Transportation Operators Committee

Transcription

1 Transportation Operators Committee September 27, :00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. PSRC Conference Room 1011 Western Avenue, Suite 500 Seattle, WA :00 1. Welcome and Introductions Trinity Parker, Chair 2. Public Comment 3. Approval of Meeting Summary May 24, 2017and June 28, 2017* 10:10 4. Report on PSRC Committee and Board Activities Trinity Parker, Chair and Peter Heffernan, Vice-Chair 10:15 5. Action: Update of PSRC-Transit MOU * Gil Cerise & Maggie Moore, PSRC 10:25 6. Discussion: Project Selection Update* Kelly McGourty, PSRC 10:35 7. Discussion: Transportation 2040 Plan Update Summary of Next Steps Gil Cerise & Alex Krieg, PSRC 10:45 8. Discussion: 2017 Transit Integration Report Alex Krieg & Maggie Moore, PSRC 11:00 9. Discussion: Intercity Passenger Rail Scheduling Update and Coordination Opportunities Kirk Fredrickson, WSDOT 11: Information: Community Transit Swift BRT Planning Update June DeVoll, Community Transit 11. Next Meeting: October 25, 2017: 10:00 am 11:30 am Upcoming Meeting Topics: T2040 Plan Update; 2017 Transit Integration Report; FTA Project Selection; Other?. 11: Adjourn *Supporting materials attached Sign language and communication material in alternate formats can be arranged given sufficient notice by calling (206) or TTY Relay 711. 中文 Chinese, 한국 Korean, Русский Russian, Español Spanish, Tagalog, Tiếng việt Vietnamese call

2 Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation at W ork Operators Committee. May 24, Western Avenue, Suite 500 Seattle, WA fax psrc.org Members and Alternates Represented at the Table Trinity Parker, Chair Sound Transit; Melissa Cauley, Community Transit & Chair of Regional FTA Caucus; George Baxter Everett Transit; Sabina Popa Everett Transit; Peter Heffernan King County; Darin Stavish Pierce Transit; Alexandra Fastle - Pierce Transit; Jeff Davidson - Kitsap Transit; Steffani Lillie Kitsap Transit; Don Chartock WSDOT Public Transportation and Rail Via Phone: John Bernhard WA State Ferries; Lauren Behm Pierce County Ferries Other Guests and Alternates (for all or part of the meeting): PSRC Staff: Ben Brackett, Gil Cerise, Charlie Howard, Craig Helmann, Alex Krieg Welcome and Introductions, Public Comment, and Announcements Trinity Parker, Chair, welcomed everyone at 10:00 a.m. Self-introductions were provided around the room and on the phone. Public Comments There were four public comments from individuals (Alex Tsimmerman, Marguerite Richard, A.J. Honore and John Neller), each allowed 3 minutes to comment. Report on PSRC Committee and Board Activities (Trinity Parker, Chair) Trinity Parker reported on recent Transportation Policy Board and TPB Transit Caucus meeting. The TPB Transit Caucus received a briefing on the regional Transit Asset Management performance targets that are an action item on this meeting agenda. The Committee discussed upcoming Transportation Policy Board meetings and other upcoming meetings. Action: Recommendation on 2017 Transit Asset Management Regional Performance Targets (Gil Cerise, PSRC) The committee approved the recommendation for initial Transit Asset Mangement Regional Performance Targets, as recommended by the Transit Asset Mangement (TAM) Adivsory Committee. The recommendations will be forwarded to the Transportation Policy Board for action at their June 8, 2017 meeting. Initial regional performance targets need to be set by PSRC by July 1, Information: Transportation 2040 Plan Financial Strategy Update (Ben Brackett, PSRC) The Committee received an informational briefing on the work to-date of the Transportation 2040 Financial Working Group and the udpate of the Transportation 2040 Financial Strategy. Discussion: Transit Access and Parking Update (Alex Krieg, PSRC) The Committee received an update on the Transit Access and Parking Strategy and related updates to Transportation 2040 Plan. Agenda Item 3A Page 1

3 Information: Updates from Transit Agencies (Roundtable) Several agencies provided brief updates on their activities to-date. Trinity Parker asked the Committee if there is interest in having some more in-depth presentations on transit planning activities in the region. The Committee agreed that that would be of interest. Community Transit volunteered to start with a presentation on planning for Swift Bus Rapid Transit corridors. Next meeting: June 28, 2017: 10:00 am 11:30 am Upcoming Meeting Topics: T2040 Plan Update; T2040 Financial Plan Update; 2017 Transit Integration Report; Transit MOU Update Discussion; 2040 Transit Network Performance; TOD Analysis; and Regional Access to Remix. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 11:38 a.m. Agenda Item 3A Page 2

4 Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation at W ork Operators Committee. June 28, Western Avenue, Suite 500 Seattle, WA fax psrc.org Members and Alternates Represented at the Table Peter Heffernan King County; Melissa Cauley, Community Transit & Chair of Regional FTA Caucus; Darin Stavish Pierce Transit; Jacqueline Mann - Puget Sound Educational Service District & Chair of SNTC; Benjamin Smith SDOT; Lisa Ballard Washington State Ferries; Mike Flood WSDOT; Steve Besaw WSDOT; Anthony Boscolo WSDOT Via Phone: George Baxter Everett Transit; Steffani Lillie Kitsap Transit; Lauren Behm Pierce County Ferries Other Guests and Alternates (for all or part of the meeting): PSRC Staff: Gil Cerise, Gary Simonson; Robin Mayhew, Alex Krieg, Charlie Howard Other guests: Howard Swaby FTA Region 10 Welcome and Introductions, Public Comment, and Announcements Peter Heffernan, Vice-Chair, welcomed everyone at 10:00 a.m. Self-introductions were provided around the room and on the phone. Public Comments There were three public comments from individuals (Alex Tsimmerman, Marguerite Richard and Honorable Michael Fuller, suis juris) each allowed 2 minutes to comment. Report on PSRC Committee and Board Activities (Peterl Heffernan, Vice-Chair) Peter Heffernan reported on recent PSRC Committee and Board activities. Among the recent activities, the PSRC Executive Board approved the FTA competitive grant program except for a couple of Sound Transit projects and they set the initial regional Transit Asset Management performance targets at their June 22, 2017 meeting. The Transportation Policy Board addressed these items in addition to holding a session on Regional Outcomes as part of the Transportation 2040 Plan update. Peter also reported on the Transportation 2040 Financial Strategy part of the update. Action: Hopelink Request to Carry Forward FTA Section 5310 funds Awarded to Mobility Management King County (Gil Cerise, PSRC) The committee agreed with the Speical Needs Transportation Committee s recommendation to forward Hopelink s request to carry forward $26,471 in FTA Section 5310 funds from the biennium for use in the biennium for mobilty management activities in King County. The TOC approved the request, which will now be forwarded on to the Transportation Policy Board for consideration at its July 11, 2017 meeting. Action: Regional Reduced Fare Permit Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) Update (Gary Simonson, PSRC) Gary Simonson reported on the work of the Regional Reduced Fare Permit (RRFP) Task Force to prepare an update to the MOA, that included additing Grays Harbor Transit to the list of signatories and other amendments. One of the other amendments that generated considerable discussion was the request to allow agencies to charge different amounts or no amount at all for processing the RRFP eligibility. This was listed as an action item. However, Kitsap Transit requested that the amendment to the MOA that would make the $3.00 optional be Agenda Item 3B Page 1

5 sent to legal counsel for review. PSRC agreed to share the latest draft of the MOA and to review the latest changes with PSRC s legal team. Discussion: State Transit Safety Oversight and Safety Management System (SMS) (Steve Besaw & Mike Flood, WSDOT Public Transportation Division) Mike Flood and Steve Besaw made presentations on the Washington State Transit Safety Oversight Program. They are focused on three federal oversight programs, including 1) the State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program; 2) FTA Drug and Alcohol Compliance Program; and 3) the Transit Asset Management program. The SSO program only applies to certain rail transit systems. They include Link Light Rail, Tacoma Link, Seattle Streetcar, and the Seattle Monorail. WSDOT is working to comply with federal requirements by April 15, Any state not certified will no longer be able to receive any FTA funding. Washington State is listed as 50% complete. WSDOT is planning to submit to FTA in June WSDOT will provide follow-up presentations to the TOC. In addition, WSDOT is interested in forming a safety working group composed of stakeholders, including the public transit stakeholders in this region. Discussion: Update of the 2009 PSRC Transit MOU (Gil Cerise and Maggie Moore, PSRC) PSRC presented a draft update of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between PSRC and the public transportation operators in the region. This MOU serves as the metropolitan planning agreement that is called for in the Federal Planning Rule, which was updated in The MOU is required for PSRC federal certification, as well as for FTA Triennial Review with all recipients of FTA funds. Gil and Maggie reviewed the draft MOU and asked agencies to provide comments. PSRC will plan to bring the updated draft MOU back to TOC at the next meeting with a goal of having it updated and signed by all parties by the fall of WSDOT is trying to convene what they are calling a Safety Management System (SMS) Roundtable. Discussion: Development of 2017 Transit Integration Report (Alex Krieg, PSRC) Alex led a discussion on development of the 2017 Transit Integration Report. He reviewed an updated outline and list of topics and next steps in the process of completing the update to this report. Alex discussed briefing the Trasnit Executives at one of their future meetings. PSRC is on track for an October/November completion of the 2017 Report. The TOC reviewed and discussed the outline. Discussion: Completion of Regional Access to Remix Assessment and Next Steps (Gil Cerise, PSRC) Gil shared a final report on the Regional Access to Remix project that was funded through a State Transit Coordination Grant. Gil shared the final report and discussed the need for some next steps, including identifying whether agencies in the region want to continue access to Remix in some form or a similar transit sketch planning software. Options for continuation include seeking statewide access to Remix through WSDOT Public Transportation; continuation of regional access; or each agency making its own decision to retain access on an agency-by-agency basis. TOC members recommended reconvening the ad hoc Remix Advisory Committee to discuss next steps. Discussion: Progress on Transportation 2040 Plan Update (Robin Mayhew, Gil Cerise, & Alex Krieg, PSRC) The Committee received an update on the Transportation 2040 Plan Update. Next meeting: July 26, 2017: 10:00 am 11:30 am Upcoming Meeting Topics: T2040 Plan Update; T2040 Financial Plan Update; 2017 Transit Integration Report; Transit MOU Update Discussion; 2040 Transit Network Performance; TOD Analysis; and Regional Access to Remix. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 11:30 a.m. Agenda Item 3B Page 2

6 Item 5 MEMORANDUM September 21, 2017 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Transportation Operators Committee (TOC) Gil Cerise, PSRC Maggie Moore, PSRC Update to the PSRC 2009 Transit Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) IN BRIEF TOC reviewed drafts of the PSRC-Transit agency MOU at their June 28 and August 30 meetings. At the August 30 th meeting, the TOC instructed staff to share a copy of the draft MOU for transit agency review and comment in preparation for an action. The MOU needs to be updated before the next agency Triennial Review cycle in order to ensure that the agreement addresses current federal and state law requirements. BACKGROUND Federal law requires PSRC, as the region s Metropolitan Planning Organization, and providers of public transportation to cooperatively determine their mutual responsibilities in carrying out the metropolitan transportation planning process, and that these responsibilities be clearly identified in a written agreement between PSRC and the providers of public transportation. The current agreement, entitled Memorandum of Understanding for Planning Coordination and Cooperation (also known as the Transit MOU) was signed in 2009 and can be found on the PSRC website with a link on the TOC webpage: The 2009 Transit MOU covers roles and responsibilities between PSRC, Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit, and City of Seattle. PSRC has a separate agreement with WSDOT, which covers coordination and cooperation with that agency, including the Washington State Ferries. PSRC began an update of the MOU in 2012, and then placed the update on hold until the changes to the US DOT Planning Rule arising from MAP-21 were completed. FHWA and FTA published the final Planning Rule in The August 2017 memorandum to TOC includes an outline of proposed changes in the draft document under the Discussion section. The Discussion section of this memorandum only includes suggested changes to the MOU deemed to be substantive resulting from the latest review of the draft MOU. Transportation Operators Committee Agenda Item 5 Page 1 September 27, 2017 meeting

7 SCHEDULE As a reminder, PSRC is scheduling the update of the MOU for action at the September 27, 2017 meeting. After TOC approval, the MOU will be distributed to transit executives from all of the agencies for signature and PSRC will create a fully signed and executed MOU to share with all agencies and post on the PSRC website. DISCUSSION This Discussion section focuses on comments received since August 30, PSRC received feedback requesting changes from Everett Transit, King County Metro, Pierce Transit, and Sound Transit. The majority of suggested edits were to address consistency of language, updating signature blocks, and other non-substantive edits arising from legal review from agencies. This list identifies more substantive edits suggested by agencies: 1. Section 3.A.6. Performance-Based Planning: Transit agency edits suggested to this section included addition of a new paragraph that references the other performance-based planning factors identified by US DOT in 23 CFR (b), including factors related to economic vitality, social equity, safety, security, accessibility, sustainability, integration and connectivity, efficiency and reliability. 2. Section 3.A.7 Cooperation on Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Plan: There were several comments on the last sentence in this section, which appears to have been added as part of the 2009 MOU update. The sentence does not appear to be related to the development of the Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Plan. But it does seem to be related to the regional TIP. PSRC staff recommend deletion of this sentence as unnecessary. 3. Section 6.A.2 Addressing Transit Agency Representation on the Transportation Policy Board. An agency suggested switching out the term direct recipient for LPTAs. The LPTAs are defined in the agreement. The intent of the statement is that each Transit representative on the TPB from counties must coordinate with the other transit agencies providing service in that county in representing transit from that county. The substitution of LPTA would appear be clearer than using direct recipients. 4. Section 9: Replacement Clause Agencies suggested clarifying what agreements specifically this document supersedes. This language has been revised to clarify this MOU replaces any prior versions of the MOU. 5. Section 13: Counterparts This section was added by agency suggestions and PSRC s legal counsel. The executed date for this MOU will be determined by the date of the last signature (see PARTIES and RECITALS). 6. Clarification: Right of Way Preservation Process Removal As per previous discussions at the TOC, PSRC and transit agencies agreed to the removal of the right-of-way preservation process. One agency questioned whether this was intentional. The TOC can discuss whether to retain the references to the right-of-way preservation process found throughout the 2009 MOU. Transportation Operators Committee Agenda Item 5 Page 2 September 27, 2017 meeting

8 7. Clarification: UPWP Update of Transit Agency Information There was a question about how PSRC updates transit agency information found in the PSRC Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). This document includes, in addition to PSRC s work program, work planned among PSRC s partners, including transit agencies. PSRC notifies TOC during budget development process every two years for contacts to help update the transit agency language in the UPWP. 8. Clarification: PSRC Public Participation Plan One agency asked if it is true that PSRC s Public Participation Plan satisfies the federal requirement for public involvement associated with the program of projects. That is true. PSRC provides its Public Participation Plan (found here: to transit agencies for use in their Triennial Review on a regular basis. PSRC shared the draft MOU with its Legal Counsel, who reviewed all suggested changes one more time. If TOC members are satisfied with the Draft MOU included as a separate attachment to the September 27, 2017 TOC agenda packet, then the Committee will be called upon to take an action on the MOU. TOC members should brief their executives to ensure that they are ready to sign the updated agreement in October. Please bring any issues that may arise from transit executive briefings to PSRC s attention as soon as possible to keep this update on track for completion in fall of For more information, please contact Gil Cerise at (206) (gcerise@psrc.org) or Maggie Moore at (206) (mmoore@psrc.org). Separate Attachment DRAFT PSRC-Transit MOU update in track-changes Transportation Operators Committee Agenda Item 5 Page 3 September 27, 2017 meeting

9 2018 PROJECT SELECTION KEY ELEMENTS The Project Selection Task Force has been convened and will meet through the end of the year to provide direction and make recommendations on the policies and procedures for the 2018 project selection process. The Regional FTA Caucus and other PSRC committees have begun providing feedback on a few key elements of the project selection process, as input to the Task Force discussions. The following provides background information on the key elements to be reviewed by the upcoming Project Selection Task Force. ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Funding years to program Two years of funding will be distributed FFY 2021, Per direction from FHWA/FTA and as discussed during the last cycle, PSRC will continue to build and maintain a full 4-year TIP ( ) Funding Estimates Funding estimates will be determined by the Project Selection Task Force, in coordination with WSDOT, FHWA and FTA. Note that these funds extend beyond the FAST Act. Policy Focus The Project Selection Task Force will be asked to recommend retention of the policy focus of support for centers and the corridors that serve them, utilizing the existing centers framework. As a reminder, this is implemented in the following manner: FTA Regional Competition - centers are defined as regional growth centers and manufacturing/industrial centers as identified in VISION 2040, centers as designated through countywide processes, town centers, and other locally identified centers (for the 2018 process, existing designated centers are presumed). Contingency Lists No changes are anticipated to be made to this process, to adopt prioritized list of contingency projects for all competitions. Project Selection Schedule For the 2016 project selection process, the FTA earned share funding distribution and the FHWA regional competition were conducted in 2016, while the FTA regional funding competition was held in In previous project selection processes, the FTA earned share distribution and the FTA and FHWA competitions were all held in the same year. For the 2018 project selection process, we will be returning to the previous schedule of holding the FTA regional and FHWA regional competitions concurrently. To address the situation when transit agencies submit applications for the same project Agenda Item 6 1

10 2018 PROJECT SELECTION KEY ELEMENTS to both competitions, either the FTA regional competition will be concluded before the FHWA competition, or applicants will refrain from submitting the same project to both competitions. Number of regional applications There is no current limit on the total number of applications submitted for the FTA Regional Competition. Additional data on this topic is provided in Table 1 at the end of this section. Funding Limits Committee members have expressed interest in discussing setting limits on the maximum amount requested in the regional competition, either by project or by agency, to ensure equity in the process. Additional data on amounts requested and awarded over the last few cycles is provided in Tables 2 and 3 at the end of this section. SET-ASIDES Preservation Set-Aside The preservation set-aside has been in place since 2012, and was reduced in 2016 from 50% of the regional portion of the FTA funds to 45%. The set-aside is a fixed amount taken from the regional portion of the STE UZA funds and distributed to transit agencies in the STE UZA using the earned share distribution formula. The rationale for the set-aside is the continuing need for preservation investments and the priority given to these activities in Transportation The use of PSRC s FTA funds for preservation allows an increased flexibility in the use of local funds for transit operations. Each transit agency in the STE UZA recommends projects that meet the FTA s State of Good Repair definition. Per Caucus agreement, preventative maintenance is also included as an eligible activity for the set aside. Additional data on the amount of Earned Share and Preservation Set-aside funds used for preservation projects is provided in Figure 1 at the end of this section. Minimum Floor Adjustment Since 2003, transit agencies in the STE UZA that earn less than 1% of the total of the earned share portion of funds have received a minimum floor adjustment to bring the earned share amounts for these agencies up to the 1% amount. The adjustment is taken from the regional portion of the funds within the STE UZA and applied to these agencies for their earned share distribution. The rationale for this adjustment is to facilitate future planning for these agencies by allowing them to rely on a certain amount of FTA funding each year as a safety net for a basic level of investment. As part of the 2016 project selection process, this amount was capped at the amount identified from the final 2015 FTA allocations. Additional information on minimum floor funding amounts and usage can be found in Figures 2, 3, and 4 at the end of this section. Agenda Item 6 2

11 PROJECT EVALUATION CRITERIA 2018 PROJECT SELECTION KEY ELEMENTS Future committee discussions will be held regarding details of the project evaluation criteria, however, to date no significant changes have been requested or deemed necessary. Two topics that have arisen for current discussion are how to evaluate project readiness in project applications and whether to consider project types when scoring applications. Project Readiness As in previous project selection processes, project readiness was incorporated into the criteria for FTA 2017 regional competition projects. For this criterion, projects were scored based on the number of prerequisites that had already been completed or were underway for the phase being requested. This has been on ongoing topic of discussion on how to address project readiness in applications submitted for future years of funding. Consideration of Project Types The FTA regional competition currently has one set of scoring criteria for all project types, rather than separate criteria for different categories of projects. Additional information on the types of projects submitted to and awarded in previous FTA regional competitions can be found in Tables 4 and 5 at the end of this section. Agenda Item 6 3

12 2018 PROJECT SELECTION KEY ELEMENTS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON DISCUSSION ITEMS The following tables and charts provide additional data to inform the discussion of key project selection elements. Number of regional applications Table 1: Number of FTA Regional Competition Applications and Awards (2014 and 2017) Project Sponsors 2014 FTA Competition 2017 FTA Competition Number of Applications Number of Funded Projects Number of Applications Number of Funded Projects City of Seattle Community Transit Everett Transit King County DOT (Marine) King County/Metro Pierce Transit Sound Transit Sumner University of Washington Washington State Ferries TOTAL Funding Limits Summary of Regional FTA Requests (2014 & 2017) Available funding: o $28.72 M o $32.27 M 30 requests, which varied from $162 K to $12.1 M Average request was $5.3 M in 2014 and $4.7 M in 2017 o Three agencies represented 50% of funding requested o Three agencies represented 52% of funding requested Table 2: Number of Applications, by Amount Requested (2014 and 2017) Less than $1 M 23% $1 to $5 M 27% $5 to $10 M 37% Over $10 M 13% Summary of Regional FTA Recommendations (2014 & 2017) 16 awards, which varied from $162 K to $7.8 M Average award was $3.6 M in 2014 and $4.0 M in 2017 Agenda Item 6 4

13 2018 PROJECT SELECTION KEY ELEMENTS Table 3: Number of Applications, by Amount Awarded (2014 and 2017) Percent of Awards Percent of Funding Less than $3 M 31% 12% $3 to $5 M 31% 27% Over $5 M 38% 61% Preservation Set-Aside Earned share funding represents 88% of the total, with some sources specifically for preservation activities. In addition to the set-aside funding, 45% of the total Earned Share funds in FFY 2016 were used for preservation projects. Figure 1: FFY 2016 STE UZA Funding Distribution by Source and Process (in millions) 45% for preservation projects Minimum Floor Adjustment The total minimum floor amount has increased from $1.43 M in 2012 to $1.76 M in In 2016, the three minimum floor agencies used their earned share funding for: o Everett Transit - Preservation/Maintenance = 93%, Vehicle/Equipment = 7% o City of Seattle - Preservation/Maintenance = 100% o Pierce County Ferry - Preservation/Maintenance = 30%, Vehicle/Equipment = 70% Note: Pierce County Ferry funds were all programmed to Pierce Transit in 2016, so Pierce Transit earned share funding was used here as a proxy. Agenda Item 6 5

14 2018 PROJECT SELECTION KEY ELEMENTS Figure 2: STE UZA Earned Share Earnings by Agency ( ) Figure 3: STE UZA Minimum Floor Set-aside Amounts ( ) Agenda Item 6 6

15 2018 PROJECT SELECTION KEY ELEMENTS Figure 4: STE UZA Annual Minimum Floor Funds by Agency ( ) Consideration of Project Types In 2014 and 2017, project sponsors applied for the following types of projects: Table 4: Project Applications, by Project Type (2014 and 2017) Percent of Applications Percent of Requested Funding Capital 60% 60% Planning 10% 3% Vehicle/Equipment 30% 37% In 2014 and 2017, funds were awarded for the following types of projects: Table 5: Awarded Projects, by Project Type (2014 and 2017) Percent of Awards Percent of Awarded Funding Capital 69% 62% Planning 6% 0% Vehicle/Equipment 25% 38% Agenda Item 6 7