Metro Bike/Bus Interface Study

Metro Bike/Bus Interface Study

Agenda 1. Background & Process 2. Corridors & Metrics 3. General Findings 4. Training Recommendations 5. Design Guidelines 6. Questions

L.A. County Bus Service LA Metro 1,433 sq miles of service area 170 bus routes 2,248 buses in fleet 15,967 bus stops 22 Additional Municipal Operators

Bicycling is On The Rise 5% of patrons access Metro bus by bike 80% of LA residents live with 3 miles of high frequency bus or rail Between 2006 2014, bike commuting increased 81%

Bike Infrastructure is On the Rise

Bike/Bus Interactions

Existing Design Guidance

Study Steps Best Practices & Literature Review Before/After Analysis Training Guidance for Operators & People on Bicycles Bike/Bus Roadway Design Guidebook

Working Group Metro Bike Program & Systemwide Planning Long Beach Los Angeles/LADOT Pasadena Santa Monica West Hollywood Planning Staff Engineering Staff Caltrans Culver City LA County DPW LADOT Long Beach Metro Operations & Service Planning Big Blue Bus Culver City Bus Foothill Transit GTrans LADOT Long Beach Transit Pasadena Transit Transit Operators Bicycle Education & Outreach Bike SGV LACBC MCM Santa Monica Spoke

Peer Review SEPTA (Philadelphia) King County Metro / Seattle DOT San Francisco MTA

Outreach Municipal Staff Interviews Operator & Bicyclist Focus Groups Bicyclist Survey

Study Corridors Infrastructure Type Corridors Location InstallationDate Standard bike lanes 7th St Downtown Los Angeles 8/29/2011 Main St Santa Monica / Venice (Los Angeles) 1/28/2012 Pacific Av San Pedro (Los Angeles) 10/1/2015 San Pedro St South Los Angeles 6/8/2013 Van Nuys Blvd Arleta (Los Angeles) 4/6/2013 Buffered bike lanes Alamitos Ave Long Beach 4/16/2016 Colorado Blvd Eagle Rock (LA) 10/3/2013 Venice Blvd Central Los Angeles 2/28/2015 Separated bikeways Broadway Long Beach 4/23/2011 Los Angeles St Downtown Los Angeles 6/1/2016 Shared Bus/Bike Lanes (Bus Only Lanes) Reseda Blvd Reseda (Los Angeles) 4/2/2015 Rosemead Blvd Temple City 5/10/2014 Figueroa St Downtown Los Angeles 7/7/2016 Sunset Blvd Silver Lake (Los Angeles) Late Summer 2013 Wilshire Blvd Koreatown (Los Angeles) 6/1/2013

Study Metrics 1. Corridor volumes (ADT, bus frequency, bikes) 2. Ridership 3. Behavior Daily bus on/off Vehicle speeding Bicyclists riding the wrong way / sidewalk 4. Bus operations Change in bus speed Change in reliability 5. Bicycle Traffic Stress 6. Collisions by mode

General Findings 1. Bicycling increased on all study corridors 2. Addition of bike facilities improved safety and standardized riding behavior 3. No apparent correlation between bus frequency and bicycling activity 4. Bus performance largely unchanged on study corridors 5. All users prefer green skip-stripe markings 6. Buses and bicycles can share streets safely

Key Takeaways for Bus Operator Training 1. Critical elements for initial and ongoing training: Minimum passing distances Knowing the door zone Unpredictable riding behaviors 2. Understanding the bicycling perspective On-bicycle experience Bicycle safety training 3. Sharing information about new street conditions

Key Takeaways for Bicycle Safety Training 1. Critical elements for bicycle safety training: How to assess safe opportunity to pass a bus Ride consistently in view of a side mirror How riding behavior is perceived by others 2. Provide opportunities for training Informal educational opportunities Public awareness campaign Seek out riders with greatest need

Design Guidelines Eight recommendations Responsive to gaps in existing guidelines Data-centric Supported by outreach and stakeholder engagement

Bus Stop Zones: Provide Space for Bus to Clear Bikeway Provide enough space for bus to pull completely flush with curb Buses angled into stop may lead to people riding bikes into adjacent lane Improved visibility for bus operator re-entering traffic

Bus Stop Zones: Construct Bus Boarding Islands at Busy Stops Where bus, bicycle or both volumes are high Most effective for bike-bus safety at stops Successful in peer-review cities

Bus Stop Zones: Stripe Conflict Area at Stops Highlight where buses cross over path of bicycle riders to reach stop Guide people where to ride Apply consistently between jurisdictions

Intersections: Identify and Reduce Conflicts Promote separation for people on bicycles Use clear visual guidance for all users Guide riders both through and turning at intersections

Intersections: Identify and Reduce Conflicts

Intersections: Identify and Reduce Conflicts

Intersections: Provide Clear Sight Lines on Separated Bikeways Bus operators need to see people approaching conflict point Parking-separated or heavily-landscaped bikeways could obscure people riding bicycles Measure setback for visibility from initial conflict point

Intersections: Guide Riders Through Intersections All road users should know where to expect people on bicycles through an intersection

Corridors: Clearly Sign and Stripe Shared Bus-Bike Lanes Sharing bus lanes is more comfortable and safer for people on bicycles Identify clearly what users are permitted in the lane and when

Corridors: Use Left-Sided Bikeways on One-Way Streets Left-sided bikeways reduce conflicts with buses Attention to transition design is crucial Signalization and phase-separation for turns

Implementation Process Recommendations Recipe for Success 1. Collaborative process 2. Early engagement 3. Follow-up before after

Thank You Lia Yim, LA Metro yimb@metro.net Jeremiah LaRose, Fehr & Peers Mike Samuelson, Fehr & Peers J.Larose@fehrandpeers.com M.Samuelson@fehrandpeers.com

Sample Corridor: Reseda Boulevard