HomeMy Public PortalAbout02 February 07, 2003 SR-91 AdvisorySTATE ROUTE 91 ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Date:
Time:
Friday, February 7, 2003
9:00 A.M.
Where: Orange County Transportation Authority
Administrative Offices
600 South Main Street, First Floor - Room 154
Orange, California 92863-1584
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Bob Buster
Committee Member
Bill Campbell
Committee Member
Tim Keenan
Committee Member
Jeff Miller
Committee Member
Shirley McCracken
Committee Member
Miguel A. Pulido
Committee Member
Ron Roberts
Committee Member
Robert Schiffner
Committee Member
John Tavaglione
Committee Member
Michael Ward
Committee Member
Anne Mayer Cindy Quon
Caltrans Caltrans
Gwenn Norton -Perry
SANBAG
For further information, please call Olga Gonzalez, OCTA Clerk of the Board, (714) 560-5666.
Printed on recycled paper
AGENDA
State Route 91 Advisory Committee Meeting
Orange County Transportation Authority Administrative Offices
600 South Main Street, First Floor - Room 154
Orange, California 92863-1584
February 7, 2003 at 9:00 a.m.
Any person with a disability who requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in
this meeting should contact the OCTA Clerk of the Board, telephone (714) 560-5630, no less than
two (2) business days prior to this meeting to enable OCTA to make reasonable arrangements to
assure accessibility to this meeting.
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Agenda Descriptions
The Agenda descriptions are intended to give notice to members of the public of a general
summary of items of business to be transacted or discussed. The posting of the
recommended actions does not indicate what action will be taken. The Board of Directors
may take any action which it deems to be appropriate on the Agenda item and is not
limited in any way by the notice of the recommended action.
Public Comments on Agenda Items
Members of the public wishing to address the Board of Directors regarding any item
appearing on the Agenda may do so by completing a Speaker Card and submitting it to
the Clerk of the Board. Speakers will be recognized by the Chairman at the time the
Agenda item is to be considered. A speaker's comments shall be limited to three (3)
minutes.
Call to Order
1. Welcome and Introductions
Introductory remarks will be made by Orange County Transportation Authority
Chairman Tim Keenan, Riverside County Transportation Commission Chairman
Ron Roberts and State Assembly Members Lou Correa and Todd Spitzer.
Consent Calendar
There are no Consent Calendar Items.
AGENDA
Regular Calendar
2. Election of Officers
Kennard R. Smart, OCTA General Counsel
The Committee will select a Chairman and Vice Chairman.
3. State Route 91 Advisory Committee Operating Policy and Procedures
Kennard R. Smart, OCTA General Counsel
Overview
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Consideration of State Route 91 Advisory Committee Operating Policy and
Procedures.
Recommendation
Approve the State Route 91 Advisory Committee Operating Policy and Procedures.
4. Status Report on 91 Express Lanes
Arthur T. Leahy, OCTA Chief Executive Officer
Orange County Transportation Authority Chief Executive Officer Arthur T. Leahy will
provide an overview of the Authority's first month of operation of the 91 Express
Lanes.
5. State Route 91 Express Lanes Traffic and Revenue Study Update
James S. Kenan, OCTA Director of Finance and Administration
Vollmer Associates has been retained by the Orange County Transportation
Authority to analyze traffic volumes and speeds on the State Route 91 and to
provide a traffic and revenue study for the 91 Express Lanes. Vollmer
Associates will be presenting their initial findings of their analysis.
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AGENDA
6. Consideration of Proposal to Eliminate Tolls on the 91 Express Lanes for
Vehicles with Three or More Occupants
Ellen Burton, General Manager, 91 Express Lanes
Overview
On January 27, 2003, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Board
of Directors directed staff place a toll policy item on the State Route 91 Advisory
Committee's February 7, 2003 agenda. The Board is requesting the committee
advise them on the concept of eliminating 91 Express Lane tolls for vehicles with
three or more occupants.
Recommendation
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Recommend the OCTA Board of Directors eliminate 91 Express Lane tolls for
vehicles with three or more occupants.
7. State Route 91 Corridor Short -Term Plans
Kurt Brotcke, OCTA Section Manager, Strategic Planning
The Orange County Transportation Authority will provide a brief overview of
short-term plans for the State Route 91 corridor.
Other Matters
8. Legislative Update
Richard Bacigalupo, OCTA Assistant Chief Executive Officer
The Orange County Transportation Authority will provide an update on proposed
clean-up legislation for Assembly Bill 1010.
9. Executive Officer Reports
10. Committee Members Reports
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AGENDA
11. Public Comments
At this time, members of the public may address the Board of Directors regarding
any items within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Board of Directors, but no
action may be taken on off -Agenda items unless authorized by law. Comments
shall be limited to three (3) minutes per speaker, unless different time limits are
set by the Chairman subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.
12. Adjournment
The next meeting of the State Route 91 Advisory Committee will be held at
9:00 a.m. on March 7, 2003, at Orange County Transportation Authority
Administrative Offices at 600 South Main Street, First Floor - Room 154 Orange,
California 92863-1584.
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Item 2.
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STATE ROUTE 91 ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
Assembly 1010, the enabling legislation for the Orange County Transportation
Authority's purchase the State Route 91 toll road, calls for the creation of an Advisory
Committee composed of 10 voting members and three non -voting members.
The voting members of the Advisory Committee consist of five members from Orange
County Transportation Authority Board of Directors and five members from the
Riverside County Transportation Commission. The non -voting members are
composed of the district directors of Districts 8 and 12 of the Department of
Transportation and a member of the San Bernardino Associated Governments.
The membership of the State Route 91 Advisory Committee is as follows:
Orange County Transportation Authority
Tim Keenan
Shirley McCracken
Miguel A. Pulido
Michael Ward
Bill Campbell
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Riverside County Transportation Commission
Ron Roberts
Bob Buster
Jeff Miller
Robert Schiffner
John Tavaglione
Ameal Moore, Alternate. Current legislation does not provide for the appointment of Alternates.
California Department of Transportation
Cindy Quon, Director District 12
Anne Mayer, Director District 8
San Bernardino Associated Governments
Gwenn Norton -Perry
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Item 3.
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THE STATE ROUTE 91 ADVISORY COMMITTEE
OPERATING POLICY AND PROCEDURES REPORT
WILL BE DISTRIBUTED UNDER SEPARATE COVER.
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Item 6.
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OCTA
February 7, 2003
To: Members of the State Route 91 Advisory Committee From: Ellen S. Burton, General Manager, 91 Express Lanes 4))
Subject:. Consideration of Proposal to Eliminate Tolls on the 91 Express
Lanes for Vehicles with Three or More Occupants
Overview
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On January 27, 2003, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Board
of Directors directed staff place a toll policy item on the State Route 91 Advisory
Committee's February 7, 2003 agenda. The Board is requesting the committee
advise them on the concept of eliminating 91 Express Lane tolls for vehicles with
three or more occupants.
Recommendation
Recommend the OCTA Board of Directors eliminate 91 Express Lane tolls for
vehicles with three or more occupants.
Background
After substantial review and analysis, on November 25, 2002, the Orange County
Transportation Authority (OCTA) Board of Directors authorized the acquisition of
the 91 Express Lanes. Final negotiations and legal issues were settled during
the month of December 2002 and the closing of the transaction occurred on
January 3, 2003.
Over the past year, OCTA assembled a team of experts in various fields to
analyze and review the operations of the 91 Express Lanes. One firm was
Vollmer Associates (Vollmer) which was retained by OCTA to analyze traffic
volumes and speeds on the State Route (SR) -91 general-purpose lanes and
the 91 Express (toll) Lanes.
On January 10, 2003, OCTA Board of Directors Chairman Tim Keenan
directed staff to evaluate the impacts of the removal of tolls for High
Occupancy Vehicles with three or more people (HOV-3+) using the 91 Express
Lanes. HOV-3+ vehicles currently receive a 50 percent discount on the toll
Orange County Transportation Authority
550 South Main Street / P.O. Box 14184 / Orange / California 92863-1584 / (714) 560-OCTA (6282)
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Consideration of Proposal to Eliminate Tolls on the 91 Express Lanes for
Vehicles with Three or More Occupants
rate. Elimination of the toll for any HOV-3+ vehicle using the 91 Express Lanes
is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act,
Public Resources Code subdivisions 21080(b)(10) and (11).
On January 27, 2003, the OCTA Board of Directors reviewed the information
provided on the impacts of eliminating the tolls for HOV-3+ vehicles. The
Board requested an item be agendized at the first SR -91 Advisory Committee
meeting to receive feedback on the proposed policy.
SR -91 Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee) membership is comprised of
representatives from the OCTA Board of Directors and the Riverside County
Transportation Commission with nonvoting representatives from the San
Bernardino Associated Governments and the State of California Department of
Transportation. Advisory Committee responsibilities include: reviewing issues
and making recommendations to OCTA regarding tolls, operations,
maintenance, use of toll revenues, and improvements along the SR -91 corridor
between Interstate (1)-15 and SR -55, including the identification and alignment
of alternative highways.
Discussion
Prior to January 1, 1998, HOV-3+ vehicles traveled free on the 91 Express
Lanes and comprised approximately 20 percent of the daily toll lane traffic
volume. When fees were charged in January 1998, the overall market share of
these vehicles dropped to between 10 and 15 percent of the total volume. In
calendar year 2002, the average daily volume of HOV-3+ vehicles was
approximately 2,650 (or about 11.7 percent of the total volume). This
translated into approximately $1.26 million in toll revenue over a twelve-month
period.
With the removal of HOV-3+ vehicle tolls, it is anticipated that additional
vehicles will use the 91 Express Lanes. Vollmer has projected that, during peak
periods, approximately 75 to 100 additional vehicles per peak hour will utilize
the 91 Express Lanes. As a result of these additional vehicles, speeds will
likely slow potentially causing unstable traffic flow conditions. As a result, it will
be imperative to continually monitor express lane capacity utilization.
Vollmer has indicated that maximum efficiency of the 91 Express Lanes occurs
at 80 to 85 percent of the capacity. This efficiency occurs between 1,650 and
1,750 vehicles per lane per hour. This is the optimum throughput. Under
these conditions, vehicles in the 91 Express Lanes travel at approximately 55
miles per hour or more.
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Consideration of Proposal to Eliminate Tolls on the 91 Express Lanes for
Vehicles with Three or More Occupants
During certain peak period hours, the current number of vehicles per lane per
hour consistently reaches the 1,750 level. Vollmer has advised that the
eastbound 91 Express Lanes may not be able to absorb an anticipated
increase in HOV-3+ traffic during peak period hours without having a negative
impact on traffic flow. If the elimination of tolls on HOV-3+ vehicles is
recommended by the Advisory Committee and subsequently approved by the
OCTA Board of Directors, staff will monitor the traffic flow conditions and report
to the Board and the Advisory Committee the impact of this change in toll
policy. Should congestion levels increase, staff will provide the OCTA Board of
Directors and the Advisory Committee with suggested remedies.
In the coming months, Vollmer will assist the Authority in monitoring conditions
as well as assisting in the creation of recommendations for future toll policies.
Vollmer is scheduled to present the findings of their analysis to the Advisory
Committee on a periodic basis beginning with the first meeting in February.
Next Steps
SR -91 Advisory Committee recommendations on HOV-3+ toll policy will be
provided to the OCTA Board of Directors for action on February 10, 2003. If
approved by the Authority's Board, the elimination of tolls on HOV-3+ vehicles
could become effective in March 2003.
Summary
As the owner of the 91 Express Lanes, OCTA is analyzing the current toll
structure of the Facility and proposing the elimination of a toll for any vehicle
with three or more occupants. The OCTA Board is forwarding this proposal to
the SR -91 Advisory Committee for a recommendation.
Attachments
None
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SR -91 Advisory Committee Meeting Dates
Calendar Year 2003
February 7, 2003 at 9:00 a.m.
March 7, 2003 at 9:00 a.m.
April 4, 2003 at 9:00 a.m.
June 6, 2003 at 9:00 a.m.
August 1, 2003 at 9:00 a.m.
October 3, 2003 at 9:00 a.m.
December 5, 2003 at 9:00 a.m.
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