching software program that would be available to employees of all participating institutions. Given the specialized work hours and other characteristics of hospital staff that make it harder to find ride-matches, it is hoped that this tool will expand the pool of potential ride-matches available to medical employees and, if successful, increase rates of carpooling. The group recently met to select a ride-matching platform, funded by project grants, and to finalize plans for collaboration.

Showplace Square Employer Shuttle Coordination. During the development of the Authority’s Strategic Analysis Report on Shuttle Services, several downtown and Showplace Square employers expressed interest in exploring shared shuttle services for their employees. Coordination can allow employers to provide services more cost-effectively so that service levels can be increased. Shuttle providers were recently surveyed and work is underway to propose a consolidated shuttle schedule and the institutional arrangements for ongoing contract management and service planning.

Employer Outreach – Flexible Transportation Benefits Program. Partner agencies will be conducting outreach to a small number of local employers to encourage them to offer flexible transportation benefits to their employees rather than free or subsidized parking. The team recently completed a best practices review to identify lessons learned from similar efforts in other cities and sent a call for expressions of interest through the San Francisco Business Council on Climate Change, San Francisco Building Owners and Managers Association, Mission Bay Transportation Management Association Members, the Potrero Dogpatch Merchants Association, and a list of over 2,000 businesses enrolled in the SFE’s Commuter Benefits Ordinance Newsletter.

SFMTA Shuttles Partners Program and Pilot. This program would allow shuttle providers to pay a fee in exchange for the right to use select Muni stops for passenger pick-up/drop-off for an 18-month trial period. The SFMTA expects the program to reduce Muni delays associated with shuttle use of sensitive Muni stops, to reduce localized congestion associated with shuttle double parking, and to support the City’s greenhouse gas and transportation goals as many shuttle riders report that they would drive alone if they did not have access to shuttles.

To date, program development has included creation of an SFMTA staff position to manage communications with shuttle providers; collection of shuttle stop, frequency, and rider data; and drafting of a policy framework defining how and where shuttles would be accommodated. The current proposal, documented in the attached presentation from the SFMTA Policy and Governance Committee’s July 19 meeting, would allow participating shuttles (bearing special placards) to use approximately 200 Muni zones that meet specific criteria. The proposal also describes an approach to enforcement, data sharing requirements, and a framework for charging providers a fee that would cover program costs. The SFMTA is working to respond to stakeholder comments and develop an implementation plan, a fee proposal, and associated legislation. Pilot implementation is expected in early winter.

The Authority is working with the SFMTA, Planning Department and SFE on an interagency strategy for delivering the next-generation of transportation demand management programs and services. Given the City’s ambitious climate goals and growth plans, the City must look for new and creative ways to encourage sustainable modes and/or regulate vehicle use. This work includes a review of existing programs and best practices, and consideration of new approaches for San Francisco, focusing on community partnerships with employers, school communities, and neighborhood

organizations. Potential area- and city-wide approaches are also being considered, including trip caps, parking management, and mobility management partnerships among community-based organizations such as the recently developed Bayview vehicle-sharing pilot effort. The document is under development and a draft is expected this winter.

Pilot programs are expected to be fully implemented by late this fall or early winter. An assessment of program impacts on solo driving and greenhouse gas emissions will take place in the spring, along with analysis of successes and lessons learned. The evaluations will inform development of the next generation of travel demand management strategies to be implemented through the Authority’s Early Action Program - Travel Demand Management funding category, and through TDM and environmental programs at the regional level.

This is an information item.

None. This is an information item.

None. This is an information item.

None. This is an information item. Attachment

1. Private Commuter Shuttles Policy Draft Proposal: Presentation at the July 19 meeting of the SFMTA Policy and Governance Committee

Private Commuter Shuttles Policy

Draft Proposal

07 | 19| 2013

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

SFMTA | Municipal Transportation Agency Image: Market and Geary Streets, circa 1920s, Muni Centennial logo

2

Private Commute Shuttle Sector

• 200+ locations where shuttles

stopping

• Most in Muni zones

• <35k trips/day

• AM and PM peak concentration

• Average dwell time: up to 1 min

(Muni ~ 20 sec)

3

AM Shuttle Activity

4

Data Collection

5

Conflicts

6

Benefits

• Surveys of riders showed:

– Using

transit/walking/biking for

non-commute trips

– Shedding personal cars

– Accessing shuttles by

transit/walk/bike

– If no shuttles, high

percent would drive alone

• Environmental benefits that

support City/SFMTA goals

Drive Alone 49.50%

Would not be able to make trip

31%

Public Transit 10%

Bike 0%

Other 6% Carpool

3%

Trip Choice if Shuttle Was Not Available

7

Proposal

• Pilot 18-month program

• SFMTA would approve ~100 Muni zones to be shared with

shuttles of participating companies

– Peak combined headways greater than threshold (tbd)

– Stop length more than 80’

– No Muni terminals, layovers, rapid stops

8

Terms of Participation

• Shuttle operators comply

with guidelines

– Muni priority

– No idling, staging, layovers

– Stay within network

– Pull to front of stop

– Active loading only

– Training

– On-board placard

• Sponsors share data with

SFMTA

9

Enforcement

• Enforcement to ensure only participating companies using

shared zones

• Illegal to use all other Muni zones, enforcement of these

• On-board placard allows enforcement to identify if a participant,

allows easier operator, public complaint

• Creation of new citation to enable tracking

10

Participation Fee

• Cost-recovery basis including:

– Program development and administration

– Review/analysis of proposed stops

– Materials

– Stop maintenance

– Enforcement

– Data collection/analysis

– Auditing/spot checks

– Lost parking meter revenue

– Share of stop maintenance

• Pay based on number of stop-events

• Amount being developed

11

Immediate Next Steps

• Develop staffing/implementation plan & fee (Summer 2013)

• MTAB approval (Sept. 2013)

• BOS approval (Sept. 2013)

• Request proposals for stops (Oct. 2013)

• Launch pilot program--network of stops, membership, etc. (Dec-

Jan 2013-14)