1. Business and Industry Stakeholder
Roundtable Meeting
October 16, 2012

2. Agenda
• Welcome and introductions
• Introduction to the project
• Overview of recent studies
• Policy Area Discussions
• Wrap up and next steps

3. Welcome and Introductions

4. Welcome and Introductions
• Welcome!
• Project team introductions
– Kern COG
– PMC team

5. Meeting Purpose
• To gain a better understanding of the
Directions to 2050 project
• To learn about how transportation choices
effect priorities for the future, community
assets, and funding expenditures

6. Ground Rules
• Common conversational courtesy
• All ideas and points of view have value
• Speak up, and share the time
• Cell phone courtesy
• Be comfortable

7. Introduction to the Project

8. Project Funding
• Directions to 2050 is funded in part by:
– California utility ratepayers and administered by
South California Edison
– Kern COG provides major funding for this project
to encourage activities that lead to long-term,
sustainable changes

9. Relationship to the
Kern Regional Blueprint effort
• Directions to 2050 builds on the Blueprint by:
– Revisiting the communities’ vision and guiding
principles
– Considering a full range of choices and associated
trade-offs
– Brainstorming locally-relevant strategies
– Identify and prioritize next steps
– Incorporate these next steps into the region’s plan

10. Relationship to
Local Government Plans
• Directions to 2050 and the 2014 Regional
Transportation Plan:
– Guides the development of the planned
multimodal transportation systems in Kern County
– Supports local planning efforts
– Developed through a comprehensive coordination
effort between local, regional, state and federal
agencies

11. Relationship to
Other Activities in the Region
• San Joaquin Valley Blueprint
• Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)
• Regionwide transportation improvements
– Bicycle and pedestrian
– Transit
– Freight
• Social Equity and Environmental Justice

12. Directions to 2050
Cycle 1 Community Outreach
• 16 community
workshops throughout
the region
• RPAC meetings
• Stakeholder Roundtable
Meetings
• Website with
interactive activities,
background
information, and online
survey

13. Community Outreach – Key Findings
To-date
• Community members prioritized:
– Link education/training/youth mentorships with
economic development initiatives.
– Maintain and develop comprehensive community
services for health, education, safety, and recreation.
– Add, maintain, and improve sidewalks and bike lanes
for safer, active lifestyles.
– Maintain local streets and roads.
– Improve air quality.
– Invest in renewable energy production and
distribution, including wind and solar power.

14. Potential impact of the
2014 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP)
• [placeholder – short video]

15. Overview of Recent Studies

16. Overview of Recent Studies
• Kern Regional Transit (KRT) Bakersfield Service
Analysis
• High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)/ Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) Study
• Commuter Rail Feasibility Study
• Regional Rural Transit Study
• GET Long Range Transit Plan
• Kern County Bicycle Master Plan
• Eastern Sierra Public Transportation Study

17. Kern Regional Transit (KRT)
Bakersfield Service Analysis
• Goal
– Determine whether KRT
might be able to take
advantage of the GET
changes to:
• Improve service for its
own customers
• Reduce operating costs

18. Kern Regional Transit (KRT)
Bakersfield Service Analysis
• Short-Term Recommendations
– Endure rapid repair of critical transportation
infrastructure in an emergency and enhance
emergency preparedness
– Promote the use of intelligent transportation
system technologies
– Enhance security with transportation
infrastructure practices
– Establish a forum for policy-maker education and
regional policy development

19. Kern Regional Transit (KRT)
Bakersfield Service Analysis
• Short-Term Recommendations (continued)
– Enhance the region’s ability to respond to acts of
terrorism
– Enhance capabilities of local and regional
organizations
– Provide means for collaboration during a regional
emergency
– Refine scheduling practices
– Improve customer service with improved
passenger information practices

20. Kern Regional Transit (KRT)
Bakersfield Service Analysis
• Mid- and Longer-Term Recommendations
– Plan for the new Downtown Transit Center
location
– Retire the existing Downtown and Southwest
Transit Centers
– Expand GET network
– Increase BRT and possibly light rail transit (LRT)
service
– Enhance KRT service
– Provide new GET routes on KRT corridors

21. High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)/
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Study
• Goal
– Examine the long-range
feasibility of
implementing HOV
lanes and/or BRT
services
– Assess the
performance, benefits,
and potential impacts
of HOV and BRT

22. High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)/
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Study
• Short- and Mid-Term Recommendations
– Improve rapid bus with:
• Traffic signal priority systems and queue jump lanes
• Exclusive HOV and bus lanes
– Introduce express bus service along SR 178/24th
Street/Rosedale Highway
– Construct truck climbing lanes eastbound SR-58
– Add express bus services
– Introduce ramp meters at identified interchanges
– Designate new peak period-only HOV lane on SR-
178

23. High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)/
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Study
• Long-Term Recommendations
– Consider converting BRT to LRT
– Construct additional peak period HOV lanes
– Construct the truck climbing lane on
southbound SR-166 of Maricopa

24. Commuter Rail Feasibility Study
• Goal
– Examine a set of alternatives
for providing commuter rail
service within:
• Bakersfield metropolitan area
• Surrounding portions of Kern
County
• Eastern region of the county
– Identify corridors that may be
feasible for future service and
potential station locations

25. Commuter Rail Feasibility Study
• Short- and Mid-Term Recommendations
– Initiate discussions with:
• Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA)
• Union Pacific (UP)
• State regarding Amtrak San Joaquin stops
• Various COGs
– Advance design of the Metrolink Antelope Valley
line extension to Rosamond
– If High Speed Rail proceeds, identify a preferred
corridor to connect Bakersfield and Delano

26. Commuter Rail Feasibility Study
• Long-Term Recommendations
– Implement extension of Metrolink service to
Rosamond
– Select preferred governing and operating agency
for a commuter rail services (if HSR proceeds)
– Pursue funding sources for commuter rail
improvements
– Explore potential for purchasing existing rail
rights-of-way

27. Regional Rural Transit Strategy
• Goal
– Evaluate alternatives
to its current
network of rural
transit services

28. Regional Rural Transit Strategy
• Recommendations
– Provide alternative methods of countywide public
transit service focusing on:
• Improving efficiency, effectiveness and cost savings
– Conduct a cost benefit analysis to fully assess
priorities

29. GET Long Range Transit Plan
• Goal
– Document the relationship
between:
• Population growth
• Transit ridership demand
• Current operations
– Address emerging intracity
transit system needs
– Address connectivity
between rural areas and
major regional
transportation facilities

30. GET Long Range Transit Plan
• Recommendations
– Initiate Express Bus Route 101 between:
• Taft
• The (new) Downtown Transit Center, and
• Bakersfield College

31. Kern County Bicycle Master Plan
• Goal
– Assess existing bicycle
facilities
– Develop a plan for new
bicycle amenities
– Provide
recommendations for
complete streets

32. Kern County Bicycle Master Plan
• Recommendations
– 664 miles of new bikeways including:
• 30 miles of Class I bike paths
• 297 miles of Class II bikes lanes
• 46.6 miles of Class III bike routes
• 186 miles for Class III bike routes on State routes
– Short- and Long-term bicycle parking facilities
– Education, encouragement, enforcement, and
evaluation programs

33. Eastern Sierra Public Transportation
Study
• Goal
– Address short-term interregional transit demands
– Identify strategies to enhance intra-regional mobility
– Present a preliminary feasibility analysis of longer-
term passenger rail service between Mammoth Lakes
and the LA region.
• Key Findings
– Eastern Sierras have varied geography, sparse
population and long distances.
– Despite these conditions, transit operations provide
exceptionally good coverage.

34. Policy Area Discussions

35. Transportation Choices Online Activity
• Purpose
– To determine your group’s resource investment
preferences for the future
• How to Play
– Choose six priorities for the future
– Allocated resources to transportation policy areas
– Watch your budget and priorities for the future
change!

36. Report Out and Large Group
Conclusions
• Which priorities for the future were important
to your group?
• Which transportation policy areas were
important to your group?
• What surprised you?
• What didn’t surprise you?

37. Wrap Up and Next Steps

38. We are here

39. Next Steps
• Upcoming meetings and events
– RPAC meeting
– Stakeholder meetings
– Community presentations

40. Business and Industry Stakeholder
Roundtable Meeting
October 16, 2012