1. THE EL MONTE HOV / BUSWAY: A Policy Driven Experiment in Congestion Management Frank Quon Division of Operations Deputy District Director HOV LANES IN GENERAL: Are They Working? &

2. OVERVIEW Background EL MONTE BUSWAY Purpose Operational Impacts of Changing the Minimum Vehicle Occupancy Requirement EL MONTE BUSWAY EXPERIMENT: HOV SYSTEM: Effectiveness Goals

3. EL MONTE BUSWAY First HOV Facility Built in Los Angeles Co. EL MONTE BUSWAY 11 Mile Buffer/Barrier Separated Facility From City of El Monte to Downtown L.A. One of the Most Complete Systems With On-Line Stations, Park-and-Ride Lots, 2-Unidirectional Bus Lanes, Direct Access Ramps, & Feeder Bus Lines

4. EL MONTE BUSWAY LOCATION MAP 5 5 710 101

5. EL MONTE BUSWAY

6. BACKGROUND 1973 – Opened as a Bus-Only Facility From City of El Monte to Downtown L.A. EL MONTE BUSWAY 1976 – Carpools with 3+ Persons Allowed to Use Busway Funded With FTA Funds 2 nd Bus Rapid Transit System in the Nation

7. BACKGROUND EL MONTE BUSWAY

8. BACKGROUND 1996 – Senator Solis Expressed Her Concern About the Underutilization of the Busway. EL MONTE BUSWAY 1996 & 1999 – Operational Studies Conclude that Lowering the Occupancy Requirement to 2+ Will Potentially Overburden the Busway

9. SENATE BILL 63 EL MONTE BUSWAY 18-Month Demonstration Project From January 01, 2000 to June 30, 2001 Reduced the Minimum Occupancy Requirement on the Busway from 3 to 2 Persons on a Full-Time Basis Required Caltrans to Provide an Operational Study on the Effects of the Change to Legislature on or by January 01, 2001

10. IMPLEMENTATION OF SB 63 Caltrans Established the SB 63 Implementation Committee Comprised of Representatives From All the Stakeholders EL MONTE BUSWAY Caltrans Responsible for Executing the Change In Occupancy Requirement and Monitoring Effects on the Busway

11. FREEWAY OPERATIONS EL MONTE BUSWAY BUSWAY AVERAGE SPEEDS

12. EL MONTE BUSWAY MAINLINE AVERAGE SPEEDS FREEWAY OPERATIONS

13. EL MONTE BUSWAY BUSWAY WESTBOUND VOLUMES FREEWAY OPERATIONS

14. EL MONTE BUSWAY BUSWAY EASTBOUND VOLUMES FREEWAY OPERATIONS

15. EL MONTE BUSWAY MAINLNE WESTBOUND VOLUMES FREEWAY OPERATIONS

16. EL MONTE BUSWAY MAINLNE EASTBOUND VOLUMES FREEWAY OPERATIONS

17. PUBLIC RESPONSE TO CHANGE Numerous Complaints Via E-mails, Letters, and Phone Calls were Received Regarding the Lowering of the Occupancy Requirement EL MONTE BUSWAY Carpoolers & Bus Patrons Had to Adjust their Schedules Bus Patrons Reported Delays of 20 to 30 Minutes Causing Them to Miss Bus/Train Connections, Appointments, Etc.

18. WB DIRECTION - AM PEAK EL MONTE BUSWAY

19. ASSEMBLY BILL 769 Enacted on July 2000 EL MONTE BUSWAY Superceded SB 63 and Increased the Minimum Occupancy Requirement on the Busway to 3 or More Persons During the Weekday Peak Periods of 5 – 9 AM & 4 – 7 PM; and Remained 2 or More Persons at All Other Times. Caltrans Implemented the Changes Within 30 Days

20. EL MONTE BUSWAY BUSWAY AVERAGE SPEEDS FREEWAY OPERATIONS

21. EL MONTE BUSWAY MAINLINE AVERAGE SPEEDS FREEWAY OPERATIONS

22. EL MONTE BUSWAY BUSWAY WESTBOUND VOLUMES FREEWAY OPERATIONS

23. EL MONTE BUSWAY BUSWAY EASTBOUND VOLUMES FREEWAY OPERATIONS

24. EL MONTE BUSWAY MAINLINE WESTBOUND VOLUMES FREEWAY OPERATIONS

25. EL MONTE BUSWAY MAINLINE EASTBOUND VOLUMES FREEWAY OPERATIONS

26. CONCLUSIONS Lowering the Occupancy Requirement from 3+ to 2+ had an Operational Impact on the Busway EL MONTE BUSWAY Conditions on the Busway Returned to Those Experienced Prior to the 2+ Demonstration With the Implementation of the 3+ Peak & 2+ Off-Peak Requirements Significant Improvements Were Not Realized in the Mixed-Flow Lanes

27. SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES Expected 40% Increase in Population By 2025 Vehicle Hours of Delay Has More Than Doubled From 186,800 to 418,000 Between 1987 & 1998 Congestion Has Increased 10% Annually Since 1995 From 1967–1997: Population Increased by 70% While Vehicle Miles Traveled Increased by 184% LAO Report January 2000

28. CONGESTION RELIEF STRATEGIES EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES Increase Capacity Manage The Demand Integrated Urban Development Improve Operational Efficiency

29. CHALLENGES EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES Prohibitive Land Costs Increased Construction Costs Worsening Traffic Congestion & Air Pollution Right-of-Way & Environmental Constraints

30. HOV LANE SYSTEM EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES CENTRAL CONCEPT: Optimize Freeway System By Moving More People Rather Than Moving More Cars CONGESTION RELIEF STRATEGY: Effective Multi-Modal Approach

31. HOV PLANNING EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES GOALS: –Provide congestion relief –Increase the people-moving capacity of the roadway –Decrease the average travel time –Provide an incentive for people to share rides –Provide trip reliability

32. STATUS OF HOV SYSTEM EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES 1087 162 1114

33. EL MONTE BUSWAY

34. HOV PERFORMANCE PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES The Effectiveness of HOV Lanes Has Been Widely Debated MTA Committed the Funding to Conduct a Comprehensive Evaluation of the Los Angeles County HOV System Initiated July 2000

35. PUBLIC SURVEY RESULTS EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES Support 88 % Opposed 8 % Neutral 4 % MTA HOV Performance Program DO YOU SUPPORT HAVING HOV LANES ON L.A. COUNTY FREEWAYS?

36. EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES Support 82 % Opposed 13 % Neutral 5 % MTA HOV Performance Program SHOULD THE POLICY THAT APPROVED A PORTION OF THE SALES TAX REVENUES FOR TRANSIT-RELATED HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS BE CONTINUED? PUBLIC SURVEY RESULTS

37. AVERAGE TRAVEL TIME SAVINGS EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES LA – 405 LA – 110 LA – 91 El Monte Busway LA – 10 LA – 210 MTA HOV Performance Program LA – 405 110 - Century 101 - 5 17.5 27.5 15 32.5 17.5 32

38. PERSONS MOVED: EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES Los Angeles 110 Los Angeles 10 Marin 101 Contra Costa 80 Los Angeles 105 HOV vs. MIXED-FLOW LANES Persons per hour per lane HOV Lane Mixed-Flow Lane

39. EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES TOTAL CARPOOL VOLUME COMPARISON (PM 2-HR PEAK) Freeways w/ HOV Lanes Freeways w/o HOV Lanes LOS ANGELES COUNTY

40. SOUTHBOUND 405 HOV LANE EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES TRAVEL TIME A.M. PEAK HOUR Before HOV After HOV US 101 to Waterford St.

41. SOUTHBOUND 405 HOV LANE EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES TOTAL FREEWAY VOLUME A.M. PEAK HOUR Before HOV After HOV US 101 to Waterford St.

42. SOUTHBOUND 405 HOV LANE EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES TOTAL HOV LANE VOLUME A.M. PEAK HOUR Before HOV After HOV US 101 to Waterford St.

43. SOUTHBOUND 405 HOV LANE EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES TOTAL MAINLINE VOLUME A.M. PEAK HOUR Before HOV After HOV US 101 to Waterford St.

44. POLICY ISSUES EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES Air Quality Conformity Operational Characteristics Performance

45. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? EFFECTIVENESS OF HOV LANES Need to Complete System Performance Evaluation Studies Integration of Transit into the HOV System Development of Micro-Simulation Model Direct HOV Access From High Activity Centers