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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1991-10-22 - AGENDA REPORTS - LEASE AGMT FOOTHILLS TRANSIT (2)AGENDA REPORT City Manager Approval Item to be presented by: Dennis Luppens R45;3.-, NEW BUSINESS DATE: October 22, 1991 SUBJECT': LEASE AGREEMENT WITH THE FOOTHILL TRANSIT ZONE FOR TWO (2) NEW 35' TRANSIT BUSES DEPARTMENT: Public Works Ridership on Santa Clarita Transit has increased beyond expectations necessitating additional service. In order to implement this service, Council approved a five bus expansion to the existing bus fleet. The new equipment is anticipated to arrive by April 1992. Based on numerous conversations with residents of Canyon Country and Friendly Valley, staff has determined that the service expansion in these two areas should not wait until next April for implementation. Fortunately, both improvements can be accomplished with the addition of one route. The attached report explains the improvements in more detail, but can be summarized as follows: 1. Provides routing from Friendly Valley to the Canyon Country Shopping Center as requested by the senior citizen community. 2. Increases service to the Shadow Pines area of Canyon Country to 30 minutes from 60 minutes. 3. Operates on portions of Sierra Highway and San Fernando Road that currently do not have bus service. 4. Provides a direct connection between Canyon Country and Newhall 5. Increases service to Masters' College from half day to all day. Staff is requesting two buses. One bus would be utilized on the new service while the other would replace the smaller bus currently operating on Line 10 to Canyon Country. The bus currently on this line would be used a -Tere• APPROVED Agenda Item:121 `4 Lease Agreement/Foothill Transit October 22, 1991 Page 2 Staff has received tentative approval from the Foothill Transit Zone to lease two new 35 foot Gillig Phantoms for a six month period. These buses utilize the same headsigns and fareboxes as the City's current equipment and could be put into service almost immediately. The other option would be to lease 1967 GMC buses from Complete Coach Works in Riverside, California that do not have fareboxes. Fiscal Impact The two buses from Foothill Transit are expected to cost $3,000 per month per bus, or $36,000 for the term of the lease. Two buses from Complete Coach Works would be $545 per month per bus or $6,540 for the term of the lease. The 1967 buses would need to be painted and have fareboxes installed which would delay the project as much as 30-45 days. The cost of operations for either bus is estimated at $80,000. This can be funded from unbudgeted Proposition A Incentive revenue which total $146,908. The total six month cost of this new route -ranges between $86,540 to $116;000 depending on the bus selected. Direct staff to finalize lease agreement and authorize the Mayor to execute the final agreement between the City of Santa Clarita and the Foothill Transit Zone for the lease of two new 35 foot transit buses for a six month period pending City Attorney approval. 2. Appropriate $80,000 from Proposition A Incentive Revenue to Account Number 18-6800-227, Local Bus Operations. Appropriate $36,000 from Proposition A Incentive Revenue to Account Number 18-6800-223. Canyon Country Bus Service Report rd:BUSLEASE TRANSIT REPORT Date: October 22, 1991 SUBJECT: Transit Services in Canyon Country Issues and Recommendations DEPARTMENT: City Manager BACKGROUND r Ridership on Santa Clarita Transit has increased beyond expectations necessitating additional service. In order to implement this service, Council approved a five bus expansion to the -existing bus fleet. The new equipment is anticipated to arrive by April 1992. Based on numerous conversations with residents of Canyon Country and Friendly Valley, staff has determined that the service expansion in these two areas should not wait until next April for implementation. Fortunately, both improvements can be accomplished with the addition of one route. Staff has received tentative approval from the Foothill Transit Zone to lease two new 35 foot buses for a six month period. These buses utilize the same headsigns•and fareboxes as the City's current equipment and could be put'into service almost immediately. The other option would be to lease 1967 GMC buses from Complete Coach Works in Riverside, California that do not have fareboxes. SUMMARY OF OLD SYSTEM The old transit system which operated in the Santa Clarita Valley consisted of 6 buses on 7 bus lines all operating one hour headways. Except for the old transfer station located at Valencia Boulevard and Magic Mt. .Parkway, and nearby some schools, there were no formal stops. Buses were -to. be flagged down by riders. These routes served and buses served: COMMUNITY SERVED OLD ROUTES COMMUNITY SERVED NEW ROUTES Castaic 1 Castaic 1 Newhall 2 Newhall 2 Saugus 4 Saugus 2 Valencia 5 Valencia 2 Val Verde 1 Val Verde 2 Industrial Center 0 Industrial Center 1 COMSIS REPORT The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, which is the major funding source of public transportation provider in Los Angeles, County,, worked with the City and County Public Works Department to fund and conduct a study of the Valley transit system. The COMSIS Report's evaluation of the old Canyon Country route was that, "...it performed poorly because it operates independently, not in combination with a long trunk_ route such as the .old route one which connected to the transfer". WHERE WE ARE TODAY The COMSIS Report recommended the additional service routes to the communities and the City implemented as shown on the previous chart. le"MW The goals of the new system designed by COMSIS, the lead consulting firm which conducted the evaluation, found that local bus service to the valley would be enhanced if five objectives were met. 1. Create 1/2 hour headways along the major street within the City. 2. Extend and add., bus lines to where service had not existed before. 3. Purchase new buses. 4. Create a transfer station where all lines would meet . and reduce the number of transfers required to get from, for example, Canyon Country to C.O.C. 5. Change the rural "flag" system to a safer bus stop system. TRANSIT CENTER LOCATION The transfer or transit center is currently located in Valencia due to its proximity to many activity centers. Examples include. the River Oaks Shopping Center, the regional mall now in construction, and the Valley's largest employment. area, the Valencia Industrial. Center. Additionally, it is near the Valley's center as far as traffic patterns are concerned. CITIZEN CONCERNS Questions and concerns expressed by citizens since the implementation of the new transit system on July 25, 1991, are as follows: 1. The senior citizens of Friendly Valley, represented by Lyda Ragusa, requested the immediate re-establishment of a previous bus stop off of Whites Canyon Road. This point of service to the seniors was used to access several shopping areas while accommodating their physical limitations. 2. Chris Connely spoke on the behalf of Canyon Country High School and the surrounding areas. She requested that a direct bus line to Canyon Country High School be incorporated into the bus schedule. This would alleviate traffic congestion and service more High School students. Chris Connely also requested clarification 'of the COMSIS report, and how this study arrived at the bus service breakdown in the different City areas. She questioned why Canyon Country and .Saugus has two bus lines• each, while Valencia has four bus lines. In response to the question, it was explained to her. that Newhall and Valencia are two separate communities, each receiving two buses, the same level of service as before'. " 3. The Gate access concern by the Homeowner's Association ' with transit system is: . The red and blue routes were initially designed to compliment' each other and provide thirty minute service to the Calgrove Valley area of Newhall. In order to accomplish this service, both routes were required to operate through the gates owned and controlled by the -Hidden Valley Homeowner's Association. The Homeowner's Association has prohibited Santa Clarita Transit access through the gates. As a result, that area was effectively divided in half. Each side of the gate only receives hourly service because both routes are required to back -track. This has reduced service to Placerita Junior High and Hart High Schools as well as increasing the route to hour stops instead of 1/2 hour stops. SOLUTIONS TO CITIZEN CONCERNS The transit system can be .increased by one route whereby solving Friendly Valley concerns as well as those.of -Canyon Country. This route would involve the current Purple Line 50. In the present design, Line 50 operates from Soledad Canyon Road along Whites Canyon and serves Canyon High, School and the northern portion of Canyon Country with thirty minute service. The proposal is to have Line 50 continue west on Soledad Canyon Road to the Transit Center. The addition would be to implement a Line 55 that would still service the existing Line 50 but travel east on Soledad Canyon Road, south on Sierra. Highway and north on San Fernando Road to the Transit Center. In this new proposed configuration, a number of problems would be addressed: 1. The residents of Friendly Valley would be able to ride .to the front of Canyon Country Shopping Center and be picked up on Whites Canyon to the east of the Shopping Center where they have requested a stop. 2. It services the Sierra Highway Neighborhoods currently covered by Line 20. This would allow that bus to move over to Line 10 to give thirty minute service to the Shadow.Pines area. 3. Line 55 would provide service on portions of Sierra Highway and San Fernando Road that currently do not. have service. 4. 'It makes a direct connection between Canyon Country and Newhall. 5. It allows the southern portion of Line 45 that currently operates on a portion of San Fernando Road to be realigned to serve Masters College's day all day rather than from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. that is served now. WHEN WILL LINE 55 TAKE PLACE Implementation of Line 55 requires, the acquisition of additional equipment. New buses are being ordered but are not expected to arrive until April 1992 at the earliest. In the interim, buses could be leased which would allow implementation much sooner. Two sources of older equipment and one source for new buses have been identified that would allow the. route to be put, into. service within a matter of weeks. The older buses would cost approximately $6,600 for the six month period, while the new equipment would cost approximately $36,000. Operational costs for the Line 55 would be $80,000. Both the lease and the operating costs are covered by Proposition A Incentive Funds of $146,908'. These newly acquired funds are unallocated. That the transit system can be increased by one route' whereby solving Friendly Valley concerns as well as those of Canyon Country. This route would involve the current Purple Line 50. That the City Council 'appropriate the necessary funds to lease two transit buses.for a six month period. Lyda Ragusa Chris Connely Lawrence K. Strauss -William S. Hart High School District James R. Tanner-Placerita Jr. High William White -Canyon High School Robert Silverstein -Friendly Valley Homeowner Association