Author Archives: David Hershenson

May Service Council meeting previews

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May Day, May 1, marks the first day of the next round of monthly Service Council meetings, with the San Fernando Valley Council once again starting things off. A wide range of topics will be covered at the various meetings. Please note that some of the presentations are tentative at the time of this posting.

For more information about each Service Council, click on the name of the Council listed after the jump to view their web page. All Service Council meetings include a report from Metro Service Council Director Jon Hillmer providing previous month’s statistics on ridership, performance and other measures of Metro service.

Meeting topics for Service Council meetings in May include:

San Fernando Valley (6:30 pm, Wednesday, 5/1) Presentation on Valley Village Run Across the Valley; report on the San Fernando Valley Council of Governments’ Transportation Priorities Motion by Directors Antonovich, Yaroslavsky and Najarian; update on the Orange Line.

Westside/Central (5 pm, Wednesday, 5/8) – Presentation on Exposition Corridor Transit Neighborhood Plan; update on Wilshire Bus Rapid Transit.

Gateway Cities (2 pm, Thursday, 5/9) – Update on the Artesia Station Construction (repaving) Project; report on Director DuBois Motion for Fare Restructuring.

South Bay (9:30 am, Friday, 5/10) – Update on the ExpressLanes Program (carried over from previous month); Update on Redondo Beach Green Line Station Refurbishment; Discussion on upcoming Customer Survey; Recap of the quarterly Service Council Meet and Confer meeting.

San Gabriel Valley (5 pm, Monday, 5/13) – Report on Metro’s Bus Rapid Transit and Street Design Improvement Study, discussion on potential Line 485 regional meeting date and location; report on Director DuBois Motion for Fare Restructuring.

For a detailed listing of all Council meeting dates, times and locations, click here.

As always, the public is encouraged to attend and share their comments with the Service Councils on improving bus service throughout LA County. If you would like to provide input to a Council but cannot attend a meeting, you can submit your comments in writing through the Service Council web page or send them to servicecouncils@metro.net. If your comments are for a specific Council, please make sure to indicate which one you are addressing in your e-mail.

Work on phase 5 of Blue Line’s Artesia Station Road repaving project begins this Friday

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Work on the Artesia Blue Line Station’s road repaving project enters phase 5 this Friday, April 19. The project is approximately 2/3 completed, and some of the upcoming phases of the project have been modified to help reduce impacts to customers.

The station has remained open to the public throughout the duration of construction. However, work has involved relocating the main crosswalk, using a different area to drop off customers, and temporarily moving bus stops as different portions of the roadway were repaved during the various phases of the project. The work now planned for the remaining phases of the construction project is described below, after the jump.

A task force for this project has been meeting regularly to manage the project. This task force is comprised of representatives from all of the bus operators utilizing the station, and various Metro department representatives, including service planning, safety, security, operations, facilities, marketing, community relations, division managers, and others.

Customers have been advised about impacts associated with each phase of the project through rider alerts on buses, signage at the station, and additional staffing to assist customers during the construction process.

Listed below are details about the remaining phases of the project.

Phase 5 – Work originally planned for phase 7 has been moved up to follow the completion of phase 4. This work will begin on Friday, April 19, and is anticipated to be completed by around April 30. The roadway will be repaved between the temporary crosswalk and the kiss and ride area, on the parking lot side of the roadway. All customers will be let off their buses just in front of the temporary crosswalk, and will board all buses in the rear bus stops (bays 1-4), (furthest away from the station entrance).

Phases 6 and 7 – Beginning on or around May 3, construction will take place in the area currently reserved for bus layover parking. The temporary crosswalk will be removed and the existing crosswalk will be reopened. The impact to customer’s boarding and discharge locations is being evaluated, and will be communicated to customers via rider alerts and signage prior to May 3. These are the final phases of the project, and should be completed around May 15.

Customers using the Artesia Station should be aware that there will be increased traffic congestion during this construction project that may result in traffic delays which may impact bus schedules. If customers are interested in seeking alternative stations to the Artesia Metro Blue Line Station, they might consider the following stations: 103rd St/Watts Towers (63 spaces), Willowbrook (335 spaces), Del Amo (357 spaces), Wardlow (115 spaces) or Willow (899 spaces).

Preview of April Metro Service Councils meetings

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The San Fernando Valley Service Council will once again lead off this month’s series of Service Council meetings on Wednesday, April 3, in Van Nuys. A wide range of topics will be covered at the various meetings. Please note that some of the presentations are tentative at the time of this posting.

For more information about each Service Council, click on the name of the Council listed after the jump to view their web page. All Service Council meetings include a report from Metro Service Council Director Jon Hillmer providing previous month’s statistics on ridership, performance and other measures of Metro service.

Meeting topics for Service Council meetings in April include:

San Fernando Valley (6:30 pm, Wednesday, 4/3) Report on Express Service for Van Nuys Blvd. Bus Lines 233 and 761 Corridor Study, Report on San Fernando Valley COG Transportation Priorities Motion (Antonovich/Yaraslovsky/Najarian), Update on Latching of Rail Station Gates, Update on Synchronization of Metro Bus, Metro Rail, and Metrolink Schedules. In addition, the Service Council Director will also provide information about elevator service, and the Council will commemorate their 10th Anniversary.

San Gabriel Valley (5 pm, Monday, 4/8) –  Update on the ExpressLanes Program, Update on Foothill Extension Station Name Recommendations (tentative), Update on Line 485 Service.   In addition, the Service Council Director will also provide a report  including a breakdown of complaints by line, and the Council will commemorate their 10th Anniversary.

Westside/Central (5 pm, Wednesday, 4/10) –  Report on the Westside/Central Corridor Study recommended options for Lines 2/302, 4, 704 & 16/316, Update on Latching of Rail Station Gates, and the Service Council Director’s Report.

Gateway Cities (2 pm, Thursday, 4/11) –  Presentation on Metro’s Veterans Hiring Initiative, Service Recommendations for Florence Avenue (Gateway Cities Corridor study lines), Service CouncilDirector’s report, including information on Wheelchair Passups by Line.

South Bay (9:30 am, Friday, 4/12) – Update on the ExpressLanes Program (tentative), presentation on Metro’s Disparity Study Final Report (tentative), Discussion on South Bay Corridor Workshop recommendations, Service Council Director’s Report, including information on Metro’s Policies and Procedures regarding strollers, shopping cart, and mobility devices.

For a detailed listing of all Council meeting dates, times and locations, click here. As always, the public is encouraged to attend and share their comments with the Service Councils on improving bus service throughout LA County. If you would like to provide input to a Council but cannot attend a meeting, you can submit your comments in writing through the Service Council web page or send them to service councils@metro.net. If your comments are for a specific Council, please make sure to indicate which one you are addressing in your e-mail.

South Bay Service Council hosting special meeting Wednesday evening to discuss Metro bus lines 210 and 710

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The Metro South Bay Council will host a special evening meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, February 27, at 6 pm to receive public input on Metro Lines 210 and 710 serving Crenshaw Blvd.

All of the Metro Service Councils have selected specific lines in their regions to develop ideas on how to improve Metro Bus on these corridors. The South Bay Service Council is asking the public to attend and share their suggestions about improving service on Lines 210 and 710 at tomorrow’s special meeting.

The meeting will be held at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, First Floor Community Room (between Sears and the LAPD Substation, by Stocker Street entrance), 3560 Martin Luther Kings Jr Blvd, in the City of Los Angeles. If you are not able to attend the meeting, but would like to submit recommendations about either or both of these routes to the Service Council, please send your comments to servicecouncils@metro.net.

For more information about this corridor study, and all of the corridor studies being conducted by Metro Service Councils, click here to read a previous posting on the subject.

Special February 12th Gateway Cities Service Council meeting and corridor workshop

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The Metro Gateway Cities Service Council will hold a special evening meeting this Tuesday, February 12, starting at 5 pm. The meeting will feature a corridor workshop focusing on bus service along Florence Avenue on Metro Lines 111 and 311, which run between LAX City Bus Center and Norwalk Station. The public is encouraged to attend to share their suggestions about improving service on those lines. The meeting and workshop will be held at Salt Lake Park Community Center, located at 3401 East Florence Avenue in Huntington Park,

Jon Hillmer, Director of Metro’s Regional Service Councils, is hopeful that the public will attend and participate in this workshop. “We are specifically looking for public comment and ideas about improving bus service on these corridors for transit users in the Gateway Cities area and neighboring Southeast Los Angeles County communities,” said Hillmer.

The Council will hold their monthly meeting starting at 5 pm, and receive a report on how customer complaints are received at the Division level, plus the monthly Director’s report on various service performance categories. Immediately following the meeting, the Council will begin the corridor workshop to receive input from the public on Lines 111 and 311. Members of the public who are not able to attend the workshop may submit comments in writing by e-mailing to servicecouncils@metro.net.

For more information about the corridor studies Service Council are conducting this year, click here to read a previous posting on the subject.

January Service Council meetings

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A new year brings a new slate of topics to be discussed at January Service Council meetings. All of the January meetings will be held at the regularly scheduled times, days, and locations. For a listing of all Council meeting dates, times and locations, click here. As always, the public is encouraged to attend and share their comments with the Service Councils on improving bus service throughout LA County.

For more information about each service council, click on the name of the service council listed below. All Council meetings include a report from Metro Service Council Director Jon Hillmer providing monthly and year to date (Fiscal Year 2013) statistics on ridership, performance and other measures of Metro service. Meeting topics for January Service Councils meetings include:

San Fernando Valley (6:30 pm, Wednesday, 1/2) – CSUN Transportation Team Presentation on San Fernando Valley Transit Needs, Presentation and Demonstration on the G-Tel System, Update on the Sepulveda Pass Corridor Systems Planning Study.

Westside/Central (5 pm, Wednesday, 1/9) – Presentation on FTA Civil Rights Guidance, Update on Metro’s Transit Court,  Presentation on the Proposed Renaming of Civic Center and Wilshire/Western Stations, Summary of the Westside/Central Corridor Workshop that focused on Santa Monica Lines 4 and 704, and 3rd Street Line 16. Note that this month, the Westside/Central Council returns to the La Cienega Tennis Center, their regular meeting location.

Gateway Cities (2 pm, Thursday, 1/10) – Update on Metro’s Transit Court,  Presentation on Division Handling of Complaints, Update on Florence Avenue Lines 111 and 311 Corridor Study Workshop, Update on the Artesia Blue Line Station projects.

South Bay (9:30 am, Friday, 1/11) – Presentation on the Division 5 100 Year Anniversary Celebration, Update on the Crenshaw Blvd. Lines 210 and 710 Corridor Study.

San Gabriel Valley (5 pm, Monday, 1/14) –. Update on the Metro ExpressLanes Project, Update on the El Monte Station and Silver Line / Silver Streak Fare Agreement. Note that the San Gabriel Valley Service Council recently relocated back to their original meeting location adjacent to the El Monte Station.

All service councils welcome and appreciate public participation at their meetings. If you would like to comment at any of the meetings, please fill out a speaker card when you arrive, noting the specific item you are there to address.  General comments on issues that aren’t on the agenda are taken as a part of the “public comment” section of the agenda.  If you would like to provide input to a Council but cannot attend a meeting, you can submit your comments in writing through the Service Council web page or send them to servicecouncils@metro.net. If your comments are for a specific council, please make sure to indicate which one you are addressing.

Preview of November Service Council meetings

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A wide range of topics will be discussed at the November Metro Service Council meetings this month, which are detailed below. For a complete listing of dates, times and locations for all five Service Council meetings, click here. For more information about each service council, click on the name of the service council listed below.

All of the meetings include a report from Metro Service Council Director Jon Hillmer detailing monthly statistics on ridership, performance and other measures of Metro service. We will be posting more information about these performance statistics on the Metro Service Council web pages soon, and will also post the Director’s Performance Report on a monthly basis.

Due to scheduling conflicts, the South Bay Service Council will meet one week later than normal, on Friday, November 16th this month only.  Due to the Veteran’s Day Holiday, the San Gabriel Valley Service Council will not meet this month.

Meeting topics for the Service Council’s November meetings include:

San Fernando Valley (6:30 pm, Wednesday, 11/7) –Discussion of proposed renaming of Universal City Station to Universal City/Studio City Station, Update on the Van Nuys Corridor, Consideration of Ochoa/Richards Motion Regarding No-Smoking Ordinances at Bus Stops, Update on Van Nuys Blvd. Bus Lines 233 and 761 (San Fernando Valley’s Corridor Study lines)

Gateway Cities (2 pm, Thursday, 11/8) – Reports carried over from last month’s agenda include a presentation on TAP Program Integration and a follow-up on Priority Inventory of Bus Station Park & Ride Lot Cleanliness, Update on Metro’s Transit Court, Discussion on Florence Ave. Lines 211 and 311 (Gateway Cities’ Corridor Study lines)

Westside/Central (5 pm, Wednesday, 11/14) – Update Report on USC/Expo Line Game Day Service and Crowd Control, Report on Westside Subway Extension Community Meeting, Discussion on Santa Monica Blvd. Bus Lines 4 and 704 (Westside/Central’s Corridor Study lines)

South Bay (9:30 am, Friday, 11/16 – Note change in meeting date for this month only) Report on Handling of Customer Complaints Process, Report on Torrance Transit Fall Service Changes and Update on the Regional Transit Center, Report Regarding Renaming of Rosa Parks Station to Willowbrook, Presentation on the ExpressLanes Project, Report on August 30th Service Council Meet and Confer Meeting, Review Crenshaw Blvd. Lines 210 and 710 (South Bay’s Corridor Study lines) and 210 Performance Issues.

San Gabriel Valley – Cancelled due to Veteran’s Day Holiday. The next San Gabriel Valley Service Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 10 at 5 pm. We anticipate that we will return to our meeting location next to El Monte Station now that it has reopened. Details will be provided in next month’s article on Service Council meetings.

All service councils welcome and encourage public participation. If you would like to comment at any of the meetings, please fill out a speaker card when you arrive, noting the specific item you are there to address. General comments on issues that aren’t on the agenda are taken as a part of the “public comment” section of the agenda.

If you would like to provide input to a Council but cannot attend a meeting, you can submit your comments in writing through the Service Council web page or send them to servicecouncils@metro.net. If your comments are for a specific council, please make sure to indicate which one you are addressing.

 

Service councils conducting in-depth corridor studies

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For the first time, each of Metro's five regional Service Councils is conducting a “Corridor Study” to evaluate within a heavily used transit corridor in their area. Each of the corridors being studied include multiple routes, which could consist of local service, limited service and/or rapid service. The routes selected for each council are listed below.

Overviews of each of the chosen corridors were presented at the July Service Council meetings and the studies will continue through July 2013. Council member regularly ride buses operating in their region. They have been asked to increase their trips on the lines being studied in their region. In addition to observing the line in operation, they have also been asked to speak with customers and bus operators on the lines. Council members will also be invited to participate in scheduled line rides for the routes in their areas accompanied by Jon Hillmer, Director of the Regional Service Councils.

Throughout the year, councils will share their observations and discuss ideas to improve service in their corridors every other month. Discussion will include:

Evaluation of the days and hours of service.

Frequency of service (peak and off peak hours).

Passenger loads.

Possible route modifications.

Possible schedule changes to improve connections to other bus lines and rail services.

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September Metro Service Council meetings

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Agendas have been set for September’s five Service Council meetings, though changes may be made prior to the meeting dates. For a listing of the dates, times and locations of all five Service Council meetings, click here. For more information about each service council, click on the name of the service council listed below.

All September Council meetings include a report from Metro Service Council Director Jon Hillmer providing monthly and year to date statistics on ridership, performance and other measures of Metro service. In addition, a recent motion introduced by Director Antonovich for Regional Airport – Rail Connectivity Plan will be discussed, with Chris Haskell, a Metro Transportation Planning Manager, providing a brief report on the motion at all council meetings.

We wrote last month about corridor studies being conducted throughout the year by each Service Council. Councils will be discussing the corridor study in their area at their October meetings. We will feature an article on the various corridor studies each Council is involved with sometime in September.

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August Service Council preview

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We published a post last week explaining Metro’s service councils and their role in the agency’s bus service.

This is the first of what will be a monthly article highlighting the presentations scheduled for upcoming meetings. For a listing of the dates, times and locations of all five service council meetings, click here. For more information about each service council, click on the name of the service council listed below.

All council meetings include a report from Metro Service Council Director Jon Hillmer providing monthly statistics on ridership, performance and other measures of Metro service.

Coming up in August, all Councils will receive an update on Expo Line preparations for the upcoming USC football season. Over the next year or so, each Council will be working with staff on “corridor studies” that will delve into the details of a specific bus corridor within their area. Most months, staff will be bringing information about that corridor to the Council. The specific corridors for each Council are shown below along with other agenda items scheduled for August:

San Fernando Valley (8/1) - Universal Station Pedestrian Bridge, Upcoming I-405 Closure (Carmageddon II), Van Nuys Blvd. Bus Lines 233 and 761 Corridor Study

More info is after the jump!

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