TO: HONORABLE MAYOR FROM: John Ristow
AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: MOVE SAN JOSÉ DATE: July 25, 2022
Approved Date
7/29/2022
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution approving the Move San José Citywide Access and Mobility Plan.
OUTCOME
Adoption of Move San José will better focus the work of the Department of Transportation (DOT) on the projects, programs, and policies that advance the City of San José s (City)
environmental, equity, and economic goals.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Move San José lays out a new approach for transportation and decision making, toward a sustainable, equitable, and enjoyable San José. Implementing Move San José will make it easier and safer to travel in San José. It also addresses transportation inequities for those who have historically been underserved. Move San José is a strategic, data and equity-driven citywide transportation plan that focuses the City's work on projects, programs, and policies that will most effectively meet the City's transportation goals. Move San José used an equity-centered outreach campaign to articulate the City's transportation goals clearly and developed data-driven strategies to address them. The data-driven work of Move San José is informed by a Decision Support System (DSS) that uses key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify needs around the city. The DSS will allow DOT to continue to monitor progress over time toward achieving the City's goals.
Move San José’s 26 strategies are organized into three categories: Streets, Transit, and Policies and Programs. The Plan also used the DSS analysis and public input to craft strategies at citywide and Council District levels that move the needle on the City’s transportation goals.
Move San José also conducted an organizational review of DOT, which is leading to improvements in processes, culture, and decision-making tools.
COUNCIL AGENDA: 8/9/22
FILE: 22-1135
ITEM: 5.1
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
Figure 1 Move San Jose Goals and Key Performance Indictors
Figure 2 Move San Jose Categories of Strategies and Example Strategies – Full List of Strategies in figure 6
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
Move San José is published as an information-rich website. The website discusses the approach taken to develop the plan, outreach and engagement, the proposed strategies, individual Council district needs assessments, and implementation.
Link to the plan: https://gis.sanjoseca.gov/maps/movesj
BACKGROUND
San José's leaders set ambitious transportation policy in the Envision San José 2040 General Plan and Climate Smart San José. These policies envision a sustainable and human-centered transportation system that supports a more equitable, environmentally sustainable, dynamic, dense, and transit-oriented city.
The Envision San José 2040 General Plan includes a 50% reduction in trips made by single- occupancy vehicles and a 40% reduction in per capita vehicle miles traveled by 2040, compared to data from 2011. Climate Smart San José deepened the City's commitment to transformative action, setting goals of a 73% reduction in single occupancy trips and a 57% reduction in vehicle miles traveled by 2030 from 2011. San José's leaders have embraced the Paris Climate Accord greenhouse gas reduction goals and the Carbon Neutral by 2030 pledge. Move San José (formerly called the Access & Mobility Plan) is the Citywide high-level strategic implementation guide to reach these goals in the transportation sector; it is complemented by area and travel mode-specific plans and policies.
This year, DOT will bring City Council a series of plans and policies that implement these ambitious goals. In addition to the recently adopted Emerging Mobility Action Plan, efforts that complement Move San José include the Transit First Policy, Parking and Transportation Demand Management Ordinance, and Multimodal Transportation Improvements Plans, such as the Downtown Transportation Plan and West San José Multimodal Transportation Improvements Plan. Move San José is the strategic, over-arching guide and set of tools for these efforts.
ANALYSIS
Approach
Move San José focused on engaging with and hearing from San Joséans who have not traditionally been part of City planning processes. This process, described further in the Engagement section below, shaped the Move San José goals, strategies, and prioritization.
Through community workshops held in Spanish, Vietnamesse, and English, regional transportation expert gatherings, and a review of national and international best practices, over 400 transportation strategies were considered as part of Move San José. The staff and consultant team, led by ARUP, screened these strategies for feasibility, effectiveness in meeting City goals, and equity impact. We reviewed strategies with community members for their insight. We then
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
organized the resulting top 26 strategies into three categories: Streets, Transit, and Policies and Programs.
Different from a traditional citywide plan, Move San José is informed by the DSS, which uses "big" data and KPIs to understand changing conditions, help decision-makers select the best strategies and projects to address deficiencies, and track performance toward the City's ambitious goals. This system is one of the critical outcomes of Move San José and will be used to inform the City's transportation investment priorities.
DOT also looked at itself
to answer the question,
"Are we organized to
deliver on Move San José
goals?" Through a series of
42 DOT staff interviews,
process investigations, and
an independent assessment
of the department's
organizational
effectiveness, DOT has
gained insight into how to
prioritize its work,
establish efficient
operating procedures,
develop staff skills and
capacity, and structure
itself for success.
A cross-departmental and
cross-agency steering
committee also guided the
development of Move San
José. Participants included
representatives from the
Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, the City Manager's Office, and the departments of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement, Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, and Environmental Services.
This work came together to create the proposed Move San José.
Figure 3 Move San José development process
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
Goals and Key Performance Indicators
Move San José focuses on nine goals, defined by City Council direction and a co-creation process with community-based organizations and the public.
Figure 4 Move San José Goals
To make these goals actionable, staff crafted a set of KPIs. The KPIs measure the progress of each goal area. For example, the "Access for All" KPIs include measurements of access to jobs by transportation mode and cost of transportation as a percentage of income. The KPIs are the basis for the analysis that helped create and prioritize the strategies of Move San José. The full list of KPIs is in the Executive Summary above.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
Decision Support System
The DSS serves as a new
methodology and tool to help
understand how we are
performing today and where
and how we need to prioritize
investment. The KPIs
discussed above are the
foundation of the DSS,
helping the City track
progress after Move San
José's adoption.
Analogous to how medical
professionals consider
information from different
sources to diagnose a problem
and recommend treatment,
the DSS provides planners
with improved data and
analysis to develop the best
solutions.
The DSS serves as a tool, in addition to traditional methods such as public consultation, site visits, and studies to help prioritize investments and make an informed decision on where and how limited resources should be spent. For example, consider a situation where the City has a limited budget to make street improvements along a major corridor in San José. The DSS enables staff to diagnose issues, test options, and prioritize what projects to build more quickly and accurately. The DSS can also help communicate to residents and officials why the specific projects have been recommended. The DSS can then track progress toward implementation and assess the benefits after the projects are complete.
Strategies
Based on a review of best practices around the United States and abroad, public and stakeholder input, and DSS-based analysis, 26 strategies were developed to help meet the City's transportation goals. These strategies fall into the following three categories with highlighted example strategies, the full list of strategies and which goals they relate to are above, in the executive summary.
Figure 5 DSS sample view
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
Each category brings
together a set of strategies
to address a key area of
focus in the transportation
network.
• Streets are the
lifeblood of the
transportation network and
the largest public space in
the city. They serve many
functions, including – but
not only – moving cars.
• Transit service is the
backbone of more
transportation options,
particularly if you need to
get between
neighborhoods or other
cities. We evaluated
strategies that improve
existing transit service,
expand its coverage, and
make the experience of
taking public transit more
convenient and enjoyable.
This signals the City's
refreshed focus on playing
its part in improving
transit.
• In addition to streets
and transit, policies and
programs are needed to
change travel behavior,
align City processes, and
create potential funding
mechanisms for future
transportation investment.
To see the full description of
the 26 strategies, see the Move
Figure 6 Move San Jose Strategies and Goals
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
San José website "Strategies" section:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/3d82b2cf0df9413a821da8f01c56a05c#ref-n-u2zu1B Implementation
The City will need to take action on multiple levels to meet the ambitious goals of Move San José. The project team identified five implementation pathways, outlined below. Futher detail on these steps, including timeframes and responsible parties can be found in the “Implementation” section of the Plan,
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/096082d53c5c4e5baf9eb6afe15a1f0f#ref-n-fpQEge.
1. Implement Projects - Move San José identified transportation goals, strategies, and needs.
With these findings and utilizing a new project generation framework we will refresh and reprioritize our projects list, as well as progress already identified next steps at the Citywide level, those next step outline in Figure 7 below.
2. Align the DOT as an organization with our new goals through its people and processes - The second implementation pathway is aligning the DOT as an organization through its people and processes. To ensure the 400+ person department is aligned, the DOT Director will immediately roll out Move San José new goals and key performance metrics (KPIs) to all staff. He will appoint an internal cross-disciplinary Mission Task Force to serve as ambassadors for the department’s direction.
3. Launch Move San José public campaigns - To meet the Move San José’s ambitious goals, it will take more than agency action. The general public needs to understand their mobility options and embrace change. In turn, barriers to using non-auto modes must be understood and addressed. This implementation pathway launches new approaches to engaging the public. A combination of marketing, outreach, surveys, data transparency, and dedicated district-specific staff liaisons will help empower communities to be part of moving San José.
4. Embed equity and use data to inform our decisions - This implementation pathway enhances our use of data and centers equity. With approval of Move San José, the DOT commits to define equity specifically for transportation, audit how equity shapes all our work, and incorporate equity as an ongoing practice. Utilizing the DSS, the DOT will prioritize investments for communities who have been historically denied access and suffered institutional or structural discrimination.
5. Secure funding sources - In our initial organizational assessment, we found that the San José DOT has a fraction of the number of staff of comparable departments in other cities.
In order to deliver on the promise of Move San José, the DOT will need an influx of significant new resources – both for staffing and project needs. Advancing the actions under the first four implementation pathways above (align the DOT, launch public campaigns, embed equity and data, develop projects and programs), the DOT will be well-positioned with taxpayers and partners to make the case for additional funding.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
The project team
identified next
steps on key
Citywide
strategies.Category
Strategy Next Steps
Streets
Safer Streets
• Add staff resources to design and construct safety
improvements, starting with Vision Zero corridors
• Pursue 20 mph speed zones in residential areas and
identify other corridors for reduced speed limits and
traffic calming
• Secure funding to incorporate complete streets policy in all City pavement projects
Maintain Bike
and Pedestrian
Infrastructure
• Integrate existing data into DSS to identify hotspots for trash and other obstructions in bike lanes and
sidewalks
• Regularly audit active transportation infrastructure to identify improvement needs
• Secure funding to make all quick build bicycle and
pedestrian projects permanent
Transit
Means-Based
Transit Fares
• Partner with VTA and MTC to identify program
options for San José residents that qualify for Clipper START
Improve Existing
Transit Service
• Advocate for improved transit frequency on key routes, prioritizing access for equity priority communities
• Identify dedicated DOT staff resource liaisons with
VTA to design and implement transit supportive street
interventions
• Bring Transit First Policy to Council
Policy
Encourage
Electric Vehicles
• Create dedicated staff resources for electrifying
mobility
• Partner with regional and state agencies for
constructing electric vehicle charging infrastructure
and providing incentives for the purchase of electric
vehicles
• Develop and implement an updated version of San José
’s Electric Mobility Roadmap
Encourage and
Allow Carshare
• Develop an electric carshare program in equity priority communities
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
Transportation
Demand
Management
• Adopt TDM Ordinance
• Develop Transportation Management Agency (TMA)
model, beginning with Diridon/Downtown San José
and Berryessa BART Station area
• Grow TDM program for City employees
Smart Parking
Policy
• Adopt updated parking ordinance
Transportation
Impact Fee (TIF)
• Explore TIF, including at city- and countywide scales; review for equity, financial feasibility, and potentially supported nexus
Figure 7 Citywide Strategies- Next Steps
Staff recommends exploring a Transportations Impact Fee at the county- or citywide level as an immediate next step. A Transportation Impact Fee collects money from development to fund transportation improvements. A Transportation Impact Fee would:
• Replace portions of the current development review process • Focus funds that come in through development on the overall transportation needs of the City/County
• Create a streamlined, transparent fee for developers, allowing for early knowledge of transportation costs
Staff recommends exploring with the County of Santa Clara and/or VTA and City stakeholders how a Transportation Impact Fee could align funding from development projects with the transportation goals expressed in Move San José while creating a more streamlined and transparent development process.
These next steps, along with the Transit First Policy, which will be considered on the same agenda as Move San José, and the Parking and Transportation Demand Management policy that will return to City Council by the end of 2022, represent significant progress in aligning the way the City does business with its goals.
City Council District Needs
Each district in San José has unique transportation and land-use characteristics; these need to be considered when deciding which of the Move San José strategies to implement. We conducted a needs assessment of each district in San José to identify the greatest mobility and accessibility strengths and needs and to prioritize neighborhood-specific strategies. The assessments analyzed how each district performs across our Move San José goals. Each goal has an associated set of KPIs grouped together to estimate a single score. We also compared the performance of each KPI between the district as a whole and for the Equity Priority Communities within that district to identify any disparities. Once we identified the most significant needs within the district, we compared these needs to what is currently planned in that area.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
We combined this data-driven analysis with what we heard through our outreach and engagement. We identified areas of overlap between public input and our data-driven analysis to inform final recommendations for each district. Although each district likely needs improvement in all the goal areas, the analysis allows us to prioritize given limited time, resources, and funding.
For example, as shown below, District 3 performs better than the citywide average for Move San José goals of 20 Minute Neighborhoods, Connected Neighborhoods, and Move the Economy.
This is because District 3 is located in Downtown San José with existing transit options and a high concentration of jobs and residents. We can also see that District 3's lowest scores are for Enjoyable Transportation, Transportation Safety, and Less Driving.
To see assessments and recommendations for each District, visit the Move San José website:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/3d82b2cf0df9413a821da8f01c56a05c#ref-n-jQ61CH
CONCLUSION
San José has set ambitious goals that require bold action on transportation. Through extensive outreach and deep technical analysis, the City created Move San José to guide the planning and implementation of transportation investments toward those goals. Through the careful, context- sensitive implementation of the strategies in this plan and ongoing updates to the DSS, San José will be well positioned to make and track meaningful progress toward sustainable and equitable mobility.
Dist rict 3 G oal Scores
0 1
2 3
4 5
6 7
8 9
10 Less Driving
Access for All
Enjoyable Transportation
Transportation Safety
Clean the Air
20 Minute Neighborhoods
Connected Neighborhoods
Move the Economy
Plan for the Future
How do our goal areas perform in D 3?
District 3 City Average
C loser to our goal
Figure 8 District 3 Goal Scores
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
Move San José's nine goals will be monitored through KPIs in the DSS. DOT will report annually to the Transportation and Environment Committee on progress towards achieving Move San José'sJosé’s goals.
CLIMATE SMART SAN JOSÉ
The recommendation in this memorandum aligns with one or more Climate Smart San José energy, water, or mobility goals.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
Engagement and Equity
The staff and consultant team created a process for soliciting meaningful information and insights to inform decision making as the City engaged community members in planning safe, equitable, affordable, and attractive transportation. The Move San José approach to engagement adapted to the challenges of COVID-19 disruptions and centered equity in the process. The approach also brought in local and regional institutional stakeholders to help identify strategies and give insight on implementation.
Move San José put
together a
comprehensive digital
and video
conferencing-based
engagement plan that
involved over 1,500
San José participants.
The team, along with
our partner
community-based
organizations, held
seven public
workshops in multiple
languages, hosted 23
community meetings
to date, put out online
surveys that have
Figure 9 Move San José Outreach
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
brought in over 900 responses, and consulted with 12 focus groups. The team also created a social media presence on Twitter and Facebook, posting ideas coming from the development of the plan and notifications of related events. Posts were in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, as were most of the plan's materials posted on the website. Social media for the plan was seen by thousands of people. Finally, several articles were published by the Mercury News, San José Spotlight, and the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Four Community Based Organizations (CBOs) community-based organizations with deep knowledge of and relationships in historically underrepresented communities joined the team.
Latinos United for a New America helped bring the Latino\a\x and Eastside communities to the process. Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation connected the project team to the Vietnamese community. Silicon Valley Independent Living Center brought voices of people with disabilities, and People Acting in Community Together brought the perspective of the City's activist faith communities. The community-based organizations became integral to developing the plan. Their views were sought on all aspects of developing the plan. This included the engagement process itself, helping craft plan documents and outreach material, and their opinions on the concepts and strategies in the plan.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
The Move San José team also
developed personas from a broad
group of San Joséans who
represent many walks of life.
The team conducted in-depth
interviews with each person and
traveled with them for a day to
learn about how transportation is
part of their lives and what is
important to them about
transportation.
To learn more about our
outreach and each of the
personas, see the Move San José
website:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/3d82b2cf0df9413a821da8f01c56a05c#ref-n-Z5FsUn What We Heard
We heard ample support for Move San José's goals. San Joséans expressed a desire for the City to address its environmental impacts and historical inequity in the transportation system. Many said they would like to walk, bike, or take transit more. But many feel the transportation system in San José is not yet ready to support the shift in behavior the goals require. We were asked how we will improve pedestrian, bike, and transit infrastructure.
Key themes included:
• Public transit is an essential alternative to cars, but we need better infrastructure, timing, routes, and offers such as "free public transit month" to incentivize more people to switch to transit.
• Bike safety is a concern—bicyclists need to trust the lanes will be safe and free of debris and obstacles, including pedestrians.
• Building infrastructure to support "20-minute-neighborhoods" would go a long way toward achieving most Move San José goals.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 18, 2022
Subject: Move San José
• Accessibility needs to be considered more strongly across all modes, especially bus transport. • Walking and biking need to be safer modes of transportation, especially for children and seniors. Better street lighting at night is a priority.
This memorandum will be posted on the City's Council Agenda website for the August 9, 2022 City Council meeting.
COORDINATION
A cross-departmental, interagency Steering Committee guided the development of Move San José. Participants included representatives from the City Manager's Office; Office of Economic Development; the Departments of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement, Environmental Services, and Parks and Recreation; Metropolitan Transportation Commission; and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
This memorandum has been coordinated with the City Attorney's Office, Planning, Building and Code Enforcement, and the City Manager's Budget Office.
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION/INPUT
No commission recommendation or input is associated with this action.
CEQA
Determination of Consistency with the Envision San José 2040 General Plan Final Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (Resolution No. 76041), Envision San José 2040 General Plan Supplemental EIR (Resolution No. 77617), and Addenda thereto; and does not involve new significant impacts beyond those analyzed in the above EIRs.
/s/
JOHN RISTOW
Director of Transportation
For questions, please contact Ramses Madou, Division Manager Planning, Policy, and Sustainability, at [email protected] or (408) 975-3283.
Link to the Move San José plan: https://gis.sanjoseca.gov/maps/movesj