POLICY IMPLICATIONS

 The recommended action is consistent with Metro Board Policy to maximize the effectiveness of the bicycle network.  Further, the intent of the State BTA legislation was to create an incentive for local cities and counties to do their own bicycle master planning.  Metro’s plan will provide consistency with this intent as the cities and the county will actively participate by providing the local information that will be input to the plan.

ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED

 The Board could direct staff to prepare a regional plan only and not include the local information that would qualify the cities and County to apply for BTA funds.  This is not recommended as it may be more efficient for some cities to include the required information in the regional master plan rather than prepare their own separate plan.  Conversely, the Board could direct staff to prepare the local plan information for the cities and County without requesting supplemental information from the local jurisdiction.  This is not recommended as it would involve Metro staff in determining local projects and priorities and require extensive resources.

 FINANCIAL IMPACT

 This action has no impact in FY02 Metro Budget.  Funding to prepare Countywide Bicycle Transportation Master Plan will be requested in the FY’03 budget. The inclusion of local elements into Metro’s plan is likely to increase Metro’s time and production costs slightly.

 BACKGROUND

In 1995, the Metro adopted the most recent regional Bicycle Master Plan for Los Angeles County.  The plan contains a Bicycle Policy Document that addresses regional policies and priorities for funding; six area plans containing maps of existing and proposed regional and local bikeway facilities; and proposed regional project rankings.  Metro staff is working on a scope of work to update this 1995 plan.

In addition to Metro’s Call for Projects grant cycle, the State Bicycle Transportation Account (BTA) is a source of funding for bicycle facilities.  This annual grant program is administered by Caltrans Headquarters in Sacramento and requires that each city or county applying for funds have an adopted Bicycle Transportation Plan that provides detailed information on existing and proposed bicycle facilities and project priorities as outlined in Section 891.2 of the Streets and Highways Code.  In the past, funding in the BTA was $1 million per year for bicycle projects statewide.  According to current statute, this amount was increased to $7.2 million a year through FY’06.  In FY’07, the amount will reduce to $5 million a year indefinitely unless changed by statute.  Project applicants are cities or counties, not Metro. 

 The 11 elements required by the BTA legislation to be in each plan are: 

• Estimated number of existing and proposed bicycle commuters
• Map and description of existing and proposed land use and settlement patterns
• Map and description of existing and proposed bikeways
• Map and description of existing and proposed end-of-trip parking facilities
• Map and description of existing and proposed transport and parking facilities for connections to other transportation modes.
• Map and description of existing and proposed changing facilities
• Description of education programs
• Description of citizen involvement
• Description of coordination with other regional planning efforts
• Listing of project priorities
• Description of past expenditures and financial needs

The intent of the July 2001 Board motion was to direct staff to create a Bicycle Master Plan Working Group and discuss the feasibility of the Metro plan update fulfilling the BTA requirements for all 88 cities and the 121 unincorporated areas of the county. 

 A BTMP Working Group was formed in October 2001 with 25-30 members representing the sub-regions, City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation and Bicycle Advisory Committee, LACDPW, LACBC, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Southern California Association of Governments, Caltrans District 7, and Metro Streets and Freeways Subcommittee of TAC.  The Working Group met on October 18, and December 5, 2001.  The next meeting will be February 6, 2002.  The working group will meet every six to eight weeks until the Metro’s Bikeway Master Plan consultant is under contract, at which time the group will meet more frequently.

 The first two BTMP Working Group meetings discussed the BTA requirements and the essential role that the cities and County will play in providing the information needed for Metro’s plan.  Members of the Working Group understand that the information Metro will be compiling and putting into the plan will be provided by the 88 cities and County for 121 unincorporated areas.  The adequacy of Metro’s plan in fulfilling the BTA requirements will depend upon the quality of information and response from the cities and the County.  Jurisdictions who don’t provide the necessary information will not be able to use the Metro’s Bikeway Master Plan to qualify for BTA funds.  In addition, cities and the County have to adopt Metro’s Bikeway Master Plan.  Approximately 15 cities in the County already have their own bicycle plans and will probably not use Metro’s to qualify for BTA funding.  Attachment A to this report describes the information that is required from the cities and County.

 The Chief of the Caltrans Bicycle Unit in Sacramento attended the first meeting of the Working Group in October 2001 to answer questions about the requirements.  He suggested that the task of including localized information in the Countywide Transportation Bicycle Master Plan would be a challenge considering the size of Los Angeles County.  The Working Group, however, is in favor of Metro doing this work.

NEXT STEPS

 Metro staff will rewrite the scope of work for the Countywide Bicycle Transportation Master Plan, which will be led by Metro staff an require some consultant assistance.  It will be approximately nine months before a consultant contract can be signed, followed by an approximately 12 to 18-months plan development and outreach.  Project sponsors wanting to apply for BTA funds before 2004 will need to prepare and adopt their own plan that will comply with BTA requirements unless the local element to the Metro Plan can be completed earlier. 

 ATTACHMENT 

A.                 Required Information for Bicycle Transportation Account 

Prepared by:             Lynne Goldsmith, Project Manager