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Report No: Meeting Date:

Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District

STAFF REPORT TO: Planning Committee

AC Transit Board of Directors

FROM: David J. Armijo, General Manager

SUBJECT: Oakland Running Festival/ Marathon After Action Report

BRIEFING ITEM

RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):

Consider receiving report on Oakland Running Festival/Marathon Service Impacts.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

13-126 May 8, 2013

This report is an update on the Oakland Running Festival/Marathon and its impacts on AC Transit Bus Operations. The briefing includes a summary of the planning, operations impact, and future recommendations.

AC Transit staff in collaboration with the City of Oakland and Corrigan Sports Enterprises (event organizers) planned, organized, and implemented 23 bus route detours affecting 30,000

passengers within the City of Oakland with the primary focus of providing as much service as possible with minimal disruptions for our customers. A comprehensive public outreach effort was also done to alert passengers of the service changes.

Service disruption during the event occurred on routes crossing over the marathon course causing bus bunching and delays; however, additional standby buses were used to lessen the impact on coverage and schedule adherence. Despite the expanded outreach efforts, many passengers were unaware of the marathon event and service changes, which resulted in delays in reaching their final destinations.

To better prepare for future events of this scale, AC Transit planning staff will work with the cities and event coordinators to reduce the impact of major events on our service, including the development of agreements with municipalities for public events.

BUDGETARY/FISCALIMPACT:

There is no fiscal impact associated with this report; however, the additional support required for this event included additional overtime for road supervisors, five buses and extra-board operators, and additional printing materials totaling approximately $17,000. Corrigan Sports agreed to cover $3,500 in support of the downtown shuttle and a road supervisor.

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Report No. 13-126 Page 2 of 5

BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:

On March 24, 2013, the City of Oakland hosted the fourth annual Oakland Running

Festival/Marathon . The Running Festiva l includes a 26.2-mile marathon, 13.1-mile half­

marathon, a 5-kilometer run and a children's fun run. The marathon course circled the City of

Oakland, extending as far east as 35th Ave. The half marathon, Sk run and children's fun run

were concentrated in the Downtown/Lake Merritt area. All the events started and ended at

Snow Park near Lake Merritt.

In anticipation of the event, District staff collaborated with the City of Oakland, Corrigan Sport's

Enterprises , and the Oakland Police Department. The primary focus of this effort was to

minimize the service disruptions for AC Transit customers while taking account of the lessons

learned from previous events. The 2013 marathon course was similar to the 2012 course with a

few changes intended to improve bus operations. The table below details staff's marathon

course recommendations and outcomes.

ACTransit Rationale

Approved

Marathon Course Recommendations Yes/No Outcome

The course changes takes advantage of Allowed the free-flow of bus

Marathon course changes via San Pablo, Highway 24/ 30th Avenue freeway Yes service along the San Pablo

29th, MLK, 30th, and Telegraph. overpass to eliminat e a crossover Corridor to Downtown Oakland.

confl ict at 28th & San Pablo.

Marathon course changes i n the Lake This change allowed better bus access Maintained transit connectivity

Yes between Chinatown and Merritt and Chinatown areas via Webster. at Lake Merritt BART station.

Greater Oakland

Marathon course change at International This change allowed for greater bus Maintained alternative routing

& 4th in the San Antonio District. coverage along East 12th parallel with Yes and coverage along

International Blvd. Corridor. International Blvd.

This course change would've allowed No direct bus service

Marathon course change in West Oakland buses to access the highway via Union No

connecting the West Oakland

via 3rd i nto Mandela Parkway. reach West Oakland BART via the 7th Community with West Oakland

St reet exit. BART f rom 6 AM to 3 PM.

Implementation of a "Valve" t raffic cont rol The "valve" t raffic control syst em

Bus bunching occurred at t he would've allowed buses to crossover

system (see attachment) at Foothill & marathon route with minimal race

No crossover poi nts causing service

Coolidge and MacArthur & Piedmont . disruptions.

delays.

To consider an alternative ' lynchpin' f rom This change would've allowed for No direct bus service from

College Avenue to Piedmont Avenue. unimpeded transit access from Berkeley to No Berkeley to Rockridge BART

Rockridge BART. from 6 AM to 10 AM.

Bus Service Adjustments

The planned marathon route had a direct impact on bus service. A temporary transit center was

once again required along Castro Street between 12th Street and 17th Street to facilitate

transfers and provide nearby access to Downtown Oakland; a bus layover area was also

established on the opposite side of 1-980 along Brush Street to free space for passenger

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Report No. 13-126 Page 3 of 5

boarding's and alighting; and the following service changes were implemented to address

concerns from last year's event:

• Two additional routes and detours were created in West Oakland/East Oakland.

• A connector shuttle was created to link Downtown Oakland and the temporary transit

center along Castro Street and West Oakland.

• Service coverage was maintained within the East Oakland area with routes 14 and 62.

• Three standby buses were provided outside of the marathon course to fill gaps in service and to maintain schedule adherence.

• Improved sign age and way-finding information was provided for the transit center.

While these changes improved our service during the event, the size of the marathon course

and limited access points resulted in large areas of West Oakland, Jack London Square,

Broadway, Chinatown and Montclair being underserved by AC Transit throughout the day.

Also, the closure of several downtown streets resulted in buses being detoured via Park Street

and 1-580 to the temporary transit center as we were not able to make the full use of 121h

Street Dam Road or Grand Avenue.

Outreach

Staff provided additional outreach for the 2013 marathon to all Oakland community groups and to local churches due to the marathon coinciding with Palm Sunday. Community groups were directed to the AC Transit website for additional information about service disruptions during the event, and passengers were informed about service disruptions on the bus (via car cards) and at various bus stops with flyers and Nextbus signs, where applicable.

Service Impacts

Bus service detours were established at 6:00 am with all Downtown buses directed to the temporary transit center located along Castro Street. The special shuttle from the temporary transit center at Castro Street to West Oakland and Broadway experienced service disruptions and was suspended several times in downtown Oakland due to the half-marathon and 5 kilometer running events. Bus bunching occurred at two crossover points located at Coolidge and Foothill and at Piedmont and MacArthur, but the standby buses were used to maintain schedule adherence. Bus services were restored at designated times at Rockridge BART by 10:00 AM and the rest of the system by 3:00PM.

Customer Experience

Customers were directed within the downtown area via a number of resources. Three District employees volunteered to handle customer service in the Downtown Area. Oakland Police Department (OPD) officers were given a marathon transit guide to help them guide passengers to the nearest available bus stop along the marathon course. Customer assistance was also provided through Oakland 911 dispatchers from a mobile OPD command post at Snow Park.

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Report No. 13-126 Page 4 of 5

Passenger way-finding signage was improved for this year's event at the temporary transit center. The District utilized temporary bus poles along Castro Street that clearly demarcated where passengers should stand to catch each route. However, buses circulating to and from the layover areas along Brush Street without changing headsigns caused confusion and concerns from the passengers.

The Call Center received 190 calls on the day of the event, which is approximately the same number of calls received during the 2012 Running Festival. The average call volume for a Sunday in March is 115 calls. Some passengers noted their concern about the location of the temporary transit center being too far to walk to/from the downtown area for senior and disabled patrons.

Recommendations for Future Events

The City of Oakland is currently reviewing its permitting process for major special events. The revised permitting process will encompass all internal departments (police, fire, parks, public works) and external agencies (Alameda County Health, State Alcohol Beverage Control and AC Transit) into the planning process. The goal of the new process is to increase efficiency and communication while decreasing the need for multiple meetings to plan major events.

AC Transit planning staff will work with the cities and event coordinators to reduce the impact of major events on our service, including the development of agreements with municipalities for public events, including:

• Require the municipality to include AC Transit as part of its conditions of approval process for public events with an establishment of a minimal level of service to be maintained.

• Request local municipalities to avoid hosting public events that impede transit services to transit centers, BART Stations and at route 'choke points' (i.e. 121

h Street Dam, Grand Avenue in Oakland and, "C" Street in Hayward).

• Require the establishment of a dedicated temporary transit center with unimpeded access within close proximity of major events.

• Require a BART-Bridge agreement to allow AC Transit passenger access to closed areas via BART without a transfer penalty.

• Require that any additional costs resulting from impacts of events be paid by the event organizers.

• Require alternative "valve" traffic control systems, as used in San Francisco, to allow buses to crossover or pass through events areas with minimum impact to the runners.

ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:

This staff report provides an update to the Board and its constituencies. There are no disadvantages associated with this report.

ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:

Staff can find no alternative actions associated with this report.

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Report No. 13-126 Page 5 of 5

PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTIONS/POLICIES:

1: GM Memo No. 12-017 Oakland Running Festival Service Update

2: GM Memo No. 11-188a Report on Fixed Route Bus Transit Service Impacts Associated with the 2011 Oakland Running Festival

3: GM Memo No. 11-188 Report on Fixed Route Bus Transit Service Impacts Associated with the 2011 Oakland Running Festival

ATTACHMENTS:

1. Oakland Marathon Route Map 2. Traffic Control Diagram

Department Head Approval:

Reviewed by:

Prepared by:

Sean Diest Lorgion, Acting Director of Service Development and Marketing Lewis Clinton, Chief Financial Officer

Tony Divito, Senior Transportation Planner

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Oakland Marathon March 24, 20 13

EM E RYVILL E

Map by

LOHNES+WRIGHT GI S AND C U S T OM MAPP I NG

• Marathon Route

BERKELEY

j - 40rh Sr

:f

(Z) Marat hon Mileage Markers

ffi Relay Exchange Points

R OC KR I D G E

Moraga

PIEDMONT

OAKLA N D

SAN ANTON I O

G L ENVIEW

DIMO N D

\ffi)

Foothill

Sta rt - I 9th St., Before Harr ison • Left on Broadway • Right at 14th • Right at Clay • Right through Frank Ogawa Plaza (between

build ings) • Right at 16th • Left at Telegraph • Left at 19th • Right at R.ashida Muhammad • Right at William • Right at Telegraph • Left at 19th • Left at Broadway • Slight r ight at Piedmont Ave • Turn left at 41st St • Turn r ight at Telegraph Ave • Turn right at S I st St • Turn left at Broadway • Left at College Ave • Turn around before Claremont Ave

(before She ll station) • Turn left at Keith Ave • Turn left at Broadway • Slight right to stay on Broadway • Run through Lake Temescal Park

(Upper path) • Turn left out of Park onto Broadway Terrace • Continue on Duncan Way • Continue on Fernwood Dr • Turn right at Mountain Blvd • Slight right to stay on Mountain Blvd • Turn right on Moraga Ave • Turn left on to LaSalle • Turn left to Trafalgar • Trafalgar turns into Monterey • Turn right onto Lincoln Way • Turn right onto Lincoln Ave • Continue to follow Lincoln Ave • Left at MacArthur • Right at Maple • Right at School • Turn left at Coolidge • Quick right at Foothill • Quick left at 33rd • left at Farnam • Right at 34th • Turn right at CA-185/International Blvd • Turn left at 4th Ave • Turn right atE lOth St • Turn left at Webster • Turn right at 3rd St • Turn right at Filbert • Turn left at 5th St • Turn left at Chestnut • Turn right at 3rd St • Turn right at Adeline • Turn left at 7th St • Turn right at Mandela Pkwy • Turn right at 32nd St • Turn r ight at Hannah Ave • Turn left at 28th St. • Cross San Pablo Ave • Turn left at 28th St • Turn left at West St • Turn right at 29th • Turn left at Martin Luther King Jr • Turn right at 30th St • Turn right at Telegraph • Turn left at 27th St • Turn right at Harrison Street • Turn left at Grand Ave • Turn right onto path through Lakeside Park • Turn r ight at Bellevue. passing aviary • Get back on path and follow to Grand • Turn right on Grand Ave • Turn r ight at El Embarcadero • Turn right at Lakesho re Ave • Turn right to stay on Lakeshore Ave • At end of road, follow path to 14th St bridge • Turn right at Lakeside Dr • Slight left at 19th St Fin ish • 19th Street, next to Snow Park

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SR 13-126 Attachment 2

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