1 Transportation Performance Measures Presentation to Pasadena City Council Ellen Greenberg, AICP August 2, 2010

Tell how the system is functioning or how it is expected to function in the future Evaluate how well the system meets community objectives Help with decision-making and implementation Transportation Performance Measures 2

Informing the community Assessing progress, and monitoring progress Analyzing options Anchoring funding and mitigation requirements Guiding operating decisions and strategies Synching up with other goals How Can Transportation Performance Measures Be Used? 3

Green City / Sustainable Community Complete Streets U.N. Urban Accords A Backdrop of Evolving Values 4

Community Objectives and Expectations The 2004 Mobility Element objectives are a starting point for the 2010 Mobility Element Update Promote a Livable Community Encourage Non-auto Travel Protect Neighborhoods Manage Multi-modal Corridors 5

2004 Mobility Element Objectives Promote a Livable Community Encourage Non-auto Travel Protect Neighborhoods Manage Multi-modal Corridors Manage Corridors to reflect 2010 street classifications Support Green City and Sustainability Aims What has changed? What other objectives might be considered? 6

Clearly connect to: Community objectives and expectations Data and analysis that are available and understandable Options that are realistically available to the City Meaningful Performance Measures 7

Evaluating the Set of Realistically Available Options Decreasing Emphasis On: Additional capacity Reducing individual intersection delay Increasing Emphasis On: Network management Travel time reliability Improved transit services Complete Streets Multifunctional rights of way: green streets, social spaces Managing multimodal system 8

Familiar Responds to many people’s “hot button” issues Established basis for funding and mitigation Reflects typical practice vis a vis measurement Synchs up with other agencies What’s right with the present system? 9

Retain some current measures Emphasize quality of travel experience by all modes Elevate safety, livability and sustainability Reflect interactions between land use, community character and transportation system Take advantage of new techniques, tools and concepts A new set of performance measures could 10

San Francisco Santa Monica SANDAG Caltrans And more… In good company… 11

Planning to eliminate intersection LOS Adopt auto trip generation as the sole impact measure and assess a traffic mitigation impact fee based on trips Fee supports TDM strategies and non-auto improvements San Francisco Transportation Authority 12

Santa Monica: Sustainable City Plan System Level IndicatorsTarget Mode SplitUpward trend in use of sustainable modes (transit, bike, walk, rail) Average vehicle ridership (AVR) of businesses with >50 employees AVR of 1.5 Ownership of qualified low emission / alternative fuel vehicles Upward trend 13

Santa Monica: Sustainable City Plan Annual ridershipUpward trend Traffic congestion Number of signalized intersections with unacceptable vehicle congestion (LOS D, E, F) Level of service for sustainable modes (transit, bike/ped) at impacted intersections Downward trend Safety – Number of bicycle and pedestrian collisions involving motor vehicles Downward trend 14

Regional Transportation Performance Measures Mobility Accessibility Reliability Efficiency Livability Environmental Sustainability Equity SANDAG 15

Location Efficiency Reliable Mobility Health and Safety Environmental Stewardship Social Equity Robust Economy Caltrans: Smart Mobility Framework 16

Devise and evaluate a strategies for the General Plan update Link up with Green City Action Plan Inform regional strategies Convey technical information Align new developments with City goals What can a revised set of Performance Measures accomplish? 17

Sustainability Accessibility Livability Driver Experience A Short List for the General Plan 18

19 A short list for the General Plan Sustainability 19

“4-legged stool” for reducing transportation’s climate and environmental impacts Fuel mix Vehicle technology Vehicle use Operating conditions “3E” approach is more comprehensive Environment Economy Equity Sustainability 20

Vehicle Miles Traveled Mode Share Housing + Transportation Cost index Variability in livability factors experienced by different groups in Pasadena Sustainability: Possible Performance Measures 21

Vehicle-Miles Traveled in California 22

Match up the daily VMT with each Community Quiz Time San Francisco – North Beach New York City Sacramento Pasadena Choices: Daily VMT? 23

Mode Share for Journey-to-work 24

Pasadena Vehicle-Miles Traveled per Capita 25

26 A short list for the General Plan Livability 26

Quality of Life and Opportunities Availability of opportunities for all residents, workers and visitors Health and safety What is Livability? 27

San Francisco’s Healthy Development Measurement Tool (HDMT) Considers health needs in urban land use plans HDMT includes transportation-related metrics Pedestrian Environmental Quality Index (PEQI) Bicycle Environmental Quality Index (BEQI) Evaluates design characteristics, volumes, and safety Best practices: PEQI and BEQI 28

BEQI: Bicycle Environmental Quality Index 29

PEQI: Pedestrian Environmental Quality Index 30

31 A short list for the General Plan Accessibility 31

Accessibility = the ability to reach desired goods or services Mobility = physical movement; how you get from “A to B” Enhancing mobility is a purely transportation related exercise Road widening → better auto mobility (and better LOS) New bike lanes → better bike mobility New bus route → better transit mobility Often involves trade-offs between modes Accessibility versus Mobility 32

Often, better mobility = better accessibility But not always Many cities with high levels of congestion and poor vehicle mobility are very successful because of excellent accessibility Accessibility and Mobility 33

Enhancing accessibility involves transportation AND land use Clustering shops and housing around a transit stop → better accessibility Re-routing transit to better serve popular destinations → better accessibility Walk Score ® measures accessibility based on the proximity of walkable destinations to a specific location Accessibility Should be the Focus 34

Walk Score for Pasadena City Hall = Walker’s Paradise!

WalkScore has been extended from a single location to a neighborhood, but not yet for Pasadena A possible tool to customize for General Plan application Walk Score for Neighborhoods 36

Relevant to all trip types to all destinations within the City Used to help people understand why different parts of Pasadena “work” differently Easily communicated and intuitive – like Walk Score Used to identifying and solving deficiencies Supportive of Sustainability goals A New Accessibility Measure Could be 37

Greater accessibility through land use planning and coordination of transportation leads to… Fewer auto trips Reduced per capital vehicle-miles traveled Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions Lower household transportation costs Accessibility and Sustainability: Joined Up 38

39 A short list for the General Plan Driver Experience 39

Recognize dominant mode: reflect people’s experiences Move attention away from individual intersections and more towards corridors Identify operating conditions, improvements and traffic calming measures consistent with each corridor’s character Performance Measures: Driver Experience 40

Possible measures: Driver travel time Average travel speed Reliability of travel time Safety (collisions) Driver Experience Performance Measure 41

Collect travel time data along critical corridors Driver Experience Performance Measure 42

Collect travel speed data along critical corridors Driver Experience Performance Measure 43

Model critical corridors with traffic simulation tools Driver Experience Performance Measure 44 Identify mode appropriate improvements Optimize traffic signal timings along traffic corridors Test “road diets”, changes to parking configuration, etc.

Analyze traffic collisions to develop safety indices by corridor Driver Experience Performance Measure 45

Sustainability Accessibility Driver Experience Livability A Short List for the General Plan 46

General Plan Update performance measures may not be exactly the same as performance measures used in development review and impact fee requirements. However, they must be consistent. If new CEQA thresholds of significance are prepared they must be adopted by ordinance, resolution, rule, or regulation, and developed through a public review process and be supported by substantial evidence. Performance Measures and Development Review 47

Work with TAC and GPUAC to refine performance measures Apply performance measures to create and evaluate Land Use and Mobility Element Alternatives Bring recommended performance measures and CEQA thresholds to City Council for adoption Incorporate adopted measures into General Plan EIR and Transportation Impact Guidelines Next Steps 48