Information Item
1 Date: September 20, 2023
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anuj Gupta, Interim Director of Transportation
Subject: Santa Monica Department of Transportation (DOT) Technology Pilot Updates
Introduction
On April 14, 2023, the Santa Monica Department of Transportation (DOT) announced two short-term, no-cost artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technology pilots: (1) a 45-day test of camera technology supporting on-time bus performance and safety, and (2) a 60-day pilot of a video-camera monitoring system to protect public facilities and help keep Santa Monica clean and safe. Both pilots have now concluded.
DOT continues to use free- or low-cost pilots to test new technology concepts and has just launched two new bus stop amenity pilots. This report will discuss the findings of the completed pilots and provide an overview of the pilots now underway.
Background
A few months ago, DOT launched two no-cost pilots to test innovative technologies. In May 2023, a camera system that uses AI to scan bus lanes and bus stop zones for illegally parked vehicles was installed on two City buses. The purpose of the pilot was to gather data on whether the efficiency of Big Blue Bus service could be improved using automatic bus lane enforcement (ABLE). This is in line with new state legislation that took effect in January 2022 allowing California transit agencies to use cameras on buses to enforce bus-only lane and zone usage.
Information Item: DOT Technology Pilot Update
In June 2023, the DOT, Information Services Department (ISD), Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), and the Library Department partnered to pilot a proactive video monitoring (“virtual guard”) system at the Main Library to determine if that service could improve the safety of City facilities after hours. Both pilots have now concluded, and staff has reviewed the data collected by the pilot systems.
Discussion
Automated bus lane and zone enforcement
California’s AB 917, which went into effect on January 1, 2022, allows public transit operators to install automated forward-facing cameras on transit vehicles to enforce parking violations in bus lanes and at designated transit stops.i
To test this technology in the Big Blue Bus (BBB) service area, the pilot vendor (Hayden AI) equipped two buses with camera systems that detected vehicles parked in bus-only lanes and designated no-parking bus zones. The equipment included a forward-facing AI-powered context camera and a license plate reading (LPR) camera behind the front windshield of the bus, a computing box in the bus’s electrical cabinet, and an antenna on the roof of the bus.
For 45 days and at no cost, staff had access to the vendor’s cloud-based portal for analytics on near real-time camera activity and key performance indicators. This enabled BBB to gather relevant data to better understand current bus lane and bus stop violations and usage trends. The two pilot buses operated on Route 3 and Rapid 3, serving Downtown Santa Monica to/from LAX, and focused on violations of the Lincoln Blvd. bus-only lane in Santa Monica. Although no enforcement was carried out during the pilot, which was for data-collection purposes only, staff from SMPD’s Traffic Services Division participated in the pilot to assess the potential for automated parking enforcement. Among the findings:
Information Item: DOT Technology Pilot Update
• A total of 606 bus-only lane and bus stop violation incidents were reported. • Of these, 335 incidents occurred in the Lincoln Blvd. bus-only lane in Santa Monica and the remainder occurred in bus stop zones. The concentrations of occurrences in the Lincoln Boulevard bus-only lane and at bus stops along Route 3 are shown below in Figures 1A and 1B.
Figure 1A - Heat Map of All Events Captured in Bus-Only Lane During Pilot Information Item: DOT Technology Pilot Update
Figure 2B - Heat Map of All Events in Bus Stop Zones During Pilot • Roughly 80 percent of bus-only lane violations occurred during the southbound (afternoon) lane restriction period.
• During the pilot, significantly more violation incidents occurred on Fridays (160) and Thursdays (133) than on other days of the week.
• The two pilot buses recorded an average of 7.7 violations per bus per day over the 45-day pilot period.
• All video data collected during the pilot was only for the purpose of assessing the value of the technology, kept confidential, and erased within 15 days of the conclusion of the pilot in accordance with AB 917.
Proactive video monitoring
To support equitable economic recovery and create a cleaner, safer city, DOT and ISD partnered with several other City departments to pilot proactive video monitoring at the Main Library for 60 days. Proactive video monitoring is a crime-deterrence solution that uses AI to flag incidents seen by cameras in areas like parking lots, courtyards, and structures. The technology can help deter trespassing or crimes as the vendor’s trained specialists are alerted when the system identifies a situation, and they engage with Information Item: DOT Technology Pilot Update
intruders through loudspeakers in real time. Intruders are told to leave the premises immediately or law enforcement will be called. In most cases, the individuals leave quickly and do not return, but if they do not leave despite several warnings, security personnel (provided by Good Guard) or law enforcement (in the case of criminal activity) are dispatched.
Seven wireless cameras and two speakers were installed by the pilot vendor Netwatch in two highly trafficked areas at the Main Library. Key staff received access to the system’s data portal, stakeholder questions were answered in a town hall-style meeting, local businesses were notified, and the pilot launched on May 29, 2023.
During the 60-day pilot period, staff observed that incidents of loitering and anti-social behavior were significantly deterred, with an overall decrease in behaviors such as skateboarding in entry/exit courtyard areas, dumpster diving, loitering, and drug/alcohol use on City property. Additionally, facilities staff noted a cleaner space in the mornings before the library’s opening hours, with less mess and hazardous waste requiring clean-up compared to pre-pilot, thus enhancing the experience for both staff and library patrons.
In total, the pilot system identified and managed 145 incidents, including 19 referrals to Good Guard Security and 7 police dispatches.
The pilot also showed a significant reduction in incidents overall. As illustrated in Figure 2, below, an average of 10 nightly incidents on weekdays and 14 incidents on weekends decreased to a range of fewer than four incidents nightly, representing a 60% and 71% decrease in incidents respectively, and a combined decrease of 66% during the pilot’s 60-day duration.
Information Item: DOT Technology Pilot Update
Figure 3 - Proactive Video Monitoring Pilot Results
Throughout the pilot, Netwatch was committed to meeting the City’s data security, privacy, and retention standards and policies, including storing data onsite for no more than 30 days and in the cloud for an additional 14 days before securely deleting data no longer needed. Both cloud and onsite firewalls were deployed as security measures to protect networks and systems from unauthorized access, hacking, and other security threats.
Summary and Next Steps
Completed Pilots
Automated bus lane enforcement (ABLE): Given the successful proof of concept, and the significant potential for improving BBB system performance, staff plans to continue internal discussions and then participate in a competitive procurement for this technology. Once the procurement is complete, staff will make recommendations to the Council for a contract award. LA Metro is currently in the process of procuring a similar system and the results of that procurement may impact DOT’s scope and timeline, particularly if the City can piggyback on that open competitive procurement.
Once in place, automated bus lane enforcement technology can be used to issue citations to those illegally parked in bus lanes and bus stops with the goal of improving travel times, ridership, and system safety over time. The cost of the technology would be offset by citation revenue.
Information Item: DOT Technology Pilot Update
Proactive video monitoring: This initiative, which could potentially support the city’s Clean and Safe efforts, has been transferred to the Information Services Department for further research on the feasibility of this enterprise-level technology. ISD staff are evaluating the best path forward for this security service, including ways to implement the technology at other locations and how it can integrate with the Real Time Crime Information Center being proposed by the Santa Monica Police Department.
Two New Bus Stop Amenity Pilots
As an ongoing process, DOT staff continues to scan the transportation technology marketplace for solutions to improve the customer experience for all transportation modes in the city. One result of these efforts is the August 2023 launch of two new pilot projects to test amenities at our bus stops.
1. Bus Stop Lighting: A June 2023 assessment of all 914 BBB stops identified 59 bus stops without sufficient lighting. To test a solution for a safer bus stop experience, DOT’s Planning and Performance Division is launching a six-month no-cost pilot of two solar-powered bus stop fixtures that feature security lighting as illustrated in Figure 3.
During the six-month pilot period, the two units may be moved to different stops to test their reliability and durability under various conditions.
Figure 4 - Bus stop lighting solution
Information Item: DOT Technology Pilot Update
2. Real-time Information for Customers: BBB customers currently benefit from electronic signs providing bus arrival information at 151 of the 914 bus stops in our service area. These signs are solar-powered LCD dot-matrix units with a strict character limit and text-only display. The signs’ locations were determined based on the number of daily boardings at those stops; only stops at which 100 or more people board daily require signs according to BBB’s bus stop amenity standards. The June 2023 bus stop amenity study found that 21 bus stops that should display real-time bus arrival information do not have electronic signs. This pilot will test real-time long-life batterypowered signs with an electronic paper (e-paper) display at five of the 21 bus stops where real-time arrival information is needed.
Unlike the LCD signs we use currently, which can only display a limited amount of text, e-paper, also known as electronic ink (e-ink) or intelligent paper, has no character limit and can display a variety of messaging including service and detour alerts, QR codes to purchase tickets or get more information, public service announcements, advertising, or a clock. Weather reports or other dynamic web content can also be displayed. The cost of the pilot is less than $25,000 including all hardware, content management software, and one year of cellular data and system maintenance.
During the pilot, five BBB-branded, long-life battery-operated, tamper-resistant 13-inch e-paper display screens with external push-button text-to-speech audio will be mounted onto existing BBB transit poles at eye level and will transmit bus arrival times for the route(s) that serve the stop. A rendering of a planned sign is shown in Figure 4. At the pilot stops shared with other transit agencies, the signs will provide the other agencies’ arrival data as well as BBB’s feed.
As shown in Figure 5 below, the display content is customizable and can include a variety of messages in addition to the next bus arrival times. DOT staff will be trained on the content management system and an additional display screen will be set up in the Community Engagement and Customer Experience office so the content showing in the field is visible to staff.
Information Item: DOT Technology Pilot Update
Figure 5 - Rendering of the planned 13-inch tamper-resistant display with a long-life battery module and customized
branding
Figure 6 - 13-inch display with real-time next departures, marketing campaign, agency branding, and custom footer
with QR code. All content is customizable. LA Metro-branded graphics are shown for reference.
Design details for the signs are currently being finalized, and then the signs will be manufactured and shipped. They are expected to arrive sometime in November ready for installation by DOT staff. In the weeks before the signs arrive, the software will be configured, and DOT staff will be trained on using the content management system.
Staff will monitor the performance of the pilot real-time information e-paper signs and lighting fixture prototypes and will make recommendations for competitive procurement processes if one or both pilot products meet performance benchmarks.
Prepared By: Barbara Andres, Customer Experience & Innovation Administrator i California Vehicle Code, https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB917/2021