Agenda Item No. (3)(a)–(3)(c) To: Transportation Committee

BOX 9000, PRESIDIO STATION ♦ SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94129-0601 ♦ USA

Agenda Item No. (3)(a)–(3)(c)

To: Transportation Committee/Committee of the Whole

Meeting of October 25, 2018

From: Ron Downing, Director of Planning

Denis J. Mulligan, General Manager

Subject: REPORTS OF DISTRICT ADVISORY COMMITTEES

(a) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ACCESSIBILITY

(b) BUS PASSENGERS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Recommendation

There is no recommendation associated with this item.

Summary

The purpose of the formation of the above-mentioned Advisory Committees is to provide the

public a forum by which they can communicate their viewpoints and suggestions on the operations

of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (District), as well as on the bus

and ferry transit systems, to the District Board of Directors and staff. These Advisory Committees

meet regularly, and designated District staff participates in these meetings. From time to time,

these Advisory Committees submit recommendations to the District’s Transportation Committee

(Committee) for its consideration.

The Secretary of the District is required to provide packets of the Advisory Committees to the

Committee.

The documents attached to this report are as follows:

(a) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ACCESSIBILITY

There is no new meeting information at the time of this mailing.

(b) BUS PASSENGERS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Agenda Packet of September 12, 2018.

Agenda Packet of September 10, 2018.

Fiscal Impact

There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.

Attachments

BUS PASSENGERS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(BPAC)

Agenda for September 12, 2018

Convene at 6:00 p.m. – Adjourn by 8:00 p.m.

Caboose Room – Whistlestop

930 Tamalpais Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901

Chairperson: Dan Bell

Vice Chairperson: Win Archibald

Marin County: Brian Bailey-Gates, Dan Bell, Fredi Bloom, Scott Kempf, Pat

Soberanis, Dave Troup

Sonoma County: Win Archibald

San Francisco/East Bay: None

1. Roll Call and Staff Introductions (5 minutes)

2. Approval of May 16, 2018, Meeting Minutes (2 minutes) (Attached)

3. Bus Stoppers

(10 minutes)

4. Outstanding Business (20 minutes)

a. San Rafael Transit Center Update

b. Proposal to Replace Routes 92 and 93 with Expanded Service on Routes 4 and 30

5. New Business (20 minutes)

a. September 2018 Service Changes

b. Real-Time Information Displays

6. Members’ Forum

(10 minutes)

7. Review of Events and Announcements (2 minutes)

a. New Website Update

8. Public Comment (2 minutes per speaker)

9. Adjournment

Next Meeting: November 7, 2018

Members to submit observed problems in bus operations, preferably in writing before the meeting, and provide a

verbal summary in less than 2 minutes.

Members to discuss topics not covered on the agenda or that should be added to a future agenda.

BUS PASSENGERS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(BPAC)

Meeting Minutes for Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Committee Members Present: Win Archibald, Brian Bailey-

Gates, Fredi Bloom, Dan Bell, Pat Soberanis

Committee Members Absent: Scott Kempf, Dave Troup

District Staff Present: David Davenport, Senior Planner; Carlena Natouf, Customer Relations

Supervisor

Guests Present: Elizabeth D’Orazio, Arthur Young

1. Roll Call: Dan Bell opened the meeting at 6:04 p.m. Five members were present, representing

a quorum. David Davenport informed the committee that Lisel Blash has resigned due to

scheduling conflicts. He thanked Mr. Bell for agreeing to take over chair duties and asked if

the committee would like to vote in a replacement vice chair for the remainder of the year.

The committee agreed to vote in a replacement. Win Archibald was nominated to be vice

chair, and she was voted in unanimously.

2. Approval of Meeting Minutes: BPAC members unanimously approved the March 21, 2018,

meeting minutes.

3. Bus Stoppers: No bus stoppers were presented.

4. Outstanding Business:

a. San Rafael Transit Center Update: Mr. Davenport reported that construction of the

interim transit center improvements has been delayed so outstanding design and legal

issues can be resolved between the District and SMART. Construction is expected to

occur starting this summer, and the work duration of roughly 12 weeks should be

unchanged from the original timeline. Mr. Davenport also reported that the District held

a stakeholder meeting for the future permanent replacement of the transit center.

Pat Soberanis asked how the permanent facility would be funded, and Mr. Davenport said

that a majority of the funding would come from Regional Measure 3, assuming it passes

in June. Mr. Bell asked that a diagram of the interim facility be provided at the next BPAC

meeting, and Mr. Davenport agreed to provide a diagram at the September meeting.

Arthur Young asked if a video of current and future changes could be prepared and

displayed on a monitor at the transit center to help build excitement for the projects; Mr.

Davenport agreed to reach out to other District staff to see if this is possible.

5. New Business:

a. June 2018 Service Changes: Mr. Davenport updated the committee on service changes

set to take effect on June 9. He noted that a trip on Route 18 would be discontinued, two

BPAC Meeting Minutes Page 2

May 16, 2018

trips on Route 101 would be discontinued, and Route 97 would be replaced by a trip on

Route 24X starting at San Anselmo Hub. For the ferry feeder routes, a trip on Route 25

would be added, selected trips on Route 31 would be discontinued and four trips would

be extended to/from Peacock Gap, and new Route 41 would provide non-stop service

to/from Smith Ranch Park & Ride. To accommodate the reconfigured San Rafael Transit

Center, all midday trips on Route 27 would be extended to San Anselmo Hub, a morning

trip would be added, and all Route 44 trips would bypass the transit center.

Mr. Davenport reported that an analysis of commute service from Sonoma County had

been conducted, and as a result, most trips on Route 72 would be replaced by Route 72X,

which would have an added stop at the Veterans Park & Ride in Santa Rosa. Routing

changes would also be made to Route 74, and the clean-up trips that serve all bus stops

along Routes 72X and 74 would be called Route 72 to minimize confusion. Mr.

Davenport added that the District is still waiting for construction to occur on Beach Street,

so buses to the San Francisco Financial District would continue to operate on North Point

Street for now.

b. Proposal to Replace Routes 92 and 93 with Expanded Service on Routes 4 and 30: Mr.

Davenport presented a plan to discontinue Routes 92 and 93 starting in September. Both

routes have sustained ridership losses, and Route 93 in particular has fallen well below

the District’s service standard. To accommodate displaced riders, service on Route 30

would be expanded to every 30 minutes during peak periods, and a new trip to the San

Francisco Civic Center would be added to Route 4. He indicated that a public hearing

would be held the following morning at 9 AM but that comments received via e-mail and

other means carry equal weight. The comment period is open until Friday at 4:30 PM.

Mr. Davenport asked the committee if it would like to take a position on the proposal.

Mr. Bell suggested that members submit individual comments because the committee is

not too familiar with the service areas in question. The committee members agreed. In

response to the schedule table showing the existing and proposed schedules together, Ms.

Soberanis suggested that a table showing just the changed trips be prepared because it

would be easier for some people to understand. Mr. Young suggested that the District

consider having a quarterly discussion about transit issues with the local media.

c. MTC Regional Survey: Mr. Davenport informed the committee of a survey of bus and

ferry riders that is being conducted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. He

noted that the survey, which uses a statistically valid sample, would provide general

demographic information about the Golden Gate Transit and Golden Gate Ferry systems.

6. Members’ Forum: Fredi Bloom asked about Marin Transit service that used to operate to the

front door of Kaiser in Terra Linda. Mr. Davenport said that Routes 45K and 49K had been

replaced by Routes 245 and 257, which stop on the street rather than inside the parking lot.

The stop was moved after on-site traffic circulation changed. Mr. Young noted that it is

possible to enter the hospital through the first floor but agreed that it was still a long walk.

Ms. Soberanis said that an on-site bus stop would be preferred. Mr. Davenport suggested that

members submit their concerns directly to Marin Transit because a representative was not

present at this meeting.

BPAC Meeting Minutes Page 3

May 16, 2018

7. Review of Events and Announcements: Mr. Davenport provided the committee with

responses to several questions raised at the previous meeting and provided an update:

a. Responses to Questions Raised at Previous Meeting: Mr. Davenport reported that there

are 11 real-time passenger information (RTPI) signs currently installed system-wide, but

only seven have power and having power does not necessarily mean they are working.

District staff plans to undertake an in-field review to resolve outstanding issues, and it

was noted that 43 RTPI signs should be installed by project completion.

Mr. Davenport reported that luggage bay bike racks had been purchased using federal

funds.

Mr. Davenport indicated that the District might consider combining Routes 24 and 24X

now that construction of East Sir Francis Drake Blvd. improvements are complete. Brian

Bailey-Gates reaffirmed his desire to maintain Route 24X but have it skip San Anselmo

Hub. Mr. Davenport noted that the Town of San Anselmo plans to study traffic operations

to improve intersection operations next to the Hub, but the town is unsure when the study

would be conducted, so possible traffic changes would not be taken into consideration.

Ms. Bloom and Ms. Soberanis expressed concerns about Route 24X skipping the Hub,

but Mr. Bailey-Gates countered that commuter buses should be designed to serve

commuters rather than local riders. Ms. Soberanis stated that buses should be open to the

public regardless of trip length. Mr. Bell asked if local fares are charged, and Mr.

Davenport responded that they are and that all local travel is allowed, except in San

Francisco, where local travel is restricted to specific bus stops because of an agreement

the District has with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

b. New Website Update: Mr. Davenport reported that content migration and tool

programming has taken longer than expected, and beta testing will launch once the

contractor resolves these issues. As noted previously, BPAC members will be invited to

be beta testers, and a full launch is expected shortly after beta testing is conducted.

8. Public Comment: Two public comments were provided:

a. Mr. Young asked for the stop announcement policy to be explained, as some stops were

missing or mispronounced. Mr. Davenport explained that recordings were made by an

employee who has since retired, so additional recordings have not yet been added to the

system. He indicated that staff would review and update the recordings once a

replacement voice is found. Mr. Davenport was not aware of any mispronunciations. Mr.

Bell noted that the Marin Transit system is automated, so pronunciation is not very good

in some instances.

b. Elizabeth D’Orazio asked that Route 101 service to Spencer Avenue Bus Pad be restored,

as the remaining service is limited during the evening and on Sundays. Mr. Davenport

explained that the District provides a public service, so decisions are sometimes made

that affect a limited number of people. Ms. D’Orazio noted that she started a Change.org

petition about the issue and asked how a decision to restore the service would be made.

Ms. Soberanis suggested that the petition could be shared with BPAC. Mr. Bell added

that staff would have to explain the metrics used to make the decision to eliminate Route

101 service from that location before the committee could take a position on the matter.

It was noted that Ms. D’Orazio lives in Corte Madera but chooses to commute from

BPAC Meeting Minutes Page 4

May 16, 2018

Spencer Avenue Bus Pad. Ms. Archibald and Ms. Soberanis asked if there are commuters

who reside in Sausalito who would ride the service, and Ms. D’Orazio said yes. They also

asked if there was commute bus service in her neighborhood, and she affirmed that Route

18 goes there but does not operate during the hours in question. Mr. Davenport stated that

there is a proposal to add Route 4 service to the Civic Center, but Mr. Bell noted that

those trip times would not match with Ms. D’Orazio’s evening schedule. Mr. Davenport

noted that bus service is hourly throughout the system during evening hours, and Route

70 serves both Spencer Avenue Bus Pad and Corte Madera on an hourly basis while Route

30 also serves Corte Madera on an hourly basis. Ms. D’Orazio pointed out that Routes 30

and 70 serve Marin City en route to Corte Madera, which makes the travel times slower

than she would like. Ms. Soberanis observed that Ms. D’Orazio might have an outlying

schedule, which would make it difficult to accommodate her preferred travel times. Mr.

Bailey-Gates suggested that Ms. D’Orazio share her completed petition with the

committee so it could be discussed at a future meeting.

9. Adjournment: Mr. Bell adjourned the meeting at 8:01 p.m.

Members were advised that the next meeting will take place Wednesday, September 12, 2018.

FERRY PASSENGERS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(FPAC)

Agenda for Monday, September 10, 2018

Convene at 11:50 a.m. – Adjourn by 1:00 p.m.

Bayside Rooms 3 and 4

Pier One, Port of San Francisco

Approval of Minutes of July 23, 2018

1. Operational Issues

Report on Weekday A.m. and P.m. Larkspur Service Sellouts

2. Updates and Other Items

A. Vessel Updates

B. Terminal Updates

C. SMART Updates

D. Larkspur Ferry Bus Shuttle Updates

E. Giants Weekday Day Game Parking Update

F. September 20 & 21 Concerts

3. Committee Business

A. FPAC Initiatives

i. EV Charging Upgrade Request

ii. Larkspur 42 Crossings EIR

iii. Vessel Upgrades

iv. Voluntary Cellphone Free Area Signage

B. Membership Recruitment & New Member Vote

4. Member/Visitor Comments

5. Next Meeting: November 5, 2018

Survey of Members to Determine Quorum

Attachments: 1. Summary from meeting of July 23, 2018

2. Ferry Route Performance Report for June & July 2018

All Routes

Larkspur Ferry Terminal-San Francisco Ferry Terminal

Sausalito Ferry Terminal-San Francisco Ferry Terminal

Tiburon Ferry Terminal-San Francisco Ferry Terminal

ATT Service

FERRY PASSENGERS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

(FPAC)

Minutes of Meeting of Monday, July 23, 2018

Bayside Rooms 3 and 4

Pier One, Port of San Francisco

FPAC Members Present: Geneva Collins, Scott

Kempf, Karen Lang,

Maryline Lewett, Jaime

Taylor, Scott Ziolko

Guests Present: Frank Leahy, Christina Slayton, Howard Ullman

Staff Present: Rob Barley, Vessel Master; Colin McDermott, Director of

Ferry Operations; Carlena Natouf, Customer Relations

Supervisor; Joshua Widmann, Associate Planner.

Approval of Summary of Meeting of February 12, 2017. FPAC approved the minutes with no

comments.

1. Operational Issues

Report on Weekday A.m. and P.m. Larkspur Service Sellouts. Josh Widmann reported the following

sellouts:

7:30

a.m.

days

7:30 a.m.

avg.

leftover

5:30

p.m.

days

5:30 p.m. avg.

leftover

6:00 p.m.

days

6:00 p.m. avg.

leftover

May 2018

June

Josh Widmann reported annualized Larkspur ridership through May was down 1.2 percent due to

reduced overflow parking, the commute period being at capacity, and reduced Giants game ridership.

Sausalito was down 5.6 percent annualized due to lack of a second weekday summer afternoon vessel.

Overall ridership was up 2.5 percent due to the addition of Tiburon.

2. Updates and Other Items

A. Vessel Updates. Mr. Widmann reported that the Del Norte, Napa, and Golden Gate main engine

overhaul starts in September with the Napa, then with the Del Norte, then with the Golden Gate, with

one vessel out of service at a time. All vessels will be back in service for the 2019 Giants baseball

season. Colin McDermott noted that vessel capacity reduces due to the use of the 400 seat M.V. Del

Norte. Mr. McDermott mentioned there is the possibility of new vessel a number of years away, which

would have a seating capacity of 500. The Larkspur 42 weekday vessel crossing limit was also

discussed but there is no current work to re-open the EIR although it has been on the radar. Vessel fuel

options were also discussed.

B. Terminal Updates. The shorter term project of Sausalito landing repair work is at 90 percent drawing

review, with the District recently approving $187,000 for the work. The longer term project,

replacement of the entire Sausalito landing, is currently at the 65 percent design drawing stage and is

being reviewed by the District as of June 25. Member Scott Kempf asked about the Larkspur ramp

rehabilitation project noise levels.

C. SMART / Ferry Shuttle Updates. Route 41 has been operating from Larkspur Ferry Terminal to

Smith Ranch Park & Ride with six trips in the a.m. and six trips in the p.m. including reverse commute.

Route 31 has been extended to Point San Pedro for two trips in each direction. Karen Lang wanted to

know if SMART was projected to increase demand on Larkspur ferry.

D. Larkspur Ferry Bus Shuttle Updates. Boarding island configuration has changed at Larkspur Ferry

Terminal. Shuttle buses will now all be stopping at the boarding island. Ms. Lang suggested signage

to indicate that vehicles making passenger pickups should stay on the perimeter of the Larkspur

terminal as opposed to waiting in the parking aisles and blocking egress.

E. Giants Weekday Day Game Parking Update. Weekday day games will continue to utilize off-site

overflow parking with a bus shuttle. This will occur on the next Giants day game on August 7. The

September 12 weekday day game overflow parking location has yet to be determined [It was later

announced that this game will not be served].

3. Committee Business

A. FPAC Initiatives.

i. EV Charging Upgrade Request. Project is listed in 10 year capital plan. PG&E program was

found to require a 10 spot minimum. Mr. Widmann indicated he will research the issue.

ii. Passenger Safety – Various Topics. No updates were available.

iii. Larkspur 42 Crossings EIR. District is looking into expanding the allowable number of

weekday Larkspur crossings but has not begun the environmental clearance work. No timeline

was available for environmental clearance process at the time of the FPAC meeting.

iv. Vessel Upgrades. Spray shields for bikes may require coast guard approval if the vessel

weight is increased. Del Norte main deck seating addition may be possible through utilization

of modular seating according to Mr. McDermott.

B. Membership Recruitment & New Member Vote. Two prospective members were in attendance.

Christina Slayton, who has attended previously, utilizes Larkspur service and is a consultant for PG&E.

Frank Leahy, utilizes Sausalito and is employed with Salesforce. No vote was taken.

4. Member/Visitor Comments

Ms. Lang mentioned the cell phone use signage is not throughout the vessels. She suggested vessel

masters announce that patrons should avoid unnecessary use of their phones and to be cognizant of cell

phone free “quiet areas.” The 8:20 a.m. Sausalito weekday departure is now an 8:15 a.m. weekday

departure. This is a result of the frequent marine traffic “bell rings” that require ferries to slow down.

5. Next Meeting: September 10, 2018.

The committee agreed to reconvene at September 10 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. in Bayside Rooms

3 and 4, Pier One, Port of San Francisco.