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Work is progressing on a study to evaluate paratransit services in the Tri-Valley and consultants are on track to release recommendations for improvements early next year, according to a project update presented to the Pleasanton City Council on Tuesday night.
The “Mobility Forward” paratransit analysis, a partnership between the city and the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA), is looking at service delivery in the region now and how to meet those demands in the years ahead, including possibly consolidating efforts between the two agencies.
“At this point, I really say that all options are on the table,” Richard Weiner, from Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc., told the council members during their regular meeting Tuesday night at the Pleasanton Civic Center.
The city provides paratransit services for Pleasanton seniors who are 70 years old or older and for adults with disabilities. The services include door-to-door transportation and group trips Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
LAVTA, which provides paratransit for Livermore, Dublin and unincorporated Tri-Valley through its Wheels Dial-A-Ride program, also fills Pleasanton Paratransit Services’ off-hours gap or steps in when Pleasanton has reached maximum capacity during normal hours.
Unlike Pleasanton’s service, LAVTA Dial-A-Ride paratransit only offers rides to disabled adults, but the daily service window is longer, from 4:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Earlier this year, the city and LAVTA decided to partner on a consultant study to evaluate paratransit services in the Tri-Valley. The overall contract with Nelson/Nygaard is worth a maximum $170,125, with the city’s share at just over $59,500 base plus about $5,950 for contingencies, according to Becky Hopkins, assistant to the city manager.
So far, the consultants and agencies’ staff have created a dedicated webpage on the study, compiled and analyzed service data, and collected stakeholder and community input, among other tasks.
The consultants have found that residents who use Pleasanton paratransit are very happy with the service, but ridership has been down in recent years, dropping from 11,696 annual trips in 2011-12 to 7,130 trips last fiscal year, according to Weiner.
On the flip side, operating costs have increased during that same timeframe. Weiner said the city’s service now costs $68 per passenger trip compared to $39 in 2011-12 — and the current $37 rate for LAVTA’s Wheels Dial-A-Ride.
For Pleasanton, passenger fares cover less than 5% of total operating costs, according to Weiner.
“Absolutely, that has to be one of the objectives, to reduce those costs,” he said. “And there are innovative ways of doing that, even if it isn’t the same kind of service per se.”
In addition to high costs, other concerns for Pleasanton paratransit include driver retention, data reporting inconsistencies and the fact the city makes a significant contribution to fund the service, according to Weiner.
This fall, the consultants will develop paratransit service options for residents and stakeholders to review before compiling that feedback and creating recommendations for both agencies to consider early next year, according to Hopkins.
The Pleasanton council and LAVTA Board of Directors will then give direction about what alternatives to pursue, and the consultants will prepare an implementation plan for final adoption by next March, she added.
In other business
* Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) executive director Art Dao provided the council with updates on several key regional infrastructure projects spearheaded by his agency for the “Tri-Valley Triangle” — Interstates 580 and 680 and Highway 84.
The list featured two Highway 84 projects: Segment 3 between Concannon Boulevard and Ruby Hill Drive and widening from Pigeon Pass to Interstate 680 including the highways’ interchange.
The $105.4 million Segment 3 project, expected to be completed in fall 2018, involves widening the 2.4-mile stretch from two lanes to four lanes overall. The design and construction has been challenging given terrain, roadway alignment, soundwalls and other aspects, according to Dao.
The Pigeon Pass to I-680 project aims to add one travel lane in each direction, improve traffic flows at the highways’ interchange and extend the existing express lanes on I-680 by about two miles, among its key components.
The project, estimated to cost $220 million, is currently in the environmental review stage that should be completed by next summer, Dao said. Final design is estimated to be completed in winter 2020, with construction to follow until winter 2023.
Funding is in place for about $140 million of the project, leaving just over $80 million currently unfunded. The project is included in expenditure plan for money generated by Bay Area bridge toll hikes approved by legislature and possibly headed to voters next year, which could fill that funding gap, he added.
The presentation also included information on the I-680 express lanes south of Pleasanton including the Sunol Grade, planned I-680 express lanes from Highway 84 to Alcosta Boulevard in Dublin, and the I-580 express lanes through Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore that opened last year.
* As part of its 10-item consent calendar, the council unanimously ratified Mayor Jerry Thorne’s selections for positions on six city commissions and committees, a list led by reappointing incumbent Greg O’Connor to the Planning Commission.
Other seats included Zarina Kiziloglu to Housing Commission, Stephanie Pellegrino and Isabelle Morales (youth member) to Civic Arts Commission, Kavya Subramaniam as Human Services Commission youth member, Keshav Patel as Parks and Recreation Commission youth member, and promoting David Fisch to a full seat and naming Sharon Piekarski as an alternate to the Bicycle, Pedestrian and Trails Committee.
* Also on the consent agenda, council members gave final approval to an ordinance amending the municipal code to allow small cell wireless systems concealed in street light poles in the Hacienda Business Park.
* Gary and Nancy Harrington presented Thorne with a copy of their new book spotlighting all public artworks in Pleasanton.
* The council met in closed session before the regular meeting to conduct a performance review of City Manager Nelson Fialho. No action was reported after the closed-door evaluation.
Glad to hear that they have this paratransit services for our seniors and the disabled. Everyone deserves a way to get around. http://www.asphaltrepairfresno.com
Seems like a prime market for a higher margin uber or lyft business model extension saving the overhead off of the city.