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TRANSMITT AL To: Date: THE COUNCIL MOV 2 0 2007 From: THE MAYOR TRANSMITTED FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. PLEASE SEE ATTACHED. /¿ ~ ~Tm. ~NTO Mayor R. V1LLARAt. TRANSPORTAl' NOV 2 6 2007 FORM GEN 160 (Rev 6-80) CITY OF LOS ANGELES , INTER-DEPARTMENTAL CORRESPONDENCE Date: September 4, 2007 To: Honorable Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Mayor Attention: June Lagmay, Legislativc Coordinator From: Subject: DASH DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES RECOMMENDATIONS SUMMARY Thc DASH Downtown Los Angeles (Downtown DASH) Study, conducted by the Department of Transportation (LADOT), has analyzed the current Downtown DASH service as well as the potential for additional weekend and/or nighttime service in the context of changing land use and dcmographic trends. This Study provides recommendations for: (I) mcasures to improve thc productivity and cost-effectiveness of the current routes; (2) potentially viable new service east of Main Strect; and (3) potential responses to growing demand for wcekend and nighttime service. It also evaluated measures to improve schedule adherence of the current routes. Due to the significant funding constraints idcntified by the Deparmcnt in its reports on the Proposition A ten-year forecast (CF 05-1107 S 1; CF 05-2057), thc Study recommendations focus primarily on resource-neutral/ cost-neutral options. Thc following is a summary of the key recommendations from the Study: (I) Productivity and cost-effectiveness improvements: This Study recommcnds a number of cost-neutral route modifications which aim at increasing ridership (DASH Routes A, C and DD); it also rccommends cancellation ofthc free City Hall Shuttlc, thereby enabling a redeployment of resourccs within Downtown while at the same time eliminating a duplication of service along First Street. Thc Study further recommends that the policy of honoring of all Metro passes on Downtown DASH bc discontinued unless Metro agrees to reimburse the City for the cash equivalent. Currently, approximately one-third of all DASH Downtown riders use Metro passes with no reimbursement to LADOT. (2) Potentially viable new service east of Main Street: This Study completes the preliminary analysis conducted per thc City Council instruction regarding a Skid Row DASH (CF 03-1905); it recommends implementation of a pilot Central City East DASH service, contingent upon canccllation of the City Hall Shuttle along with the redeployment of one bus and associated operating funds in order to be cost neutral to the City. (3) Potential responses to growing demand for weekend and nighttime service: This Study concludes that, at this time, the most effectìve response to this growing Downtown demand Honorable Antonio R. Vilaraigosa, - 2- September 4, 2007 Mayor would be private sector funded event-based shuttles, and that the establishment of a flat-fare taxi zone Downtown should also be considered. An example of event-based shuttle service is the recently implemented Art Walk DASH, which extends DASH Route D service to 10 PM for the monthly Art Walk event Downtown, with 100 percent of the funding provided by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood CounciL. The Study also reviewed measures to improve schedule adherence, with a paricular focus on DASH Route E; a re-routing of DASH E aimed at improving on-time performance has already been implemented (January 2007). Attachment A of this report contains maps and summar information concerning all of the Study's recommended Downtown DASH route modifications / new services, a number of which have already been implemented by the Deparent. Attachment B contains information on other service modifications considercd as part of the Study but not recommended by the Department for implementation. RECOMMENDATIONS That the City Council: l. Adopt this rcport prepared by LADOT as its report on this matter. 2. Direct LADOT to proceed with the implementation of the following recommended DASH Downtown Los Angeles route modifications / new service as depicted in Attachment A of this report: a) Reroute DASH Route A to serve the North Figueroa Corridor as depicted in Attachment Al, subject to the cancellation of the City Hall Shuttle (see Recommendation 2b); b) Cancel the City Hall Shuttle service as depicted in Attachments Ala and A1b, with resources to be reallocated to expanded DASH Route A service along the North Figueroa Corridor (sce Recommendation 2a) and new DASH Central City East pilot service (see Recommendation 2d); c) Reroute DASH Route A service in the Arts District North areas as depicted in Attachment A2; d) 1mplement new DASH Central City East pilot service as depicted in Attachment A5, subject to cancellation of the City Hall Shuttle (see Recommendation 2b); direct LADOT to report back to the Transportation Committee of City Council following l80 days of service regarding route performance relative to the Council- adopted performance standard for newly implemented service (CF 98- 1 121). Honorable Antonio R. Villaraigosa, - 3 - September 4, 2007 Mayor LADOT will continue to monitor the recently implemented reroutings of DASH Route C (Attachment A3), DASH Route E (Attachment A4) and DASH Route DD (Attachment A6). LADOT will also continue to work elosely with Metro to refine the Metro Connections proposals to restructure Metro bus service in DowiÏtown Los Angelcs. 3. Authorize the General Manager, Department of Transportation, to execute an amendment to the existing DASH Downtown Los Angeles contract with First Transit, Inc. (C-106106), as necessary, to modify service as described in Recommendation #2. 4. Appropriate and transfer funds for thc installation of two new traffc signals in order to facilitate the reroute of Downtown DASH Route A in the North Figueroa Corridor (see Recommendation #2a), as follows: a) $40,000 within Proposition A Local Transit Assistance Fund No.385 from Account C403, City Hall Shuttle, to a new Account, DASH Route A Figueroa/3rd Traffc Signal Account (number to be designated by LADOT) for an upgrade to a transit-only left tur signal at the intersection of southbound Figueroa Street and 3rd Street. b) $270,000 within Proposition C Local Transit Assistance Fund No.540 from Account C700, Transportation Grant Funds Work Program, to a new Account, DASH Route A i "/Fremont Traffc Signal Account (number to be designated by LADOT) for installation ofa new traffic signal at the intersection of First Street and Fremont Avcnue. 5. Authorize LADOT to discontinue thc acceptance of all Metro adult and student passes on Downtown DASH, effective February i, 2008, unless Metro agrees (no later than December 31, 2007) to reimburse the City for each boarding. LADOT shall continue to accept the Metro Elderly and Disabled ID Card with Mctro monthly stamp and the Countywide E-Z Transit pass on all of its DASH services. 6. Direct LADOT to continue its efforts to facilitate the development of private sector funded event-based shuttles in Downtown (such the Art Walk DASH, depicted in Attachment A6), and to considcr thc establishment of a flat-fare taxi zone Downtown as rcsponses to the growing demand for weekend and nighttimc service. BACKGROUND LADOT initiated work on this Downtown DASH Study primarily in response to the growing number of multiple-unit residcntial developments being constructed in Downtown, coupled with Honorable Antonio R. Villaraigosa, -4 - September 4, 2007 Mayor advocacy efforts by the Central City Association, the Downtown News and other stakeholders. This Study follows in the wake of the citywide Community DASH Need Assessment Study which was conducted by LADOT with consultant assistance during FY 2004/05; this study did not inelude the Downtown area. The City Council, at its meeting on June 28, 2005, approved the Community DASH Study report findings that resulted in an adopted list of potential new Community DASH routes to be implemented over the next several years, subject to availability offunding L CF 04-0823 S i J. Whilc most of the Downtown advocacy was focused on the perceived growing potential for evening and weekend service, it was nevertheless decided by the Deparment that the Downtown DASH Study should be comprehensive, covering current weekday service as well as any potential expansion of service hours and days. This Study also serves as a follow-up to the LADOT analysis of the potential for a Central City East / Skid Row DASH conducted in response to a September 2003 City Council motion (CF 03-1905). CONTEXT Study Arca The area covered by this Study is Downtown Los Angeles generally corresponding to the Central City Community Plan area. The street boundaries are Cesar E. Chavez Avenue on the north, the Los Angeles River on thc cast, Freeway 10 on the south, and Freeway 110 on the west (sec Figurc 1). Because certain Downtown DASH routes extend to neighboring communities outside of this Downtown Study area, portions ofthc route alignments in Chinatown (DASH B), South Los Angeles (DASH F) and Westlake (DASH A and E) were ineluded in the analysis. Current Downtown DASH Service Presently there are six Downtown DASH weekday routes and three routes which provide weekend servicc (sce Figure 2). The typical weekday span of service is 6:30 am until 6:30 pm on weekdays, with frequent service throughout the day (5 - i 0 minute headways). The weekend span of servicc is typically i 0 am til 5 pm (DASH E, on Saturdays, provides servicc beginning at 6 am). The weekday DASH primarily serves riders employed in or visiting Downtown, as par of their commutes and/or lunch hour activities. A major function of Downtown DASH is to serve as a link between regional transit services, parking facilities and Downtown destinations. Downtown DASH has been in operation since 1985 (beginning as a single route, subsequently split into what is today DASH A and DASH B in 1989). Four routes were added in the 1990's, with the last bcing DASH Fin 1996. The following is an inventory of the six existing wcckday Downtown DASH routes.