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O.C. Fair Express Breaks Ridership Records

The O.C. Fair Express set a new ridership record this year with more than 46,000 boardings to the

O.C. Fair in Costa Mesa.

The 46,365 ridership total represents more than an 80 percent increase as compared with 2011 s

numbers when the service provided 25,699 boardings. The closing weekend of the fair saw 9,325boardings alone.

Surveys that passengers took while riding the service indicated that nearly 50 percent of them were

first-time bus riders. More than 90 percent also expressed in the survey that they were highly

satisfied with the bus service.

The O.C. Fair Express was a major success this year, and OCTA is proud to offer special services like

this that residents across the county can enjoy, said OCTA Chairman Paul Glaab, who also is mayor

of Laguna Niguel. This has proven to be a great partnership between our team, the Orange County

Fair and the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee.

The O.C. Fair Express was made possible by a $342,000 grant from the MSRC, which provides

funding to projects that remove vehicles from th e roadways to reduce emissions.

The convenience and low cost of the service fueled the popularity of the transit option.

The O.C. Fair Express provided nonstop direct service from eight park-and-ride lots to the O.C. Fair.

Buses ran hourly between approximately 2:30 p.m. and midnight on Friday and 9:30 a.m. and

midnight on Saturday and Sunday.

Passengers also received a coupon for $2 admission to the fair, a $9 savings at the gate. The fare was

Aug. 20, 2012

46,365 Riders Set New RecordCyclists Getting into High Gear with $9.4 MillionKids Go with Greener Options

Riders inaugurating the O.C. Fair Express' new pick-up station at the Irvine Family Festival help set this year's record-breaking

ridership of more than 46,000 boardings. Their enthusiasm parallels the "highly satis fied" rating from 90 percent of riders,

according to a survey.

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$1.50 per way and children under 6 rode free.

O.C. Fair Communications Director Robin Wachner said many posts on Facebook reflected fairgoersenthusiasm for the transit service.

The feedback was fantastic about the O.C. Fair Express, Wachner s aid. It was great to provide an

option for people to get to their events or activities instead of having to fight traffic and be late. The

service was an affordable and easy way to visit the fair in a fun and safe environment.

$9.4 Million Make Way for Enhanced Bike Connections throughout O.C.

The OCTA board of directors last Monday approved $9.4 million to improve bike connections

throughout the county, continuing its support of biking as a viable commute alternative and

recreational activity.

The funds will be spread among 23

projects to add new bike lanes and

trails, build bridges and crossings for

cyclists, improve signs and add bike

racks to specific cities in Orange

County. These projects include:

l Creating a total of nearly 21 miles

of bikeways in the cities of

Anaheim, Newp ort Beach and San

Clemente

l Planning bikeways in Santa Ana and

La Habra

l Addin g signage in Huntington

Beach and approximately 9,500

feet of lighting along Irvine

bikeways and t rails

l Providing bicycle education at 16

Costa Mesa elementary schools and

installing bike racks at various

facilities in the city

l Adding tra ils in Brea and Costa Mesa

l Connecting the bikeway on Antonio Parkway via a 300-foot bridge over Tijeras Creek

"It's good to see some of that money going toward creating more east-west trail connections across

town between the major river and creek trails," said Glenn Frank, a web developer and designer fromGarden Grove, who works in Anaheim Hills and treks 27 miles daily.

Frank also said he was excited about the new funds. He added that the approved projects will help

improve Orange County's bikeways "so more people can access bike trails, which will go a long way

to encourage more people to explore different ways of traveling and enjoying our beautiful

community."

Local agencies will match the grant with $3.9 million for a total investment of more than $13 million

Avid cyclist and Gard en Grove resid ent Gl enn Fran k, rid ing his "recumben t

trike" along a bike lane in northern Tustin, applauds the more than $9 million

of federal funds allocated to improve Orange County's bike connections.

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dedicated to enhancing the quality of current bike trails and better enabling the transportation

needs of cyclists.

Bicycles are an ideal way to get around Orange County, and OCTA believes strongly in improving

this mode of transportation, said OCTA Chairman Paul Glaab, also mayor of Laguna Niguel. This is

a collaborative effort with cities throughout Orange County, and we look forward to providing a

better ride for all cyc lists.

OCTA invited agencies to compete for these grants in F ebruary through the Bicycle Corridor

Improvement Program.

OCTA developed this program as part of a federally funded plan to reduce congestion and improve

air quality in the county.

Community Presentations Focus on Reconstruction Work

For Seal Beach Blvd. and Plans for I-405 Improvements

The community outreach team from OCTA presented news on the reconstruction of the Seal Beach

Boulevard bridge as well as shared an update on the proposed widening of the San Diego Freeway (I-

405). Nearly 30 members of the Los Alamitos/Seal Beach Rotary attended last Wednesday.

OCTAs Christina Byrne, community relations officer for the I-405 Imp rovement P roject,

summarized the status of the project environmental planning effort. Public review of the draft

environmental impact report and statement ended July 17 and yielded more than 1,200 comment

letters.

Rotarians, primarily from the community of Rossmoor and the city of Seal Beach, were happy to

hear OCTA and Caltrans are pursuing design refinements to address the communitys feedback on

the best transportation option for the I-405.

Sarah Swensson, who h eads the construction relations outreach effort for the West County

Connectors (WCC), provided details about progress related to the connector between the

southbound I-605 and southbound I-405.

Swensson also shared that the connector opened three days ahead of schedule to accommodate the

widening of the I-405 freew ay.

Starting Sunday morning, crews began reconstructing Seal Beach Boulevard bridge one-half at a

time. The work to rebuild the bridge will last approximately 23 months.

The construction team shifted traffic to one lane

in each direction with a center lane dedicated

solely to emergency services vehicles as crews

began demolishing the western half of the

bri dge .

The bridge will be restored to two lanes in each

direction in mid-2013 during the remaining 12

months of construction until the new structure is completed.

Once completed in 2014, the new structure essentially will double the size of the original bridge for a

total of four northbound lanes and three southbound lanes.

Crews will keep the Seal Beach Boulevard bridge open during the day, although lane restrictions may

cause traffic delays. Intermittent night work also will require full closures for demolition work and

other construction activities.

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A vid eo si mulat ing the fi nishe d proj ect on Sea l Beac h Boul evard bridge illus trate s

how the new structure will ease congestion on the high-traffic route.

Visit OCTA's YouTube page for more transportation videos.

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OCTA encourages commuters to seek alternate routes during the reconstruction to ease their drive

and avoid delays.

Swensson also presented similar updates to approximately 30 members of the WCC Stakeholder

Working Group at Rush Park Auditorium in Rossmoor last Thursday . The team sh owed a new video

simulating what the entire project will look like once it is completed.

The outreach team provided the update to

help emergency personnel, school district

officials, community leaders and other key

stakeholders stay informed about the

projects progress throughout

construction.

The presentation also was designed to aid

these representatives plan for upcoming

construction activity, providing them an

opportunity to share their ideas and

suggestions to help minimize impacts that

the construction may have on the

community.

For more construction alerts and detour

information, the public can contact

Swensson by phone at (714) 560-5376 or

by emai l atwccproject@o cta.net. Theproject website at

www.octa. net /west countyalso contains

information.

OCTA Highlights Transportation Options

A three-pers on t eam from OCTA promoted alternat ive tran spor tati on choices at an event for Shipley

Nature Centers Cool Summer Nights program in Huntington Beach Thursday, encouraging people

of all ages to find greener ways of getting around.

OCTAs marketing team of Sandy Boyle,

Heidi Hsing and Nicci La Piana shared

information about transit services throughpamphlets, brochures and coloring books

at the transportation-focused event Let s

Get Moving.

App rox ima tel y 7 5 p eop le att end ed and

were able to find info rmati on a bout the

many ways to move about Orange County.

These included options such as taking the

bus, riding a bike or walking to get to the

center in Huntington Central Park.

The event is part of a no-cost 8-weeksummer program at the center, which

sponsors different activities every

Thursday in July and August for families

and youths to learn about the environment.

Parents snapped pictures of their children

next to a photo cut-out of an OCTA bus.

Other activities featured Go-Go Golf, a

vers ion of miniature-golf for kids. Special

OCTA temporary tattoos also were

distributed to the kids.

Examples of green technology also were on

display at the center, including hybrid vehicles provided by Toyota Motor Corp.

Acc ord ing to the cen ter s website, the Shipley Nature Center opened in 1974 and is a fenced, 18-acre

natural area within Huntington Beach Central Park dedicated to providing an environmental

education in an urban setting.

OCTAs team shared the diverse methods of transportation available such as the bus and train

systems, carpooling, biking and walking.

Representatives from the Orange County Fire Department and Seal

Beach Police examine the access plans for emergency personnel as part

of OCTA's outreach program during construction of the Seal Beach

Boulevard bridge that began Sunday morning.

Two children enjoy the OCTA bus cut-out at the Shipley Nature Center's

"Let's Get Moving" event Thursday, where families had the opportunity

to explore greener transportation options.

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From the information at the event, the team showed that people could put the brakes on solo driving

and easily get to their destinations a greener way.

Aug . 11, 14 & 16 The Orange County Breeze, 89.3 KPCC and Long Beach Business Journal

announced the reopening of the southbound San Diego F reeway (I-405), southbound San Gabriel

River Freeway (I-605) connector, which was completed three days ahead of schedule.

Aug. 11 The Orange County

Register published an article

about OCTA awarding Laguna

Beach $318,000 to help

purchase new trolleys.

Aug . 12 The Orange County

Register and Laguna Niguel

Patch reported record-breaking

ridership of more than 46,000

for OCTAs OC Fair Express.

Aug. 14 to 16 Los Alamitos-

Seal Beach Patch, The Press-

Telegram, The Orange County

Register, Orange County Breeze

and Long Beach Post announced

the start of 11-month lane

reductions on the Seal Beach

Boulevard bridge as part of the

West Coun ty C onnecto rs

project.

Aug. 15 The Laguna Niguel Patch wrote an article about OCTA designating nearly

$3 million in Measure M2 funds for 33 projects designed to improve water quality and reduce

pollutants that lead to waterways. The improvements are part of the M2 Environmental Cleanup

Program.

Aug. 15 The Newport Beach-Corona Del Mar Patch posted an article about the OCTA board ofdirectors awarding $9.4 million to cities for 23 bicycle connection improvement projects.

Aug. 15 Will Kempton and Darrell Johnson, California High-Speed Rail Authority meeting,

Sacramento

The Orange County Register published that the city of Laguna Beach received a

$318,000 state grant through OCTA to purchase three trolleys, which helps

minimize traffic congestion during the busy summer months when tourists flock to

the seaside resort. Courtesy ofthe "My Modern Metropolis" blog.

For the latest media news, followJoel Zlotnik, media relations manager, on Twitter.

For the latest in transportation issues and programs in Southern California,

followOCTA on Twitter.

Become a fan ofOCTA on Facebookto keep connected and learn more about how

OCTA is keeping Orange County moving.

Stay updated on transportation promotions, events and more on OCTA's YouTube

channel.

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