Metro Bike/Bus Interface Study Agenda

1. Background & Process 2. Corridors & Metrics 3. General Findings 4. Training Recommendations 5. Design Guidelines 6. Questions L.A. County Bus Service

• LA Metro • 1,433 sq miles of service area • 170 bus routes • 2,248 buses in fleet • 15,967 bus stops • 22 Additional Municipal Operators Bicycling is On The Rise

• 5% of patrons access Metro bus by bike • 80% of LA residents live with 3 miles of high frequency bus or rail • Between 2006 – 2014, bike commuting increased 81% Bike Infrastructure is On the Rise Bike/Bus Interactions Existing Design Guidance Study Steps

• Best Practices & Literature Review • Before/After Analysis • Training Guidance for Operators & People on Bicycles • Bike/Bus Roadway Design Guidebook Working Group

Caltrans • Metro Bike Program & • Systemwide Planning • Culver City LA County DPW • Long Beach • LADOT • Los Angeles/LADOT • Long Beach • Pasadena • • Santa Monica Planning Engineering • West Hollywood Staff Staff

• Metro Operations Bicycle & Service Planning Transit • Education Operators Bike SGV • Culver City Bus & Outreach • • • LACBC • GTrans • MCM • LADOT • Santa Monica • Spoke • Peer Review

• SEPTA (Philadelphia) • King County Metro / Seattle DOT • San Francisco MTA Outreach

• Municipal Staff Interviews • Operator & Bicyclist Focus Groups • Bicyclist Survey Study Corridors

Infrastructure Type Corridors Location Installation Date

Standard bike lanes 7th St Downtown Los Angeles 8/29/2011 Main St Santa Monica / Venice (Los Angeles) 1/28/2012 Pacific Av San Pedro (Los Angeles) 10/1/2015 San Pedro St South Los Angeles 6/8/2013 Van Nuys Blvd Arleta (Los Angeles) 4/6/2013 Buffered bike lanes Alamitos Ave Long Beach 4/16/2016 Colorado Blvd Eagle Rock (LA) 10/3/2013 Venice Blvd Central Los Angeles 2/28/2015 Separated bikeways Broadway Long Beach 4/23/2011 Los Angeles St Downtown Los Angeles 6/1/2016 Reseda Blvd Reseda (Los Angeles) 4/2/2015 Rosemead Blvd Temple City 5/10/2014 Shared Bus/Bike Figueroa St Downtown Los Angeles 7/7/2016 Lanes (Bus Only Sunset Blvd Silver Lake (Los Angeles) Late Summer 2013 Lanes) Wilshire Blvd Koreatown (Los Angeles) 6/1/2013 Study Metrics

1. Corridor volumes (ADT, bus frequency, bikes) 2. Ridership 3. Behavior • Daily bus on/off • Vehicle speeding • Bicyclists riding the wrong way / sidewalk 4. Bus operations • Change in bus speed • Change in reliability 5. Bicycle Traffic Stress 6. Collisions by mode General Findings

1. Bicycling increased on all study corridors 2. Addition of bike facilities improved safety and standardized riding behavior 3. No apparent correlation between bus frequency and bicycling activity 4. Bus performance largely unchanged on study corridors 5. All users prefer green “skip-stripe” markings 6. Buses and bicycles can share streets safely Key Takeaways for Bus Operator Training

1. Critical elements for initial and ongoing training: • Minimum passing distances • Knowing the “door zone” • Unpredictable riding behaviors 2. Understanding the bicycling perspective • On-bicycle experience • Bicycle safety training 3. Sharing information about new street conditions Key Takeaways for Bicycle Safety Training

1. Critical elements for bicycle safety training: • How to assess safe opportunity to pass a bus • Ride consistently in view of a side mirror • How riding behavior is perceived by others 2. Provide opportunities for training • Informal educational opportunities • Public awareness campaign • Seek out riders with greatest need Design Guidelines

• Eight recommendations • Responsive to gaps in existing guidelines • Data-centric • Supported by outreach and stakeholder engagement Bus Stop Zones: Provide Space for Bus to Clear Bikeway

• Provide enough space for bus to pull completely flush with curb • Buses angled into stop may lead to people riding bikes into adjacent lane • Improved visibility for bus operator re-entering traffic Bus Stop Zones: Construct Bus Boarding Islands at Busy Stops

• Where bus, bicycle or both volumes are high • Most effective for bike-bus safety at stops • Successful in peer-review cities Bus Stop Zones: Stripe Conflict Area at Stops

• Highlight where buses cross over path of bicycle riders to reach stop • Guide people where to ride • Apply consistently between jurisdictions Intersections: Identify and Reduce Conflicts

• Promote separation for people on bicycles • Use clear visual guidance for all users • Guide riders both through and turning at intersections Intersections: Identify and Reduce Conflicts Intersections: Identify and Reduce Conflicts Intersections: Provide Clear Sight Lines on Separated Bikeways

• Bus operators need to see people approaching conflict point • Parking-separated or heavily-landscaped bikeways could obscure people riding bicycles • Measure setback for visibility from initial conflict point Intersections: Guide Riders Through Intersections

• All road users should know where to expect people on bicycles through an intersection Corridors: Clearly Sign and Stripe Shared Bus-Bike Lanes

• Sharing bus lanes is more comfortable and safer for people on bicycles • Identify clearly what users are permitted in the lane and when Corridors: Use Left-Sided Bikeways on One-Way Streets

• Left-sided bikeways reduce conflicts with buses • Attention to transition design is crucial • Signalization and phase-separation for turns Implementation Process Recommendations

Recipe for Success 1. Collaborative process 2. Early engagement 3. Follow-up

before after Thank You

Lia Yim, LA Metro [email protected]

Jeremiah LaRose, Fehr & Peers Mike Samuelson, Fehr & Peers [email protected] [email protected] Sample Corridor: Reseda Boulevard