Friday tips: Demand the State of California for a business-friendly tax code

As the Riverside Transit Agency finalizes an updated Short Range Transit Plan, the county itself could be experiencing unprecedented present-day transportation circumstances. Citizens have long been willing to tax themselves for better transportation infrastructure and improved transit service; we're beginning to see some fruits of it. However, despite the fact that we are paying some of the highest taxes around, improvement projects still appear to be moving along at a snail's pace.

To be fair, we have seen some robust progress over the last decade. RTA bus patrons who have long demanded for late night bus service and better inter-regional connections will finally see these requests put into action within the next few years. LA's Metro Rail and Metro Rapid network has blossomed. Downtown San Bernardino will soon have a north/south BRT line. Down south, the once car-centric I-15 freeway through San Diego County is now a multi-modal corridor with HOT lanes that support free non-transponder carpooling, numerous HOV park & ride facilities, improved traffic flow, and a soon-to-be all-day express BRT line between Escondido and Downtown San Diego. However, with the amount of taxes we're paying, we really should have this type of first-rate infrastructure already in operations in the Inland Empire and throughout the state.

The 91 Freeway corridor between the Inland Empire and Orange County has long been the miserable car-oriented Corona Crawl. Traffic is jammed during peak hours and weekends. HOV demands are high; transit services remain rush-hour oriented. Non-FasTrak 3+ HOV's including private buses and motorcycles cannot use the high occupancy express lanes. The county is going into nearly a half billion dollars in debt to address this because not enough money is coming from the state. Even though the 91 corridor will see transit and highway improvements down the road, RCTC must wait out on fixing another serious traffic bottleneck along the I-15 through El Cerrito and Dos Lagos. Expect the Corona Crawl to merely shift to the east for now.

Getting many of The Transit Coalition's campaigns and future visions from concept to reality in a timely manner are beyond the power of local transportation agencies. The state certainly has some work to do. Here are some facts:

• Californians are paying some of the highest taxes in the nation.
• Motorists pay the most state taxes at the gas pump, scheduled to go up again this July, 2013.
• Even with these high taxes, much of our transportation infrastructure remains substandard and many corridors car oriented.
• The high cost of doing business in California has encouraged businesses to move out of the state which seriously negates the private job market and local tax revenue which would normally pay for transportation.

Marketplace job creation is a key to a healthy economy and a funded robust transportation network. The state must get the private sector back to growing the economy of the state and ensure our tax money is making it to our transportation infrastructure.

Here is today's tip:

• Demand the state to support laws that create private sector jobs and marketplace investments. Any proposals that drive out businesses elsewhere needs to be questioned and/or opposed.
• Continue to hold the state accountable for its spending actions. Demand that a fair portion of the state money makes it to the rails and highways as it should.

RTA's 2014-2016 SRTP: Closing regional transit gaps

RTA's Short Range Transit Plan has a glimmer of good news for The Transit Coalition which is buried in the last sentence of the last paragraph of section 3.2 of the SRTP. Over the course of the next few years, RTA plans to expand "weekend service on routes that will complete the backbone of the network to close gaps between sub-areas."

The Transit Coalition's Close the off-peak Bus Gap campaign aims to close transit gaps between pairs of regions so that public bus travel can be a reliable option to get between these regions during midday and weekends when peak-only CommuterLink service is not available. Because RTA is currently building an updated Comprehensive Operational Analysis study, the agency did not specify how such gaps would be closed, but based on previous COA findings in 2007, here some possible route proposals for FY15 and FY16:

• Increase the service span on Route 216 (Riverside to Orange express) to all day with hourly off-peak headways and possible 30 minute headways during peak hours.
• Add a new regional connector route between Lake Elsinore and Corona with all day hourly headways.
• Restore the Corona-Norco-Downtown Riverside connection.
• Streamline route connections between Corona, Eastvale and Ontario into a hub-and-spoke model.
• Streamline the bus routes in Temecula and Murrieta into a hub-and-spoke model with a direct link to Lake Elsinore via Jefferson Avenue and Mission Trail.
• Increase the span on Route 79 (Hemet to Temecula) to include weekend trips and streamline the route through French Valley.
• Extend Route 7 (Lake Elsinore local route) east along Clinton Keith Road to French Valley and the Southwest Justice Center area upon completion of the road.
• Restructure Route 35 into a hybrid regional connector/express route between the Pass area and Downtown Riverside and increase span to include weekends. Operate hourly.
• Work with Omnitrans for an extension of Omnitrans Route 9 into the Pass area funded by Pass area cities and Riverside County, linking this region to Redlands, Loma Linda, and San Bernardino. Passengers would pay the local Omnitrans fare and may board and alight at any stop. Operate hourly.

RTA's 2014-2016 SRTP: Holiday service may return in July

According to its 2014-2016 Short Range Transit Plan, the Riverside Transit Agency has proposed reinstating bus service on three major federal holidays: Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day starting on July, 2013. Service on these holidays, which was originally cut back in 2010 as a cost savings measure, will operate under the Sunday bus schedule.

Employees in the tourism and retail sectors and other patrons who rely on RTA bus service on these holidays will find this proposal welcoming. Dense activity centers like hospitals, casinos, full service hotels, and major retailers don't close on these days; their employees should have the bus as a travel option.

RTA's 2014-2016 SRTP: Evening and Late night bus service

According to RTA and numerous Transit Coalition field studies, "demand for later service has been on the rise." RTA has proposed later evening and potential late night bus service service on major regional and local routes over the course of the next three years.

RTA has planned to begin implementing later evening and possible late night service with routes that serve major destinations such as large employment centers and colleges and universities. In FY2013-14, RTA has proposed to expand the service span of Routes 1, 15, 16, 18, 20, 31, and 32 into the later hours of the night.

Currently, service span for many of RTA's bus routes ends shortly after the evening peak hour. This prevents several retail and entertainment sector employees who work into the late night hours from using the bus system to return home. Lack of public funding has long been a major hurdle and RTA has worked hard to allocate such money to extend the span of service for these routes.

Public-Private and Inter-agency Partnerships for expanded service span

Several transit agencies including RTA have entered into public-private and inter-agency partnerships in the past to quickly fund expanded service. Here are few within the Inland Empire:

• Metrolink Rail 2 Rail® is a cooperative ticket and service program provided by Metrolink, Amtrak and Caltrans. The Rail 2 Rail® program allows Metrolink monthly pass holders along the Orange and Ventura County corridors to travel on Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains within the station pairs of their pass at no additional charge, including late night and weekend trains. 
• Coaster Rail 2 Rail® COASTER monthly pass holders can purchase a Rail2Rail-UPGRADE by visiting the Amtrak ticket offi ce in Oceanside, Solana Beach or San Diego Santa Fe Depot to ride the extra Pacific Surfliner trains.
• RTA Route 55 - Temecula Trolley - A local home developer started a high school shuttle service in Temecula. The city currently maintains full funding of the RTA-operated route.
• NCTD 388/389 - Pala-Escondido - Through the Reservation Transportation Authority, a federal 5311(c) grant funds expanded service of a regional connector and casino hopper bus route in inland San Diego county. NCTD operates the line with a regular local fare policy. Last bus leaves the casinos during the 9PM hour.
• The Job Access and Reverse Commute federal program funds expanded trips along selected RTA CommuterLink routes. 

Here are some additional partnership concepts local officials may want to consider:

• Major entertainment destinations in Orange County: With partnerships with major sports centers, the Disneyland Resort, and beach destinations, additional express buses can be added for the SR-91 Corridor between Riverside and Orange County for both customers and employees from early morning until late night with potential owl service on Friday and Saturday nights.
• Pechanga Resort & Casino currently offers several bus trips for its Player's Club members from all around Southern California. Through a small agreement, pick-up and drop-off locations can be established at public transit centers or along the adjacent street and such connections can be included in the RTA schedules.
• Fantasy Springs, Morongo Casinos: Like Pechanga, these large casino resorts operate adjacent to the I-10 corridor between the Inland Empire and Coachella Valley. Such a partnership can help support the existing peak-only express service between the regions during off-peak hours for casino patrons and employees.
• Bus Wraps: Branded vehicle advertising from the entertainment sector would provide additional late night service revenue.
• Use of Smaller Buses for Late Night Runs: Based on ridership data from other transit agencies offering such service, use of smaller buses for lower-demand late night runs will help keep agency costs low for routes operating near RTA bus yards. For example, the former Bear Runner Shuttle used a 15-seat passenger bus while the daytime Highlander Hauler used a larger trolley bus.
• Transit Oriented Development with developer-funded capital investments at RTA station stops, transit centers, and high density bus lines.

Going over RTA's 2014-2016 Short Range Transit Plan

This week, the Transit Coalition will go over the Riverside Transit Agency's 2014-2016 Short Range Transit Plan and FY 2013-2014 budget and will report it here. TTC has published a copy of the proposed 200+ page 2014-2016 RTA SRTP/budget here.

Here are some of the proposed highlights:

Late night bus service on high-demand routes, reinstating service on major holidays, RTA's Travel Training impact on paratransit service, closing transit gaps between regions, and updates on RTA's comprehensive operational analysis study.

Stay tuned to this Blog this week for detailed commentary. Do you have an opinion for RTA's SRTP? Let RTA know during its public hearing period and post your views in the comments below.

Public Hearing Period:

RTA proposed to its Board to open a public hearing period during the agency's Board meeting on May 23 at 3 p.m. at the Riverside County Administration Center, Board of Supervisors Chambers, 4080 Lemon Street, First Floor, in Riverside. RTA will close the comment period at the June 27 RTA Board meeting. RTA will accept comments at the meetings, by phone at (951) 565-5002, emailed to comments@riversidetransit.com, or sent via standard mail to 1825 Third Street, Riverside, CA 92507. RTA has requested that the public address comments to the Director of Planning.

The SRTP will be one of three public hearing items. RTA will also gather public comments for proposed changes to its Dial-a-Ride no-show policy and the agency's Title VI Policies and Plans. Once again, stay tuned to this Blog for detailed commentary.