San Francisco Transit Effectiveness Project (SFTEP)

 

MEETING SUMMARY

SFTEP Policy Advisory Group Meeting

April 18, 2007

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

City Hall, Room 278

Participants:

PAG Members �         Wil Din, SFMTA Board of Directors �         Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., SFMTA �         Ed Harrington, Controller’s Office �         Boe Hayward (for Bevan Dufty, SF Board of Supervisors) �         Kevin Hughes, IBEW, Local 6 �         Glenda Lavigne, TWU Local 200 �         Irwin Lum, TWU Local 250-A �         Jose Luis� Moscovich SFCTA �         Dan Murphy, SFMTA CAC �         Tom Radulovich, TEP CAC �         Ann Flemer (for Steve Heminger, MTC)

SFMTA Staff Julie Kirschbaum Peter Straus Britt Tanner Judson True   Controller’s Office Staff Sally Allen Liz Garcia Peg Stevenson

TEP Consultant Team Russ Chisholm, TMD

 

PROJECT UPDATE

 

Julie Kirschbaum reviewed the status of the two active Early Action pilots and the Operations Review and public outreach activities.� ��

 

The first active pilot is the on time improvement study of the J-Church.� Over a period of 120 days, incremental improvements will be made to the J-Church rail line to study their relative impacts. Improvements include control of the rail cars departures (both early and late), parking control officer (PCO) enforcement of double parking and any potential rail blockages, signal adjustments, and potential parking reconfigurations and yellow zone installations. ��The progress seen to date is a 72% improvement during the a.m. peak period.�

 

The second active pilot is a run time adjustment study of motor coach route 29.�

“Run time” is the time in minutes that it takes for the transit vehicle to go from the start to the finish of its route and is a measure of the average speed of the vehicle on that route.� Funded by an MTC lifeline grant, this study will look at the scheduled run time of this route, fill each run as scheduled and then determine whether or not the scheduled run time needs to be increased.� This study reflects the type of review we expect to conduct for all Muni lines through the TEP.

 

The Operations Review will look at division management and workforce planning.� It will answer questions such as:

• What is the optimal extraboard throughout the year?
• What is the tipping point between hiring a new operator and the variable costs of overtime?

Findings will be shared once complete. �

 

The next meeting will include a presentation of the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Cost Model. The consultant, AECOM is working with SFMTA’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Sonali Bose to develop this tool, which will allow the Agency to look at the per unit cost of providing a certain level of service.

 

Public outreach activities have continued, including, most recently, a brownbag for the Mayor’s staff and supervisorial aides.� Thank you to Boe Hayward for helping to turn out the folks.� The TEP team will also be hosting a session similar to the one organized for the TEP Family Public Transit Forum at the Department of Children, Youth and their Families’ State of the City's Children Summit on April 19th.

 

PAG Member Comments

 

• The TEP should coordinate the Cost Model with other processes such as labor negotiations and fluctuating fuel costs, which determine the cost per unit of service. �The Cost Model, while an important investment, shouldn’t be designed as so rigid that it can not incorporate changes over time.
• Though not every capital issue can be solved with the TEP, it should help to identify them.
• The next pilot should be a timed-transfer pilot.
• The 29 route is not a representative line, and should not be presented as such.
• Use the data collected to have a discussion with line staff.� Corroborate the data with their experience and anecdotal information.

 

SERVICE EVALUATION OVERVIEW

 

Russ Chisholm from TMD provided an overview of the service evaluation in progress, the mechanics of the Automatic Passenger Counters (APCs) and some preliminary findings based on APC data from 24 lines completed to date and data from other sources.�� Service evaluation is a critical part of identifying ways to make service faster and more convenient in a way that reflects current and future travel patterns.� The ultimate outcome will be an action plan that helps SFSFMTA move forward with improvements over the next five to seven years. �Russ reviewed a number of maps and findings that show a “snap shot” of how the network functions now based on data collected to date.� Maps will allow for a review of service during peak commute hours, in the evening and during the late night, or owl, service. Findings will be shared in a variety of ways, for example, on the project website, at public meetings and at future committee meetings.� �This data will help determine the health of the system and suggest where adjustments can be made to the route or to the scheduled running time.� SFSFMTA will be exploring ways to make this data accessible to the public and welcomes PAG member suggestions.��

 

PAG Member Comments

 

• Take advantage of the major capital improvements made to BART by improving the connections and coordination between MUNI and BART.
• Create a map showing the actual headways and service provided by Muni.
• Consider looking at how Muni headways and service compares to comparable transit systems, if any.
• Counting the number of boardings per route maybe misleading as we may be counting one rider that is transferring from one route to another.� As we know riders transfer, we may be overestimating ridership. We wouldn’t want to double count a single rider that is transferring from one route to another.
• Consider how we are able to create demand by making strategic investments that will improve service in areas currently underserved—this is the “low hanging fruit” theory. For example, if you connect the 14 Mission to the Daily City Bart Station, you give riders the opportunity to connect to the BART system more quickly than they can today.�
• Consider using Prop K money for this 14 Mission extension.
• SFSFMTA should work with BART as they embark on their own strategic planning process.
• Consider putting together a map together that illustrates vehicle capacity and dwell time—to capture how long it takes for riders to fight their way through a crowd to exit the car.

 

 

PUBLIC COMMENT

 

Bob Planthold testified to Julie Kirschbaum’s competency as TEP Program Manager.

 

Peg Stevenson highlighted the release of the City Survey which includes how City residents feel about Muni.� The report can be accessed on the web. [1]

Supervisor Bevan Dufty has called for a hearing on the City Survey in the next few weeks.

 

NEXT STEPS

 

The next PAG meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 16, 2007 from 9am-11:00am in room 278 of City Hall.�