HAYWARD
COUNCIL REFERRAL MEMORANDUM
To: Hayward Mayor and City Council
From: Council Members George Syrop & Francisco Zermeno
Subiect: Referral - A Bench for Every Bus Stop.
Date: 9/26/2023
BACKGROUND:
The City of Hayward has approximately 370 bus stops servicing over 25,000 rides per month. Only 63 bus stops in Hayward provide riders with shelter, leaving over 300 stops without seating.
Installing benches is a cost-effective alternative to constructing new shelters and makes public transportation more enjoyable and accessible for residents who ride the bus. "You don't need to study whether or not people need to sit - especially people who are older; people have mobility issues, people with children, people who've walked a long way, or who are carrying things." - Mayor Bauters, City of Emeryville.
At the June 16th, 2023 AC Transit ILC meeting, representatives shared that AC Transit is planning to conduct an accessibility assessment of their bus stops to determine which are appropriate for the installation of street furniture (such as benches or shelters). AC Transit staff has calculated an overall index score for street furniture need by stop weighted by:
• Person Minutes - the total number of minutes that passengers wait at a stop % of People of Color by Block Group
• % of Low-income People by Block Group
• Accessibility to Social Services
According to AC Transit, approximately 75/100 of the top scoring bus stops in Hayward are currently without a shelter (Attachment I). While the cost of maintaining shelters is primarily managed by AC Transit with some financial support from the City they're located in, benches are typically paid for and maintained by the City.
SUMMARY:
This referral requests that Council direct staff to:
1. Collaborate with AC Transit to conduct an expedited Accessibility Study of Hayward's bus stops to determine which stops are suitable for the installation of street furniture before the end of the FY 23/24. This collaboration may include financial support from the City not to exceed $30,000.
2. Pilot five (5) low-cost Simme Seats (https://simmeseat.com/) at our highest priority, shelter-less bus stops according to AC Transit's Overall Index Score for each stop (Attachment I) to determine the cost of maintenance while AC Transit conducts the Accessibility Study from Step 1.
3. Develop a staff report and project proposal that outlines the cost of installation and maintenance of bus benches across all bus stops in Hayward that currently do not have a shelter and meet the accessibility requirements determined by the Accessibility Study from Step 1. Installation of benches should be prioritized by AC Transit's Overall Index Score for each stop (Attachment I). Staff's proposal should include a funding strategy to complete this initiative within five (5) years, utilizing dollars from our CIP budget, grants, Measure BB, support from local organizations to "adopt" or sponsor a bench, and/or any other relevant funding sources.
4. Present the project proposal and results of the pilot to the City Council for adoption before the end of 2024.
Francisco Zermeño George
Council Member Council Member
STRATEGIC ROADMAP:
This referral supports the Strategic Priority to Invest in Infrastructure.
Specifically, this referral relates to the following project:
Invest in Multi-Modal Transportation
Project N7: Work with AC Transit to beautify bus shelters and construct more seating at bus stops to improve the ridership experience.
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REFERENCES:
https://www.pianetizen.com/news/2022/12/120492-importance-bus-stop-benches https://usa.streetsblog.org/2022/12/21/what-it-takes-to-put-a-seat-at-every-bus-stop-in-town https://www.actransit.org/planning/better-bus-stops
https://simmeseat.com/
Per AC Transit Director of Service Development and Planning, Robert del Rosario:
"The City of Emeryville recently installed 40 Simme Seats along key transit corridors.
The cost per unit with installation was $1500 and they recommend increasing the cost to $2000 to compensate for any minor concrete work required for the installation. While the program is still new for Emeryville, they have encountered minimal problems with the seats. In addition, they used a sole-source justification for the purchase of the seats due to their unique design and functionality. Lastly, Emeryville tied the installations to a street repaving project, which further expedited completion."